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    Bad Things Happen
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    Bad Things Happen
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    Bad Things Happen
    Audiobook10 hours

    Bad Things Happen

    Written by Harry Dolan

    Narrated by Erik Davies

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    "Witty, sophisticated, suspenseful and endless fun...the best first novel I've read this year." -Washington Post

    "A hypnotically readable novel, with...dialog worthy of Elmore Leonard."--Douglas Preston

    The man who calls himself David Loogan is hoping to escape a violent past by living a quiet, anonymous life in Ann Arbor, Michigan. But when he's hired as an editor at a mystery magazine, he is drawn into an affair with the sleek blond wife of the publisher, Tom Kristoll-a man who soon turns up dead.

    Elizabeth Waishkey is the most talented detective in the Ann Arbor Police Department, but even she doesn't know if Loogan is a killer or an ally who might help her find the truth. As more deaths start mounting up-some of them echoing stories published in the magazine-it's up to Elizabeth to solve both the murders and the mystery of Loogan himself.

    "Fans of Peter Abrahams and Scott Turow will find a lot to like."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)


    From the Trade Paperback edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 23, 2009
    ISBN9781101079386
    Unavailable
    Bad Things Happen
    Author

    Harry Dolan

    Harry Dolan is the author of the mystery/suspense novels Bad Things Happen, Very Bad Men, The Last Dead Girl, and The Man in the Crooked Hat. He graduated from Colgate University, where he majored in philosophy and studied fiction writing with the novelist Frederick Busch. A native of Rome, New York, he now lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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    Reviews for Bad Things Happen

    3.5/5

    273 ratings52 reviews

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    • 3/5
      David Loogan, who has a sketchy past, rents a house in Ann Arbor, MI (GO BLUE!). He acquires a job as an editor at a local publishing company. Loogan's boss requests that he assist him in a crime and Loogan agrees. Soon after, many murders take place and Loogan is a suspect, along with many others.Anything that had to do with Ann Arbor was wonderful. I loved the descriptions, street names, etc. because I knew right where they were. That made for such a fun experience. However, the plot was another matter. I liked some of it, but the "if this was a story" parts were not necessary. Also, in general, there were just too many bodies and too many scenarios making the whole book seem implausible, so it didn't end on a very good note for me. (2.75/5)Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed this - a mix of Guy Noir, Private Eye and Castle.... different mix of writer & cop that did a good job keeping me guessing.
    • 4/5
      Lots of intrigue, red herrings, and plot twists, with a satisfying climax. Great characters and realistic dialog. David Loogan is a protagonist I want to read more about.
    • 5/5
      I simply love how Harry Dolan tells stories; and Dolan's stories are mysteries with many layers and great characters and delightful dialogue. The premise of this story is about a man who calls himself David Loogan getting involved in a murder mystery while working as an editor for a crime story magazine, Gray Streets. Fun to read, keeps the reader guessing, and the main characters -- especially Loogan -- are people the reader wants to succeed (and live). Dolan only has about 4 books published so far, but the first two I have read, i have thoroughly enjoyed.
    • 5/5
      Excellent book. Twist and turns. I had no idea who the killer was until the end!
    • 4/5
      Pretty good for a first novel. I look forward to reading the second. It was a little difficult in the end to follow all the murders and murderers (there were a lot of deaths to keep track of). I never did a partial review as I was reading this book b/c I couldn't figure out what kept me going back. Something about the writers or the characters kept you wanting to read more and I never have put my finger on it. The book was good, but there wasn't anything exceptional about it.
    • 4/5
      One of the best opening sentences I've ever read. I knew from that point I'd like this quirky but exceptionally written book.
    • 3/5
      A mystery novel can be saved by its ending. This one wasn't. Still enough fun to read to be good.
    • 4/5
      While entertaining, this is clearly a first novel. The author adopts an almost hermaneutic style that excludes all humans but crime writers, editors, and police. Clearly in thrall with a writerly life, the author portrays authors as being just as venal, amoral, and dangerous as any other group of citizens. They are just more familiar with potential scenarios if they specialize in detective fiction, which in this work, everyone does. There's also a literary magazine devoted to the genre. This world, is as bizarre in its fashion as individuals who wear Star Trek uniforms or who know every line of dialogue from Star Wars. The heroine, a police detective, is constantly reminding the hero--a spiritual and honorable editor--that a series of murders is not a story in a magazine, but real life and he should leave the solution of the crimes to police professionals. Of course he ignores this device, and like Clint Eastwood becomes the adult in the book, capable of making connections and taking actions that no one else can. He is interesting but something of a stick figure, riding into town and putting down the bad guys with his brains rather than his fists. That's entirely appropriate in a university town like Ann Arbor.
    • 5/5
      Excellent mystery/thriller. I was completely engaged (and finished it in just four days) and there were twists and turns in the plot right until the very end.
    • 2/5
      There have been a lot of excellent reviews for Bad Things Happen; however, I really just wanted the book to end.
    • 4/5
      Mildly interesting, fizzles out at the end. Detective develops unrealistic interest in possible suspect.
    • 4/5
      Good Things Happen

      When I read Stephen King called this "a great f@@king book" I had to give it a try. Now I agree with Mr. King.
      Meet David Loogan or at least, the man who goes by that name. He's a quiet man who keeps to himself, spending his days going to movies & people watching. In a cafe, he finds a magazine that prints crime & detective short stories. On a lark, he writes one & take it to the mag office. Then he rewrites it. He's caught dropping off the third version by Tom Kristoll, the owner, who ends up offering him a job as an editor. They strike up odd friendship & David meets Laura, Tom's wife. She drags him out to art galleries & initiates an affair.
      Then one night Tom calls for a favour. Will David help him bury a body? There's much more to that story but David gives him a hand although he doubts Tom's version of events. Soon after, he ends the affair the same night Tom is sent sailing out his office window.
      Local detectives Elizabeth Waishkey & Carter Shan catch the case & as they dig, they find evidence of the affair as well as questions concerning the group of authors who run the magazine. All of them have secrets & Elizabeth and Carter have to give them a harder look when a second body pops up.
      Meanwhile, David begins a little detecting of his own. He wants to know the truth about the man he helped Tom bury & how he ended up dead. When a third person is murdered, David is framed & goes on the run.
      To say the plot is intricate is an understatement but it never feels muddled or convoluted. The pacing is bang on & once I started, I didn't want to put it down because I genuinely didn't know who-done-it. There are several credible candidates & as past histories and alliances are slowly revealed, you switch from one to another as your choice for killer. It's smart, well thought out & written in a clean, uncluttered prose. The dialogue is tight with a wry humour that shines particularly in conversations between Elizabeth & her daughter & Carter.
      David is a compelling & sympathetic character. He's decent, observant & well read. We know from the beginning he's assumed a new name. We also know he doesn't like car parks, doorways or being out after dark. His past is revealed bit by bit as we follow his actions in the present, actions that will result in his past catching up with him.
      The characters are well rounded & interesting. Dolan pays homage to writers like Raymond Chandler, not just by producing a cleverly plotted thriller but with references to their old stye noir detective novels.
      Elizabeth & David face personal danger as they come at the murders from their own perspectives & it turns out he's not the only one hiding behind a new name. Just when you think you've got it sussed, there are a couple of twists that change everything.
      I really enjoyed this. It's so rare to read a detective novel/thriller where you don't see the identity of the killer coming from a mile away. There is a sequel (Very Bad Men) & I will definitely read that one so I can follow these characters a bit longer.
    • 4/5
      David Loogan is a quiet man. Quiet, and a little mysterious. He's recently made his way to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he's rented the house of a professor away on sabbatical, and now he's trying to lose himself in the bustle of the college town. Loogan happens upon a job editing a literary magazine called Gray Streets, which specializes in crime stories. He becomes friends with Tom Kristoll, the publisher of the magazine. He is seduced by Tom's wife, Laura.And one day he gets a call from Tom. "I need to see you. Bring a shovel." Now that can't be good, but David Loogan, quiet and mysterious, helps his friend dispose of the body in the library. He gets a story from his friend about who, and why, and, though it rings false, goes with it.A short time later his friend is dead, too, seemingly a suicide. Loogan's not convinced. If this were a story in Gray Streets, he thinks to himself, I would be able to solve this mystery, to determine who pushed Tom Kristoll out the window of the magazine's office and to learn the identity of the poor sucker I helped to bury.As David Loogan proceeds with his investigation he discovers similarities between the murders (oh, there will be more murders) and scenes from novels published by...frequent contributors to Gray Streets. As he digs deeper he learns that everybody in the Gray Streets circle has secrets they don't want their friends (and fans) to learn about. There's some ghostwriting going on. There's a giant unpublished manuscript that somebody might just kill for the opportunity to lay claim to it.Meanwhile, Ann Arbor police detective Elizabeth Waishkey is investigating the series of murders, bumping up against David Loogan again and again. And despite indications that seem to point to his involvement in the murders, she sorta kinda likes him, even after a shocking revelation about his past comes to light.Bad Things Happen is a fun, smart, utterly entertaining read. It's got a little bit of the nodding and winking meta thing going on (as books about books are wont to do), but it's all in good fun and not enough to become tiresome. The characters are wonderful, and I have to admit I'm more than a little in love with the mysterious Mr. Loogan.Very Bad Men, Harry Dolan's sophomore release, which also features Loogan and Waishkey, will be released in July. It's just as good as this one.
    • 4/5
      Great book -I really enjoyed it. The kind of book that is so hard to put down, I find myself resenting the time that I need to spend sleeping (or going to work). I am looking forward to seeing what this author writes next.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed the characters, the mystery and especially all the publishing and book references. Good read.
    • 5/5
      This was really interesting on several levels. I'd never heard of this author before and was delightfully sucked into the story immediately. Also delighted to see he has other books already published and is young and, hopefully, still writing. The story itself was kind of convoluted about authors and jealousies. But, even now finished there is still a mystery about the main protagonist. And a second in the series. So... excellent!
    • 4/5
      Very interesting. Well crafted. Harry Dolan is one to read—or at least this one is.
    • 4/5
      with the number of db's you would expect this to be a British murder mystery, but it is set in Ann Arbor! lots of twists and I need someone else to read it because I am not really sure what happens at the end
    • 4/5
      Well - I finally got around to reading this book, and am glad I did - it is a very entertaining read, and the deaths pile up quite convincingly, though I have to confess that I finished the book not really knowing (without going back to look, which I couldn't be bothered to do)exactly who had killed whom...

      That being said, I would definitely recommend this book, and will look out for any more books from this author.
    • 3/5
      I can't honestly call this a "good" book, but it surely is a fun one -- the literary equivalent of a Snickers bar. This is grim and gritty crime noir, delivered in a deadpan sardonic drawl that never takes itself too seriously.

      In a delightfully perverse twist, not only is the principle murder victim a mystery pulp editor -- slain with Shakespeare, no less -- but the entire stable of suspects are themselves mystery writers and genre junkies. Thus, nearly every conversation provides opportunity for some stander-by to spin a freshly speculative yarn about how the crime might have been committed -- or would have been, "were we in a mystery novel" -- dealing an ongoing deluge of denouements. Finally, the endgame featured more bait-and-switch false finales than a Peter Jackson movie, keeping the dice rolling until the last page was turned.

      Although I've never read any Raymond Chandler or Mickey Spillane, I sense that I owe these hardboiled veterans of lowbrow entertainment a second chance. The book played like a script for recent throwback films like "Shoot'em Up" and "Sin City", with a kitschy, bourbon-flavored masculinity reminiscent of Roger Zelazny's less hallucinogenic moments, or Joseph Garber's guilty pleasure Vertical Run. Casting such roles becomes a generational litmus test: whether you lean toward classics like Humphrey Bogart or their modern incarnations like Bruce Willis, you can easily envision your favorite grizzled straight-man walking the dark alleys of Dolan's twisting plot.

      Three stars for philistine fun, with two saved in the cylinder -- "in case things get dicey, or a dame offers to buy me a drink" :-)
    • 4/5
      The man who calls himself David Loogan is hoping to escape a violent past by leading a quiet, anonymous life in Ann Arbor. But his solitude is broken when he finds himself drawn into a friendship with Tom Kristoll, publisher of the mystery magazine Gray Streets -- and into an affair with Laura, Tom's wife. When Tom offers him a job as an editor, Loogan sees no harm in accepting. What he doesn't realize is that the stories in Gray Streets tend to follow a simple formula: Plans go wrong. Bad things happen. People die.
    • 3/5
      When I read the opening pages of this book, I wondered why I'd let it sit on my shelf for so long. I was immediately immersed. The writing is crisp and flows well. The plot is unique. Then it all went downhill from there.What I liked:The writing remained crisp and engaging. I enjoyed the author's style, the way he shows us scenes without the overuse of adjectives. I liked the feel of the story, which is a kind of modern whodunit. The problems I had:The characters don't make sense. David Loogan, the main character, is initially portrayed as a dark, mysterious man with secrets. Immediately, in the opening scenes, he helps his boss do something most of us wouldn't even consider. But this behavior is completely at odds with what we later find out about the man's true nature. The detectives are all one-dimensional and the remaining cast is more caricatures than characters.There is absolutely nothing unique in each character's dialogue. In real life, individuals have defining speech patterns. We have words we overuse. We are prone to either long, windy sentences or short, clipped phrases. In this book, they all spoke the same way. Without speech tags and POV cues, it would be impossible to tell who was thinking and/or speaking. The plot becomes a bit of a tangled mess. I don't want to give things away, so I'll just say that the way it played out stretched credibility for me.In all, I was disappointed. Dolan had me hooked at the start, but lost me somewhere in the middle.
    • 4/5
      This is a book I picked up after reading the review by a friend of mine. It takes place in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a place I called home for a few years. I usually like reading books that refer to places that I know; I'm not sure if that was the case this time, sometimes I found it a distraction as I tried to figure out where the exact spot was but that is my quirk and not yours. David Loogan is a man with a mysterious past. People around him die and all fingers are pointing at him, except those of the reader because we're privy to his whereabouts. First he becomes an editor of a mystery magazine and friends with the publisher and his wife, whom he has an affair. Then, while he breaking up with her, her husband dies - is it murder or suicide. He is found on the sidewalk six stories below his office. And then the bodies begin piling up so to speak. Elizabeth is the detective assigned to the case and probably the only person who doesn't think David is guilty. The evidence against him mounts - fingerprints, a body in his house. You get the picture. The ending is climatic, but not exactly heart-pounding. I found the number of characters and subplots to be hard to keep straight at times, but it was a good read; good enough for me to go out and get Dolan's second book and start it right away.
    • 5/5
      A complicated thriller and first in a series starring David Loogan, whose own identity is shrouded in mystery. Loogan has been living only a short time in Ann Arbor, Michigan, when he is offered a position as an editor at a mystery magazine. One evening his boss, with whom he’s become friends, asks him to help him bury the body of a burglar he’s killed during break-in, and he agrees. This important plot element, early in the book, never did square quite right with me, especially as I got to like Loogan’s character, but I got sucked in anyway. Soon the bodies are dropping and the possibilities of who-done-it, who-might-be-next, who Loogan really is, and how he and the detective, herself an intriguing character, will solve the crimes without Loogan ending up in prison, keep multiplying. Well-done dialogue and characterization. Other than that detail about Loogan helping bury the body instead of calling the cops, or even just refusing, my only complaint was that the complications did seem to get drawn out a bit to my taste, but for all that, this was still a winner.
    • 2/5
      I was recommend to this book by Goodreads recommendations. I thought the book seemed really interesting and sounded like something that I would like so I decided to check it out from the library. The beginning of the book up until the death of Tom Kristoll just seemed slow to me and I became distracted from the book. I had to sit myself down and make myself read it. All the action in the book towards the end did make up for some slowness and confusion on my part in the beginning, but it still turned out to be far from the book that I thought it would be.
    • 5/5
      A superb booknoir...I loved it a very fast read in the tradition of Chandler...look forward to reading the follow up book very bad men
    • 4/5
      Mixed feelings about this one. It's a book that I've had around for awhile and have put aside probably a dozen times over the last 6 months as it hadn't captured my imagination and I moved onto other books instead. But.....I did come back to it and while it has taken me longer to read this than any other book I ever finished, in the second half which I read this week it finally sparked and it became one of those books you don't want to put down as body count spiralled and the number of potential suspects kept rising. So interesting dilemma is whether to read the sequel or not? Rating reflects that it didn't maintain my interest enough to keep reading it during the first half.
    • 4/5
      Bad things happen. But reading this mystery by Harry Dolan is not one of them. That's because it is so well written. This first novel in a series sets a fast pace with humor, well defined even mysterious characters and multiple plot twists. Dolan's writing skills abound. It's a real joy to discover a new mystery writer so compelling. And, more good news. His second mystery in the series, Very Bad Men, also showcases his ability to write clearly, and to astonish. You'll do yourself a real favor by experiencing such satisfying reads you just can't put down once you start.Dolan, a new favorite. Can't wait for the next book.
    • 5/5
      "Bad Things Happen" is the first book of a new series. The protagonist is Loogan, who comes to Ann Arbor from parts unknown with a background unknown. As the novel opens Loogan has been working at a magazine which publishes crime fiction short stories, mostly doing editing work. He has become good friends with the publisher and even better friends with the publisher's wife. One afternoon, one of Loogan's new friends asks his help in disposing of a body, and soon there are more bodies, and more bodies. It is not clear why these people are dying nor who is responsible. But the action becomes centered around the magazine and the staff, including contributing authors and wannabe authors. The story becomes rich with detail about who wrote what when, who edited, re-edited, who was where when - all reminiscent of those old Humphrey Bogart Sam Spade B & W's with the crisp dialogue and you better not miss a line or you'll lose the whole thread of the story. Generally I could be put off by such crime fiction but BTH has a very intriguing story line though at times it stretches the boundary of credibility. As the climax approaches, the story suddenly takes a very interesting detour and soon gets back on track but only after an appreciative "wow" from this reader. Then one starts counting not only the dead but the number of people who may or may not be responsible for all these bodies - not exactly your every day multiple murder story! Looking forward to more of the same in the next story, "Very Bad Men". 8/7 and 4.5