I'm giving this book four stars . I would have given it five, but I didn't like the ending it somehow felt incomplete. The characters were well written and I felt like I really knew them all. The authors description of everything made me feel like I was there. Very well written!

Overall I’m a little let down. I absolutely loved Penpal and this feels like a very slow sort of copy. I wanted so bad to fall deeply into this story and yet found myself not caring what happened to the little brother and who actually took him.

A very dark and weird story about a young boy who goes missing and for 5 years his older brother doesn’t stop looking for him only to go missing too.

My video review will be live here: https://youtu.be/8UitNPVS3to on August 3, 2018 at 3pm eastern time.

4.5 stars

This review is based on an ARC of Bad Man which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (Doubleday).

Bad Man was exhilarating! I finished this book in a little under two days--I just could not put it down! From the very first pages I was hooked, pulled in face-first into this swampy Floridian suburb setting. The familiarity of the scenery and the plot is half of what makes Bad Man so eerie.

Auerbach's writing is so fluent and gripping; there is voice so strong that you believe Ben is a real man. It feels like the author is pummeling you with staccato keystrokes of tension and intrigue: Bap bap bap! so many layers of mystery, drama, hints and clues, leaving you ravenous for that finale and the closure that you hope is coming. Auerbach's flawless use of an unreliable narrator adds tremendously to the tension of Bad Man.

Personally, I really loved the ending. Coming up on the last few chapters I was so riled up I was clutching at my kindle and literally biting my nails. I always hope for a story to conclude how it leads you to believe it will, but I am such a sucker for unhappy endings as well. Without spoiling anything, Bad Man gave me everything I desired in an absolutely perfect ending--it couldn't have been better!

Aside from one chapter around 40% in I thoroughly relished in reading Bad Man. If thrillers were my favorite genre I would be crazy for this novel. I definitely recommend this one!

After reading Auerbach's "Penpal," I knew I had to read this book. Auerbach manages to create such a creepy ambiance in his books that is unrivaled. This author is impressive and one to watch. I'm very surprised that he is not more popular. For me, he rivals many of the popular horror and thriller writers of now.

"Somewhere in the distance, lightning lit the sky on fire, and it screamed in pain."

Bad Man will be published on August 7 and is available for pre-order now.
It is told from the point of view of Ben, a young man who lost his little brother 5 years ago and never forgave himself and never gave up searching. For some reason the police don't seem to care and his step mother is lost in her own world, still buying presents and holding birthday celebrations for her little boy who never came home. Ben's father doesn't want him working in the store where little Eric disappeared but he sure doesn't mind Ben bringing home a paycheck. His boss is a jerk and the other employees are a bit on the suspicious side.
This was an incredible read. Bad Man has more layers than an onion, each one deeper and darker than the one that came before. A heavy pervasive creeping dread settled in my stomach with the turn of each page.
5 stars

Bad Man, the new novel by Dathan Auerbach, was one of my more anticipated reads of the year — despite my never having read this author’s previous work (though I will change that!). I was impressed by this taut, psychologically involving tale — one sure to please fans of dark and suspenseful fiction. While I felt the ending was maybe a little rushed, I dug the rest. Highly recommended!

This one took me quite sometime to finish. I'd pick it up, put it down, pick it up, put it down. I kept coming back to it, because I wanted to know what happened, but I just couldn't stay interested in it enough to get through large chunks. The writing is solid, and the premise is great, I just wasn't feeling it.

Ben lost his brother Eric many years ago and is still looking for him. As an adult, he takes a job at the same place he lost him. He begins to try to piece things together.
This was an interesting idea. People can spend years of their lives wondering what would have happened if they just didn't look away. An engrossing read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC which I received in exchange for an honest review.

I was so stoked when I was approved to read an advanced copy of Dathan Auerbach's upcoming sophomore novel Bad Man. I devoured Penpal in a day, and it's stuck with me ever since. This one is in the same general neighborhood but doesn't leave as strong an impression. Don't get me wrong, I really dig this and I'll probably buy a copy. It had all the same creepy nuances that reminded me of Dathan's past with creepypasta. But there were some things that didn't flow well, like how often he used U.S. Southern dialect in dialogue. I see he's from the South (as am I), but it wasn't very consistent. Hopefully that gets fixed before official publication. Overall, the horror and suspense were great. I wish that there had been a little less mundane moments (and a few less references to the protagonist's obesity) and a little more explanation in the ending. It made sense well enough, but I wish that there had been a little more to the ending than was offered. I liked it, but it was almost lackluster.

To end on a good note, I think he crafted a very interesting portrayal of loss and grief from multiple perspectives. The protagonist's experience with these things and the way he processed it over time was astounding and nerve-wracking to the point where the reader will begin to question the reliability of him as a narrator. This is probably the shining glory of this novel, and it is inextricably linked to the suspense and inevitable horror of the novel.

Still obviously a huge fan of Dathan Auerbach and 1000Vultures. Can't wait to hear more about the Penpal movie and keep up with Auerbach's career as a horror author. I both wish he was more renowned because he deserves it but love that his work feels like a secret.

A promising debut, with a style reminiscent of Stephen King, but I found the story very confusing. Might be better to read as a hard copy with chapter heads than an arc ebook.

Thanks to NetGalley, Dathan Auerbach and Doubleday for providing me with an advanced ecopy of Bad Man in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about Ben, a teen whose three-year-old brother, Eric, goes missing from a grocery store while under Ben's care. Ben spends the next five years trying to find him and ends up working at the same store where his brother disappeared.

Bad Man is unique for its array or creepy, fascinating characters and atmosphere. While the novel is billed as a horror, I do think someone looking for a traditional horror novel might be disappointed. There is not a ton of gore or supernatural monsters. In Bad Man, most of the horror is based on unseen things and inferred terror. (If I were comparing this book to popular "horror" movies, I would say Bad Man is more like Alien than The Shining.)
Each character, no matter how much page time he/she got, made me want to know more about them. They were each so unique that despite the rather high volume of secondary characters, upon completing the novel, I can remember enough about each of them to tell you about them. Marty (of course), the coworker with a heart-of-gold (or is it?), Frank, the temperamental coworker you can't help but love (or is he hiding nefarious motives?), Beverley, the crotchety elderly coworker with the soft center (or is she faking it?), Clint, Ben and Eric's kind father who is doing his best to hold what is left of his family together (unless...?) and Diedre, the grieving mother of the missing boy whose desolation has overwrought her mind entirely (or is that regret over something else?), Dan, the obnoxious store manager who reigns over his employees with contempt (But is there more to him than that?), and Reggie, Frank's dad who seems to be hiding something about his past that may be relevant to Eric's disappearance. There are so many more, some who don't even have names. The point is, this book is FULL of characters who will propel the story forward.

I waffled a bit on how to rate Bad Man. On one hand, I am the kind of gal who demands my endings be MOSTLY unambiguous. The ending to Bad Man left too much unanswered for my usual taste. However, there was just enough information given that I feel as a reader I am able to fill in the blanks well enough without feeling like the author suckered me. Combine that with the wildly eclectic group of characters, and eerie ambiance, I was hooked and finished the book satisfied. I now plan to go pick up Pen Pal as I think Auerbach is a very fresh voice on the fictional scene!

I think that in reading Penpal only recently and without reading the reviews first, I was armed to more thoroughly enjoy the writing style of Dathan Auerbach. To trust his style. To appreciate his presentation. And as much as I immersed myself in the first book, I found that Bad Man was even more engrossing. I really can't describe the style. It's not gruesome. It's not horrendous, but like Penpal, there is a momentary terror that creeps into the reading experience and combined with the enviable ability to create such a driven, innocent protagonist is beyond any fair description that I can offer. As an author, I'm jealous. As a reader, I am grateful.

Ben, the main character, is thrown into his circumstances and his personality drives the narrative. His short-comings are his strength. The first chapter is so craftily placed, that it drives the interpretation of all but the very end of the book. This is superb planning. Everything is obviously carefully crafted and made to almost feel free-form and flowing, like life often is, from the reader's perspective. It makes sense.

My only complaint is how in at least four places the story shifts from one location to an entirely different location without a break. You're finishing a sentence in a given place and the very next sentence, across town or in a completely different scene. No rest and no break. I was a little annoyed to have to reread and figure out if I'd missed something. But no, it's part of the presentation. Maybe there's a writing technique that I'm missing, but I found it disjointed. Just a few places. But enough to make me lose my rhythm. But that's it. That's all the negative that I have.

I would recommend this, of course, to fans of Penpal. But I would recommend this to all readers who enjoy a driven character, immersed in a world beyond his understanding, enmeshed in a mystery that is all to compelling. I enjoyed every minute.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for an advance e-copy of this book. This is a book that I’ll be thinking about for days, if not weeks. Dathan Auerbach does a great job writing a story that is not only suspenseful and chilling, but also makes the reader feel empathy for the relatable characters. The very beginning of this novel grabbed my attention, and while there was a slight lull in the action after that, it really picked up once I was about 1/3 of the way through. From that point on, I couldn’t put it down. For me, the climax of the story, as well as the ending, were not what I expected; it was not a predictable conclusion. I thought the ending was fitting, and loved how it tied everything together. I enjoyed Penpal, but for me, Bad Man is even better. I’ll happily read anything else that Auerbach has to offer.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about this book. It was a good read but kind of dragged out at times. I can’t understand how everything was related. I felt let down by the ending because after reading such a long drawn out story, I was really hoping for a wow moment. There was a lot left unanswered.
3 Stars because there was a really strong creepy effect.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm a huge horror fan, but unfortunately this did not hold my attention. Even though it was marketed as horror, I did not find it scary in the slightest, but that is not what dissuaded me. After trying for several weeks, I found no connection to any of the characters and no interest in their fate. I stopped reading at 50%. However, I would still read future works by this author depending on the premise.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Strongly don't recommend this book. I love horror, and I found this novel severely lacking in execution and tone. It seems really unpolished to me, and needs more editing for clarity. On the positive side: Good premise and cover though.

Bad Man sets the stage for a creepy tale in a small town in Florida. Ben begins working at the same supermarket where his brother went missing from five years prior and each day comes a bit closer to answers and a bit further from sanity as the chapters unravel.

This is a horror novel! There are some gory scenes that are explained in detail!

I enjoyed how creeped out I felt throughout most of the story, sort of like I was being watched without knowing by whom; much like how Ben must have felt throughout most of the book. There were moments that you knew someone else was around, but never knew why or who. This is a great book for those who like to imagine how things may have gone when they finish a book. Not all storylines were entirely wrapped up. The narrator was not entirely reliable throughout the book which can make for an exciting read. As he becomes paranoid about the people around him I couldn’t help siding with him and also second guessing myself for doing so. This book hits shelves in August so if it sounds like something you’d like to read - add it to your TBR shelf! I’ll remind you about it again in August. ;-)

Thank you to Doubleday books, Netgalley, and the Readers Community for a free ARC of this book. All views are my own.

A chilling and entertaining sophomore novel. I went into reading this book with high hopes, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
The protagonist, Ben is still searching for his missing brother, Eric. He takes a job at the same grocery store he lost his brother in years ago. He begins to find strange clues that seem to relate to his brothers disappearance.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook.