Six college roommates are having their last party of the year when the next morning one of them is found dead. Twenty years later unbeknownst to them they will all be reunited for a weekend at Wolfheather Manor a beautiful forested Inn on an isolated isle in Scotland where the only way in or off the island is by a ferry boat . The former housemates are quite shocked to see one another and they are all questioning how they were invited and why are they here now seeing that none of them had kept in touch after graduation. Three women and two men who all share secrets from their last time together and it is very obvious that one roommate could never have attended this unsettling reunion so why have they all been gathered together and who is their host who seems to know so much about all of them. Before the night is over one of them will be missing and they will find all their tires have been slashed on their vehicles also without any cell phone service and the land line seems to have been cut, all while a heavy snow storm has started and the ferry is a couple miles away but the next ride would be over twenty-four hours wait when they suddenly realize they have to get off the isle.

I had high hopes for this story. Everything was perfectly in place, the atmospheric setting, the mystery, the alluring feeling of the book "And Then There Was One". Unfortunately for me this books didn't live up to my expectations. All the characters were unlikable so I didn't care about what happened to any of them and the ending was a surprise but too disconnected for my taste. It wasn't a bad book but certainly not a memorable one for me although I'm sure this book will appeal to many other readers.

I want to thank the publisher "Sky Horse Publishing" for the opportunity to read this ARC and any opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this book a rating of 2 1/2 Disappointing ✴✴⭐ Stars!!

I was drawn to request this book based on the title alone. It reminded me of the tagline for Bloodline on Netflix - We aren't bad people, we just did a bad thing. Then the description reeled me in with a group of people who were in their freshman year of university the same year I was. Throw in a murder mystery and I was sold. However, the story didn't deliver for me. The time hopping was clunky and confusing at times. I usually enjoy stories with alternating timelines, but this one jumped too suddenly and all over the place. I didn't connect with the characters, which some of them don't make it to the end of the book so that was all right. The ending didn't land for me, but I don't want to spoil the story for anyone so I won't spell out why. I will say I do not like it when authors do not give all the information or characters from the start or at least they don't spring something out at the end. This instance it was hinted at throughout the book, but still felt too convenient.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really couldn’t get into this book. Very few twists, I felt like it was repetitive in the story telling, also very dull. I couldn’t really get involved with the characters. They all felt the same to me. The ending really didn’t give me the wow factor I was hoping for. I did like the clue feeling of the book. But other than that I couldn’t get invested and the ending was not as satisfying as I thought it would be

I tried a few times to really get sucked into this read, but it never did. The characters I thought was very flat, one dimensional. There was a few twists along the way, and while I was interested I was never on the edge of my seat. I put this book down a few times and revisited it a few days later thinking I just wasn’t in the mindset to be fully engrossed, but it did not hook me once I picked it back up.

This started very strong for me. The introduction narrative asking to think about which type of person you are really drew me in.

The book is a twisty back and forth game of who really set this all up. Who killed Callum all those years ago, and who is setting the, all up now to get the truth out. Lots of twists and turns, I had no idea who was going to ultimately be responsible, even though they all carried some responsibility with them.

The book was told in numerous perspectives of all 5 roommates, and a narrative with flash backs to their time together at university. There was also time line flash backs (12 hours ago, etc.) which sometimes was a lot to keep track of.

Overall 3.5 stars for a twisty ride with way more gore than I imagined it would be.

Someone killed Callum in 1995. Who did it? Well, his five other housemates all disavowed any knowledge at the time and moved on with their lives. Now, 25 years later, they've all been lured, with different offers to each, to Wolfheather, a creepy mansion on Doon, a Scottish island. You can guess what's going to happen in broad terms- the remaining five will find themselves at each others throats and at least a few of them will end up dead. If there's an issue with this novel that might remind you of others, it's that it shifts around in time- a lot. It's told from the POV of each of the characters and one unnamed person, which works well in this situation. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Don't get too fond of anyone one character!

Six university students move in together for a house share at the start of the school year, but months later, one is found dead on the living room sofa following a party. The police rule the death accidental, but the five remaining housemates know what happened that night, and move on with their lives, keeping this secret.

Twenty years later, they are lured to Wolfheather House under various pretenses, for a weekend away at a secluded mansion. As they are cut off from the outside world and escape, they are murdered one-by-one and forced to confront their past and determine who has brought them together for revenge.

Liked:
- The plot had a Clue-meets-And Then There Were None-feel to it, but got a little nutty towards the end.
- I loved the setting of Wolfheather House and could imagine this crumbling old building tucked away on a Scottish isle.
- The story had a bit of a slow burn that I was fine with, but if you're looking for a quick page-turner, I don't think this will be for you.

Didn't Like:
- I had a VERY hard time keeping the female characters straight - this could just be my brain right now, but for some reason I struggled with who was who and who did what.
- The time jumps were frequent and sometimes jarring.
- The ending was a bit outlandish, but I am always willing to overlook this in the presence of amazing storytelling.

Three stars - liked, didn't love.

'You're not afraid of doing bad things. You're afraid of getting punished for doing them.'

And so begins They Did Bad Things: A Thriller, a diabolical story of gory revenge. Upon finishing this novel at four this morning, I had initially planned to give it 2 stars...but then I decided I liked the epilogue enough to add half a star. It felt a bit like the game of Clue.

So, here's the thing...this story is beyond clunky. The timeline bounces around so much, and so illogically, it's hard to stay involved. The characters are all vile. And if I'm being completely honest, the "twist" at the end felt like a cheap shot. I definitely didn't figure it out, although I thought I had...but the reason is because it's one of those left field endings which leave you questioning whether or not you missed something at the beginning. Let me ease your fears. You didn't.

And when I finally found out the why behind the group's action (why they were brought to this Wolfheather House to begin with), I was like, "Seriously? You've got to be joking. All this destruction...because of THIS?" Definitely have to suspend belief a bit.

To end on a positive note, I will say that the title and book cover are absolutely epic...love both.

2.5 stars

Available for purchase June 2nd.

**Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars rounded up to a 3.

I couldn't resist snapping this up on NetGalley based on its appeal to readers of Agatha Christie'S And Then There Were None which was my first read of that great writer. Lauren A. Forry certainly captures the atmosphere of a Christie novel, but I didn't feel that I was very invested in the storyline. Although I must point out that the ending was fantastic and that I didn't really care if the characters were unlikeable, it was the transitions between chapters and a mysterious diary that didn't really work for me. Perhaps that was because I was reading it on my Kindle app and it would be more friendly in book format, I am not really sure. That aside, the twists and turns of the story did at least keep me curious.



Goodreads review published 26/05/20
Expected Publication Date 02/06/20

*3 stars ⭐⭐⭐

It all starts in 1995. Six college students move into a house. By the end of term, one is dead. It was just an a accident..... right? *dundundun*

This book is being compared to Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None", which I love, so I was super excited to read it!

1) Murder house on a lonely island? Check
2) A group of people with a secret that could destroy them? Check
3) A killer among them? Check, check, and check!

I really enjoyed the journal entries from the killer at the beginning of the chapters. I love when books have those extra touches. I was glued to the pages for hours. I needed to know what happened next!

I like that it is split into multiple POV's. It was a little difficult for me to keep everyone straight as to who was who. For some reason, it was harder during the flashbacks. I really had to think of who that person was when they were brought up.

Obviously, this is murder island, so it was a little bloody. One scene in particular was more graphic than the others. I am somewhat sensitive to things like that, but it wasn't bad enough to where I felt sick and had to skip over it.

I had guesses to who I thought the killer was. Nope. Completely wrong. I even picked an outlandish character who was only mentioned in passing, thinking I was being clever! Towards the end you're saying "Oh! It's that person" "Oh! Cahoots!" "Oh! Completely wrong, never would have guessed!" I would have liked for the final reveal to have been more dramatic....but I'm not sure how it could have been more dramatic than it was? Maybe I just wanted more shock around the reveal?

Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you like twist, and whodunit stories, you will definitely like this one!


*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley, Lauren A. Forty, and Arcade Crimewise for the ARC.

In 1995, a student is found dead in his university houseshare. 20 years later, the remaining housemates are invited to an isolated hotel under false premises, seemingly to force the killer to confess.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book and its Agatha Christie/Clue vibes but I ended up disappointed as the story played out.

Things I liked:

- The plot! This is fundamentally a good story and I kept reading because I wanted to find out who killed Callum.

Things I disliked:

- The pacing was a bit 'off' and the book felt like it oscillated between action and dull filler. When Callum's killer is finally revealed it was almost anti-climatic and glossed over.

- The characters, oh god the characters. There was potentially one likeable character in this entire book. I'm sure the author didn't intend for her characters to be likeable, but they lacked depth and relatability and it made sticking with the book hard.

Overall: a promising thriller that fails to deliver.

Thank you netgalley and Lauren forrey for the ability to read for review.
I was excited to read the title alone pulls you in.
It was slightly difficult as the beginning rotates between past and present and what really happened in the past which is somewhat of a struggle to grasp.
Roommates, whodunnit, and what really happened to Callum

This book was ok. It started off really great, but then I started to get confused by the way it jumped from past to present.( At one point it jumped from locn 237 to 244.) It was a suspenseful read and a many surprises. I probably would not read it again, or tell my friends to read it though. A little too bloody for me. Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this ARC.

This was an easy to read thriller that kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend....definitely get this one guys!

I dare you to read the first chapter of this book and not be immediately hooked. It starts out with some pages from a journal where an unnamed narrator is telling you about what happened. These pages are sprinkled throughout the book, and they were my favorite parts. I found the journal incredibly intriguing, and it kept me wanting to read more.

This book is told in two different timelines. We follow six college students in 1995 that live together. Then, we follow five of them twenty years later when they all end up vacationing together at a secluded Scottish mansion. One of the six friends was murdered back in 1995, and someone blames all five survivors. We, as the reader, are trying to figure out who the murderer was, how the others were involved, and who is our unnamed narrator.

This book started strong for me, and I thought I was going to love it. However, as the plot unfolded it just kept getting more and more ridiculous. The only characters that were even remotely likable died early in the book. I found it hard to care what happened to the remaining characters. As the story progressed, I had a hard time suspending my disbelief. The plot was completely unbelievable and ridiculous.

I 100% requested this because of the cover. The premise wasn’t entirely intriguing to me, and I definitely judged this book by it’s cover. I don’t know why, but I LOVE it! But I was pleasantly surprised and ended up really enjoying this one! It’s a clever and unique spin on the classic locked in murder mystery. I was entertained and engaged the entire time. I was so confident that I knew who the bad guy was really early on. And I don’t wanna give anything away, but I was both right AND wrong. None of the characters are likeable, but could you expect to like them based on the title of the book? I did feel like something was missing from this one though to push it to 5 stars, but overall this was a great murder mystery with plenty of murder.

This was a good read, but it had a few flaws or hiccups for me. The characters are meant to be unlikeable, but I wish I could have become more attached to the book. Decent read.

A lot of dull filler used in this book. Other than that, it reminded me of an Agatha Christie novel and I don't like Agatha Christie.

This book had me hooked from the beginning to the end. All through the book I tried to figure out who wrote the diary and what actually happened. Some of my suspicions turned out to be right. The only thing I didn’t really enjoy was the ending. I thought that the person who ended up being the bad guy could have been introduced more in the book and it did feel a little cliché.

But this is definitely a book that I enjoyed and had a hard time to put down.

Closed room thrillers are the mystery du jour and I am really developing a taste for them. Housemates move in, one dies and someone wants to get to the bottom of the death years later. Some many time jumps, it’s a little dizzying until you get into the rhythm and then the twists and turns throw you as much as the other characters. This builds to a great satisfying ending and at the end, was a great read! And yes, they all did bad things.