A great novel for mystery fans who love to follow clues to the solution of the crime. Also enjoyed the author’s earlier, Cottonmouths.

I liked this book overall, it was a bit different than the typical thrillers I read. I think it was told so well and grabbed my attention early on. I did have a great time with this, my only problem was that the ending was way too predictable!

Real Bad Things is a very intense murder mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I highly recommend!

I am going to call it now, on August 9, 2022, Real Bad Things, is going to break the internet.

Easter weekend was supposed to be spent with my family, that is exactly what DID NOT happen.

I was completely sucked in and consumed by this book. Real Bad Things, instantly captivated my attention and took my breath away.

Why did this book take me so long to pick up?

There is no way you will ever be able to figure out what is going on before it happens. This is a character driven novel that will keep you in suspense the entire time. The build up leading to the big twist was done with precision and perfectly executed. This book could have gone in so many different directions and Kelly Ford led you down a rabbit hole of possibilities.

I was completely and totally obsessed with this book and I will forever recommend this one to fellow thrill lovers. Kelly Ford deserves every bit of success headed her way when this book releases. This book screams bestseller.

Big Thank you to Netgalley, Kelly J. Ford, and Thomas & Mercer, for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book before the big release!

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Definitely creepy. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This one was good I found the setting fit the novel and found the characters believeable but I did feel the plot was slow in places but overall good book.
Thanks for letting me review the book to Netgalley and the publisher

Jane returns home after 25 years to face the fact that the body of her her missing stepfather (whom she confessed to killing as a teenager) has finally turned up. The story flips between her and Georgia Lee's points of view of the present and remembering what really happened in the past. This was hard to get into, but I ended up enjoying it. It wasn't super predictable like a lot of these types of books, and I didn't catch on to what really happened until pretty close to the end. 4 stars.

When teenage Jane Mooney confessed to killing her alcoholic, abusive stepfather she expected to go the jail. Without a body, there was no crime to convict her so she got off and left town. Now twenty five years later, a body has washed up and Jane is back to face the consequences.

Overall, I liked this book. It was a bit different than some of the other thrillers I've read but I really enjoyed it. While I found that I was able to predict what was coming, I was never fully sure that my prediction was correct (and sometimes I was wrong).

On the writing, I found that the protagonist, Jane, was a bit hard to like or connect to. I did, however, generally like how this author developed the characters over the course of the book. I also enjoyed the representation of the LGBTQIA+ community in this book.

When Jane Mooney confessed to killing her alcoholic, abusive stepfather she expected to go the jail. Without a body, she got off and left town. Now twenty five years later, a body has washed up and Jane is back to face the consequences.

Sometimes I’m in the mood for a dark read, and this definitely was. It was difficult to read how some of the family members treated each other. I wasn’t expecting to be surprised by the story, but I ended up being pretty shocked. I loved the LGBTQIA rep in the story, even though the discrimination was hard to read.

“If the investigation ended, that would mean one of two outcomes: jail or freedom. For now, she’d have to sit in the horrible in between.”

Real Bad Things comes out 9/1.

Once the body of a man is found, Jane returns to her hometown of Maud to be there for her eventual arrest. Jane confessed to killing her moms boyfriend to protect her brother, and police think his body is the one that has been recovered.

As Jane tries to reconnect with her brother, has to deal with her venomous mother, and rekindles a bond with Georgie Lee (her “Bonnie”), the truth of what happened that fateful night years ago slowly comes out.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it a bit slow at first but once the story started to pick up and I got into it I found it hard to put down!

Watching Jane deal with the fate she has accepted (going to jail for a crime she didn’t commit) while simultaneously trying to figure out what actually happened to Warren was so intriguing!!

An excellent addition to the crowded thriller genre. A recommended purchase for all public fiction collections.

Incredible read, different than anything I’ve read so far this year! Jane’s father is abusive and she kills him but the body is gone so even after a confession… no body, no crime. She moves away and moves on with her life, only to have his body wash up 25 years later… Jane never tried to hide the crime so she heads back to finally face the consequences of her actions.

There’s so many possibilities and webs of deception in this psychological thriller and I was completely impressed with the writing style. Take a ride on this emotional roller coaster ride! Ready to read Cottonmouths now!

If I could describe this book’s genre, it would be southern noir. It was really sultry, beautiful and well written. It was a good thriller, with likable characters, unreliable and all.

This twisty and gritty thriller keeps you guessing as it digs deep into the hearts and souls of its characters and brings Arkansas to life with poetry, pathos, and unflinching precision. It has the two things I love most in fiction a propulsive plot and gorgeous, sharp writing.

This was a gripping thriller that was rather predictable. Even so, the premise and storyline was well done that got me hooked enough to stay and finish it. I love this kind of thriller where eventhough you know whodunnit somewhat midway through, the consequences to the crime had an intensity which keeps you enthralled to keep going. The story setting also gave off that weird small town vibe. Overall, an enjoyable read.

That title is an understatement. This mystery started 25 years ago with a handful of teenagers that were part of an accident they colluded on. Now adults, they are asked to explain a body that they thought was long gone and has suddenly appeared along with a new set of questions and one of them may have to go to jail.
   This story had so many twists: relationships are rekindled, parents who abused their kids 20 years ago are still at it, and siblings still defending each other…. but that may be one sided.
   It’s a captivating mystery that has the reader in a constant state of disbelief. There are no secrets and no lack of memory in this small town scenario.  The characters were well drawn and allowed the reader to get involved in their lives and lies.
   A thrilling mystery not to be missed!

This novel will stay with me a while. Ford writes with a voice that resonates and echoes in the halls of the mind. A prose that seems too easy wrapped around a story filled with characters both ordinary, and complex, layered.

Probably the best book I'll read in 2022

I feel like there’s a good story here basically but it was told in a rather confusing way for me. I think it would’ve helped to have it more clear when we went back in time, the year at the beginning or in italics to designate.

I just couldn’t get any of the main characters, Jane, Georgia Lee and Jason. They just didn’t seem real to me and I didn’t care about what happened. The police in the town didn’t seem to be worth much except for Benjamin the new hire. The ending was slightly satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

A propulsive, twisty, effed-up mystery that will keep you picking up breadcrumbs until you have a whole sandwich! Ford’s COTTONMOUTHS was spectacular, and her second novel was just as satisfying!

REAL BAD THINGS is a slow-burn mystery with a surprise ending. Kelly J. Ford throws her readers into the life of a woman who is drowning from the repercussions of mistakes throughout her life, but especially from one in her youth.
When she was a teenager, Jane confessed to murdering her mother's husband. She was released, as a body was not found, but twenty-five years later, flood waters throw up a body from the past. Jane travels back to Arkansas to her hometown, Maud, and stays with her mother. Her mother claims to forgive her, but she is less than affectionate and warm. Still blaming her for her stepfather's death, she criticizes Jane. Jane wonders why her brother Jason, who she felt close to in their youth, won't return her calls, but realizes he has made a life for himself.
Georgia Lee has an average family, and a small, locally political career. She hears about the discovery of a body, and memories about her relationship with Jane surface. She wasn't involved in the original murder investigation, but does she know something that could help the police?
The book focused heavily on relationships, and while some could be salvaged, others were beyond repair. I was really interested when it was loosely mentioned that there were rumors about the men at the bottom of the Arkansas river, and I wondered if it was based on something factual.
The author writes in a way that is easily understandable and relatable, so I plan to check out another one of her titles.
I recommend the book for mature readers, due to some sexual, violent, and abusive content.
I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley for my honest review. My opinions are my own.