Loved the complex characters. Lots of flashbacks and layers. I really enjoyed the international journey and look forward to next book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pen and Picture publishing and the author, Michael Ebner for the opportunity to both read and listen to this in return for an honest review.

Normally I enjoy an audiobook as I feel I get into a great depth with the characters, hear what they are like and get an idea of their mannerisms. Or at least that works when the narrator is good. However with this, I found the storyline jumped and I became lost a lot using the audiobook and needed the physical book to right myself and review what I had missed. I found the book jumped around…a lot and I couldn’t always keep up. The plot was detailed - Tegan and Lexington got to travel considerably however I found I didn’t really enjoy the story itself. Whilst I know there is a lot of barbarity in the world and this does occur, it felt mindless and my lack of enjoyment of any of the characters meant I didn’t care what happened. I was both pleased and sad at the end about Todd - he was probably the one I did connect with more as he seemed more normal and human and I don’t feel that was really necessary. It felt it was there for the sake of it again.

That said Michael Ebner’s writing ability is spot on. The paragraphs were detailed and the flow of his sentences were great. It was easy to read if not that enjoyable for me. The narrator was perfect too - gravely but not too gruff. I’m curious at what would happen in the next book but it’s not making me run to try it. Maybe I will read a few reviews and see if they change my mind.

Very well written book, keep my attention with alot of action. I enjoyed listening/reading this book. I will also be reading the next book.

I feel this is a rare occasion when a film based on the book would be even better, the dramatic suspense and bizarrely stretched plot would play out smoother.

Teagan is a successful journalist, loving loyal husband, and missing just one thing from her life, a baby. After trying fertility treatment that didn’t work out she throws her soul into a project to fund the rescue of hundreds of girls and woman who are beating mistreated and sold. The plan seems to fall apart before it begins and when Teagan travel to Paris to solve some issues she’s thrown into the world of terrorists and organised crime. Even worse she makes a shocking discovery about herself and all her priorities change, but she’s no longer in control and there’s no limit to what she will do to ensure the safety of her family

Okay, so the first thing I have to get out of the way is that the ARC was really difficult to get through. I'm used to some funky formatting with these, but here you had different font sizes, bold and italics randomly interspersed, and one chapter that was a single run-on word and completely unreadable. I wouldn't be surprised if there were sections or even chapters I didn't get to read beyond that one, and this definitely ruined some of the potential enjoyment of the novel.

What made this trickier is that the book is structured in a back and forth style from the beginning. We meet Teagan in Paris, cut back to her life in Seattle, then we're introduced to Lexington, and then Roman (this was the chapter I couldn't read) - it's pretty confusing, but actually quite interesting. A lot of these globetrotting thrillers are exciting plot-wise but have very weak characters and prose. Ebner has at least created people that feel real and a bit left of centre compared to the usual ex-spy, solider, etc. The writing has some flair to it as well.

There's an element of suspending disbelief re: the plot, which involves a pregnant journalist, the Mafia, an al-Qaeda on steroids terrorist group (possibly the most interesting part of the book, but ultimately not what it was about). That is par for the course with thrillers, and I'm okay with it in theory, though some of the mechanics of the story did stretch my willingness.

I think the ending is going to be the thing that a lot of readers either love or hate...there's a twist, and another twist...sort of. I respect the fact that Ebner zigged instead of zagged (or vice versa?), but it still kinda annoyed me. However, it does set up Teagan as a very different anti-heroine in what might turn out to be an interesting series.

An entertaining, fast paced book with plenty of action throughout. The reluctant heroine main character proved to be very capable in dealing with a variety of complex situations.

I must also add the book had the potential for being a TV Series in the making!

To say this is kind of like The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo meets Gomorrah, still doesn’t do it justice, as there is a third espionage layer with Agent Lexington that really makes this story unique. If you like international crime thrillers that put a spin on the plot and bring depth to their characters then you will enjoy The New Bad Thing. My full review is on Goodreads.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book a lot. I really liked the characters, too. This story will have you on the edge of your seat wanting to read more and more.

I powered through these sample chapters in one sitting. Perhaps the publisher can please provide more chapters on Netgalley? I know women like Teagan who cannot have children. I have seen them at breaking point. I want to know what happens next and how she met that bastard Roman. Thanks for the sample chapters.

There were only 5 chapters for me to read in this ARC of The New Bad Thing by Michael Ebner. Based on those 5 chapters, I wouldn't continue reading the rest of the story.

The main character isn't believable in my opinion. She goes from a celebrity reporter with fertility issues to an international murderer that's being hunted down. That's too far of a leap for me. The writing of the character in Paris is decent and did grip my attention, but I can't tie it with the "before" scenes.

The writing doesn't flow well. There are times when the author simply states a fact about the character. It feels forced and not well thought out.