One of my most favorite authors, i never need to know what her book is about because once i start reading i get swept away so effortlessly. This story has so many different angles and characters that all came into contact with Columbia one way or another, she was a force to be reckoned with-whether that is good or bad is totally up for discussion.

I loved this story and how everything was revealed in bits and pieces, but then you would get another piece of the puzzle and it would make you question everything. so many lives were affected by all the secrets but the way that JT made them all come together and the reasons why is just one of the reasons that she is an amazing author, there also is one amazing little surprise thrown in that just made it even better. Everything was explained in great detail and all questions answered to the fullest but leaves me wondering is this possibly the start of a new series-cause what a cliffhanger!

JT Ellison you have outdid yourself once again, this book was amazing. Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for this arc. #AVeryBadThing

There is one thing that can be said for J.T. Ellison...genius. If you have yet to read any of their books, you're missing out! J.T. Ellison is a great story teller who is able to grab your attention from the first page until the very last, even leaving with a twist until the very last page and this book was no different. If you want something different, because who doesn't, this one is for you! 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy of A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison in exchange for my honest review.

JT Ellison is one of my favorite authors, and this book did not disappoint. Fast paced and whip smart, populated with characters I will not soon forget, this one was well worth the wait. And can we talk about that ending? I loved every second.

I didn't love this one. I'm a firm believer that the perfect length for a book is around 300-350 pages. This was nearly 500 pages and, in my opinion, unnecessarily so. There were so many characters and, honestly, during about 75% of the book I felt like I wasn't entirely sure what was going on. I kept having to remind myself who was who and which significant other belonged to which character. I also genuinely found myself more intrigued by the "draft novel" chapters written by Columbia than I did with current time. I would have liked more of that story instead. Overall, this was a 3 star read for me.

This twisted thriller had me guessing from beginning to end, and the gripping story kept me reading long past my bedtime. Columbia Jones is a bestselling author, on tour with her latest book. She is accustomed to adding twists to her plots but no one expected her to end up dead in her bed at the end of the tour. What an unexpected twist! With little to go on in order to investigate her death, Detective Sutcliffe is a dogged and determined investigator who follows the few clues he has to uncover secrets from her past that probably led to her demise. Her daughter Darian is mystified and to who would want to kill her mother and even more stymied by the mysteries of a new will and people named in it that she doesn’t even know. The plot is so twisted that it’s like riding a roller coaster at breakneck speed and then coming to a death-defying curve that has you biting your nails in anticipation and dread of what will be exposed next. This is a propulsive thriller with the author’s signature style of crisp writing and painstaking details that added to the believability of the story. I was totally immersed in the family drama and the mystery as the book switched points of view between various characters and locations. The characters were realistically flawed with complicated personalities adding to their realism. This is a clever page-turner with some intense intrigue and plenty of sub-plots masterfully woven together into one gritty and sharply written novel.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

A great thriller, but at almost 500! Pages it was just too long, too many characters, and too confusing. But if you are a thriller fan you may love! Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

Gripping story. I couldn’t put it down! I was immediately sucked into the plot. Fantastic character development and full of suspense. Highly recommend

A great writer knows when to deliver a juicy plot twist. But for one author, the biggest twist of all is her own murder. With a number of hit titles and a highly anticipated movie tie-in, celebrated novelist Columbia Jones is at the top of her game. Fans around the world adore her. But on the final night of her latest book tour, one face in the crowd makes the author collapse. And by the next morning, she’s lying dead in a pool of blood. Columbia’s death shocks the world and leaves Darian, her daughter and publicist, reeling. The police have nothing to go on—at first. But then details emerge, pointing to the author’s illicit past. Turns out many people had motive to kill Columbia. And with a hungry reporter and frustrated cop on the trail, her secrets won’t stay buried long. But how many lives will they shatter as the truth comes out? lots of unexpected twists here and you will not see the end coming. Definitely unputdownable!

A murdered author with a secret past!
Columbia Jones Is a well established author with a huge following, And a very secret past!
Her past comes during the murder investigation?

Such a twisty roller coaster of a ride and a book you will not want to miss!

Wow! This book starts off with a bang and was so captivating. Columbia Jones is a famous author and is on a book tour when she is murdered. There were so many people who could have done it and I kept guessing until the end.

You must dig into her past to discover what lead her to lie and hide the truth from her family. Now, at her will all will be revealed. I love it when you aren’t quite sure who is telling the truth. This had so many moving parts that I found fascinating and such a diverse group of characters.

Interesting concept if everything you knew about your life was a lie how would you feel finding out the truth when you someone is dead.

A Very Bad Thing... Where do I even begin? It was surprising until the VERY LAST page. The characters felt so real! Each time I read a chapter focused on one person, I completely forgot about all the other characters. It was as if the story was all theirs... until the next chapter, that is;)

I also very much appreciated the little mention of my favourite character thrown in🥰

All in all, it was a brilliant read! I'm not going to be able to enjoy another book any time soon🙄 I will most likely be comparing each one to this.

I was pulled into this story from the very beginning. A popular author is killed during her book tour and secrets are revealed after her death. Columbia Jones is a popular author and after her death her daughter learns that she filed a new will and that three other people are named as beneficiaries. The story shifts between multiple perspectives. I was intrigued by the premise of the book and didn't want it to end but also had to find out how everything connected. I appreciated how the author tied everything together in the end and even left us with a bit of a cliff hanger. I don't want to spoil anything but there was one part of the ending that I felt really needed more explanation, it felt rushed and left me with questions.
Overall JT Ellison did not disappoint and I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My darling daughter,
I’m not going to hide this from you anymore.
Many, many years ago, I did a very bad thing.

Read if you like:
🖊️ short chapters
🖊️ who-dun-it mystery
🖊️ multi-POV
🖊️ dual timelines
🖊️ family drama

I really like going into books blind, so I barely ever read the description before I read. This one was a little bit confusing in the beginning I have to be honest, but once I was about 50 pages in it finally clicked what was going on and who was who, and then I was completely invested from then on 🤪
I always appreciate when a book uses different formats to tell this story. This one included narrated storytelling as well as excerpts from the author’s (murder victim) books. I love when authors include extra things like this because it just shows the extra effort they went to: almost having to write two stories really.
I love a multi point of view story!! I love being able to see multiple people’s side of the story, and having to figure out what information is important, and slowly put the pieces together myself. I do NOT like it though when there are an overwhelming amount of POVs. This book was juuuuuuust about there… There were so many people’s view I have to admit I definitely did get lost and confused at times about who’s point of view I was currently reading 👎🏻
The one negative I have to say about this book is just there are wayyyyyyy too many characters! I had such a hard time trying to remember who everyone was, it definitely took away from the enjoyment of the story that’s for sure. I got to the middle of the book and a whole slew of new characters came in that I had to add to my mental notebook 👎🏻
I was going to take a ⭐️ off because of the character confusion, but I am going to put it right back on for the ending 🤪 The twists just kept on coming! I definitely did not expect any of them!

This was my first read by J.T. Ellison and I definitely will be reading more by her. This book was fast-paced, a mystery, family drama, and a thriller.
Columbia Jones is a beloved, best selling author. At the end of her current book tour she is murdered. The question is why. What secret has Columbia kept all these years? We get to know many interesting characters including her daughter, a reporter, and a fan. All will be revealed in the end at the reading of her will, or will that be the end?
Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Columbia Jones is a world-famous novelist at the top of her game. She collapses in shock when she sees a face in the crowd on the night that she celebrates her most recent book in front of a large crowd. Hours later, she is dead.
The world is shocked. Her daughter and publicist are dazed and confused. How could this happen to her mother, who had it all? When the police begin their investigation into the murders, they uncover the details of Columbia’s past life and identify several suspects who had a motive to kill her. Soon, social media gets details of the shocking, long-buried secrets of her past, and the truth comes out, potentially shattering the lives of those associated with her past.

A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison,.is my favourite book so far this year. From the beginning to the end, the story of Columbia Jones unravels. She is the #1 mystery writer in the country, and she has been going across the country doing book signings and talks. All of this is handled by her daughter, Darian, as she is the manager for all of her Mom's bookings Columbia has just recently .hired Riley, a journalist to write her Memoir. But this booksigning, that particular night was a little different. Columbia spots someone in the audience, watches him leave and collaspes on stage. She is checked out at the hospital, then proceeds to go back to the hotel . The next morning, Columbia is found dead.in her bed, by Riley. So this is when things start to get more complicated. Who Killed her? Why was she killed? Secrets are about to come out. Many people becomee suspects. You, the reader, about to go on a wild ride! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. It was a solid 4 out of 5.

I could end up being the outlier with my opinion on this book, but I’ve enjoyed previous books by this Author and this just didn’t do it for me.
Columbia Jones, is a famous author on tour with her newest book. During a performance a guy in the audience spooks her and she faints. The next day she is found dead. All of her secrets from her past are about to come out and everything is so intertwined in the messiest of ways! The “main” other characters we hear from throughout the book are her daughter, Darian, Riley, an author who Columbia has convinced to come on tour with her to eventually write her biography, Sutcliffe, the detective, trying to piece this all together…. And this is where it gets to be wayyyyy too much . There are WAY too many characters, back stories, connections, and alternating chapters it starts to get extremely confusing. Also I felt that the twists that come out especially in the epilogue are head spinning the book drags on entirely too long. This book could have been much more concise and gotten everything across. The ending was messssyyyy !!

Thank you to the Author, Netgalley, and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.

Famous author Columbia Jones is found dead after a book signing under mysterious circumstances. As word spreads of her death, details start to emerge, and apparently Jones had some past secrets that threaten to tarnish her legend. A Very Bad Thing completely consumed me from start to finish. The plot is utterly compelling, and the author’s storytelling pulls you in, with hints of Jones’ past cleverly sprinkled about, keeping the reader off balance and hungry for more details, and that propels the book right up to the whiplash final chapters. Absolutely loved this one, couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! A no-doubt 5 stars. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

J.T. Ellison has become an author I read when I want a GOOD page turning thriller. I’ve enjoyed the majority of what I’ve read by the author. While this story was original and interesting I struggled to get through some of the non essential parts. I think the book could have been shorter , more concise, and still given us what we’ve come to know and love about the authors story telling.

Excellent in every way! As someone who works in the Book Community this was super fun and creeptastic. As a big fan of Ellison's, I was in deep right away and read in two sittings. Thriller lovers will really enjoy this one!