there’s kinda been a trend of thrillers about authors lately, I mostly enjoy this trope but this one fell a bit flat for me. its length (almost 500 pages) is its biggest disservice - it meanders through the middle and by the time i finally got to the last part of the book I was pretty checked out and ready to move onto my next read.

Oh Columbia, what a tangled web you left behind! This was a top-notch psychological thriller, completely unpredictable, and impossible to put down. JT Ellison has gained a new reader!

Thanks for the opportunity to read and for introducing to this author!

Columbia Jones is living every writer’s dream. An acclaimed author of blockbuster bestsellers, she’s wrapping up the tour for her latest novel in Denver, Colorado, while surrounded by adoring fans. When one figure in the audience of her book talk abruptly stands up to leave, however, she falters and faints. Later, she and her people will blame the fact that she passed out on the altitude.

Her daughter and manager Darian Jones is personally glad that this neverending tour is wrapping up. She worries that her mother is overexerting herself, and that the nonstop travel is taking its toll. Columbia’s recently hired chronicler Riley Carrington, however, is less excited about the tour coming to an end. It’s not just that she’ll lose immediate access to the author. Columbia has proven to be weirdly cagey about her own past, making it hard for Riley to compose the comprehensive profile that she’s aiming for. When the tour’s final night arrives and Riley accidentally witnesses an argument between Columbia and Darian that raises more questions than it answers, she’s more determined than ever to pin Columbia down on the facts before they have to part.

So the last thing Riley expects is to discover Columbia’s bloody corpse the next morning. A hysterical Darian immediately accuses her of murder. But Riley didn’t have a motive to kill Columbia… or did she?

For Columbia was full of secrets, as she confesses to her daughter in a letter found after her death:

QUOTE
My darling daughter,

I’m not going to hide this from you anymore.

Many, many years ago, I did a very bad thing.

And I paid for it. Oh, did I pay for it. As did everyone around me.

We’re all faced with choices, moment by moment, as we embark on our lives. There’s no way to know what a day will bring–Joy? Abundance? Fear? Chaos? Terror? Death? When darkness falls, when you lay down your head, you are a different person than the moment your eyes opened hours before. Your day is driven by inexorable forces seen and unseen, felt and unfelt. You choose. Eat that food. Take that drink. Do that exercise. Murder that person.
END QUOTE

It seems that the sins of Columbia’s past have finally tracked her down. Worse, someone is intent on not only destroying Columbia’s reputation – and by extension Darian’s mental health – but also on terrorizing Riley. Had the journalist seen something during the tour that would justify the threats on her life? Riley and Darian will have to join forces to unravel the clues Columbia left behind in order to identify and stop a killer hellbent on vengeance.

There are a lot of twists in this thick volume, all of which have been carefully seeded for the astute reader. While I found myself occasionally boggled by Columbia’s reasoning, I did very much enjoy the bond that eventually grew between Darian and Riley as they uncovered the late author’s secrets. In this, they’re aided by the capable Detective Byron Sutcliffe out of Denver, who interviews Ruby Erickson, the organizer of the author event. In a conversation that’s a charming nod to the observational skills of mystery readers, he asks:

QUOTE
“So this guy bought his ticket the day they were announced?”

“I said the ticket was sold the first day. There’s no way to know for sure the person who sat in the seat was the same one who purchased the ticket.”

Sutcliffe fights back a smile. “Now you sound like a cop.”

“Not a cop, Detective. A reader. We pay attention to the details. “ She flashes her dimples, bright teeth shining in the sunlight.

“You have the name of the ticket purchaser, and the video from that night. Anything else?”

“If I had more, I wouldn’t be a reader. I’d be a cop.” She grins again and he laughs out loud.
END QUOTE

Filled with insights into the psychology of both readers and writers, A Very Bad Thing is packed with tons of detail for the thriller reader who savors getting wholly immersed in a sweeping story. While Columbia may have indeed done a very bad thing once upon a time, her legacy lives on in this book, with a final twist that some readers may not see coming.

J.T. Ellison is one of my favorite authors. Unfortunately, this is the first book by her that I did not overall enjoy. There were parts that I liked, but also I expected and guessed many of the twists in this one. I'm sure this is just a one off and I am already looking forward to reading her next one.

"A great writer knows when to deliver a juicy plot twist. But for one author, the biggest twist of all is her own murder." A very bad thing, indeed!

I'm a longtime fan of J.T. Ellison and I could not wait to dive in. Unfortunately, it got off to a slow start and I had trouble hanging on. But I'm glad I did, because it definitely paid off in the end.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to like this more than I did but I found it a tad confusing and hard to follow the different characters. Not a favorite

Holy crap. I’ve read J.T. Ellison before and knew that she could write, but, man! Talk about glued. to. this. book. I couldn’t stop reading!

The novel centers around Columbia Jones, I imagine her as like the J.K. Rowling or Stephanie Meyer of this fictional world, someone whose books just go mega-viral upon release. But the morning following the last stop of the book tour for her latest release, she’s found dead in her hotel room. What’s even odder, she had fainted onstage at the event the night before after spotting a mysterious man in the audience. As police and the hand-chosen reporter, Riley Carrington, begin looking into events, it becomes clear that Columbia’s past might have something to do with what happened- and that her past isn’t what she’s been telling everyone it is.

The book is told from multiple POVs - but I didn’t find it confusing, as things were clearly marked and it was easy to follow the storyline progression.

As I said, things flowed really well in this book and I just fell right into the storyline right from the beginning. There was so much suspense as the story progressed that I was absolutely blown away with each new twist and I had to readjust my theories. It was great! That’s what a good mystery/thriller should be doing - throwing curveballs that are exciting, but realistic for the story.

Columbia was a great character because she was very complex. There’s so much there, it’s hard to know where to fall with her. But no spoilers here; I’ll let you decide what you think!

And as the story came together, it was satisfying, because you could see all the clues lining up - like a puzzle coming together. And as always, make sure you read until the very end, because the excitement continues until the very last page. It’s so good, trust me.

Make sure you check out this book if you love a great mystery/thriller! J.T. Ellison has written another winner with this one!

Interesting story. Good plot line. It was just a good read. A little bummed that it started off slow but it picks up, so keep that in mind.

First line Friday

"My darling daughter. I'm not going to hide this from you anymore. Many, many years ago, I did a very bad thing. And I paid for it. Oh did I pay for it. As did everyone around me."

Special thanks to @thrillerchick @amazonpublishing & @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.

➡️ swipe for synopsis 👉🏼

𝙈𝙔 𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙄𝙀𝙒:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not much dialog, which as you all know isn't my fav. Also it's written in the 3rd person (all but the underlying story within the story). It isn't hard to read, just not always my favorite POV.
It does have dual timelines, and multiple POVs - plus the story within a story is very captivating. I did go in blind and for the first 20% I was a little curious when it would pick up and then boom 💥 it takes off and doesn't hold back. Next thing i know it's midnight, I'm 60% in and am dying to use the bathroom.
[I think i have it figured out but we shall see]
People keep ending up dead and the facts keep ping ponging back and forth.

This was a fantastic read!

𝙋𝙐𝘽 𝘿𝘼𝙔:
Nov 1, 2024

I love the author's writing style. I have read other books by Ellison, and loved them. This one, just wasn't my cup of tea, I guess. I think it is because of the fact that I really ended up not being interested in reading about an author. I still give Ellison the credit for writing a good story, but the theme just wasn't for me.

Yes, this book was long. Yes, there was a LOT going on to keep track of. But as a fan of 1980s soap operas, I found it a pleasure to read. When a popular author (I was convinced she was modeled on Colleen Hoover) ends up dead, who did it? A crazed fan? Her mysterious stalker?

The answers were surprising and the getting there was lots of fun. Highly recommended!

This books premise really drew me in. This one was a little slow and less of a thriller in my opinion than I originally thought. However, I did enjoy the writing style and the character development. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

The premise intrigued me and the strong start of the story kept me interested. The momentum slowed down slightly in the middle, but I was still engaged in the mystery. Some of the twists were predictable, but the final concluding twist was completely unexpected and satisfying. Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my copy.

Best selling author Columbia Jones is coming to the end of her book tour when she is murdered. On tour with her is her daughter, her security and Darian, a reporter who has been doing an expose. While the police work to find the murderer, the lawyers are trying to get everything ready for the reading of Columbia’s Will which supringly enough includes Darian. Turns out Columbia has left behind quite a few surprises.

Be patient with this one, J. T. Ellison takes her time and when she’s ready for this story to start the roller coaster, it will! A Very Bad Thing was a twisty, turbulent wild ride of a story and I loved it. I was constantly guessing who our baddie was!

This was a good book. I loved how they were unraveling the past after the death of the famous author. Lots of secrets came out along with some great twists! I enjoyed this book.

I love books set in the literary world and this one mostly takes place while on a book tour. The characters were interesting and the plot was nicely done. It was fun getting breadcrumbs about Columbia’s past and trying to put together the pieces.

A solid drama. The mystery aspect of this was rather obvious in my opinion but luckily the story was interesting to keep my attention regardless and I enjoyed it.

How do I review this without spoilers? Go in blind, it's worth it!!
I loved this book a lot more than I thought I would.
Not only was this hard for me to predict (and these days, nothing gets past me) - but the entire story was so dang good. I had such Mary Higgins Clark vibes - but this was better. This was so well written. J T. Ellison is a mastermind.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book officially publishes on 11/1/24!

This book is a perfectly bingeable story. Told from multiple POVs as well as a mystery story-within-a-book, I was hooked almost immediately. There were so many twists in this book that I didn’t see coming, right up until the very last page. The character interactions felt realistic to me, as did the depictions of the characters. This novel has a strong whodunnit aspect with secrets interwoven within. Definitely recommend giving this one a read if you are a fan of mystery/thriller/crime stories!