J.T. Ellison has never done me wrong, and I really enjoyed this new one. It's a well-layered mystery with a lot of characters and suspects, and a twisty story within a story. The pacing of this is really strong, and there are enough consistently new facts and elements to the story that it keeps moving. Devoted readers of the author's books will find some crumbs of previous stories, and as always, I can't wait for what she does next.

So dark but oh so good! Tense, stressful, unpredictable….a drama-filled thriller! I enjoyed reading A Very Bad Thing! J.T. Ellison places her readers on the edge of their seats and firmly nails them there for the duration of the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this exciting ARC.

This was my first JT Ellison read, and i can't wait to read more. A book about an author (I love this trope so much) who is not quite who she seems to be. (I'll be real here, I kept envisioning JR Ward as Columbia Jones, lol. I have no idea why) I enjoyed how the story was told in a way that some things were easily predicted and others kept you guessing... until the very danged end. Did it feel overly long? A little bit but once it got rolling, I didn't want to stop reading.

Columbia Jones is on the final night of her latest book tour when she collapses during a reading, after seeing a man stand up in the crowd - a man she seems to recognize. The next morning, she is found dead, lying in a pool of blood. Darian, her daughter and publicist, is in shock. The police have no leads to go on. Then, details about Columbia's past begin to emerge, painting her as a murderer and a fake. Soon, everything Darian knew about her mother is thrown into question. If all of these allegations are true, then there are a plethora of people who potentially wanted her mother dead. As the body count continues to rise, Darian has no idea how to tell who to trust in this cat and mouse game.

This book was so good. At first, when I saw the length of the book, I was a little daunted. I am not a fan of really long books, but to be honest, there was so much action and suspense in this book, the time just melted away as I read. There were so many moving parts, so many questions that needed answers to, that I didn't want to put the book down. The story was told in the viewpoint of the various key players, as well as going back in time to tell some of Columbia's past. I loved the way the book ended on a big reveal as well, going out with a bang. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers then this needs to be at the top of your TBR pile. You are going to love it!

A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison is another stealer thriller.
Great book, captured my attention right from the beginning. Interesting characters and lots of twists.
This book was such an interesting premise! I was second guessing myself at every turn.
JT Ellison does it again and reminds us why they’re the best in the game!

Thank You NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC.

This book got me right out of my reading slump. Loved the multi POVs and the character development throughout. I predicted the killer BUT did not predict the epilogue twist. Really fun. This makes 2/2 for my reading success with Ellison's novels. Will continue to read her work moving forward!

This book started strong, and I was immersed in the suspense and sense of foreboding. The main characters were complex and compelling. The story was told from various points of view, and the chapters jumped back and forth in time to reveal clues to the mystery, but the twists and outcomes were often over-the-top and, I thought, overdone. As the story progressed, I found myself skimming but kept reading until the end. This was a story of altered appearance and persona, unknown origins, surprising connections, coverups, lies, and murder with no apparent early motive.

The predominant characters were the beloved author Columbia Jones and her daughter Darian, who was in her late 20s and served as publicist and tour organizer. Riley is an ambitious young reporter who is puzzled as to why she was chosen to follow Columbia on her book tour and write her memoir. Also, Kira is a huge, devoted fan of Columbia and a bakery owner. Male characters played supporting roles, except a detective, who had a more predominant role.

Columbia Jones was present for her last stop on the book tour, signing copies of her latest book and engaging with the audience. The setting was Denver, Colorada, and she was a top best seller, adored by all her enthusiastic fans. 'Ivory Lady' is her most recent book, and it will be made into a movie by Speilberg and bring her greater celebrity and fame. During her presentation, a man stands up in the audience, and upon seeing him, Columbia collapses into a faint. Who was this mysterious man? She was rushed to the hospital, and the diagnosis was jet lag and altitude sickness and returned safely to her hotel.

Riley enters Columbia's room for a scheduled interview appointment the next morning. She is shocked and alarmed to find the famed author lying in a pool of blood. As she is kneeling over her, Darian enters and is convinced that Riley murdered her mother. Detective Sutcliffe believes some clues do not make sense, and his first reaction is that Columbia committed suicide. Riley is questioned about her role in the killing. Riley witnessed a verbal argument between Columbia and Darian the night before Columbia's body was found. Darian was telling her mother that a stalker was jeopardizing her life. It looked as if no one had a motive to kill Columbia, as everyone loved and respected her. Now, Riley believes some unknown person is targeting her, and she is in danger.

As details of Columbia's dark, secret past emerge, we learn of her 'Bad Thing', and it becomes apparent that there are several suspects who wanted her dead. The plot becomes too long with some repetition and could have been more effective if shortened. Plenty of red herrings and twists, and some reveals are head-spinning. We learn how Columbia reconstructed her life story and the startling connections between the characters, Columbia, and each other. More characters are added, and some die. Who is the killer?

Darian, Riley, and Kira are among those invited for the reading of Columbia's will. What do they learn?

This is an ideal story for people who love a twisted, complicated mystery, where it is almost impossible to guess the reason for Columbia's death and the guilty party. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC and for introducing me to a new-to-me, exciting thriller writer. It will be published on November 1st.

I’m a longtime fan of the authors books and love her brand of suspense. She always writes books that are clever and well developed and this was no exception. It actually may have been a little too well thought out for me, it was way too long and by the last quarter I was just ready for it to end. There’s a lot going on here and several points of view, I can see why the author crafted things this way but it lost me at points and I found it to be convoluted. I did like how unhinged parts of this was and I enjoyed some of the over the top reveals, so there was plenty for me to like but overall it was doing too much and too much of it felt like a slog for me.

I love a good thriller. This book was very well written. Great characters, great plot, lots of twists and turns. Highly recommend! Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

Famous author, Columbia Jones, is found dead in her hotel room after getting spooked and fainting at an author event. Riley Carrington, a journalist hired by Columbia to write a story on her is the one to find Columbia. Riley is immediately accused of murder by Darian, Columbia's daughter. But soon Riley is being targeted, too.

This is a good thriller, but there are a few things that bothered me. One: There are way too many points of view. Seven! With that and the back story and book chapters, it was a lot to keep track of. Two: This story is just too long. It's almost 500 pages. It could definitely be 100 pages or so less. Third: The reveal at the end. Meh.

Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Very Bad Thing is a thrilling ride that kept captivated from beginning to end! Columbia Jones, a celebrated author known as the "Queen of the Word," seems to have it all—until her dark past comes crashing down during a dream book tour.

Told through multiple perspectives, this entertaining, fast-paced story features well-timed twists and lots of secrets. Yes, it gets a little crazy at times, but that only adds to the excitement!

If you’re looking for an addictive page-turner with rich characters and a plot that keeps you guessing, this is it!

I received a gifted copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Tomas & Mercer for this ARC of “A Very Bad Thing” by J.T. Ellison

This was a fantastic twisty psychological thriller that delivers. I couldn’t put it down!

3.5/5 stars

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of A Very Bad Thing in exchange for my honest review.

After a slow start, the suspense built towards a pretty decent ending, but this book was way too long at 446 pages. Could have easily been 50 pages shorter.

Still enjoyable. Just took me while to get through it.

Really hard to rate this one, because honestly, if it wasn't a Netgalley read I probably would have DNF'd it. For the first 30% I was so bored, as it was soooo slow. I mean someone was murdered and it was still slow.

I really think this book would have been better told from just one person's POV. I think the different POV's were actually detrimental to the story and made it more obvious who wasn't the killer. Riley's POV in particular was annoying. The pace did eventually pick up and get kind of interesting but by then I had already sort of mentally checked out and started to think about what I could read next to redeem this mediocre book. There was so much description that felt unnecessary. I like books heavy on dialogue and that definitely wasn't this book. There is a mention of lasagna being someone's favorite and later lasagna is served again and I thought maybe this is a connection and it wasn't, just repetition and too much info that doesn't add anything to the story.

There's maybe a slight twist at the end but I was just really over it all by then. It took me almost 10 days to finish this when typically it takes me 5 days tops to finish a book so that should tell you about my willingness to pick this up every day.

I am so grateful for the copy, unfortunately I could not stay interested. I found it moving slow and boring. 500 pages is wild for this.

The mystery in this book was incredibly engaging, and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey it took me on. My buddy reader and I had a great time discussing theories and unraveling clues together. We took our time piecing everything together, and while we suspected the right character, we still felt a bit lost about some key details until the end.

One of the highlights was the story within the story, written by the deceased character. It centered on something she did, and I found myself wondering why she waited so long to reveal it. The depth this added to the main narrative was captivating. However, the resolution caught me off guard and felt like a bomb dropped from a clear sky. While many might appreciate the twist, I found myself wishing for more hints along the way. Despite that, I genuinely enjoyed the intricate layers of the mystery.

I did not love this book. I actually didn’t finish it, which is rare for me. I know a lot of people loved it so still give it a try!

A classic whodunit that you just can’t put down. The story starts off slow allowing you to understand the characters and allows you to realize just how many secrets everyone is keeping. The twists keep you guessing until the very end. One of the best dramatic thrillers I’ve read this year!

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for a copy of this book!

📖 B L O G T O U R review 📖 featuring “A Very Bad Thing” by JT Ellison!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for “A Very Bad Thing” which releases on November 1, 2024!

Columbia Jones is THE biggest author and has a loyal fan base of readers who are totally devoted to her! She has written her twentieth novel and has a movie adaption in the works and is at the peak of her career!

But then on the final night of her book tour, Columbia collapses on stage when spotting a man in the crowd who stuns her to the core. She is released from the hospital and tucked safely into her hotel room … or so everyone thinks. The next morning she is found murdered in her bed covered in blood ☠️!

As the news of her death explodes all over the world, so do the secrets of Columbia’s past. NO ONE knows her true identity and the very bad thing she did all those years ago. There are many people out there who have a sinister motive to kill her and no one in her life is safe 🚨!

Thank you kindly to @thrillerchick @otrpr @amazonpublishing and Thomas & Mercer for my #gifted copy in exchange for my honest review and a spot on this blog tour! I absolutely LOVED this book and was totally hooked from the first page!

On the last night of her book tour, bestselling author Columbia Jones has been murdered. As the police start the investigation into her death, secrets long buried are starting to unravel and Columbia Jones may not be the person anything thought she was.

I love a good J.T. Ellison book, and this was no exception. This is something I would normally be able to binge in an evening; but having newborn twins and a toddler has me reading less and less. I did think that this book was taking me quite a while to read regardless of my schedule, and since I read a digital copy, I didn’t realize it was just under 500 pages long! That explains why I felt the story was quite long, because it is!

Don’t let that deter you from reading though. With multiple POVs and plenty of twists this was such a fun read. Though some of the story felt a bit far-fetched, the tension and storyline kept me engaged even in my sleep deprived state. While the ending leaves this book open to be a series, I felt that there was enough conclusion to really tie the whole thing together. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for it being a tad longer than it should have been. Otherwise, it was a page turning thriller.



A Very Bad Thing comes out November 1, 2024. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for my advanced copy in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.