Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan

 

This is a surprisingly good thrillerish crime novel--there are elements of twisty whodunit mystery at play, and interesting layers of innocence and guilt. Dolan has a knack for turning a phrase, and an ear for dialogue, and a solid feel for character and story. While the situations in the novel are very much at the far edge of plausible, the characters' motivations are always clear and believable. The novel's opening being in present tense and at least most of the rest being in past is an interesting choice, I don't have much problem with it, there aren't any glaring tense shifts in any given section, but I can see the possibility of someone being bothered. I honestly grabbed it because the title struck my fancy, but it turned out to be very worth reading; I'll have to keep an eye out for more from the author.