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Bad Things    by Michael Marshall Amazon.com order for
Bad Things
by Michael Marshall
Order:  USA  Can
William Morrow, 2009 (2009)
Hardcover, Audio, CD
* *   Reviewed by Lyn Seippel

John Henderson is a divorced waiter in Marino Beach Oregon, but in an earlier life he was a successful lawyer with a wife and two sons. His older son, four-year-old Scott, dies before his eyes and the doctors are unable to explain why. John Henderson can't understand or forget the fear on the little boy's face, when he shouts, 'Run, Daddy, Run,' just before he dies and falls off the pier into Murdo Pond.

John begins getting emails from Ellen Robertson. She lives on Murdo Pond in Black Ridge, Washington. She says she knows why Scott died and that someone is trying to do the same thing to her. She wants John to come back to town so they can talk. John tries to brush the emails and her phone calls off as a sick hoax, but after doing some internet research he learns enough about Ellen to send him back to Black Ridge.

Ellen really doesn't seem to know anything about Scott's death, but she is in trouble. Her wealthy husband recently died and his son and daughter are trying to drive her crazy or get her to leave Black Ridge.

Piece by piece the story of John's life is told while strange things continue to happen in Black Ridge. Ellen does not cooperate when he tries to help her. Exasperated, he calls his wife who lives in a town not far away and asks to see his remaining son. She refuses. She has been receiving threats and now that she realizes John is back in Black Ridge, she thinks she knows why.

This page turner is a mystery with a dollop of supernatural thrown in making Bad Things a creepy but fascinating read.

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