I was intrigued by the premise and felt engaged throughout. Definitely a page-turner, but some of the plot twists felt extremely convenient and random, but I still enjoyed the book despite a few problematic elements. Creepy as heck in some parts. The explanation of exactly what happened near the end became distracting - show, not tell, would have been preferred. Some parts were a little confusing too. But overall, the negatives didn't hinder my enjoyment too much.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgally for review purposes.

I guess this is like if Clue (the movie) and if And Then There Were None had a baby. With that description you'd think it'd be amazing but this one fell a little flat for me. I never got a good feel for the characters and though they're described as past best friends, even in flashbacks they seem more like strangers. I never got a bonded vibe.

There were so many things that just didn't work for me. The motive for the fist murder, the climax at the end, it all just seemed kind of like "really?". You're waiting for the why's and the what happened but it's all just sort of underwhelming.

It was still fun, but I don't think I'd recommend it.

I love thrillers, so I was really looking forward to reading 'They Did Bad Things'. Unfortunately, it completely fell short of the mark for me.

The book tells the story of 5 university housemates, who are reunited (under false pretences) 20 years after the death of their sixth housemate in order to reveal what truly happened that fateful night.

The premise of the story sounded great. However, this book just didn't work for me. None of the characters were likeable (or memorable with regards to the female housemates), so I didn't really care what happened to any of them. What's more, it went from a super slow start to a bloodbath very suddenly, with some unrealistic twists thrown into the mix.

This wouldn't put me off trying another book by this author, but I wouldn't recommend 'They Did Bad Things'.

Although this kept my attention, I wasn't that crazy about this story.

I would recommend this as a good read on a Sunday afternoon.

Wow- what a roller coaster ride! This book was a page turner and kept me guessing until the very end. The story involves 6 college students/roommates in present day and 20 years ago, when one of them is murdered. They all end up back at the same house again and the game of “who dun it” begins. At first, the characters blended together a bit and there wasn’t really a protagonist, but the story itself was entertainment enough. I would definitely recommend this book if you are into thrillers and trying to figure out intricate mysteries. 4 stars!

I immediately jumped into reading They Did Bad Things when I saw it was by Lauren A. Forry. It was awhile ago, but I read and reviewed her novel, Abigale Hall, and absolutely loved it. While the premise of this novel seemed quiet different from Forry's previous novel, I loved the horror movie vibe the summary was giving. I'm sad to say that this was one of those books I expected to love, but ultimately disliked it enough that I almost didn't finish it.

The premise of They Did Bad Things is interesting enough. A group of college kids are brought together by the dilapidated, rundown house in which they each rent a room. The students couldn't be more different than each other, but they somehow make coexisting work until it, well... doesn't. The morning after a crazy party, the roommates awaken to find that one housemate has been murdered, clearly by one of the roommates themselves, but no one knows who for sure. After covering up evidence and making the crime look like an accident, the surviving roommates go on to live their lives for the next few decades until they are all lured to a mysterious hotel on an island in Scotland under false pretenses. It quickly becomes clear that no one will be checking out of this hotel alive until the truth about what happened all those years ago is revealed and justice has been served. Death and mayhem ensue and the rest of the novel plays out like your cookie-cutter horror movie.

Now, normally, I would like this, except something just doesn't work here. I could envision the story in my mind and I bet it could be a successful movie, but it just wasn't working as a novel for me. I found it very confusing to follow. The story is told from several narrators' perspectives and jumps from the past to the present to the near-past to the long ago past again, etc. Three of the characters were very similar and I kept getting them mixed up in my mind. I feel like this is something that needed to be cleaned up a little bit to make the experience less arduous for the reader. The twists and turns were far from shocking and even the gruesome bits felt like the author was trying too hard. So much of the mastermind's plan is laughably far-fetched (getting plastic surgery to assume someone else's identity???). None of the characters were likable and the ultimate reason the roommate was killed in the first place never made much sense to me. I also never fully understood how the bad guy knew which one of the roommates was responsible for the original death.

I'm frustrated because I really thought I was going to like this novel. I hate to rate it so low when I've loved her previous work, but I almost quit several times. It's never a good sign when you've made it to 90% completion and you still aren't sure the last 10% is worth your time. Forry did do a nice job when it came to creating a creepy setting in both the college rental house and the Scottish manor, but everything else just fell way short.

Don’t have anywhere to be? Then read this. Here are a few words to gently describe it.. gothic,, creepy, dark.. need I say more?

This was definitely not a favorite for me. It was a good read that kept me intrigued but there was something missing. The premise sounded so good but I just felt like it was repetitive and that nothing major was happening for me. It was a well written book that kept you flipping pages.

Very well written and a fantastic plot. There are many twists and turns that will keep you guessing. And just when you think you've figured it out you'll find out you were wrong!

They Did Bad Things is a whodunit mystery with a few twists.

Synopsis

In 1995, six university students moved into the house at 215 Caldwell Street. Months later, one of them was found dead on the sofa the morning after their end-of-year party. His death was ruled an accident by the police. The remaining five all knew it wasn’t, and though they went on with their lives, the truth of what happened to their sixth housemate couldn’t stay buried forever.

20 years later all 5 of them are lured separately to an old mansion. They are given a chance to confess or die.

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This book started out kinda slow for me. I almost gave up on it a few times.
There was enough mystery to keep me entertained and wondering who did what.
I liked the book. I just wasn’t blown away by it.

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I couldn’t get past the awful characters and the story was all over the place for me that it almost made it hard to keep right.

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This is good for people that don’t read thrillers all that often. It was a short book so it’s a quick read.

Lots of twists, turns and characters. I appreciated getting to know the characters as both college students and adults. I also liked the creepy, atmospheric setting.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy.

I enjoyed this story immensely. As the blurbs say, it's quite reminiscent of And Then There Were None and Clue which I love so I thought this would be a book for me. It definitely was! Five people who used to be roommates at University are all called to the foreboding Wolfheather House under false pretenses to come clean about the death of their sixth roommate in 1995. It was ruled an accident, but these men and women know that it was anything but. They soon find out that they are trapped in the dark and secluded mansion and cannot escape until the truth is revealed. But will they live long enough to tell it?

Once the story gets going, it flows quickly and you find yourself trying to guess who the killer was then and who has brought them all here now. I loved the way it played out and I found the whodunit ending to be realistic and not overly contrived. But the story felt a bit short, and like others have said, more character development would have fleshed it out some and helped forge connections with the characters. There's really not one main protagonist that anchors the story, it's actually diary passages that do that - written by the one responsible for bringing everyone together.

Overall, it was fun and easy read, especially on a dark night with the rain pouring down - perfect atmosphere. This author has found a new fan!

What a wild ride of a book! I found myself eagerly trying to fit in reading wherever I could just because I had to know what happened next. This very much felt like what the movie Clue and I am 100% here for that because that is one of my all time favorite movies and game! I really liked the organized chaos that you could feel through out the book. It kept me super intrigued the whole time wondering what twist and what turn was going to happen next.

What fell a little flat for me was the like a lack of character development. All the characters in the book were presented to us as these really rich characters with involved backstories that were never really presented to us. I felt that the bits and pieces we did get of them or some of them rather were thrown in at the last minute in order to make something fit. But this took away from who the characters were so as a new piece of their backstory was revealed I found myself confused because that hadn't been spoken about or even hinted at before. I also found that the transitions between the past and the present were awkward and strained and just didn't flow or add to the mystery for me.

All in all I enjoyed the book and loved the throwback feel to it, that feel of Clue and And Then There Were None were really present and that made the read a lot of fun. I give it 3/3.5 stars because on top of the awkwardness of parts of it I felt that the twist was super weird and out of nowhere, I think that it's good to keep your readers guessing but having something come out of total left field just ends up annoying me and taking me out of the story. I am intrigued to see what else the author will come out with though because I see a lot potential for great thrillers in her storytelling ability.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book, but I never connected with any of that characters and I didn't care what happened to them. I didn't want to continue reading.

What a great book. Would definitely recommend to it others I no. Great work will look out for this author again

I'm always a sucker for a And Then There Were None-style mystery and this was no exception. As it was, I tore through this book, but I would have finished it a lot faster if I didn't have to do silly things like sleep. Although parts of the book may strain credulity, I can let them go in service of enjoying a twisty mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing's imprint Arcade Crimewise for this review copy.

"When did my life turn into a game of Clue?"

A quote from a character that I sincerely hope makes it into the final cut of this book because Clue is exactly what sprang to mind when I started reading this book. Five friends are lured to a falling down wreck of a home under false pretenses. One is celebrating a promotion, one is there to meet an online lover. The real reason that they are called together? Who killed Callum?

Twenty years ago, while sharing a house together, the sixth member of their group was found dead after a party. The police ruled it accidental but the five friends know the truth. One of them is a murderer and the rest of them played their parts in the discovery and subsequent cover up. Now someone has brought them all together for the purpose of having the truth be brought to light.

The story is told through the alternating perspectives of the five friends and an unknown narrator. You flash back twenty years at times, to where you delve into their histories and discover clues. You learn that the friends were never quite as close as they may seem and that some of them were actually quite nasty. The question remains, which one of them was capable of murder?

The suspect pool dwindles down as the murders start. Secrets are revealed and some are kept almost all the way to the end. The reveal of the identity of the narrator comes as a complete surprise. The last chapter or two do as well.

The book was fast paced and a whodunit that keeps you guessing. The characters are well fleshed out and the plot doesn't get boring. The Clue vibe is present throughout but it just made it that much more enjoyable. The book also asks you to explore in your own mind as to whether you'd be capable to murder another. I'd definitely recommend this for an rainy day, or beach read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhouse Publishing for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

They Did Bad Things by author Lauren A. Forry is a dark and twisty mystery with well developed characters and an amazing plot line! I would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.