Many thanks to Netgalley, Skyhorse Publishing, and Arcade Crimewise for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, but I’m afraid it’s not quite my cup of tea. The premise is interesting (the opening is impressive), and the action scenes got your adrenaline pumping in a good way! However, I think there was just too much going on and the story got drowned, unfortunately.

First, we have to give kudos to the author for taking an ambitious gamble: they chose to write (almost) all very unlikeable characters, deliberately to serve the plot. It can sometimes work, but more often than not, it makes readers lose interest. Alas, considering some other reviews that mentioned the same thing, I think that’s what happened here. I was determined to stick with the story to the end, for the purpose of the review, but I felt less and less invested as the book went on. When some twists were revealed, I felt indifferent, like I just wanted things to get moving. It couldn’t hold my attention.

There was also a lot of explanation in the background, extra story lines going on at the same time, lots of interweaving threads. These kinds of devices can serve a good purpose, but I think the author just used too many of them. It gets distracting and disorienting, not to mention boring. Partway through the story, I started skimming ahead to the faster-paced material. It seemed like everything eventually muddled together. I suppose if you’re someone who prefers things to progress at a slow pace, and likes a lot of small anecdotes spread throughout a book, you may like this story. However, this wasn’t my style, as much as I enjoyed some aspects of the action.

I thought this was a entertaining read, but there was something missing that I can't put my finger on. I liked the locked room style story where the characters get picked off one by one, but the characters were one dimensional & unpleasant. I liked the flashbacks, but I had the same issues with the characters.

Review for 'They did bad things' by Lauren A. Forry

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Skyhorse Publishing

This book is available to preorder for release on June 2nd

This is the first book that I have read by this author. I would be happy to read more of her work.

THE book is well written and flows quite smoothly for the majority. It is written from the perspectives of the 5 housemates in both past and present. It also has a narrator, as such, who describes what happened in the past. I found this worked well as it meant you got to see more of what is going on.

I was sucked straight into the book and found it easy to read until I hit about 70% which is when I thought it became a bit over complicated.

THE plot was fast paced and filled with murder, secrets, crime, mysteries, suspense, action, friendships and enemies. I did not expect the ending so a big well done as I hate it when I work out the plot at the beginning of a crime novel.

THE characters were quite realistic and strong but I didn't really 'click' with any apart from a bit with Callum and Hollis, not sure why really but these 2 seemed to be more interesting for me.

Until I hit about 70% I was going to rate the book 5/5 (I love it) but unfortunately due to the complications, which ended up losing the storyline for me, it lost a star.

I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers, suspense, action, fast paced and quick reads, crime, murder and mystery.

288 pages

£20.81 to purchase in hardcover on Amazon. I think this is an absurd price for any book regardless of how much I enjoyed it (sorry)

Rated 4/5 ( I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Co.uk and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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I liked this! I found it to be a fast paced story with a few twists. The story came together nicely at the end. It reminded me a bit of Clue.

Unfortunately, this wasn't for me. I liked the premise but I found it hard to get into. Twenty years ago, six rommmates had a part and only five survived it. They are lured to a remote house under mysterious pretenses, but hey- free trip, right? The characters were unlikable and I found their finger pointing tedious. For me, this one never got to that point where I'm like OMG I have to know what happened. There were some well placed twists, but the characters and their immaturity (despite being in their 40s) wore thing. Thanks to the publisher for my copy!

This took me a little while to get into it but once I did, I was hooked! If you are a mystery/ thriller fan, check this one out! The reason for 3/5 stars is because it did take me reading almost half to officially be super invested. Thank you so much to Lauren A. Forry, Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!

This wasn’t a firm favourite for me. I had high hopes after reading the description. But sadly it didn’t deliver. It was bland. Slow paced and easy to put down

Six students moved into 215 Caldwell Street, but only 5 survived the semester. 20 years later, the remaining 5 are brought together again to finally face their roles in all of this. Guilt and suspicion overwhelm them as everything unravels.
The reader hears this story from multiple points of view, and flashbacks to life at 215 Caldwell are carefully woven in.

I wasn't able to finish this book. I couldn't get immersed in the story.
However, I enjoyed the plot and the storyline. Sadly, it wasn't for me.
Thank you Netgalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Arcade Crimewise for providing me with a copy of They Did Bad Things, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review!



When six university students move into shared housing, they struggle to adapt to living with such varied personalities and before the year ends, one of them is dead.  No-one admits responsibility for his death and they all claim it was an accident and move on with life.  That is until a few decades later, when they all mysteriously end up at the same bed and breakfast for the weekend.  Each believing they were going on a holiday for a different reason, they quickly realise it's not a coincidence they've all been led to the same place.  Someone wants them to admit exactly what happened that night, years ago, in the shared house and not telling the truth could cost their lives.

With everyone a suspect and no-one able to trust anyone else, they enter into a dangerous race against time to find out who has set them up and why, before anyone else dies.

They Did Bad Things is told in alternating timelines - the past, leading up to the roommate's death and the present, in the holiday house.  I was really intrigued by the mystery in this one, and 100% needed to know who was to blame.  None of the characters were all that likeable, except for the roommate who died, and he was a little 'too' likeable - I understand the author really wanted to drive home how wonderful he was and how awful everyone else treated him, but it caused him to seem a little too perfect and 2 dimensional.  The suspense build up, especially with the interruptions to take us back to the shared house, worked really well and had me wanting to know more about each character and how they fit into the story.  Unfortunately the end got really....weird.  Sometimes a very unexpected ending is a good thing, but in this case, I felt like it really should have gone a different way.  All in all, there were some great twists and reveals that I thought were clever and shocking, but the ending just could have been....different.

I'm sad to say this book was just a complete and total miss for me. It was all over the place character wise and the plot was something I've seen done time and again. I thought this was going to be great judging by the description but it just didn't hold true once I started reading.

I want to thank Netgalleyr and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Five guests have been given the opportunity to stay for free at a remote getaway. This is how every horror movie starts off, but I'm intrigued.
Someone knows something....
There is denial, and everyone claims they are innocent . They are given the option to die or confess to a death that they all claim wasn't their fought. The death was ruled an accident, but was it really?

I thought the characters were likeable, and the story was great. My only complaint was that there was too many time jumps. It became difficult to follow, but if you stick with it you won't regret it.

I would recommend this book to any thriller lover.

I really enjoyed this book it was a quick easy read yet thrilling with a great twist at the end. One thing I really like in a book is when its told from multiple characters and this book had that. I believe it gives you a more in depth look into each character and are able to go into more detail. If your looking for a nice mystery read this is the book for you.

215 Caldwell Street. 6 roommates, 1 dead. 20 years later, the other 5 are reunited by trickery and are there to face their sins of the past.

I was told They Did Bad Things is a psychological thriller that is a mix of And Then There Were None and He Last Time I Lied. Those are two of my favorite books of all time, so this peaked my interest and had some mighty big shoes to fill.

I liked how it gave each characters point of view inside the chapter. I’m a short chapter kind of person, so breaking them down between characters helped me act as though it was short chapters. However, sometimes the flashbacks and the current events kind of ran together and it would take me a minute or so to realize I was in a flashback.

It was a good book, a quick read. I thought the end was the best part. Everything came together nicely. There were a few twists I did guess, but one I didn’t, which makes it successful in my book. Overall, another 3.5 book.

Thank you NetGalley and SkyHorse publishing first the eARC in exchange for an honest review. They Did Bad Things is set to publish June 2nd!

Pretty good book. The twists and turns in this story kept me hooked. I enjoyed reading it but the ending was a little too far fetched IMO. It was still a good book with great characters and will keep you up reading.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"You're not afraid of doing bad things. You're afraid of getting punished for them."
This book challenges your morality from the beginning. Is morality based solely on self preservation and, if you knew you'd never be caught, would your morality also dissipate?
Would you? Could you? What kind of person are you really?
These are the questions you'll be asking yourself throughout the book. And I love a book that challenges me and makes me think deeper.

The story is a classic whodunit reminiscent of Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None.'
Five friends reunite (or rather are lurked to) an old house. All of them share a dark secret from the past and all of them still harbor secrets worth killing to keep.

I loved this book! It had everything a good mystery is supposed to have:
1. An air of suspense throughout
2. A creepy and isolated setting (and a storm for good measure)
3. A cast of sinister characters, all of which are suspect
4. A narrative that blends past and present seamlessly
5. A few good and unexpected twists

And to top it off, the ending was so well done and satisfying!
If you're a fan of classic mysteries, give this one a try.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolute ride!

As a massive Agatha Christie fan, I was itching to get to this book as the blurb compared it to "And Then There Were None", which is a favourite of mine. And boy, did this book deliver.

A group of people, who once shared a house which endured a tragedy, are brought together by a mysterious benefactor. Their secrets start getting out and when one of them gets murdered, the stakes are higher than ever.

A fun, twisty book, "They Did Bad Things" reads easily and grips you from the very beginning. A must-have for anyone who enjoys twisted endings with surprise appearances!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. Some former college roommates were gathered together by an unknown source, and each one was selected for a past mistake. Lots of twists and turns.

I thought this was a good book--I read it in one sitting, so that's saying something! I was eager to have the mystery solved but unhappy with some of the deaths that occurred. I also felt the ending was slightly unrealistic (I don't want to spoil it but I don't know how everything can be left behind without a zillion questions). Still, I enjoyed the book and I'm glad I read it. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you Net Galley & Skyhorse Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
**
This was a great easy thriller read for me. I wanted to know who killed Callum; and what their punishment would be. You see our author Lauren Forry did a great job at capturing her readers attention by pulling us in to the house where it all started 215 Caldwell Street.
**
It all started in 1995, when 6 university students moved out of their family homes and moved into 215 Caldwell street to start their freshman year. The 6 to move in were: Lorna, Hollis, Ellie, Maeve, Oliver, and of course Callum. Through reading you picked up on some tension in the house. Tension between Ellie and Oliver, Oliver and Callum, Callum and Maeve. Honestly there were points where I was amazed they didn't all just kill each other..
The end of term party ended with Callum dead, and the other 5 knowing it was one of them who must have killed him... I mean actions at the party alone speak volumes.. but they never spoke of it; and never saw each other again.
That was until they all ended up at Wolfheather house; unbeknownst to them. They all were there for personal reason. From winning a weekend away at work, to a rehab; each had their reasons to go to Wolfheather... little did they know this may be their last weekend getaway.
Someone knows it was one of them who killed Callum. This person also knows the others did nothing to prevent it; or at least turn them in to cops. I will say I never saw this ending coming... and there were a few good thrills peppered throughout this novel.