This podcast based thriller left a lot to be desired. It took a while for me to get through this novel as the podcast angle is overused and tiring. There are 2 timelines, the current timeline and the original investigation. Obvious facts are missed by the main character until the very end, which makes it unbelievable. The characters are unlikable, and stereotypical, this could be on purpose, but it was bothersome and added to the dislike of the book. The representation of Alzheimer's seemed as though there was little research done on the topic, or relying on only personal experience that is biased.

I want to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of this book.

DNF. I tried, but I honestly just got really bored with this one. I liked the scenes in the past much better than the future, but still wasn't at all invested in this murder. And I hated (hated, hated, hated), our MC.

This was a fun and entertaining read...
Just not for me.

I absolutely adored the idea of a true crime podcaster turned amateur detective, but something just wasn't there.

I did love the main back story, and there were definitely some tragic and shocking parts that I enjoyed, however overall I felt like the characters were a little too surface level and I couldn't really connect.

Not saying that I did NOT enjoy this book, because I did for the most part, but for me it was just OK.

I love Podcast stories, because I love the moral dilemma of covering true crime. I must recommend, do this one as an audiobook. The narrators each really broke out the different perspectives and unique voice of each character and I really enjoyed it!

First, there's Jess. She's struggling into journalism after she abandoned her career hopes in order to start a family. Now that her son is grown, she's ready to get back into it. And she wants to dig into an old case, one that has personal ties to her family. Long ago, her grandfather was the lead detective on a case in their small town that involved 2 highschoolers murdered on a lover's lane. It's been unsolved for almost 50 years and Jess has now stumbled on her grandfather's old detective's notebook. His notes, his theories (and clearly exactly who he thought was guilty) are all in these pages. She hopes this new information can crack the case wide open.

She pulls a nightly news personality to help her gain some credibility - but only because he's just lost all his (and his job, wife and life) while being caught out for having an affair. Together, the two of them find new avenues to investigate, new names to researched, and force old memories to tell what they remember. I was so drawn to the story, probably because I listened to all of it on one day during a long car ride. I loved the characters, even if they were flawed. I especially loved Jess and how she stood her ground, threw herself into every story but also how she never forgot the victims. Her aim was always to try to discover what happened to them on lover's lane when they were murdered.

I see, now, that Jess Keeler may very well be a series. I plan to get book 2 as soon as I can!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

If you're looking for a dark and twisted thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, you might want to check out Something Bad Wrong by Eryk Pruitt. This book follows the lives of three characters who are all connected by a gruesome murder that happened in their small town. The author does a great job of creating suspense and tension, as well as exploring the psychology and motivations of the characters. The book is not for the faint of heart, as it contains graphic violence, sexual content, and disturbing themes. But if you're a fan of gritty and realistic crime fiction, you'll enjoy this book. Something Bad Wrong is a well-written and gripping novel that will make you question how far people can go when they're pushed to the edge.

This was okay; nothing groundbreaking for me, though. Fans of the genre could like this one. I'll certainly recommend it to certain readers.

Enjoyed this book. Wasn’t my normal pick but thought I would go for something different. Enjoyed the characters. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Difficult to follow at times and a little slow. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book caught me right from the beginning…solving a fifty year old cold case, a blogger and reporter try to figure out who murdered a couple on Christmas Eve. Blogger related to a police officer involved in the case, and a lot of tracking down of people involved. A very absorbing case .

Who here likes to try new things?

I, for one, LOVE IT, as long as it doesn't involve taste testing what my husband has been brewing in the kitchen!

One of my favorite things about book blogging is being introduced to authors I would not have typically heard about had I just been browsing the shelves at my local bookstore. I get to be a part of a book loving community who alerts one another when we come across a "banger" .

Well, I can't wait to tell the folks over at bookstagram that I found our next 5 star read!

Something Bad Wrong, is going to take the world by storm and leave us all begging for more. Eryk Pruitt, has a style all his own that will completely consume you.

Lately, I have taken a liking to the podcast theme books. I love listening to podcasts myself and its a way to incorporate the detective/police procedural side without being repetitive and boring so we still feel like we are a part of the case without having to skip ahead between two cops bantering.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish and I am eager to read more by this author.

Pruitt is not a new author but he was new to me. After concluding Something Bad Wrong, I knew that I just needed to know more about this author so I found a book that made me giggle at the title (Dirtbags), no need to read the back, I had to have it

Teaser :

To catch the killer who eluded her detective grandfather fifty years ago, a true-crime podcaster must contend with outdated evidence, ulterior motives, and the dark family secrets that got in the way.

True-crime podcaster Jess Keeler has returned to Deeton County, North Carolina, to pick up where her grandfather left off. Sheriff’s Deputy Big Jim Ballard, her grandfather, was a respected detective—until it all came crashing down during a 1972 murder investigation.

For Jim, solving the murders of two teens should have been the highlight of his already storied career. Instead, he battled his own mind, unsure where his hunches ended and the truth began.

Working from her grandfather’s disjointed notes, Jess is sure that she can finally put the cold case—and her family’s shame—to rest. Enlisting the help of disgraced reporter Dan Decker, Jess soon discovers ugly truths about the first investigation, which was shaped by corruption, egos, and a family secret that may be the key to the crime.

Told in a dual timeline that covers both investigations, Something Bad Wrong explores human folly, hubris, and how sometimes, to solve a crime, you have to find out who’s covering it up.

I liked the aspects of this book that deatlt with the crimes and even the podcast, but didn't like the characters. I would try a future book by the author

I honestly can’t say I enjoyed this one!! I couldn’t stay invested in this one. It just wasn’t for me

In the beginning of the book it was engaging and the plot line was fun. The characters were well developed and the action was steady. Aasky the last third of the book felt rushed, timeline was skewed, and the plot seemed to have just lost its way. Wish the Kat section had held up to the promise of the first portion.

The book started out really promising at least the first half to two thirds was really good and I was really engaged, towards the end though it all went downhill in a hurry. The timeline was no longer clear suddenly a few months had turned into two years and the ending was rushed many threads of the story were just dropped. Scenes that had the potential to be really powerful were just left hanging. By time I finished I was kind of sorry I had even read it.

This was pretty good, although the 50 year time lapse between time lines seemed a little excessive. Podcasts about true crime are all the rage, so I can envision a built-in fan base for this book. Characters were interesting, but there were a lot of them, and it took a while for me to figure out who was who.

I enjoyed this.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Jess Keeler, true crime podcaster, comes across her grandfathers notebook from his days as lead investigator for the murders of Linda Harris and Steven Hicks in 1971. She will stop at nothing to solve the crime that her grandfather never had the chance to.

TW: SA, police brutality


I genuinely enjoyed this book from the dual timelines of the 1970's and present day to giving just enough detail in each chapter to keep me hooked.

The thing I didn't like about this book was the tremendous amount of characters. It was hard to keep up with all of them.

Screenwriter, filmmaker and bar owner Eryk Pruitt is no stranger to crime fiction that depicts the dark side of the American South, and has a growing reputation in rural noir storytelling. Something Bad Wrong is his third crime novel and was partly inspired by the Valentine’s Day Murders in North Carolina, a real-life case that’s the subject of his eight-part true crime podcast The Long Dance. It’s also the first book in a new series featuring journalist Jess Keeler.

Like the author, Jess is a true crime podcaster and she has returned to Deeton County, NC, to move in with her mother after getting divorced. Jess has a background in journalism but is tired of reporting on trivial events. She wants to write something of substance – to make a contribution, for a change. Discovering an old spiral notebook belonging to her grandfather might lead to the story she needs to advance her career.

Full review on blog and Crime Fiction Lover: https://crimefictionlover.com/2023/05/something-bad-wrong-by-eryk-pruitt/

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This police procedural set in the rural US south, and told in two alternating timelines - the time of the original crime, which was never solved, and the present day, when the granddaughter of the lead investigator at the time decides to investigate for a podcast - is a gripping read. Both timelines are engrossing and feel authentic. Yes, the older timeline reveals that police corruption was not unknown, with the police department being ruled by an authoritarian chief of police with an iron fist. Sadly, this feels true to life - maybe even up to the present day. Secrets slowly come to light, as the granddaughter digs into her family's history. The author's characters are not always well-drawn, there is a certain amount of stereotyping going on, but overall this is well worth a read.

I have a weak spot for thrillers with a podcast angle, so it's easy to understand why I ended up adding Something Bad Wrong to my shelves. I loved the sound of the true-crime podcast focusing on the 50-year-old cold case, and the personal connection podcaster Jess Keeler has to the case only makes it more intriguing. I fully expected to have an excellent time with this book, but to my surprise I ended up having mixed thoughts instead... And it took me a lot longer than expected to actually make it to the end.

I still think that the premise of Something Bad Wrong is very promising, and I liked the idea of having the granddaughter trying to create a podcast about the case her grandfather investigated 50 years ago in 1972. There is so much potential to be had with this dual timeline; especially since you get to see up close what exactly went wrong during the original investigation and why the killer escaped justice for so long. That said, I'm not sure if that potential was met in the actual story. I'll try to explain briefly why Something Bad Wrong didn't work as well as expected for me.

I think part of the problem I had was with the main characters. Most of them were just too cliche and one-dimensional; their flaws making up most of their personality and turning them into stereotypes. This made it very hard to connect to the main characters and I didn't particularly care for any of them... They were just too unlikeable and bland. I also wondered what the point of Dan's character was beyond the whole 'trying to spice up the plot', because it only made main character Jess Keeler lose even more credibility (and it makes you wonder even more about her lack of judgement).

I can't put my finger exactly on the why, but there was something about the writing style and pace that just didn't work for me. The majority of Something Bad Wrong is considerably slow and repetitive, and it was simply too easy to just put down my kindle and do other things instead. I know that part of the reason it took me this long to finish the story was the fact that I was on vacation, but I don't think it was the main issue here. The pace did speed up in the last part, but it mostly made the plot feel disjointed and rushed instead of redeeming it.

I also wasn't a fan of how the dual timeline was executed in Something Bad Wrong. The switches between past and present didn't flow naturally and only halted the pace even more instead of the two timelines complementing each other. I understand the need for keeping secrets and not revealing it all to implement plot twists at a later point in the plot, but I felt that the balance was lost here. I also didn't like AT ALL how dementia/Alzheimer was portrayed in this story. Not only did the development of Jim Ballard's symptoms feel too abrupt, but I also thought that the reactions of those close to him weren't portrayed in a realistic way. I almost felt like Alzheimer was used as another plot twist instead of shining a light on what is a devastating disease, and it left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Last but not least, I also thought that too many aspects of the plot were just too convenient, and the plot as a whole lacked credibility and had more than one plot hole. The fact that you can guess the identity of the killer early on is quite disappointing, and there is no real resolution or satisfying ending to make up for previous flaws. I kind of wish part of the final twist had happened 50 years ago, because it would have ment not having to deal with everything that happens in the present... All in all there is no doubt that Something Bad Wrong has a fantastic premise, but sadly I found the execution to be rather lacking for me.