Description
Book SynopsisBetrayal, secrets, revenge, and murder: they’re in the blood in a provocative novel of psychological suspense by the award-winning, internationally bestselling author of Everything Is Mine. As Norway’s newly appointed minister of justice, child-rights advocate Clara Lofthus has a chance to accomplish something meaningful on behalf of the most vulnerable members of society. It couldn’t be more personal. After her husband’s death, she is the sole caretaker of her twin sons, Andreas and Nikolai. She’s also still haunted by her own traumatic childhood—and the lengths to which she was willing to go to pursue her own brand of vigilante justice. How far? No one ever needs to know. And this is just one of Clara’s secrets. Then one day, Clara comes home from work to make a terrifying discovery: her sons have been kidnapped. Clara’s search leads to her hometown in Western Norway, where she learns that her mother has been released from the mental hospital she has been living at for the past thirty years. Hot on Clara’s heels is a local reporter, who is every bit as relentless as she is. He’s determined to disrupt Clara’s life even further and will not rest until he exposes the truth about her past. As the fate of her sons hangs in the balance, the demons of Clara’s past are flushed out of hiding, threatening to come home to roost.
Trade ReviewAn Amazon Best Book of the Month: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense – New and continuing series “At the start of this gripping suspense novel from Ford (Cottonmouths), Jane Mooney, who’s been living in Boston, returns home to Maud Bottoms, Ark.…The truth slowly unfolds as the plot builds toward a surprising conclusion foreshadowed by a trail of skillfully disguised clues. Ford delivers the goods.” —Publishers Weekly “A confessed killer’s return home brings long-buried secrets to life with a series of seismic jolts.” —Kirkus Reviews “With layers of storytelling portraying generational trauma, small towns and the unbearable confines their scrutiny can place on anyone who feels different, and the unbreakable bonds that adversity can forge, Real Bad Things is sometimes a hard read, but always an excellent one. Readers looking for slow burn mystery with unforgettable characters and an unforgettable atmosphere will find here exactly what they need.” —Mystery and Suspense Magazine “Beautifully written and socially astute, Real Bad Things delivers on the promise of Ford’s 2018 debut, Cottonmouths.” —CrimeReads “This atmospheric, suspenseful novel will keep you guessing and page-turning all the way to the end.” —Good Housekeeping “Acclaimed author Kelly J. Ford spins a propulsive, sophisticated, and fearlessly queer tour de force in Real Bad Things. Ford’s richly drawn characters and breathtaking storytelling create an inescapable undertow of menace that will not let go until the shocking final page. This is gothic suspense at its most haunting.” —P. J. Vernon, author of Bath Haus “Ford’s follow-up to her devastating debut novel, Cottonmouths, is a moving meditation on misplaced loyalties, love, and the legacy of violence and abuse, all wrapped in a mystery filled with guy-wire tension.” —John Vercher, author of Three-Fifths “A powerful, grounded, and dark dose of rural noir, Real Bad Things is a tale of a homecoming gone wrong. Kelly J. Ford evokes the work of superstars like Gillian Flynn and Daniel Woodrell in this story of dark secrets coming back to roost and pulls it all through the prism of her own potent voice. This is a down and dirty crime novel that nods to the masters while keeping both feet firmly planted in the present. I loved it.” —Alex Segura, acclaimed author of Secret Identity, Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall, and Blackout
