Something Bad Wrong

A Thriller (Jess Keeler Thrillers, Book 1)

By: Eryk Pruitt

Narrated by: Khristine Hvam, Aaron Shedlock, Patrick Lawlor, George Newbern, Chris Ruen, David de Vries

Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

To catch the killer who eluded her detective grandfather fifty years ago, a true-crime podcaster must contend with outdated evidence, ulterior motives, and the dark family secrets that got in the way.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

©2023 Eryk Pruitt (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Evocative….Pruitt skillfully weaves dual narratives that follow the original murders and the recent present.”—The New York Times

“There are storytellers who seem to come to us fully formed. Bards who create worlds and characters that captivate us instantaneously. Eryk Pruitt is such a storyteller, and Something Bad Wrong is such a book. A kaleidoscope of Southern Gothic traditions seamlessly combined with an incredible murder mystery, all told with Pruitt’s unique, indomitable style. Something Bad Wrong is some very, very good writing.”—S. A. Cosby, bestselling author of Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland

“Something Bad Wrong hits on every cylinder—expertly plotted, deliberately paced, deeply human, incredibly relevant, and just utterly absorbing. This is a golden example of the genre.”—Rob Hart, author of The Paradox Hotel and The Warehouse

Interesting but flawed

It dragged in the middle. The portrayal of dementia rang true but just went on relentlessly. I actually fast forwarded some of those chapters. The ending picked up & I'd probably be willing to read a sequel.

Wow!

This was at times a sad and hard listen. The issue of Alzheimer’s and how it was addressed in the 70’s was disturbing. This story had so many twists and turns. Once I really got into I could not put down. I needed to know. This will be a book I think of long after it’s over.

Captivating!

I loved this book! Kept me guessing for a long time! The Alzheimer’s Disease was a very interesting portrayal. I look forward to the next book!

A wild ride

Loved the twists in this narrative. It’s told in two timelines but it reads like a concise, linear plot. If you’re a fan of true crime podcasts, you will love this deep dive into what it takes (and sometimes what it ultimately costs) to make one.

Good Until

Good book until the anti-conservative political injection. Won’t bother with book 2. Very disappointed that we can’t even enjoy a book without the nasty political bias

Well narrated

This book was interesting and mysterious the whole way through. Well narrated and interesting characters. It could have easily been a little longer to develop them a little further. The ending was a bit rushed and glossed over, but overall a good story.

Appreciate the effort, but this was all over the place

I listened to this at 2x speed and still felt it dragged. Lots of little frustrations in this book: the overblown portrayals of dementia, the sheer number of characters to keep track of, the main character constantly hinting at some niggling thought, the fact different narrators voiced the same secondary characters using wildly different voices, the completely unnatural delivery of all the “yonder” lines by voice actors who clearly have less familiarity with its usage than the author, etc, etc.

The author created a good sense of place with this story, but it meandered quite a bit. Might have been better as text instead of audio.

Biggest disappointment was the narration. I wish publishers would choose narrators more wisely when regional accents are involved, and that narrators who are unfamiliar with words used by the author would bother to investigate.

PS: Lest anybody be put off by the reviewer in a tiff about “anti-conservative” bits, that’s about ONE side character with a giant confederate flag and in his yard, among other far-right flags, and he’s griping about fake news and threatening violence. (I know people precisely like this guy, so the author didn’t just create a caricature here.) One main character is incensed by it, one says to let it go. It’s a minor plot point — that’s the extent of it. The author actually did a good job of making the main characters foils for each other on lots of big issues, like sexual harassment or police corruption — as well as the ethics of using interview content from a guy who calls them purveyors of fake news.

Who did it?

A few characters could be quilty but personality of police enters the story of trying to solve it. Keeps you wondering until the last few chapters .

Wanted to like it

I like the basic story idea, but I’m 5 hours in and it’s dragging, with over 8 hours still to go. Too many characters and too much extra. I also really really don’t like the narrator for the Red character. Stopping to return.