A pacy, intelligent crime debut - Raymond Chandler meets the Coen brothers with shades of Harlan Coben
Harry Dolan graduated from Colgate University, where he majored in philosophy and studied fiction-writing with the novelist Frederick Busch. He earned a master's degree in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and worked for several years as a freelance editor.Dolan, who grew up in Rome, New York, now lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with his partner, Linda Randolph.
From the ominous first sentence of Dolan's debut-"The shovel has to meet certain requirements"-noir fans will know they're in for a treat. The fun begins when the enigmatic David Loogan lands an editing job at the Michigan-based mystery magazine Gray Streets. He befriends the publisher, Tom, and also enters into an affair with Tom's wife. When Tom asks David to help him dispose of a corpse, things really start to unravel. While deftly navigating numerous plot twists, actor/narrator Erik Davies (The Orpheus Deception) offers a crisp, droll delivery that's spot on. For all fans of hard-boiled fiction. [The Putnam hc was "highly recommended for readers who enjoy twisty and witty crime thrillers," LJ 7/09.-Ed.]-Beth Farrell, Portage Cty. Dist. Lib., Garrettsville, OH Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Dolan's highly praised debut has shades of Elmore Leonard in its realistic dialogue that is at once over-the-top but true to form. The story takes place in Ann Arbor, Mich., where David Loogan has just accepted a position at Gray Streets mystery magazine-and embarked on an affair with his new boss's wife. It's not long before bodies begin turning up left and right, and a young investigator is involved. Abby Erik Davies delivers a performance so raw and exposed that listening becomes less a choice and more a compulsion. It's brilliant on every level. A Putnam hardcover (Reviews, May 25). (July) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Bad Things Happen is a very smart, well-written roller
coaster ride that is always threatening to hurl the reader out into
roaring empty space. Go along for the thrill ride! * James
Patterson *
Bad Things Happen is a tense read that keeps you tightly in
its grip until the very last page. Harry Dolan has written an
incredibly rich, smart read reminiscent of A Simple Plan or
Presumed Innocent - not to mention that it's just a damn
good story. Readers are in for a breathless ride * Karin Slaughter
*
Great f***ing book, man. I was totally hooked. I hope you write a
dozen more, and that's just next year * Stephen King *
Thriller-writing of the highest order * Daily Mail *
You better believe [Dolan] has a gift for storytelling...The
narrative comes with startling developments and nicely tricky
reversals. * New York Times Book Review *
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