(Courtesy of Doubleday)
A haunting read, Reddit horror sensation Dathan Auerbach delivers a memorable and suspenseful thriller with Bad Man (Doubleday). The author of the viral self-published bestseller, Penpal, captures the raw emotions of a troubled protagonist and the inescapable nightmare of working at a dead-end job.
In Florida, during 1995, Ben is fifteen years old when he and his three-year-old brother Eric leave the house together. One day, while out to run an errand, they end up at the local grocery store. At the market, a headache suddenly consumes Ben. He closes his eyes just for a moment to rest his head on the wall. And when he opens them, Eric is gone…
Here are 5 reasons why we love Bad Man:
5) Grounded Horror!
What writer Dathan Auerbach does really well is examine how tragedy affects an entire family. After losing his bother, Ben’s stepmother has become a recluse. Like any parent in mourning, his stepmother sits alone in his brother’s old room. There’s the underlying question left unsaid, does the father blame Ben for losing Eric?
4) The Social Commentary!
There’s also Auerbach’s social commentary about the economy and blue-collar jobs. Auerbach captures the desperation and anxiety of having to work during the graveyard shift. In the narrative, Ben is also revisiting the crime scene, over and over, working at the very store where Eric was last seen.
3) The Setting!
Most of the narrative takes place at the local grocery store. When Eric’s missing child posters start showing again, Ben becomes obsessed with the strange occult symbol on them. As the supernatural scares keep coming, Ben’s work-life all of a sudden turns to shambles. Ben helplessly witnesses a vile act of sexual harassment and has to keep his mouth shut in order to keep his job.
2) The Main Protagonist!
Ben is a tragic and interesting main protagonist. Auerbach really dives into Ben’s personality as he becomes obsessed with finding his missing brother. There’s so much guilt driving him to find clues and yet Ben is also asking for redemption. Something snaps inside him as Ben starts to lose his grip on his sanity and question reality.
1) A Suspenseful Read!
Bad Man is a a twisted supernatural thriller that will keep readers in suspense until the very last page! Readers will be left immensely unsettled when they reach the grand twist!
Bad Man arrives on sale August 7th, 2018.