Bad Things Happen (David Loogan)

"Witty, sophisticated, suspenseful and endless fun...the best first novel I've read this year." - Washington Post The man who calls himself David Loogan is hoping to escape a violent past by living a quiet, anonymous life in Ann Arbor, Michigan. But when he's hired as an editor at a mystery magazine, he is drawn into an affair with the sleek blond wife of the publisher, Tom Kristoll -- a man who soon turns up dead. Elizabeth Waishkey is the most talented detective in the Ann Arbor Police Department, but even she doesn't know if Loogan is a killer or an ally who might help her find the truth. As more deaths start mounting up -- some of them echoing stories published in the magazine -- it's up to Elizabeth to solve both the murders and the mystery of Loogan himself. From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. 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 © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Bookmarks Magazine Compared to works by Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, and Patricia Highsmith, Bad Things Happen rated as a "brilliant first novel" ( Chicago Tribune ) and "the best first novel [of the] year" ( Washington Post ) among most critics. They praised Dolan's crisp, minimalist prose and well-developed, flesh-and-blood protagonists. Dolan's intricate plot, full of surprising twists and turns, eschews showdowns and shootouts in favor of droll dialogue and a noirish, Chandleresque tone. Though the San Francisco Chronicle deplored the glut of subplots and secondary characters, most reviewers agreed that Dolan's debut effort is stylish, sharp-edged, and suspenseful. "It's probably too clever to be blockbuster material," lamented the Washington Post , but readers in search of a literate mystery are in for a treat.

witty, Sophisticated, Suspenseful And Endless Fun...the Best First Novel I've Read This Year. -washington Post

the Man Who Calls Himself David Loogan Is Hoping To Escape A Violent Past By Living A Quiet, Anonymous Life In Ann Arbor, Michigan. But When He's Hired As An Editor At A Mystery Magazine, He Is Drawn Into An Affair With The Sleek Blond Wife Of The Publisher, Tom Kristoll-a Man Who Soon Turns Up Dead.

elizabeth Waishkey Is The Most Talented Detective In The Ann Arbor Police Department, But Even She Doesn't Know If Loogan Is A Killer Or An Ally Who Might Help Her Find The Truth. As More Deaths Start Mounting Up-some Of Them Echoing Stories Published In The Magazine-it's Up To Elizabeth To Solve Both The Murders And The Mystery Of Loogan Himself.

the New York Times - Marilyn Stasio

…you Better Believe [dolan] Has A Gift For Storytelling. Although The Plot Is Fairly Outlandish, The Narrative Comes With Startling Developments And Nicely Tricky Reversals. There's Also Something Appealingly Offbeat About The Wry, Dry Tone Of Its Academic Humor, Which Has Much To Do With The Self-important Authors Who Figure In The Hectic Plot

A gripping novel about a man trying to escape his violent past and soon becomes a murder suspect when a publisher—and the husband of the woman he's having an affair with—turns up dead.The man who calls himself David Loogan is hoping to escape a violent past by living a quiet, anonymous life in Ann Arbor, Michigan. But when he's hired as an editor at a mystery magazine, he is drawn into an affair with the sleek blond wife of the publisher, Tom Kristoll—a man who soon turns up dead.Elizabeth Waishkey is the most talented detective in the Ann Arbor Police Department, but even she doesn't know if Loogan is a killer or an ally who might help her find the truth. As more deaths start mounting up—some of them echoing stories published in the magazine—it's up to Elizabeth to solve both the murders and the mystery of Loogan himself.'Witty, sophisticated, suspenseful and endless fun...the best first novel I've read this year.'—Washington Post'A hypnotically readable novel, with...dialog worthy of Elmore Leonard.'—Douglas Preston'Fans of Peter Abrahams and Scott Turow will find a lot to like.'—Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Witty, sophisticated, suspenseful and endless fun..." -- The Washington Post The man who calls himself DAVID LOOGAN is hoping to escape a violent past by leading a quiet, anonymous life in Ann Arbor, Michigan. But his solitude is broken when he finds himself drawn into a friendship with Tom Kristoll, publisher of the mystery magazine Gray Streets -- and into an affair with Laura, Tom's sleek blond wife. When Tom offers him a job as an editor, Loogan sees no harm in accepting. What he doesn't realize is that the stories in Gray Streets tend to follow a simple formula: Plans go wrong. Bad things happen. People die. ELIZABETH WAISHKEY is the most talented detective in the Ann Arbor Police Department. But when Tom Kristoll turns up dead, she doesn't know quite what to make of David Loogan. Is he a killer, or an ally who might help her find the truth? As more deaths start mounting up -- some of them echoing stories published in the magazine -- it's up to Elizabeth to solve both the murders and the mystery of Loogan himself. When Tom Kristoll, mystery magazine publisher, is murdered, David Loogan, a friend to Tom and a lover to Tom's wife, teams up with Ann Arbor's finest detective, Elizabeth Waishkey, to find the culprit. Loogan, a recluse with a broken past, believes Tom's death is just one piece in a grand puzzle. And as the body count rises, his theory proves right. As suspicions fall on everyone including Loogan, Waishkey must not only solve the homicide mysteries, but also figure out her perplexing cohort David Loogan finds his violent past catching up with him after his friend and boss, Tom Kristoll, publisher of the mystery magazine David works for, is murdered and David becomes the prime suspect, and, as more bodies are found in circumstances that match the plots of some of the magazine's murder stories, David must prove his innocence before he is arrested or becomes the killer's next victim David Loogan finds himself drawn into a friendship with Tom Kristoll, the publisher of a mystery magazine. But as several deaths are uncovered--some of them echoing stories published in the magazine--Loogan begins to look more and more like the most promising suspect