Bad Things Happen

Harry Dolan has written one of the very best first novels I have ever come across. Bad Things Happen is a sweet mix of Agatha Christie's who done it's, Chandlers noir, Leonards banter and observational style, and a slew of contemporary artists. You can tell that Dolan LOVES mysteries. And if you love mysteries also, you will not be disappointed here. Bad Things has its faults. I did not appreciate how it followed so many characters point of view. I think that it started off perfectly balanced for about half of the book, but upon reflection, some of the carefully crafted characters from earlier were left to fall apart as the plot shifted. Too much cleverness was added at the expense of a clean perfection that could have occurred. Basically, the plot follows David Loogan, a man on the run from an unknown past. The women all seem to fall head over heals for this silent mysterious man. He is acutely intelligent. His mind works at a pace always one step ahead of the reader. David has found himself in a college town living in a rented flat, and working for a mystery magazine publication. The husband and wife owners of the publication are expertly drawn out and you get a real feel for them as people. Soon though, David's past starts catching up, an unfortunate murder takes place, and the ball is rolling. As I said, the plot is good, not as great as the earlier character studies, the second half suffers just a little. But all in all this is just about as good as it gets. So five stars from me and I cant wait to get the next work by Dolan.

Bad Things Happen offers both good news and bad news for its author, Harry Dolan. The good news is that Dolan's debut novel is both excellent and a joy to read; the bad news is that he just set the bar so high for himself that it will be difficult to jump that high again his next time out (not a bad tradeoff of good and bad, as I feel certain Mr. Dolan would agree). As the novel opens, David Loogan is in search of a special shovel, one that will work well in tight quarters. Loogan, a man already hiding from his past, has made the ill-fated decision to help his friend (and boss), Tom Kristoll hide evidence about what happened at Kristoll's home earlier in the evening. Loogan is no fool, and he knows that what Kristoll wants him to believe about the incident is, on the one hand, too neat, and on the other, full of holes. Loogan, though, is loyal to the man who gave him his new start as an editor at Gray Streets, a mystery magazine, and perhaps because he is sleeping with Kristoll's wife, he feels compelled to do whatever Kristoll asks of him. Things go well enough that night but when people associated with the magazine start turning up dead, Loogan begins to realize the danger in which his misplaced sense of loyalty has placed him. Not only is he suspected by the Ann Arbor police of being a murderer, the real murderer is determined to add him to the growing list of formerly-breathing Gray Streets employees. Clearly, author Harry Dolan is a man who appreciates classic American noir crime fiction. Bad Things Happen is a combination parody/tribute to the crime writing school made famous by the likes of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, James Cain, and others, and one can visualize many of the book's scenes as part of the old black and white movies of that era. One has only to read a list of the names of the book's main characters to get a feel for the atmosphere Dolan wants to create for his mystery. We have: David Loogan, Bridget Shellcross, Rex Chatterjee, Nathan Hideaway, and Casmir Hifflyn, for starters. It is almost enough to make the reader yearn for a quick game of Clue between chapters. Bad Things Happen, though, has more than nostalgia to offer its readers. Its finely-crafted plot, filled with unexpected twists and turns, will keep readers guessing the murderer's identify all the way to the end - wondering even to the last page if they have it figured out this time. David Loogan, Ann Arbor detective Elizabeth Waishkey, and Waishkey's daughter, Rachel, are memorable characters and, at some point, they deserve a chance to live again in a sequel to Bad Things Happen. If you know and love the American noir school of crime fiction, the updated version of the genre presented by Harry Dolan in Bad Things Happen is certain to make you smile.

Dolan dishes out a story that is crisp and riveting. Replete with all the twists, turns, and red herrings you yearn for in a good mystery, Dolan's characters jump out at you with their unexpected candor and quirky personalities. The ending had me so convoluted, I felt like I was on a roller coaster at Six Flags. I stumbled off the last page ready for an icy lemonade and a cool rag for my forehead. Whew! What a ride! I read this nearly straight through, with a few hours of sleep thrown in. I can't wait for the next book, featuring two of BTH's main characters.

David Loogan lives and hides in Ann Arbor in hope of moving past a violent history that he knows he will never forget. He begins to write a short story for Gray Streets literary crime-fiction journal. Though he never finishes the project, the magazine publisher Tom Kristoll likes what he has seen. He offers David a position as an editor, which he accepts. David, Tom, and his wife Laura become friends. Tom obtains David's help in dumping a corpse though the former does not believe the latter's explanation. Soon afterward Tom falls to his death from his office window. AAPD Homicide Detective Elizabeth Waishkey suspects David killed Tom especially when evidence surfaces that he slept with Laura. As other people associated with Gray Streets die, single mom Elizabeth focuses even more intensely on David, who conducts his own inquiry to uncover the killer before he is on trial. The fun in this terrific twisting serial killer investigative tale is the writers who are intelligent and witty until they become the star of someone else's plot. The story line is fast-paced and the amateur sleuth prime suspect and the obstinate cop chasing him makes for an intriguing duel. Mindful of the movies' Theater of Blood and Murder by Death, but less hammy, fans will enjoy Harry Dolan's fine thriller that as Vincent Price said (in Theatre of Blood) is "much ado about murder". Harriet Klausner

Some books are delicious. BAD THINGS HAPPEN is black caviar on 'wry' toast with an extra twist of lemon. Even the plot twists have twists. Mystery fans are in for a treat -- reading this book is like having a glass with a fizzy drink and knocking it down and realizing -gulp- that it was premium champagne! The first sentence perfectly illustrates the author's deadpan style: "The shovel has to meet certain requirements." By page four, the reader knows for sure that the man calling himself David Loogan wants the shovel to dig a grave. By that time, it's too late to have any thoughts of doing anything else other than to keep reading; one is hooked, line and sinker. No point in fighting, just let yourself be reeled in by this sophisticated noirish mystery set in Ann Arbor, centering on a literary magazine that prints mystery stories. Part of the pleasure is the contrast between the lurid tales the magazine prints with the complicated puzzle that the author sets the reader. There are layers upon layers of mystery. What is in David Loogan's past? Who is the dead man he helps his friend bury? Who killed the man? David Loogan is a man of mystery who just wants to lead a quiet life. Tom Kristoll, editor of Gray Streets, discovers that David has a flair for editing. In addition to hiring him to improve the sometimes dreadful stories submitted to his publication, Tom befriends the reclusive stranger. But there are shattering secrets in the literary circle clustered around Tom. Success, disappointment and betrayal can all be motives for murder. And since the suspects are all mystery writers most of the deaths are staged to look like suicide! This novel is exceptionally rich with characters: the mysterious and resourceful David Loogan, the convivial Tom and his seductive wife Laura, Elizabeth Waishkey the lovely and clever police detective tasked with solving the murders, her daughter Sarah, Michael Beccanti the cat burglar...Harry Dolan seems to invent startling people in the turn of a phrase who seem quite solid and real. Tongue-in-cheek homage is paid to the masters Chandler and Stout and just when you think you have reached the grand conclusion--another twist! The suspense is spun out exquisitely thin and dry before all is over. This is an outstanding debut novel by an exciting new talent that combines taut action with literary sophistication. Highly recommended!