Bad Man

A Novel

By: Dathan Auerbach

Narrated by: Lincoln Hoppe

Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Reddit horror sensation Dathan Auerbach delivers a devilishly dark novel about a young boy who goes missing, and the brother who won't stop looking for him.

Eric disappeared when he was three years old. Ben looked away for only a second at the grocery store, but that was all it took. His brother was gone. Vanished right into the sticky air of the Florida Panhandle. They say you've got only a couple days to find a missing person. Forty-eight hours to conduct searches, knock on doors, and talk to witnesses. Two days to tear the world apart if there's any chance of putting yours back together. That's your window.

That window closed five years ago, leaving Ben's life in ruins. He still looks for his brother. Still searches while his stepmother sits and waits and whispers for Eric, refusing to leave the house that Ben's father can no longer afford. Now 20 and desperate for work, Ben takes a night stock job at the only place that will have him: the store that blinked Eric out of existence.

Ben can feel that there's something wrong there. With the people. With his boss. With the graffitied baler that shudders and moans and beckons. There's something wrong with the air itself. He knows he's in the right place now. That the store has much to tell him. So, he keeps searching. Keeps looking for his baby brother while missing the most important message of all. That he should have stopped looking.

©2018 Dathan Auerbach (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“An atmospheric and unsettling novel.... Auerbach’s portrait of an after-hours grocery store - as benign a setting as one could imagine - takes on an aura of almost Gothic menace. Most importantly, his ability to convey the grief, guilt and sense of loss that fuel Ben’s fixation gives the book a resonant emotional center. With just two novels, Auerbach has established himself as a significant figure in the post-King generation of horror writers.” (The Washington Post)

“Auerbach cleverly weaves in the horror trope of creepy kids amid a vibe that’s best described as Stephen King meets Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.... The novel is wickedly effective in creating a feeling of doom.... Bad Man delivers an unexpected gut punch and saves its darkest deeds for an unnerving end.” (USA Today)

“If you think The Shining set in a grocery store, you’re not far off.... Auerbach is magnificent with atmosphere, able to conjure dread from a huge array of normally nonthreatening places. This is a horror author to watch very, very closely.” (Booklist)

“Dark and disturbing.... Readers will be reminded of the young Stephen King.” (Publishers Weekly)

the best kind of heartbreak

this story will stay with me awhile, just like penpal did, I love what this guy has written so far, and i'm anticipating the future

I really like this book. It drew me in .

Really like this book. It drew me in and kept me wondering what would happen next. Surprise ending. Epilogue almost made me cry.

The Author's Imagination Has My Full Attention

This kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. If you love a good twist in a story, something that keeps you engaged, anxious to know the result yet not wanting it to end all at the same time, this author will not disappoint. Unsatisfactory reviews on this book have me perplexed. I loved Pen Pal, it was amazing, and infiltrated my dreams at night. Bad Man is every Mother's worst nightmare and will leave traces of its existence in my mind forever. Thank you for sharing this true gem Dathan, and don't stop writing. Your imagination is truly special and I look forward to the next adventure you share!

good book

This book kept me listening for the next twist in the story. However, sometimes the story was slower in progressing.

This book was too long for it's own good.

I struggled to finish. the only reason I kept listening was because I had gotten beyond a point of no return where I didn't want to completely throw away the time I had invested. I did not really like this story. it was supposed to be suspenseful, but I did not find it so. way too much detail. way too little substance

This book is okay. kind of drags in the middle an

This book is okay. kind of drags in the middle and is more predictable than the author thinks.

Maybe I set my standards too high?

****SPOILER ALERT********


I hate to be that person to bring up a novel in another book's review but, it is essential to make mention of it. Penpal was a phenomenal book, it's one of my favorite books in its genre. I thought so much of his first novel that I couldn't separate my emotions while reading his second Novel. Bad Man was a painting of a melancholic landscape that somehow captured the Floridian squalor. Each character is miserable in their own sense and strives for nothing more than their current state of decay. The realization that versions of this story exist in real life is a very depressing insight. I can undoubtedly say that this book was very well written and insightful I, however, found it to be very slow and solemn. I came into the novel expecting the same chills Penpal crept upon me, but was left to feel sad and mildly confused. Nevertheless, I am still very much a fan of Auerbach and look forward to his future works!

hard to get through this one

ice enjoyed other b9oks by this author but not so much this one. The story starts out really good but and some point I left like I was reading in circles and the author wasted so much time describing the main characters feelings...the story gets lost...also the ending is fisappointing to me. The author left a lot of loose endings...i didn't feel the closure.

Just when you think you have it figured out...

Really enjoyed this book. Character development along the lines of Stephen King. Turns that wound through the story line and keep you guessing what's real and what's not.

A different narrator would have been better

Had this book used a different narrator I probably would have enjoyed it more. The author gets wordy, which I don't normally mind, but the guy reading read it so slowly that each sentence took about 3 minutes to get though. I could skip 10 minutes at a time and still not miss any action. If he was describing a 10 foot walk, 10 minutes later he would have walked 4 feet. I think I should have chosen to read the book instead of listening to it. Also, the attempt at differentiating character voices....well....He tried. That's about all I can say. I didnt feel this was a horror story....but it was a good story which is what I wanted. The authors note is touching.