
Bad Things Happen
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $20.25
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Erik Davies
-
By:
-
Harry Dolan
About this listen
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 blonde 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)
©2009 Harry Dolan (P)2009 Penguin AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Man in the Crooked Hat
- By: Harry Dolan
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Private investigator Jack Pellum has spent two years searching for the man he believes murdered his wife - a man he last saw wearing a peacoat and a fedora. Months of posting flyers and combing through crime records yields no leads. Then a local writer commits suicide, and he leaves a bewildering message that may be the first breadcrumb in a winding trail of unsolved murders....
-
-
Crazy Glue'd Me To Story
- By Ted on 01-11-18
By: Harry Dolan
-
The Good Killer
- By: Harry Dolan
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sean Tennant and Molly Winter are living quietly and cautiously in Houston when a troubled, obsessive stranger shatters the safety they have carefully constructed for themselves. Sean is at a shopping mall when Henry Alan Keen pulls out a gun at a store and begins shooting everyone in sight. A former soldier, Sean rushes toward Keen and ends the slaughter with two well-placed shots - becoming a hero with his face plastered across the news. But Sean's newfound notoriety exposes him to the wrath of two men he thought he had left safely in his past.
-
-
Great Story!
- By AK Raven on 03-13-20
By: Harry Dolan
-
The River We Remember
- A Novel
- By: William Kent Krueger
- Narrated by: CJ Wilson
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On Memorial Day in Jewel, Minnesota, the body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. The investigation falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results of the autopsy, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer must be Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran who has recently returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife.
-
-
This book makes me believe that there are good books written by good authors.
- By Va on 09-15-23
-
One Good Deed
- By: David Baldacci
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's 1949. When war veteran Aloysius Archer is released from Carderock Prison, he is sent to Poca City on parole with a short list of dos and a much longer list of don'ts: do report regularly to his parole officer, don't go to bars, certainly don't drink alcohol, do get a job - and don't ever associate with loose women. The small town quickly proves more complicated and dangerous than Archer's years serving in the war or his time in jail.
-
-
Superior Historical Crime novel!!
- By shelley on 07-24-19
By: David Baldacci
-
Lethal Defense
- Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller Series, Book 1
- By: Michael Stagg
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Attorney Nate Shepherd left a big firm to go out on his own. He sees nothing but opportunity when an out-of-town lawyer wants to hire him as local counsel on a high-profile murder case. Though his family worries that the case hits too close to home, Nate joins the defense team. When circumstances force him to take on a bigger role, Nate ignores his family’s fears and throws himself into his client’s defense.
-
-
Outstanding legal thriller
- By Wayne on 04-07-21
By: Michael Stagg
-
The Sun Down Motel
- By: Simone St. James
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, Kirsten Potter
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Upstate New York, 1982. Viv Delaney wants to move to New York City, and to help pay for it she takes a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York. But something isnʼt right at the motel, something haunting and scary. Upstate New York, 2017. Carly Kirk has never been able to let go of the story of her aunt Viv, who mysteriously disappeared from the Sun Down before she was born. She decides to move to Fell and visit the motel, where she quickly learns that nothing has changed since 1982.
-
-
Disappointed Simone St. James fan
- By Spig on 03-04-20
By: Simone St. James
-
The Man in the Crooked Hat
- By: Harry Dolan
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Private investigator Jack Pellum has spent two years searching for the man he believes murdered his wife - a man he last saw wearing a peacoat and a fedora. Months of posting flyers and combing through crime records yields no leads. Then a local writer commits suicide, and he leaves a bewildering message that may be the first breadcrumb in a winding trail of unsolved murders....
-
-
Crazy Glue'd Me To Story
- By Ted on 01-11-18
By: Harry Dolan
-
The Good Killer
- By: Harry Dolan
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sean Tennant and Molly Winter are living quietly and cautiously in Houston when a troubled, obsessive stranger shatters the safety they have carefully constructed for themselves. Sean is at a shopping mall when Henry Alan Keen pulls out a gun at a store and begins shooting everyone in sight. A former soldier, Sean rushes toward Keen and ends the slaughter with two well-placed shots - becoming a hero with his face plastered across the news. But Sean's newfound notoriety exposes him to the wrath of two men he thought he had left safely in his past.
-
-
Great Story!
- By AK Raven on 03-13-20
By: Harry Dolan
-
The River We Remember
- A Novel
- By: William Kent Krueger
- Narrated by: CJ Wilson
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On Memorial Day in Jewel, Minnesota, the body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. The investigation falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results of the autopsy, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer must be Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran who has recently returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife.
-
-
This book makes me believe that there are good books written by good authors.
- By Va on 09-15-23
-
One Good Deed
- By: David Baldacci
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's 1949. When war veteran Aloysius Archer is released from Carderock Prison, he is sent to Poca City on parole with a short list of dos and a much longer list of don'ts: do report regularly to his parole officer, don't go to bars, certainly don't drink alcohol, do get a job - and don't ever associate with loose women. The small town quickly proves more complicated and dangerous than Archer's years serving in the war or his time in jail.
-
-
Superior Historical Crime novel!!
- By shelley on 07-24-19
By: David Baldacci
-
Lethal Defense
- Nate Shepherd Legal Thriller Series, Book 1
- By: Michael Stagg
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Attorney Nate Shepherd left a big firm to go out on his own. He sees nothing but opportunity when an out-of-town lawyer wants to hire him as local counsel on a high-profile murder case. Though his family worries that the case hits too close to home, Nate joins the defense team. When circumstances force him to take on a bigger role, Nate ignores his family’s fears and throws himself into his client’s defense.
-
-
Outstanding legal thriller
- By Wayne on 04-07-21
By: Michael Stagg
-
The Sun Down Motel
- By: Simone St. James
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, Kirsten Potter
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Upstate New York, 1982. Viv Delaney wants to move to New York City, and to help pay for it she takes a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York. But something isnʼt right at the motel, something haunting and scary. Upstate New York, 2017. Carly Kirk has never been able to let go of the story of her aunt Viv, who mysteriously disappeared from the Sun Down before she was born. She decides to move to Fell and visit the motel, where she quickly learns that nothing has changed since 1982.
-
-
Disappointed Simone St. James fan
- By Spig on 03-04-20
By: Simone St. James
-
A Killer's Wife
- Desert Plains, Book 1
- By: Victor Methos
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fourteen years ago, prosecutor Jessica Yardley's husband went to prison for a series of brutal murders. She's finally created a life with her daughter and is a well-respected attorney. She's moving on. But when a new rash of homicides has her ex-husband, Eddie, written all over them - the nightmares of her past come back to life.
-
-
Finally, a thriller worthy of being called that!!
- By cindy on 03-09-20
By: Victor Methos
-
Termination Shock
- A Novel
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 22 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One man—visionary billionaire restaurant chain magnate T. R. Schmidt, Ph.D.—has a Big Idea for reversing global warming, a master plan perhaps best described as “elemental.” But will it work? Ranging from the Texas heartland to the Dutch royal palace in the Hague, from the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the sunbaked Chihuahuan Desert, Termination Shock brings together a disparate group of characters from different cultures and continents who grapple with the real-life repercussions of global warming.
-
-
The Men Who Shoot at Feral Hogs
- By Kindle Customer on 12-02-21
By: Neal Stephenson
-
Her Deadly Game
- Keera Duggan, Book 1
- By: Robert Dugoni
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Keera Duggan was building a solid reputation as a Seattle prosecutor, until her romantic relationship with a senior colleague ended badly. For the competitive former chess prodigy, returning to her family’s failing criminal defense law firm to work for her father is the best shot she has. With the right moves, she hopes to restore the family’s reputation, her relationship with her father, and her career.
-
-
Legal thriller filled with twists!
- By Wayne on 03-28-23
By: Robert Dugoni
-
The Keeper of Lost Causes
- Department Q, Book 1
- By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Carl Mørck used to be one of Denmark’s best homicide detectives. Then a hail of bullets destroyed the lives of two fellow cops, and Carl - who didn’t draw his weapon - blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing he expects. But Department Q is a department of one, and Carl’s got only a stack of cold cases for company. His colleagues snicker, but Carl may have the last laugh, because one file keeps nagging at him: A liberal politician vanished five years earlier and is presumed dead. But she isn’t dead...yet.
-
-
Dark, Cold, and Danish
- By Ted on 11-28-12
-
The Black Echo: Harry Bosch Series, Book 1
- By: Michael Connelly
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For maverick LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal...because the murdered man was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who had fought side by side with him in a hellish underground war. Now Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam.
-
-
What a Terrific Book
- By Daniel McAfee on 08-01-08
By: Michael Connelly
-
Killing Floor
- Jack Reacher, Book 1
- By: Lee Child
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 17 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is a drifter. He’s just passing through Margrave, Georgia, and in less than an hour, he’s arrested for murder. Not much of a welcome. All Reacher knows is that he didn’t kill anybody. At least not here. Not lately. But he doesn’t stand a chance of convincing anyone. Not in Margrave, Georgia. Not a chance in hell.
-
-
Even if you have it GET THIS ONE!!
- By shelley on 10-30-15
By: Lee Child
-
Speaks the Nightbird
- By: Robert R. McCammon
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 30 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Carolinas, 1699: The citizens of Fount Royal believe a witch has cursed their town with inexplicable tragedies -- and they demand that beautiful widow Rachel Howarth be tried and executed for witchcraft. Presiding over the trial is traveling magistrate Issac Woodward, aided by his astute young clerk, Matthew Corbett. Believing in Rachel's innocence, Matthew will soon confront the true evil at work in Fount Royal....
-
-
Dark, Twisted Period Piece with GREAT Characters!
- By aaron on 06-05-12
-
The Racketeer
- By: John Grisham
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Given the importance of what they do, and the controversies that often surround them, and the violent people they sometimes confront, it is remarkable that in the history of this country only four active federal judges have been murdered. Judge Raymond Fawcett has just become number five.... Nothing is as it seems and everything’s fair game in this wickedly clever new novel from John Grisham, the undisputed master of the legal thriller.
-
-
Garbage
- By cristina on 11-29-12
By: John Grisham
-
Into the Water
- A Novel
- By: Paula Hawkins
- Narrated by: Laura Aikman, Daniel Weyman, Imogen Church, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged. Left behind is a lonely 15-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother's sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from - a place to which she vowed she'd never return.
-
-
Don't Hold Your Breath
- By Mel on 05-07-17
By: Paula Hawkins
-
Postmortem
- A Scarpetta Novel
- By: Patricia Cornwell
- Narrated by: C. J. Critt
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Four young women have been found murdered—tortured and strangled in their own beds—all victims of the same brilliant monster. Using a skilled hand and the latest technology in forensic medicine, Kay Scarpetta begins the process of gathering the microscopic clues the latest battered body has to give.
-
-
Forgot how much I loved the old Scarpetta novels
- By Janie on 03-29-12
-
Alone
- By: Lisa Gardner
- Narrated by: Anna Fields
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a sniper with the elite Massachusetts State Police SWAT Team, Bobby Dodge saved a woman and her young son by shooting her armed husband. But vicious rumors begin to circulate the next morning when Bobby loses his gun and his privileges. It turns out the dead man was the son of a prominent Boston judge and had accused his wife of poisoning their son.
-
-
I know I'm not Alone . . .
- By Sherry on 02-06-05
By: Lisa Gardner
-
Sue Grafton ABC Gift Collection
- "A" Is for Alibi, "B" Is for Burglar, "C" Is for Corpse
- By: Sue Grafton
- Narrated by: Judy Kaye
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"A" Is for Alibi: Nikki Fife, convicted of murdering her husband Laurence, is out on parole after eight years of prison. Now, she hires Kinsey Millhone to find out who really killed Laurence. "B" Is for Burglar: Elaine Boldt is missing, and her sister wants Kinsey Millhone to find her. It seems to be a routine job - until Kinsey is ordered to drop the investigation. "C" Is for Corpse: Kinsey Millhone is recruited to help Bobby Callahan, a young man struggling back to life after his Porsche was forced to take a near-fatal nose dive over the edge of a canyon.
-
-
Beware and Don't order this
- By Terry on 07-27-18
By: Sue Grafton
Critic reviews
"Dolan's neatly symmetrical plot is tight, his dialogue is crisp, and his humor wry." (Booklist)
What listeners say about Bad Things Happen
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Clifford
- 06-19-18
Amazing book. Just amazing.
And I thought Dolan’s , “The Last Dead Girl” was great, and it was, but this is one of the best books I’ve ever read or listened to!!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- EC Murphy
- 07-02-17
Too drawn out
Basically a good story but way too drawn out! It should have ended long before it became tedious. And how many times did we have to hear about those glass beads for pete' s sake!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- awhit333
- 04-04-10
Okay- not great
I was expecting a better story when I purchased this audiobook based on reviews I'd heard. The narration was fine, and the story was okay- but it was not as engaging or intriguing as I was hoping it would be. I liked it enough to finish it, and some parts of the story and characters were much more interesting than others.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- FRITZ STOOP
- 10-22-12
Potential, but too mechanical
A clever mind at work here, but far too mechanical and complicated. It involves most of the tricks and gimmicks used by crimes writers, if not them all. Definitely the first book I have read that sprayed suspicion on each and every character in the story. May be a tongue-in-cheek effort by a professional editor or College Professor incapable of an original plot or story.
Something about it seemed off, like it was written separately by a team of people and then coalesced by the HAL 5000. It left me wanting.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Thor, goT
- 09-28-12
Great book with solid characters
It is interesting to watch how various writers take on the "detective genre", which has been so overdone that we all recognize the various elements of these stories: the divorced detective that drinks too much; the hard nosed cop with the heart of gold; the former special forces soldier that somehow works in a small town; the "civilian" that helps the cops through a difficult case; etc. We all recognize these elements so well, that such characters do not even really have to be fully developed anymore.
In this case, the characters are interesting, fresh and the story is entertaining. Here, the main character is a mysterious guy that is working as an editor for a crime publication, as such he and the various published writers can all put forth theories - and become suspects - based on various plotlines. There is a continual refrain "if this were a story in Grey Streets...", which I think adds to the atmosphere, and really helps convey how the character is trying to deal with the facts of a murder.
I really liked this and look forward to the next one by this author.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Laura
- 02-08-12
Very entertaining
If you could sum up Bad Things Happen in three words, what would they be?
Light, fast, fun
Would you recommend Bad Things Happen to your friends? Why or why not?
I would. It's a light listen. Very engaging. There are some lose threads at the end, and you have to suspend disbelief. Despite all that, it was a
What about Erik Davies’s performance did you like?
He really gets into the character.
Any additional comments?
This is not the deepest novel ever, but it's really entertaining and you will find that you can't turn your device off. You always want to know what happens next.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- C. Rogers
- 12-23-17
Curiously engaging
Dolan books have a strange allure for me. He's got great writing potential even if it's never fully realized. Still, he entertained me throughout. It feels as though it's missing something though I can't quite define what , but in an odd way, that intangible missing piece added to the books allure. It has a good plot, decent if not great character construction, and some pretty solid writing. Sometimes the dialogue seems contrived, and a few of the characters/suspects speak to the detectives as though they are ruminating on what it's like to be a detective in a novel but many of them are writers so perhaps it's intentional. The refrain is satisfying if a bit overused. All in all, it's fun, and worth a credit. I recommend it and think some of the bad reviews here are more to do with personal taste than any real lack of quality.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Raylene
- 02-13-13
Slow start but sucks you in.
At first I thought I wasn't going to finish this book, but I kept listening and pretty soon I didn't want to stop until the book was done. Unusual plot, interesting slightly odd characters, and fine narration. I'm glad I kept going.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Michele
- 08-26-09
Entertaining but not stellar
Erik Davies did a respectable job on narration. The story took a bit to get into but ended up holding my attention. Not the best book I've ever written but it was entertaining.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- XOXOXOXO
- 05-26-18
great book
2nd time I've listened to this story. it's great & I'm going to listen to the next in the David Loogan series again as well.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!