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Something Bad Wrong

By: Eryk Pruitt
Narrated by: Khristine Hvam, Aaron Shedlock, Patrick Lawlor, George Newbern, Chris Ruen, David de Vries
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Publisher's summary

To catch the killer who eluded her detective grandfather fifty years ago, a true-crime podcaster must contend with outdated evidence, ulterior motives, and the dark family secrets that got in the way.

True-crime podcaster Jess Keeler has returned to Deeton County, North Carolina, to pick up where her grandfather left off. Sheriff’s Deputy Big Jim Ballard, her grandfather, was a respected detective—until it all came crashing down during a 1972 murder investigation.

For Jim, solving the murders of two teens should have been the highlight of his already storied career. Instead, he battled his own mind, unsure where his hunches ended and the truth began.

Working from her grandfather’s disjointed notes, Jess is sure that she can finally put the cold case—and her family’s shame—to rest. Enlisting the help of disgraced reporter Dan Decker, Jess soon discovers ugly truths about the first investigation, which was shaped by corruption, egos, and a family secret that may be the key to the crime.

Told in a dual timeline that covers both investigations, Something Bad Wrong explores human folly, hubris, and how sometimes, to solve a crime, you have to find out who’s covering it up.

©2023 Eryk Pruitt (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
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Critic reviews

“Evocative….Pruitt skillfully weaves dual narratives that follow the original murders and the recent present.”The New York Times

“There are storytellers who seem to come to us fully formed. Bards who create worlds and characters that captivate us instantaneously. Eryk Pruitt is such a storyteller, and Something Bad Wrong is such a book. A kaleidoscope of Southern Gothic traditions seamlessly combined with an incredible murder mystery, all told with Pruitt’s unique, indomitable style. Something Bad Wrong is some very, very good writing.”—S. A. Cosby, bestselling author of Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland

Something Bad Wrong hits on every cylinder—expertly plotted, deliberately paced, deeply human, incredibly relevant, and just utterly absorbing. This is a golden example of the genre.”—Rob Hart, author of The Paradox Hotel and The Warehouse

What listeners say about Something Bad Wrong

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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow!


This was at times a sad and hard listen. The issue of Alzheimer’s and how it was addressed in the 70’s was disturbing. This story had so many twists and turns. Once I really got into I could not put down. I needed to know. This will be a book I think of long after it’s over.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Worthy suggestion from Audible

This was suggested to me thru an Audible sale and I definitely enjoyed it. The full cast was great, even if some of the narrators were a little over the top. Would read more by the author.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting but flawed

It dragged in the middle. The portrayal of dementia rang true but just went on relentlessly. I actually fast forwarded some of those chapters. The ending picked up & I'd probably be willing to read a sequel.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The flow of story was brilliant!

I loved the characters and each one had their own in story to tell like the main story.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good story but hard to follow

The narration was very good, but there were just too many characters and story lines to follow. It does finally come together in the end do I did like the ending but almost gave up several times in the middle where I just could keep track of what was going on.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A wild ride

Loved the twists in this narrative. It’s told in two timelines but it reads like a concise, linear plot. If you’re a fan of true crime podcasts, you will love this deep dive into what it takes (and sometimes what it ultimately costs) to make one.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Good Until

Good book until the anti-conservative political injection. Won’t bother with book 2. Very disappointed that we can’t even enjoy a book without the nasty political bias

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Well narrated

This book was interesting and mysterious the whole way through. Well narrated and interesting characters. It could have easily been a little longer to develop them a little further. The ending was a bit rushed and glossed over, but overall a good story.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Appreciate the effort, but this was all over the place

I listened to this at 2x speed and still felt it dragged. Lots of little frustrations in this book: the overblown portrayals of dementia, the sheer number of characters to keep track of, the main character constantly hinting at some niggling thought, the fact different narrators voiced the same secondary characters using wildly different voices, the completely unnatural delivery of all the “yonder” lines by voice actors who clearly have less familiarity with its usage than the author, etc, etc.

The author created a good sense of place with this story, but it meandered quite a bit. Might have been better as text instead of audio.

Biggest disappointment was the narration. I wish publishers would choose narrators more wisely when regional accents are involved, and that narrators who are unfamiliar with words used by the author would bother to investigate.

PS: Lest anybody be put off by the reviewer in a tiff about “anti-conservative” bits, that’s about ONE side character with a giant confederate flag and in his yard, among other far-right flags, and he’s griping about fake news and threatening violence. (I know people precisely like this guy, so the author didn’t just create a caricature here.) One main character is incensed by it, one says to let it go. It’s a minor plot point — that’s the extent of it. The author actually did a good job of making the main characters foils for each other on lots of big issues, like sexual harassment or police corruption — as well as the ethics of using interview content from a guy who calls them purveyors of fake news.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Who did it?

A few characters could be quilty but personality of police enters the story of trying to solve it. Keeps you wondering until the last few chapters .

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