Eric, aged three, disappears at the grocery store while under the care of his older brother, Ben. Every parent's worst nightmare. The rising panic woven through this scene was incredibly well written.
I can't say I liked everything about Bad Man. Early on, I was enjoying the read but found myself searching for the story. There was one red herring, in particular, which I was less than fond of. But, I will say Dathan Auerbach is a very capable writer, deserving of his success.
There were numerous gems sprinkled throughout the prose...
The mosquitoes had all died or gone back to hell, or whatever they do when the air starts to bite and sting.
Bad Man features a number of fully fleshed out characters. Ben, for example, was wonderfully developed as the reader sees through his eyes and feels his every emotion. I will say, Bad Man protects its secrets the way a mama bear protects her cubs. But, ultimately the payoff is worth the wait.
Recommended, for sure.
From the author's bio - Dathan Auerbach was born in the southern U.S. and has lived there for most of his life. In 2011, he began posting a series of stories to a forum dedicated to horror. After a KickStarter that raised over 1000% of its goal, he was able to release the revised and expanded version of his story as the novel "Penpal."
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