Real Bad Things
Book Feature - Real Bad Things by Kelly J. Ford
HBL Note: Kelly J. Ford made a name for herself with her debut novel, Cottonmouths, a queer Southern suspense novel that was named as one of Los Angeles Review’s Best Books of 2017. Although Kelly lives in Vermont now, she grew up in Arkansas and she says her experience living in the South very much made her who she is today. She returns to her Southern roots in REAL BAD THINGS, a mystery thriller about what it means to be queer in the rural South. Scroll down to read more.
“This atmospheric, suspenseful novel will keep you guessing and page-turning all the way to the end.” —Good Housekeeping
From the publisher:
Beneath the roiling waters of the Arkansas River lie dead men and buried secrets.
When Jane Mooney’s violent stepfather, Warren, disappeared, most folks in Maud Bottoms, Arkansas, assumed he got drunk and drowned. After all, the river had claimed its share over the years.
When Jane confessed to his murder, she should have gone to jail. That’s what she wanted. But without a body, the police didn’t charge her with the crime. So Jane left for Boston—and took her secrets with her.
Twenty-five years later, the river floods and a body surfaces. Talk of Warren’s murder grips the town. Now in her forties, Jane returns to Maud Bottoms to reckon with her past: to do jail time, to face her revenge-bent mother, to make things right.
But though Jane’s homecoming may enlighten some, it could threaten others. Because in this desolate river valley, some secrets are better left undisturbed.