Book Review: ‘Bad Man: A Novel’ Asks The Question What Happened To Ben’s Three Year Old Brother?

I love a good thriller/mystery. I read a lot of them and for the most part enjoy them. I am pretty good usually at figuring out things before they are revealed. In the case of Dathan Auerbach’s new novel Bad Man I wasn’t able to figure it out. I had an idea but the ending got me. And that’s the mark of a good author. The story has lots of twists and turns you don’t see coming.

in 1995 Ben is 15 years old and he loves his little brother Eric, who’s 3 years old. They go to the store to pick up some groceries. They are in a long line to check out and Eric says he has to go to the bathroom. Ben had asked him five minutes ago. Annoyed with him they go to the bathroom. Ben has had a headache and he rests his eyes for one moment and then Eric is gone. Ben looks everywhere in the store and nothing. Eric has just vanished.

Now five years later Ben is still looking for Eric, posting flyers and knocking on people’s doors asking questions. His stepmothers has basically become a shut-in because of Eric missing all these years. Ben gets a job at the market where Eric disappeared. His family needs the money and he really doesn’t want to work there but can’t find work anywhere else. He hides the fact about his brother to his a-hole boss.

At the store Ben works overnights and weird things are happening. Ben begins to suspect more is going on than meets the eye. He feels somehow it’s connected to Eric. Ben becomes obsesses and spends every waking second he can in his renewed search for Eric. When someone says they saw him nears the woods, Ben starts to put some pieces together and what he finds is not what he expects and it puts him in danger in his quest to find his brother.

You can pick up Bad Man in stores on Tuesday, August 7 from Doubleday.