Eryk Pruitt

Podcast Procedural
Review of the Amazon First Reads Kindle eBook edition (April 1, 2023) released in advance of the official Thomas & Mercer paperback/eBook/audiobook (May 1, 2023)

I selected Something Bad Wrong from this month’s First Reads selections where it was promoted as a ‘police procedural.’ I found it to be a frustrating read with incompetent and corrupt police, fumbling podcast investigators, cruel depictions of characters suffering from Alzheimer’s and/or dementia, and mysterious plot holes. In the end it also earned an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™.

I’ll summarize the basic plot and then my issues hopefully without getting too spoilery. A murder of a young couple occurs in 1972 and in one timeline we follow the original investigation by two local county Sheriff’s Departments. This alternates with a present day timeline of 50 years later where the granddaughter of one of the original Sheriff’s Deputies decides to investigate the case when she discovers her grandfather’s notebook in the attic. She decides to turn the investigation into a podcast. In order to add some journalistic credibility and provide a ‘redemption story,’ she enlists a disgraced TV anchorman who lost his career and family due to a workplace harassment scandal.

It soon becomes clear that the policing back in 1972 in those rural counties often consisted of the sheriffs & deputies playing judge, jury & executioner. One sheriff prides himself on his insight into guilty minds and his ability to ‘read’ people. He is however oblivious to the fact that his lead deputy is suffering from memory problems (which were probably called senility at the time), as is everyone else. The granddaughter seems to miss this as well (until the final page, are you kidding me?), although the reader will pick this up immediately.

Other strange elements/plot holes include:
- Due to the 50 year gap between investigations, the search for present day witnesses / suspects is from a limited number of still living 70 to 80 year olds (which narrows the field for sure, but makes for some sad depictions and one absurd one).
- One suspect (with their ongoing issues) has apparently lived in the community for 50+ years and no one has done anything about it? They’ve also procured an acolyte in the meantime?
- The title of the podcast is presumably taken from the disjointed wording in the grandfather’s notebook, but no source of that phrase is ever stated.
- There are 2 nephews of one of the living relatives, who is described as being the surviving member of the family i.e. these then are the sons of the deceased teenager [name redacted]? That doesn’t make any sense at all.
- The portrayal of Alzheimer’s / dementia is disturbing and sickening in parts [Note: this may be a personal issue for me, and perhaps not for everyone]
- The reader has to write their own ending about the fate of the grandfather, although there is at least a strong implication of what happened.
- The reader has to write their own ending about the final page revelations. Is there some kind of coded message implied?
- Without getting spoilery, there is a certain expectation of a podcast procedural that the protagonist podcaster will see justice done. If you expect this you will be disappointed.

Anyway, these combined issues throughout the book made me confused, angry and disturbed about it, which are my criteria for a 1-star rating. Apologies to those who enjoyed it.

Trivia and Links
Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available here (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).

Something Bad Wrong appears to be the first of a planned series, with Jess Keeler #2 Blood Red Summer already listed on Goodreads with a May 14, 2023 release date (as posted as of early April 2023). It seems unlikely that an additional novel would be released so soon after the first one, so perhaps this #2 is a short story or novella. A 2024 publishing date seems more likely for a full novel.… (meer)

Something Bad Wrong by Eryk Pruitt is a highly recommended investigative thriller/police procedural.

Jess Keeler, a podcaster, is determined to solve the 1972 murder of Linda Harris and Steven Hicks. The couple from Lake Castor, Virginia, disappeared on Christmas Eve in 1971. Their bodies were found a couple weeks later just over the border in North Carolina. Jess's grandfather, Big Jim Ballard was a detective in Deeton County, North Carolina and was put in charge of the investigation by Sheriff Red Carter. Jim, however, was keeping the fact he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease a secret.

Jess recruits disgraced news caster Dan Decker to help her with the investigation in hopes of solving the crime in a true crime podcast. Jess has found an old notebook from her grandfather and is using the notes he made to assist them in the direction their research should take. As they begin looking into the case and background information, it becomes clear that the notes may not have all the answers and that there were several problems and conflicts in the original investigation.

The narrative unfolds through two timelines, Jess and Dan in the present day and all those involved in the official investigation in 1972. There are also several different points-of-view from a variety of characters. The complexities of the original case are presented along with the conflicts between characters and psychological motives. The first investigation was plagued by dueling egos, corruption, and secrets.

The depiction of Big Jim and his struggle with Alzheimer’s disease is well executed and heartbreaking, however all of the characters are not quite fully realized. There is some devolving into using caricatures of a type of person, Sheriff Red Carter, for example, but generally the male characters are better written than Jess. Jess isn't as compelling of a characters and seems to be much younger than her age, almost 40.

Both timelines are interesting as they both lead to the eventual answers, although the present day investigation is slower-paced. The dual timelines work well in the novel, while the ending felt rushed.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2023/03/something-bad-wrong.html… (meer)