How Bad Things Can Get
The Brand-New Horror Thriller from the Author of The Haunting of Ashburn House
Published on 26. August 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
416 pages
978-1-4642-6245-6 (ISBN)
Description
The Blair Witch Project meets Fyre Fest in this chilling horror thriller from the USA Today bestselling author of The Haunting of Ashburn House, Dead of Winter and Hunted.
It was supposed to be the party of the century: miles of idyllic white sand beaches, lush jungle foliage...and a dark legend nobody dreamed might be all too true.
When an online influencer and several hundred of his most loyal fans land on Prosperity Island, the plan is simple: five days of elaborate games, drinking, and suntanned fun.
For one attendee, a week in paradise should have been a welcome respite. The only survivor of an infamous cult, Ruth wants nothing more than to keep her head down and not draw attention. She's spent decades outrunning her blood-soaked childhood, and her identity is a closely held secret.
But then the true history of the island is revealed...along with its sinister connection to Ruth's past. As guests go missing and games turn deadly, Ruth and the rest of the attendees are forced to question whether they've really been invited to paradise...or whether something much darker - and far bloodier - is waiting for them just beyond the bonfire's light.
Darcy Coates delivers a bloody and chilling suspense thriller with a sinister mystery on a deadly island - how bad can things get?
Tropes
Horror Thriller
Suspense
Mystery Thriller
Mysterious Island
Deadly Games
It was supposed to be the party of the century: miles of idyllic white sand beaches, lush jungle foliage...and a dark legend nobody dreamed might be all too true.
When an online influencer and several hundred of his most loyal fans land on Prosperity Island, the plan is simple: five days of elaborate games, drinking, and suntanned fun.
For one attendee, a week in paradise should have been a welcome respite. The only survivor of an infamous cult, Ruth wants nothing more than to keep her head down and not draw attention. She's spent decades outrunning her blood-soaked childhood, and her identity is a closely held secret.
But then the true history of the island is revealed...along with its sinister connection to Ruth's past. As guests go missing and games turn deadly, Ruth and the rest of the attendees are forced to question whether they've really been invited to paradise...or whether something much darker - and far bloodier - is waiting for them just beyond the bonfire's light.
Darcy Coates delivers a bloody and chilling suspense thriller with a sinister mystery on a deadly island - how bad can things get?
Tropes
Horror Thriller
Suspense
Mystery Thriller
Mysterious Island
Deadly Games
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Sourcebooks, Inc
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 194 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
290 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4642-6245-6 (9781464262456)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Darcy Coates
How Bad Things Can Get
Book
09/2025
Poisoned Pen Press
€17.50
No shipping information available
Person
Darcy Coates is the USA Today bestselling author of Hunted, The Haunting of Ashburn House, Craven Manor, and more than a dozen horror and suspense titles. She lives on the Central Coast of Australia with her family, cats, and a garden full of herbs and vegetables. Darcy loves forests, especially old-growth forests where the trees dwarf anyone who steps between them. Wherever she lives, she tries to have a mountain range close by.