
How Bad Things Can Get
Darcy Coates(Author)
Poisoned Pen Press
Published on 26. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
416 pages
978-1-7282-7026-5 (ISBN)
Description
The Blair Witch Project meets Fyre Fest in this bloody new thriller from the queen of scares, Darcy Coates!
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.
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.
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.
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.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Sourcebooks, Inc
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 205 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
388 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-7282-7026-5 (9781728270265)
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
The Brand-New Horror Thriller from the Author of The Haunting of Ashburn House
Book
08/2025
Poisoned Pen Press
€13.00
Available immediately
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.