Five Bad Deeds
the DARK and TWISTY thriller longlisted for the CWA Twisted Dagger 2025
Published on 11. April 2024
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-1-3985-2491-0 (ISBN)
Description
'Frear has a good ear for darkly comic touches, which combines with her pacey plot for an engrossing read' Daily Mail
FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SWEET LITTLE LIES COMES A DARK AND TWISTY THRILLER ABOUT SECRETS, LIES AND REVENGE.
ONE WOMAN'S SECRET
TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY
THREE DEADLY BETRAYALS
FOUR POTENTIAL SUSPECTS
FIVE BAD DEEDS
'A big high five for Caz Frear's Five Bad Deeds - a page-gripping, nail-gnawing good read' Cara Hunter
'A deliciously dark story of how one woman's life of seemingly domestic bliss can unravel faster than she ever thought possible. I predict it will be one of the big hits of 2024 - I loved it' Nikki Smith
'Deliciously waspish, twisty, and relatable' Claire McGowan
Ellen Walsh has done something very, very bad. If only she knew what it was . . .
Teacher, mother, wife, and all-around good citizen Ellen is juggling non-stop commitments, from raising a teen and two toddlers to job-hunting, to finally renovating her dream home, the Meadowhouse. Amidst the chaos, an ominous note arrives in the mail declaring:
SOONER OR LATER EVERYONE SITS DOWN TO A BANQUET OF CONSEQUENCES.
Why would someone send her this note? Ellen has no clue. She's no angel - a white lie here and there, an occasional sharp tongue - but nothing to incur the wrath of an anonymous enemy.
Everyone around Ellen - her husband, her teenage daughter, her sister, her best friend, her neighbours - can guess why, though. They all know from bitter experience that while Ellen's intentions are always good, this ultimately counts for very little when you've (unintentionally?) blown up someone's life. Could the five bad deeds that come to haunt Ellen explain why things have gone so horribly wrong?
As she races to discover who's set on destroying her life, Ellen receives more anonymous messages, each one more threatening than the last . . . and each hitting closer and closer to home and everything she cherishes.
Praise for Five Bad Deeds:
'Brilliant . . . so clever and the characters felt real. Whip smart and perfectly executed' C J Tudor
'A dark, addictive, suburban nightmare. Five Bad Deeds is an edge of your seat, up all night delight' Chris Whitaker
'Caz Frear is on fire! Five Bad Deeds is an absolute scorcher with a moral message about the effect of our actions on others at its dark and thrilling heart' Victoria Selman
'Five Bad Deeds is ferociously entertaining, spiky, bitchy, funny - and absolutely messed with my head in the most fun way. Bravo, Frear!' Catherine Ryan Howard
'Few crime authors are able to bring characters to life in the way Frear does, and it's a testament to her skill that we are rooting for Ellen as her world unravels while thrilling at her discomfort' Fiona Cummins
'Layered characters, gut-punching twists and beautifully written. This is addictive reading from Caz' Jo Spain
'An utterly compelling, superbly characterised, constantly fascinating mystery. I read with my eyes inches from the pages as each new reveal unfolded, and the final reveal was superb' Gytha Lodge
'This book is genius. Funny, authentic, keeps you guessing and gasping as you can't trust ANYONE. Bravo Caz Frear' Jo Callaghan
'It is glorious. Every line is a pithy zinger and every character so well drawn. I'm normally a fast reader, but I'm taking my time to savour every word, it's that good' Michelle Davies
'Had me holding my breath for the last fifty pages. Frear is a master at suspense, building it to breaking point. I didn't want to finish it' Celia Walden
'If there was ever a book that screamed "what the f**k is going on here?" then this is it. Incredible characters that drew me in and had me completely hooked, this book was tightly woven, so intriguing and utterly satisfying' S. J. I Holliday
'Caz Frear is a class act. A blistering read that will grab you by throat and not let you go' Cass Green
FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SWEET LITTLE LIES COMES A DARK AND TWISTY THRILLER ABOUT SECRETS, LIES AND REVENGE.
ONE WOMAN'S SECRET
TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY
THREE DEADLY BETRAYALS
FOUR POTENTIAL SUSPECTS
FIVE BAD DEEDS
'A big high five for Caz Frear's Five Bad Deeds - a page-gripping, nail-gnawing good read' Cara Hunter
'A deliciously dark story of how one woman's life of seemingly domestic bliss can unravel faster than she ever thought possible. I predict it will be one of the big hits of 2024 - I loved it' Nikki Smith
'Deliciously waspish, twisty, and relatable' Claire McGowan
Ellen Walsh has done something very, very bad. If only she knew what it was . . .
Teacher, mother, wife, and all-around good citizen Ellen is juggling non-stop commitments, from raising a teen and two toddlers to job-hunting, to finally renovating her dream home, the Meadowhouse. Amidst the chaos, an ominous note arrives in the mail declaring:
SOONER OR LATER EVERYONE SITS DOWN TO A BANQUET OF CONSEQUENCES.
Why would someone send her this note? Ellen has no clue. She's no angel - a white lie here and there, an occasional sharp tongue - but nothing to incur the wrath of an anonymous enemy.
Everyone around Ellen - her husband, her teenage daughter, her sister, her best friend, her neighbours - can guess why, though. They all know from bitter experience that while Ellen's intentions are always good, this ultimately counts for very little when you've (unintentionally?) blown up someone's life. Could the five bad deeds that come to haunt Ellen explain why things have gone so horribly wrong?
As she races to discover who's set on destroying her life, Ellen receives more anonymous messages, each one more threatening than the last . . . and each hitting closer and closer to home and everything she cherishes.
Praise for Five Bad Deeds:
'Brilliant . . . so clever and the characters felt real. Whip smart and perfectly executed' C J Tudor
'A dark, addictive, suburban nightmare. Five Bad Deeds is an edge of your seat, up all night delight' Chris Whitaker
'Caz Frear is on fire! Five Bad Deeds is an absolute scorcher with a moral message about the effect of our actions on others at its dark and thrilling heart' Victoria Selman
'Five Bad Deeds is ferociously entertaining, spiky, bitchy, funny - and absolutely messed with my head in the most fun way. Bravo, Frear!' Catherine Ryan Howard
'Few crime authors are able to bring characters to life in the way Frear does, and it's a testament to her skill that we are rooting for Ellen as her world unravels while thrilling at her discomfort' Fiona Cummins
'Layered characters, gut-punching twists and beautifully written. This is addictive reading from Caz' Jo Spain
'An utterly compelling, superbly characterised, constantly fascinating mystery. I read with my eyes inches from the pages as each new reveal unfolded, and the final reveal was superb' Gytha Lodge
'This book is genius. Funny, authentic, keeps you guessing and gasping as you can't trust ANYONE. Bravo Caz Frear' Jo Callaghan
'It is glorious. Every line is a pithy zinger and every character so well drawn. I'm normally a fast reader, but I'm taking my time to savour every word, it's that good' Michelle Davies
'Had me holding my breath for the last fifty pages. Frear is a master at suspense, building it to breaking point. I didn't want to finish it' Celia Walden
'If there was ever a book that screamed "what the f**k is going on here?" then this is it. Incredible characters that drew me in and had me completely hooked, this book was tightly woven, so intriguing and utterly satisfying' S. J. I Holliday
'Caz Frear is a class act. A blistering read that will grab you by throat and not let you go' Cass Green
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
580 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3985-2491-0 (9781398524910)
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
E-Book
04/2024
Simon + Schuster LLC
€3.86
Available for download
Person
Caz Frear has a first class degree in History and Politics, and spent twelve years working as a headhunter before she started writing. She hasn't lost her enthusiasm for networking, and is a popular member of the crime fraternity. She lives in Coventry with her husband. Her debut, the number one bestseller Sweet Little Lies, was the winner of the Richard & Judy Search for a Bestseller Competition 2017 and went on to sell over 250,000 copies. It was followed by Stone Cold Heart and Shed No Tears, both of which feature her police detective Cat Kinsella. Five Bad Deeds is her first standalone thriller.