Bad Signs - R.J. Ellory

Orphaned by an act of senseless violence that took their mother from them, half-brothers Clarence Luckman and Elliott Danziger have been raised in state institutions, unaware of any world outside. But their lives take a sudden turn when they are seized as hostages by a convicted killer en route to death row.

Earl Sheridan is a psychopath of the worst kind, but he has the potential to change the boys' lives for ever. As the trio set off on a frenetic escape from the law through California and Texas, the two brothers must come to terms with the ever-growing tide of violence that follows in their wake - something that forces them to make a choice about their lives, and their relationship to one another.

Set in the 1960s, BAD SIGNS is a tale of the darkness within all of us, the inherent hope for salvation, and the ultimate consequences of evil. It returns to the haunting ground covered in the award-winning, international bestseller, A QUIET BELIEF IN ANGELS.

R.J. Ellory is a critically acclaimed author whose novels include the bestselling A Quiet Belief in Angels , which was a Richard & Judy Book Club selection and won the Nouvel Observateur Crime Fiction Prize.

Ellory's novels have been translated into twenty-six languages, and he has won the USA Excellence Award for Best Mystery, the Strand Magazine Best Thriller 2009, the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year for A Simple Act of Violence , the St Maur Prize, the Avignon Readers' Prize, the Livre de Poche Award and the Quebec Laureat. He has been shortlisted for a further thirteen awards in numerous countries, including four Daggers from the UK Crime Writers' Association.

Despite the American setting of his novels, Ellory is British and currently lives in England with his wife and son.

To find out more visit
www.rjellory.com or follow him on Twitter @rjellory

Set in the 1960s, the content may be dark and unforgiving but it is a beautifully and poetically planned tale that reveals itself layer by layer.
CANDIS

Set in an utterly convincing 1960s rural America, this is a jaw droppingly good thriller by British writer Roger Ellory.
IRISH INDEPENDENT

PETERBOROUGH EVENING TELEGRAPH - Alex Gordon

Though [Ellory's] books always provide a wild and giddy ride, there is more to them than thrills, chills and spills. Bad Signs is rich, complex and nuanced, with many psychological undercurrents. It's edge-of-the-seat entertainment.
BIRMINGHAM POST - Lorne Jackson

Ellory's the real deal, giving us another horrific chunk of small-town American violence, neglect and psychopathy. Institutionalised half brothers Clarence and Elliott have a startling choice to make when they are kidnapped by a convicted serial killer ****
DAILY MIRROR - Henry Sutton

Violent imagery, real pathos and a dark, dark humour. Without doubt, Bad Signs is Ellory's most disturbing book, and one that will haunt the reader
SHOTS - Ali Karim

One of the most interesting crime novelists working today. He sets his novels in the US and seems to change his style of writing from book to book - always to excellent effect.
THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN

With this novel, Ellory has joined the stars of modern genre literature. It is a classic.
THE WEST AUSTRALIAN

Will your fingernails ever grow back? Now, that is good writing. This is a stellar work of fiction that deserves to be on everyone's reading list. Loved it.
SHOTS

Ellory has been compared to Mario Puzo, James Ellory and Stephen King. All descriptions are accurate, but they fail to define Ellory's unique style. He is a very special writer.

CRIMEZINE

Ellory has a talent for making the detestable captivating. An intricate fictional dance whicn he pulls off expertly.
KIRKUS

Ellory has a lovely prose style that allows his story to glide on, as events both rivet and repel. [An] excellent action thriller.
GLOBE & MAIL

When you close the book, you won't forget the two boys Digger and Clay, and the journey that was their undoing, and the grinning face of Earl Sheridan. Without doubt, BAD SIGNS is Ellory's most disturbing book, and one that will haunt the reader.
DEADLY PLEASURES - Ali Karim