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![Bad Games - A Dark Psychological Thriller (Bad Games Series Book 1) by [Jeff Menapace]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/510t5byar3L._SY346_.jpg)
Bad Games - A Dark Psychological Thriller (Bad Games Series Book 1) Kindle Edition
Jeff Menapace (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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The Lambert Family is heading to Crescent Lake for an idyllic weekend getaway. Some fishing, some barbecue, some games...
The Fannelli brothers are heading to Crescent Lake too. Some stalking, some kidnapping, some murder, definitely some games... though certainly not the type of games the Lamberts had in mind. But it doesn't matter.
The Lamberts are playing, whether they like it or not.
A dark and intense psychological thriller, Bad Games will keep you up all night as it delves into the evil in man, along with the will and determination an innocent family must summon to fight back against horrifying odds.
BONUS! Includes the first chapter of the pulse-pounding sequel, Vengeful Games.
_____________
What readers are saying about Jeff Menapace and the Bad Games series:
"Will scare you to death...Menapace will become a household name along with Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Richard Laymon." ★★★★★
"Outstanding...I have read horror before like John Saul, Dean Koontz and Stephen King, and they never bothered me as Bad Games did." ★★★★★"
"Jeffery Deaver look out...this guy plays with your head." ★★★★★
"I have been a lifetime reader of Dean Koontz, Stephen King, James Patterson, Lisa Gardner, and various other suspense and horror authors...I have found a new author to add to my list of greats." ★★★★★
"I love the Prey series by John Sandford, and the Michael Bennett series by James Patterson. If any of these appeal to you, I strongly suggest reading this RIGHT NOW!!” ★★★★★
"If you like Stephen King, Blake Crouch, or Dean Koontz, then you'll love Jeff Menapace." ★★★★★
"I had to keep reading even though I knew it was going to get more twisted. Jeff Menapace is right up there with Stephen King." ★★★★★
"If you love J.A. Konrath, Jack Kilborn, and Blake Crouch, you'll love Jeff Menapace." ★★★★★
"Compares to my favorite writers Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and John Saul." ★★★★★
"A great page-turner with shades of Konrath and King!" ★★★★★
I hope you enjoy the Bad Games series, my friends. This series is ideal for fans of authors across several different blends of dark fiction! Authors like: Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner, Jeffery Deaver, John Sandford, L.T. Vargus, Tim McBain, Jack Ketchum, Richard Laymon, John Saul, J. A. Konrath, Blake Crouch, Darcy Coates, Patrick Logan, Willow Rose, and many more. Happy Reading!
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateFebruary 18, 2013
- File size3201 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"I find the author to be ridiculously talented. - Red Adept Reviews
"Bad Games is definitely a 'just one more chapter' kind of book.' Next thing you know, it's 4 a.m. and you're too scared to go to sleep." - Patrick Logan, bestselling author of the Chase Adams FBI Thriller Series
"An insanely entertaining and tension-filled psycho thriller. Not for the faint of heart! - Jeff Strand, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Pressure
"Some authors try to 'scare' you; Menapace drags you kicking and screaming through the pages until the terrifying end . . . and you always come back for more." - Erik Therme, award-winning author of Resthaven
"If you're looking for a ride to explore the darkest parts of humanity, all with relentless suspense and non-stop chills, look no further than Jeff Menapace. Hop on, and hang on tight." - Michael Robertson Jr, bestselling author of the Lance Brody Series
"If you're a Richard Laymon fan, check out Bad Games...a gritty and very dark read that's rough around the edges in a refreshing way." - John Dixon, 2x Bram Stoker Award winner
"Jeff Menapace is one of the rising stars of the horror thriller genre...he can scare the daylights out of the best of them." - J. Chambers, Amazon Hall of Fame, Top 10 Reviewer
"This book kept me very lonely at night. Why lonely? My wife wouldn't hang out with me until she was done. So if you liked Bad Games, you might want to check Vengeful Games out!" - Editor, OHFB.com
From the Author
- -Book 1 - Bad Games
- -Book 2 - Vengeful Games
- -Book 3 - Bad Games: Hellbent
- -Book 4 - Bad Games: Malevolent
- -Book 5 - Bad Games: Psychopath
- -Bad Games Box Set: (Books 1-3)
- -Bad Games Box Set: The Complete Series (Books 1-5)
From the Inside Flap
- Wildlife (Wildlife Series, Book 1)
- Wildlife: Reckoning (Wildlife Series, Book 2)
- Dark Halls
- Side Effects
- Warped: A Collection of Short Horror, Thriller, and Suspense Fiction.
- Cling
- Numb (Numb Series)
- Cliche: Episode One (Numb Series)
- Cliche: Episode Two (Numb Series)
- Cliche: Episode Three (Numb Series)
About the Author
The 2011 winner of the Red Adept Reviews Indie Award for Horror, Jeff lives in Pennsylvania with his wife Kelly and their cats Sammy, Bear, and Baby Girl.
Product details
- ASIN : B00BIP1S8E
- Publisher : Mind Mess Press; 1st edition (February 18, 2013)
- Publication date : February 18, 2013
- Language : English
- File size : 3201 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 312 pages
- Lending : Enabled
- Best Sellers Rank: #22,879 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #21 in Horror Fiction Classics
- #114 in U.S. Horror Fiction
- #124 in Horror Suspense
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

A native of the Philadelphia area, Jeff has published multiple works in both fiction and non-fiction. In 2011 he was the recipient of the Red Adept Reviews Indie Award for Horror.
Jeff's debut novel BAD GAMES was a #1 bestseller that spawned four acclaimed sequels, and now the series has been optioned for feature film.
Free time for Jeff is spent watching horror movies, The Three Stooges, and mixed martial arts. He loves steak and more steak, thinks the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the greatest movie ever, wants to pet a lion some day, and hates spiders.
He currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife Kelly and their cats Sammy, Bear, and Baby Girl.
Follow Jeff on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Goodreads, Instagram, BookBub, and Amazon:
https://www.facebook.com/JeffMenapace.writer
http://twitter.com/JeffMenapace
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmenapace
https://www.goodreads.com/jeffmenapace
https://www.instagram.com/jeffmenapace
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jeff-menapace
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004R09M0S
Customer reviews
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It has a satisfying ending with a fantastic teaser for book two, which I cannot wait to get started. Jeff Menapace has made a new fan with this series and now I'm excited to read all of his books.
C.A.C. = contains animal cruelty, just a tiny bit and not very descriptive thankfully.
The Lamberts were your typical family wanting to get away from the city life for a bit of the great outdoors in the cabins set out in the woods of Pennsylvania. Stopping for gas, a harmless looking gentleman, also pumping gas, strikes up a conversation with Patrick about being Penn State alums, and he enjoyed his conversation with Patrick so much, he offered to pay for his family's gas. Patrick refused, but the harmless stranger wouldn't take no for an answer.
If Jaws made you terrified to go in the water, well this novel will make you think twice about that weekend getaway in the woods. Needless to say, strange occurrences began to happen to the Lamberts, and what soon became evident was their family's worse nightmares. My body is so sore from being locked to the horrible, vicious things that take place in this book.
If you are the squeamish type of reader, THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR YOU! I guarantee you, this book will scare the mess out of you! I know it damn sure did that to me. Jeff, my hat goes off to you. You're an outstanding horror writer!
Bad Games was very thrilling. I did get frustrated at the main characters for not taking note to all of the warnings - the creepy guy at the grocery store, the creepy man who talked Penn State to them and took their daughter's doll. If Patrick would have listened to Amy, they would've high tailed it out of there the first day and been home safe, but then again, if that would've happened, I guess there wouldn't have been an entertaining book to read.
There were a few spots that were somewhat drawn out, but I still feel this book deserves 5 stars. I'm definitely a fan of psychology, and this book displayed good knowledge of the evil in this world. Without giving too much away, **spoiler alert** -----
I loved the scene when Patrick and Amy go to Arty's hospital room at the end of the book and put him through his own torture, even if it isn't physical. Mentioning how he was likely adopted and how he also fit the "crazy mold" really played well against him and gave them good revenge on a man whose intention was to kill both of them.
I recommend this read. It is rough and gritty, but for thriller lovers!
Top reviews from other countries

Anyway, Amy and Patrick and their 2 children are travelling to Crescent Lake for a holiday when they meet an odd man on the way. And so begins a game of hunter and hunted. The man, is one of two brothers, Arty and Jim, who like to torture families for fun and the Lamberts are their new target. Initially I was reminded of the film(s) Funny Games by Michael Haneke where well-to-do families are tortured by two brothers which is genuinely disturbing. The only real differences Menapace brings to the plot here is that he gives the brothers motive and that the brothers remove the game to their own home.
You know, this book does have it problems. It relies too heavily on gratuitous violence to set itself apart from similiar plots. The dialogue between Patrick and Amy is a little trite. It doesn't appear to have been proofread (have a look at the first four lines of chapter 27). There's about 5 too many chapters at the end. The title is truly simple and uninspiring. And yet despite this, it's an exciting read. I did want to keep reading to find out how the plot played out and I quite liked the finale. This is the kind of book you read on the beach and throw away at the end of your holiday. Apparently it's part of a trilogy, but my game ends here.

Bad Games was my first encounter with Jeff Menapace and it won't be my last, of that I'm sure.
The overall story is quite different from anything I have read for a long time and it was suspenseful and a little graphic. After realising the book was described as a horror I wasn’t sure how far I would get (horror stories aren’t my thing). Luckily what I did find was a brilliantly written psychological thriller about nature versus nurture and just how far mum and dad would go to save their children.
The book started off a little slow to begin and I nearly stopped reading. However, I don’t like quitting with books and told myself just one more chapter. I’m so glad I did as things escalated pretty quickly soon after.
The story follows Patrick and Amy Lambert and their two children, Carrie and Caleb. They are on their way to the family lakehouse in the woods when they have a bizarre encounter at the gas station. Several further strange occurrences leave Patrick and Amy feeling spooked and vulnerable. They try to put the unusual happenings behind them and continue with their vacation. However, things soon take a more sinister turn when the Fannelli brothers put their sick and twisted plan into action, leaving a trail of death as the go.
The characters were developed perfectly and I connected instantly with the Lamberts. I thought the scenes between Patrick and Amy worked well to establish their personas. However, there were a couple of times when I did think that their actions were a little questionable. I was forced to wonder if they didn’t deserve what was about to rain down on them due to what, Patrick in particular, was willing to overlook.
The Fannelli brothers were clever and evil in equal measures. They are testing the theory that genetics and environment having nothing to do with their sadistic tendencies and enjoying every minute of it.
One thing that left me a little perplexed was the cliffhanger at the end. I was anticipating it by the final couple of chapters but wasn’t really sure what it achieved. I would maybe like to see this explored a little more.
I love a book that makes me think, and this one did. As I was reading I was asking myself what would I do in the same situation? Would I be able to do what Amy did? At the end I was left with the big question: are serial killers the product of nature v nurture?
Overall Bad Games is a good read for anyone who likes dark, disturbing novels full of suspense. I will definitely be adding the second book, Vengeful Games, to my TBR list as soon as I have some space.


Overall the writing isn't bad for a free book - I just wouldn't want to read another like it.

Having said that, I didn't find the main characters in this quite right for me. I didn't 'bond' with them the way one needs to really get involved with a story. I found the male lead corny and uninteresting, and his wife was ok but somehow a bit flat. It did not make the book unreadable, just that it took a certain something out of it for me. I was more interested in finding out what would eventually happen to the baddies than in rooting for the goodies, so to speak!
I would recommend this book, but only for those who are not squeamish or offended by violence. This is a story about dangerous psychopaths on a spree- so you have to be prepared for that. If that's not your thing, I would suggest finding another book. ;)