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Bad Moon (Kat Campbell #2)

by Todd Ritter

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 100 ratings · 31 reviews

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published October 11th 2011 by Minotaur Books (first published August 24th 2011)

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Sep 30, 2012 Kat rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Mar 18, 2012 Ashland Mystery Oregon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-us-pennsylvania

Newark Star Ledger reporter Todd Ritter writes his second mystery, Bad Moon. It's a good read circling round the night that Neil Armstrong stepped on to the moon, and a ten year old boy disappeared. His mother spends her life grieving, and on her death, leaves the legacy of grief and remembrance to her younger son.

The town is Perry Hollow, set in Pennsylvania somewhere. The mystery is a good read with memorable characters and good lines. Kat Campbell is the Perry Hollow police chief - her son ha...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Kari Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars

On the same night that Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, ten-year-old Charlie Olmstead jumped on his bike to see if there was some way he could get a better look. It was the last anyone ever saw of him. After Perry Hollow Police Chief Jim Campbell found Charlie’s bike caught in the water above Sunset Falls, he assumed the worst. Everyone did—except Charlie’s mother.

Years later, Eric Olmstead—now a famous author and Charlie’s younger brother—has come back to Perry Hollow to...more On the same night that Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, ten-year-old Charlie Olmstead jumped on his bike to see if there was some way he could get a better look. It was the last anyone ever saw of him. After Perry Hollow Police Chief Jim Campbell found Charlie’s bike caught in the water above Sunset Falls, he assumed the worst. Everyone did—except Charlie’s mother.

Years later, Eric Olmstead—now a famous author and Charlie’s younger brother—has come back to Perry Hollow to bury his mother and fulfill her last request: Find Charlie. To do so, he goes to the current police chief, his former sweetheart, Kat Campbell, who happens to be Jim Campbell’s daughter. Together they soon discover that Eric’s mother was convinced Charlie was kidnapped, and that finding him—whether he was dead or alive—was her secret obsession. While she never succeeded, she did uncover clues that suggested he wasn’t the only boy across Pennsylvania to vanish into thin air during that time.

The haunting story of a boy missing for forty years, and of a small town that found lies easier to believe than the truth, explodes into the present in Bad Moon, Todd Ritter’s excellent follow-up to his acclaimed debut.

Woo for the first book of 2012! I’m going to have to make a new tab now! I got this book from Dana Kaye at Kaye Publicity. It was a surprise book and it took me forever to get to it, but what a way to start a new year of reading. Just by reading the description, I wasn’t 100% sure I would like this book, or even be able to finish it. It just didn’t strike that “aha” cord with me. It sat on my bookshelf for a couple of months and I finally got tired of seeing it, so I picked it up and couldn’t put it down.

There is such mystery in the disappearance of little Charlie and nothing like a mother’s intuition to know that he didn’t just fall into the water as believed. I imagine that as a mother myself, I would be in her same shoes and wouldn’t be able to give up until I died, as she did.

I try to think of myself as an awesome mystery solver. Not so much. The more I read books like this, and hope to write them someday, you would think that I would be able to get these figured out right off the bat. Nope, this one got me again. It wasn’t until it was spelled out in front of my face did the mystery come to light. Then it all made sense. The moon, the disappearance, the connection with all of the other boys disappearing and an ending that came from a beginning that should have never happened.

This is the second book for Kat Campbell and State Police Investigator Nick Donnelly. I like to read books in order, it’s a pet peeve of mine. This one was written well enough that I didn’t have to read the first one, but I still like to follow the order. I did learn some things in this book that I think will spoil it if I go back and read the first one, but I liked these characters enough that I may be able to close off the second one to get caught up.

Kat Campbell is a very strong female character. She is a cop, followed in her father’s footsteps. And for such a small town, it seems like a big feat. She has some issues though with trust and men. They are brought to light in this book and I hope that another will come out in this series and push forward in a relationship that was broken, then rekindled. There seems to be a fire burning beneath the surface (if you read this book already, then pun intended )

I give Bad Moon 4 bookmarks.

(less)

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Dec 18, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is more like 3.5 stars, but I generally round up.

A little boy named Charlie Olmstead disappears from the small town of Perry Hollow on the night Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. Everyone just assumes that he fell into a nearby stream, was carried over a waterfall, and killed. Everyone except his mother, who on her deathbed 40 years later asks her other son (a baby at the time of the disappearance) to find the truth of what happened that night. With the help of a stat...more This is more like 3.5 stars, but I generally round up.

A little boy named Charlie Olmstead disappears from the small town of Perry Hollow on the night Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. Everyone just assumes that he fell into a nearby stream, was carried over a waterfall, and killed. Everyone except his mother, who on her deathbed 40 years later asks her other son (a baby at the time of the disappearance) to find the truth of what happened that night. With the help of a state cop turned cold case detective and the sheriff of Perry Hollow – his old flame, Kat Campbell – Eric Olmstead attempts to do just that.

First of all, let me say that I wish I had been smart enough to look and see that this is the SECOND BOOK IN A FREAKING SERIES. I can’t believe I missed it. I’m usually all business about reading series in order (I’m similarly neurotic about watching episodes of tv shows in order). I started to suspect early on into the book because the characters were “remembering” previous events, so I looked it up and BAM. #2 in a series. That said, it can totally stand on its own and it is unnecessary to read the first book in order to follow along with this one. I only point it out in case you’re fanatical about reading series in order like I am.

Anyway, once I got past my irritation with myself I got hooked in right away. The mystery was really interesting and twisty, and the pacing was very quick. It kind of reminded me of the good aspects of a James Patterson novel in the sense that once things got going they rarely slowed down (and unlike Patterson novels, the chapters are more than two pages long). The writing was a plain, straightforward style, and I mean that as a compliment. There isn’t a ton of fluff here so there aren’t parts that lag. There also isn’t a ton of character development, but again, that can most likely be chalked up to the fact that the two primary protagonists have already been introduced in a previous book. And I feel like I’m saying this a lot lately, but I didn’t even come close to guessing the ending. Either I’m slipping or I’m reading a lot of really well written mysteries. I’m thinking it’s the latter.

One bonus thing that I did really like was that there is a special needs character, specifically the female protagonist’s young son has Down Syndrome. Characters with disabilities seem few and far between in books, at least in my experience.

As an aside, most of the places in the book are fictional but one real place – Centralia, PA – is mentioned frequently. If you’re not familiar, look it up when you have a moment. It’s a town sitting on top of a coal mine that has literally been on fire for the past 50 years. It’s a modern-day ghost town and a seriously, seriously creepy place.

I’ll be adding the first book in the series, Death Notice, to my to-read list. Recommended.(less)

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Nov 24, 2011 Dorie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-fiction

The second book in this new mystery series is again set in Perry Hollow, Pennsylvania and features Police Chief Kat Campbell. The prologue covers a boy gone missing the night that Neil Armstrong takes his first steps on the moon. Ten-year old Charlie Olmstead goes out to see the moon and disappears. His bike is found in the river and Charlie is believed to have drowned accidentally, although his body never surfaces.

More than 40 years later his younger brother Eric is dealing with their mother's...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Elizabeth A. added it

Along with the rest of the world, on July 20, 1969, the residents of Perry Hollow, Pennsylvania were transfixed by the images of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. One in particular, young Charlie Olmstead, was so overcome with excitement he begged his dad to let him go outside to look at the moon, convinced he’d be able to see Armstrong up there.

His father relented and young Charlie peddled off into the night on his bike, never to be seen again. A subsequent search turned up Charlie’s badly ba...more Along with the rest of the world, on July 20, 1969, the residents of Perry Hollow, Pennsylvania were transfixed by the images of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. One in particular, young Charlie Olmstead, was so overcome with excitement he begged his dad to let him go outside to look at the moon, convinced he’d be able to see Armstrong up there.

His father relented and young Charlie peddled off into the night on his bike, never to be seen again. A subsequent search turned up Charlie’s badly battered bike at the base of a local waterfall, and it was concluded by the police that Charlie had suffered a similar fate, his body washed away. A tragedy, but just an accident.

Forty years later Eric Olmstead, just an infant at the time his older brother disappeared, returns to Perry Hollow to tend to his mother in her dying days. Her final request of Eric: Find him. Find your brother. Apparently his mother always believed Charlie was kidnapped, and feeling the obligation to at least make a token effort to fulfill her request, Eric hires private investigator Nick Donnelly, whose foundation is dedicated to solving cold-cases.

In addition to being a former Pennsylvania State Police investigator, Donnelly is also specifically familiar with Perry Hollow, having previously worked with Perry Hollow Police Chief Kat Campbell on a serial killing investigation (Death Notice). Nick looks Kat up when he gets to town, and together they meet with Eric, who has discovered something interesting while cleaning out his mother’s house – a board containing a map of the state with six locations marked in red, each accompanied by a clipping from a newspaper detailing a missing child.

Not only does it look like Mrs. Olmstead may have been right about Charlie being abducted, he apparently wasn’t the only one. Five other boys around Charlie’s age also went missing in rural Pennsylvania within a few years of Charlie. What could be written off as coincidence becomes chilling when the investigators realize each of the abductions occurred the same day an Apollo Mission successfully landed on the moon… starting with Charlie’s.

Though the events in Bad Moon unfold over barely a three day timeframe, there is nothing about the book which feels hurried. In his debut, Death Notice, author Todd Ritter created a story fraught with tension which rocketed along propelled by the investigators’ race to identify and capture a serial killer before another innocent fell victim to his madness. In this spectacular second outing Ritter once again builds his story around the actions of a serial killer, but this time instead of a race against the clock scenario Ritter looks to an entirely different source to provide the tension which propels the story: relationships and secrets.

As Campbell and Donnelly begin digging into the forty year old disappearances they discover it’s not the cold trail which is their biggest impediment to piecing together the facts, but rather the long simmering secrets of a small town. In unravelling the mystery of the decades old abductions Ritter examines the bonds between people – parent to child, husband to wife, brother to brother, neighbor to neighbor – and how people’s perceptions, both of themselves and their obligations, can drive and distort their actions over time. Ritter delicately peels back layer after layer of Perry Hollow, showing how the same events can both unite and tear a town apart. The result is a simply stunning piece of writing.

With Death Notice Ritter served notice that he was an author to watch, and with Bad Moon he shows that his talent undeniably continues to rise. (less)

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Jan 19, 2012 Marie rated it 5 of 5 stars

In Bad Moon, Eric Olmstead, now a famous writer, comes back to Perry Hollow to bury his mother and honour her last request...find his long lost brother, Charlie. Charlie disappeared the night Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and hasn't been seen since. At the time, everyone assumed that Charlie went over the falls and drowned. However, his mother wasn't so sure. Now that Eric's come back to wrap things up, he finds out that his mother may have uncovered a string of disappearances that were rela...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Sheila Beaumont rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction, mysteries-suspense-thrillers

On the night of Neil Armstrong's historic walk on the moon, July 20, 1969, 10-year-old Charlie Olmstead, of Perry Hollow, Pennsylvania, goes missing and is presumed drowned in a nearby waterfall. More than 40 years later, it's discovered that five other Pennsylvania boys vanished not long after that, and that the dates of these disappearances all have something in common (I won't say what; you'll have to read the book to find out!).

This stunningly thrilling novel, fast-paced and suspenseful, wit...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Kimberly Hicks rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Kimberly by: Goodreads

Shelves: read-on-kindle

What an amazing mystery! This was chock full of everything to satisfy your thrilling needs! A heart-racing great read! OMG, where do I begin?

Chief of Police, Kat Campbell, once again finally getting some much needed law and order after we first were introduced to her while following the serial killer, The Grim Reaper. Perry Hollow was just starting to get some normalcy and most were able to go on about their lives and try to move on from the story that gripped the headlines--for one of their own...more

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Nov 24, 2011 Valeriane rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: partenariat, thriller-polar-noir

Avec Lune de sang, je découvre Todd Ritter, journaliste américain pour un quotidien du New-Jersey, où il a couvert des enquêtes criminelles. De quoi nourrir son imagination.
L'histoire de Lune de sang prend place le soir du 20 juillet 1969, au moment où Neil Armstrong pose le pied sur la lune. Charlie Olmstead, 9 ans, disparaît. Son vélo sera retrouvé quelques heures plus tard en bas de la chute d'eau en bas de la rivière derrière le quartier de Perry Hollow (New Jersey).
La thèse de l'accident es...more

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May 13, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, mystery, 2012

Ok, so I won this book a small eternity ago and am finally getting back to where I have time to read again. Have to say, I'm so glad I grabbed this one off my stack. It's fantastic! I was hooked right from the get go. Even better is the fact that I didn't need to read the first book with these characters to still feel like I got the whole story (I will, however, be getting that one next).

The story revolves around a writer whose elder brother died mysteriously over 40 years ago. On his mother's d...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Trisha Kirkendoll rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book. Well written, keep you guessing mystery/crime novel about the case of a boy missing for 40 years. I could not put this book down, just had to keep reading to find out who did it and it kept you guessing right up until the last part of the book. Anyone who like mystery or crime novels will like this book. Now that I have read this book I am going to have to read Todd Ritter's first novel Death Notice also and anything else that he writes.

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Aug 07, 2012 Noëlibrarian rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: didnt-finish

"Yet when he thought about his neighbors, Gracey's world-view started to make sense. Clearly, Becky Santangelo hadn't given them the whole truth. She was hiding more than just her gray hair and crow's feet...he vowed to find out everything his neighbors were hiding."

Ugh.

Suckered in by the reasonably cool premise.
Disappointed by the pedestrian prose.

Gave up on page 141.

Life is too short to read crap.

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Aug 09, 2012 Sabrina Mallard rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that, once you've solved the mystery, you have to go back and read it again. I think it was brilliantly written. I love the real world time/history references and the mystery that keeps you holding your breath and guessing till the end. I never would have figured it out!

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Nov 03, 2011 Diana rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is one of the books I won on goodreads. The author is a very good writer. He kept my attention all the way through. And kept me guessing to what happened. I never would have figured it out! The characters were real..and I got to like most of them. I would buy another of Todd Ritter's books.

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Dec 18, 2011 Gwen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-read, girl-power, mystery-suspense

I couldn't put this book down. I needed to know what happened to Charlie, the boy who was declared dead when he was 10 even though there was no body. Todd Ritter is an author to look out for. There is a lot of potential!

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Nov 09, 2011 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

I don't consider myself to be a big mystery writer, but sometimes a story appeals to me. This is a good one about a boy gone missing a long time ago. It was well written and interesting and twisty, I finished it in a few hours.

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May 17, 2012 Erik rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good book - lots of twists and turns and red herrings. Numerous times I went, "Oooo, did not see that coming." He does have a previous novel with the same main character/same town. I recommend reading that first.

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Dec 31, 2012 Fizzyvimto rated it 4 of 5 stars

Exciting and fast paced. I couldn't stop reading until I'd finished it. Great to see how the characters from Death Notice had evolved too. Looking forward to book 3!

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Jun 10, 2012 Rachael Mcdonnell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good story. New author to me. This is his second book which I discovered at the Library :)Will keep an eye out for his books in the future. Enjoy.

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Oct 06, 2011 Irwin marked it as to-read

I just won this book free as a goodreads giveaway! I am waiting to read it. Thanks.

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Oct 27, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

I could not put this book down. Not my usual genre, but really enjoyed it

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Feb 12, 2012 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

First time I've read this author. Didn't know till the very end "who done It".

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Nov 24, 2011 Ed Howland rated it 4 of 5 stars

A cut above the normal cop from a small town story.

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Nov 26, 2011 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very good, will have to get this other book, this is just is 2nd one. Nice page turner.

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Aug 01, 2012 Patty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really excellent, twisty mystery. I don't often get surprised in the end, but this one definitely was unexpected.

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Jun 23, 2012 Sasha rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 02, 2012 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: give-away-first-read-books

Received as first reads give-away.

I loved this book - very engaging, well written characters. The mystery kept me guessing, which is a must for any mystery. And the real guilty party - I didn't see that one coming until the very end! Can't wait for more by this author.

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Mar 03, 2012 Dominc Bender rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a great book for those who want an end that will truly surprise them. The events coincide with the lunar landings of the Apollo missions conducted by NASA and the pace of events will have you guessing right up to the end.

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Jun 12, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Started reading Todd Ritter because his books are set in PA and he writes for a news paper I read while vacationing in NJ. Death Notice and Bad Moon are good reads, to be sure...

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About Todd Ritter

Todd Ritter was born in rural Pennsylvania to a bank teller mother and a father who dabbled in taxidermy. He grew up among "Bambi"-esque forests and wide-open fields straight out of the cropduster scene from "North by Northwest." Appropriately, his two biggest influences are Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchcock. He lives in suburban New Jersey.

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Bad Moon (Kat Campbell #2)

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