This book enabled me to enter a world I had imagined for myself but never acted on - living as a hippie on a commune. Life in Arcadia sublime and awful; the characters are multidimensional and believable; and the ending is satisfying leaving me wanting more.

This book is almost as satisfying as reading Flannery O’Connor. The characters are not as unusual as hers, and yet, to me her themes of morality and ethics that are present in her fiction and essays are a significant part of this plot. Maybe it is because I am a Southerner, or because I am close to O’Connor’s age, I resonated with many of the characters. I am recommending this book to friends

Bad Boy is the latest in a series of books by English author Peter Robinson featuring Chief Inspector Alan Banks. I specially enjoy mysteries so I was disappointed that the books seemed rather flat and the characters not engaging. Maybe I if I had read other books featuring Alan Banks it would have been like other series - seeing what he is up to now. I would not recommend this book to someone who likes mysteries.