Alice Shane

The adage that 'the rich are different from you and me' is crystallized in BAD DAD, a psychological crime novel that explores the dark side of wealth and privilege.

Lester Fuller, as BAD DAD, is heir to a Wyoming natural gas fortune who hires his ranch foreman to murder his daughter-in-law. Mary Lou has provoked Fuller's scorn by luring son Danny away from an upper class existence, transforming him into a Southern redneck who sweats at a menial job to support her and their son. She is also having an affair, Fuller's private investigator reveals, producing photographic evidence that pushes BAD DAD over the edge.

Fuller's privileged life is compromised, his mental state contaminated by his orchestration of Mary Lou's murder. Not only does he fear that his wife and son are suspicious, but the dead woman's mother, Rose, unleashes a nightmare scenario: she taunts Fuller by insinuating he's behind Mary Lou's disappearance, then confides her suspicions to a detective who is too intimidated by Fuller's wealth and influence to do anything about it. This reprieve, however, does not spare Fuller his struggle with the aftermath of this crime.