One of the Good Guys: A Novel

by Araminta Hall Narrated by Elliot Fitzpatrick, Olivia Vinall, Helen Keeley

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A taut thriller that tackles misogyny and upends the idea of the "nice guy" while retaining a satisfyingly twisty plot with a major payoff. This is a great read for fans of A Good Marriage or Scorched Grace.

Two young women vanish in a seaside town. At the cliff's edge, nobody is who they seem. Desperate to escape the ghosts of his failed marriage, Cole upends his life. He leaves London behind for a remote stretch of coast, relishing the respite from the noise, drama, and relentless careerism that curdled his relationship and mental health. Leonora has made the same move for similar reasons. She's living a short walk from Cole's seaside cottage, preparing for her latest art exhibition. Though Cole still can't figure out what went wrong with his marriage, and Leonora is having trouble acclimating to the hostile landscape, the pair forges a connection on the eroding bluff they call home. Then, two young women activists raising awareness about gendered violence disappear while passing through. Cole and Leonora find themselves in the middle of a police investigation and the resulting media firestorm when the world learns of what happened. And as the tension escalates alongside the search for the missing women, they quickly realize that they don't know each other that well after all. From the critically acclaimed author of Our Kind of Cruelty and Imperfect Women, comes an urgent psychological thriller about gender, power, and how both are captured in our contemporary media environment. Unexpected and twisty from its first page to its last, One of the Good Guys asks: If most men claim to be good, why are most women still afraid to walk home alone at night?

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A CrimeReads Most Anticipated Fiction Novel of 2024 and Best Psychological Thriller for January • A Book Riot Most Anticipated Book of Jan–Jun 2024 • A Tertulia Best New Crime and Thriller Book This Winter • A Paste Most Anticipated Mystery and Thriller Book of 2024

“Addictive and sharply realized . . . I became absolutely obsessed from the opening page.” —Gillian Flynn, Gillian Flynn Books

“Razor-sharp, spine-tinglingly convincing and unputdownable. I binged this in three sittings.” —Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author of None of This Is True

“Girl with the Dragon Tattoo meets Gone Girl.” —KAMR

“Will keep readers enthralled . . . In the vein of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, this is a psychological thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seats, pushing them to ponder difficult questions.” —Linsey Milillo, Library Journal

“A fascinating read.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Thought-provoking . . . Fans of Megan Abbott will want to check this out.” —Publishers Weekly

“A compulsive read that we can’t put down. . . . Fear, control and determining the truth of situations is what we think about throughout this gripping. . . . An excellent choice for a book club.” —Book Reporter

“Riveting.” —Star Tribune

“One of the Good Guys is a mind-bending tour de force. Araminta Hall has always been one of my favorite writers, but what she has done here is groundbreaking. This thriller is shocking, twisted, dark, and absolutely on point.” —Samantha Downing, bestselling author of My Lovely Wife

“This twisty tale will keep you on your toes.” —Crime Monthly

“An absolutely thrilling tale, full of breathless cliffside terror and fresh feminist theory masked in tight, propulsive mystery. I devoured this book.” —Lisa Taddeo journalist and Pushcart Prize–winning author of Three Women and Animal

“I love a good unreliable narrator story, and [One of the Good Guys] is among the best I’ve read in ages . . . Hall is fantastically good at upending expectations and pulling the wool over her readers’ eyes, so I can’t say much more without giving things away—but this exploration of female rage isn’t what you think it’s going to be.” —Alison Flood, Guardian

“One of the Good Guys is definitely one of the good ones.” —Val McDermid, author of The Wire in the Blood

“One of the Good Guys goes nowhere that readers will expect. [Araminta Hall] supplies no easy answers for readers other than to the question of what novel would inspire a great discussion at their next book club.” —Nell Beram, Shelf Awareness

“A dark, original and thought-provoking read. This book will hook you from the first page and keep you thinking long after the last.” —Alice Feeney, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Darker, Rock Paper Scissors, and Sometimes I Lie

“Neatly plotted.” —Literary Review

"The best book I've read in a long time. One of the Good Guys is a dark, whip-smart thriller that's also laugh-out-loud funny. Hall answers #metoo and the masculinity crisis with nuance and insight. A must read." —Sarah Langan, award-winning author of Good Neighbors

“An intriguing mix of psychological thriller and contemporary feminist fable.” —Daily Mail

“Mind. Blown. The brilliant Araminta Hall has created an absolute tour de force of suspense. Provocative, surprising, and entirely original, this tale of power and gender will not only have you looking at the world a different way, but will have you looking at yourself a different way. Hall’s brilliance with exquisite foreboding, with multi-layered but mysterious characters, and with her deep understanding of readers’ expectations make this one of the most thought-provoking and imaginative books I have ever read. I never even came close to guessing the ending, and gasped with envy and massive respect when I finished reading. If you have a book club—wow—this one’s for you. Drop everything, call Hollywood, and do not miss One of the Good Guys.” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of The House Guest

“Compelling, unsettling, and nuanced, this will be a fast favorite for fans of dark domestic thrillers.” —Booklist

“Scorching, smart, and soaked in feminist rage, this is a suspense that stays with you long after the last page.” —Ellery Lloyd, author of People Like Her and The Club

“The best crime fiction has always been quick to reflect real life, and Araminta Hall's groundbreaking novel addresses the anger of women . . . Revelatory.” —Sunday Times (UK)

“One of the Good Guys is a riveting and kaleidoscopic look at women swept up in the current of toxic masculinity and the blowback when they pull themselves to safety. From art to media, Hall leaves no corner of the attack on women’s safety and sanity unexplored in her adept and sharp multifaceted novel. Powerful and inspired—empowering and inspirational.” —Ivy Pochoda, author of Sing Her Down

“Part thriller, part social commentary on what it is to be a woman, this is a thought-provoking read.” —Fabulous magazine

“Araminta Hall’s latest, One of the Good Guys, is both a scintillating thriller and a scorching condemnation of how differently society treats men versus women, especially in the social media age. Cole and Lennie are flawed, complex characters who will stick with you long after you reach its shocking conclusion. Their relationship will make you reexamine your idea of fear, perception, and public opinion.” —Kellye Garrett, award-winning and Edgar-nominated author of Like a Sister and Missing White Woman

“As much a psychological thriller as a novel packed with sharp commentary about society and gender.” —iNews

“I am not easily shocked, but One of the Good Guys went places even my twisted mind had never imagined. Araminta Hall is a master of suspense, and her latest novel is a timely, thrilling tale that offers no easy villains or heroes, but loads of surprises. Beautifully written, deliciously tense, and entirely surprising—I tore through it.” —Julia Dahl, author of The Missing Hours and Invisible City

“When two women go missing, a couple finds themselves at the heart of a police investigation and media frenzy in this psychological thriller about gender and power.” —Irish Examiner

“One of the Good Guys has everything I love in a novel: pitch-perfect storytelling and a twisty plot that plays out in a haunting, atmospheric setting. Araminta Hall has crafted an incisive feminist suspense novel about delusion, deception, and the poisonous nature of toxic masculinity. A daring, breathless read.” —Caitlin Mullen, Edgar award-winning author of Please See Us

“Araminta Hall slowly and carefully brings the reader into the story, which highlights that no one is perfect or fully ‘good’, touching on issues of security and control.” —Belfast Telegraph

“A bold an on point feminist thriller about gendered violence with Gone Girl twistiness and narrator unreliability.” —Victoria Selman, bestselling author of Truly Darkly Deeply and the Ziba MacKenzie series

“A credible and confronting tale seething with insightful suspense.” —Woman’s Weekly

“It got me by the throat and wouldn’t let go. It’s creepy, thought-provoking, compelling, and so very relevant.” —Julie Cohen, bestselling author of Dear Thing and Summer People

“One of the Good Guys has it all: pitch-perfect writing, superb characterization, innovative narration, and deeply sophisticated storytelling. This book delves into the painful and messy complexities of misogyny, consent, and gendered power dynamics with an unflinching narrative scalpel. I have long been a fan of Araminta Hall’s writing, and her latest book absolutely spearheads the razor-sharp new trend in feminist thrillers.” —Philippa East, author of Little White Lies and I’ll Never Tell

“A dark, dazzling shock to the system. One of the Good Guys is clever, composed, exciting and frightening.” —Chris Whitaker, author of Tall Oaks and We Begin at the End

“One of the Good Guys doesn't just tell a story. It makes you think, it makes you angry, and it makes you want to read it again. So clever and subtly drawn, and yet the impact it leaves is extraordinary. Shocking and timely—dark fiction at its very best.” —Caroline Frear, author of Sweet Little Lies

“One of the Good Guys is clever, crafty, and thought-provoking. I felt like I was reading about events that were actually taking place in real time. We live in febrile times and this novel perfectly captures this zeitgeist. I can’t express this enough when I say, trust no one. Brilliant, timely, and necessary. Really enjoyed it.” —Dorothy Koomson, bestselling author of My Best Friend’s Girl, The Ice Cream Girls, and The Woman He Loved Before

“A story that will stay with you long after the last page. Terrifying because it all reads so painfully true and familiar if you are a woman nowadays.” —Laure Van Rensburg, author of Nobody But Us

“Clever, disturbing, challenging, twisty and utterly compelling. A brilliant, thought-provoking novel for our times.” —Peter James, author of Stop Them Dead

“Wow, I loved this topical, clever and tricksy novel. A book for the #metoo generation that taps into all kinds of fears/hopes/difficulties that come with the movement. You’ll think one thing . . . and then another . . . and then another. With clever use of social media and newspaper pieces, the conclusion is a masterpiece. Highly recommend.” —Louise Swanson, author of End of Story

“It’s so clever it blew my mind a bit. It’s about men and women and trust and art and violence and safety. And it’s just excellent.” —Laura Pearson, author of The Last List of Mabel Beaumont

Library Journal

11/01/2023

Hall's (Hidden Depths) new thriller is set in the UK. Varying points of view will keep readers enthralled and questioning who the real villains are, while exploring themes of power, gender, and patriarchal norms in relationships, social media influence, and gaslighting. Both Cole Simmonds and Leanora Baxter seem to be running from their pasts. Following the end of his marriage, Cole accepts a job as a wildlife ranger. He's eager to disconnect from his previous life and focus on positivity and his mental health. Soon he meets Lennie, his reclusive artist neighbor, and is charmed by how different she is from his ex. Just as their relationship begins, two young women activists disappear, placing Cole and Lennie in the middle of the police investigation. While evidence appears to implicate Cole in their disappearance, a shift in the narrative reveals there is much more to this story. VERDICT In the vein of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, this is a psychological thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seats, pushing them to ponder difficult questions.—Linsey Milillo

Kirkus Reviews

2023-10-21
Hall interrogates whether a man can be a “good man”—and from whose perspective.

Running from his failed marriage, Cole, the narrator, leaves London for England’s South Coast, where he takes up animal trapping and tries to get over his ex-wife. Soon, in his somewhat tentative way, he’s making gentle moves on his new neighbor, an artist. For her part, Lennie seems to appreciate Cole’s companionship, even as she’s not ready to sleep with him yet. Then, on New Year’s Eve, two young women who’ve been hiking through the south of England to raise money to help female victims of violence go missing. Their disappearance follows a recent confrontation with Cole, and it soon appears he may be a suspect. This is the first third of Hall’s novel; then suddenly she pulls the rug. Part Two offers backstory in the voice of Cole’s ex-wife, Mel. By the time Part Three begins, the rug has been pulled once again. In addition to these narrative voices, Hall includes excerpts from Twitter and various news outlets, an artist statement by Lennie, and interview transcripts, so the novel emerges through layers of perspective and interpretation, all pointing to a single question with incredibly complicated optics: Is it enough for a man to be “good” if he still refuses to listen, if he lives comfortably ensconced in the language and power of the patriarchy? Lately, it seems like every thriller wants to weigh in on the post-#MeToo landscape, and the better ones—and Hall’s definitely is—find some nuance in the commentary. The only thing that niggles is whether Cole deserves to have a say—the first and longest one, at that—in the novel. There’s something ironic about bemoaning the supremacy of the male voice and also offering quite a bit of perspective from the lone male character, but the approach does emphasize the way society’s expectations vary wildly for a “good man” versus a “good woman.”

Could this novel exist without the male voice—or should it? Hard to say, but it’s a fascinating read.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940160529578
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	01/09/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,108,214

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