This was a very entertaining read for me. I really liked the main character, Marti, a loving mother of three and a wife of a resident doctor, who has just recently returned to work as a social worker. The "demands" of her husband in his job as a resident usually leaves her holding the bag and doing EVERYTHING regarding the household and the kids. Marti is a very likable character and I really enjoyed meeting her. She has the biggest heart and is constantly trying to overcome her frustration with things at her home between herself and her husband.

When Marti is accused of a horrific crime, I was a little confused. It was introduced in the ARC (I know this may change in the edited version) suddenly and out of nowhere. It kind of through me off to begin with, but after rereading that part, I realized that I didn't miss anything. It was just thrown in. I only add this to my review because it slowed me down in my reading. Other than that, I flew through this book. After the arrest of Marti, I felt so sorry for her and angry, angry, angry.

I love it when authors get my emotions in an uproar and mine were certainly riled while reading this book. I guessed the husband's secret very early in the book and that also flicked on an emotion switch for me. Yay!!

An excellent read with great characters, character development and writing.

Thanks to St. Martins Press and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Intense, ominous, and engrossing!

Best Intentions is a character-driven thriller that highlights how easily someone's behaviour can be misconstrued, manipulated, and used against them.

It is, ultimately, a story about marriage, motherhood, friendship, social work, greed, deception, adultery, medical politics, and the legal process.

The writing is well done. The characters are complex and multilayered with some being loving, supportive, and kind and others being pompous and self-centered. And the plot, although sometimes a little hard to follow as it flips from the past to the present, has a nice balance of suspense, tension, character development, and surprises.

Overall I would have to say that Best Intentions is a compelling, well-written read that once started will keep you entertained and invested to the very end.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great domestic suspense with compelling characters. My review will contain no spoilers, but I must say I spent much of the book in the dark, not knowing exactly what was going on. I enjoyed the general confusion as I read, trying to figure things out as the book bounced back and forth between timelines. If knowing the main character is in trouble but not knowing details about why until the book is more than half over would irk you, steer clear. It was making my head spin, but in a good way.

Marti is the loving mother of three children. She gave up her career as a social worker to stay home with them, but toys with the idea of returning to the workforce as her youngest child starts kindergarten. Her husband is an overworked doctor, and their relationship is very clearly suffering from his long hours away from home. He is for some reason less than thrilled when Marti is offered a job at the very same hospital he works at, but she takes it anyway. She'll be supporting young women in different capacities as they prepare to become mothers. She counsels these young ladies on decisions, helps them to find places to live with the baby if necessary, points them in the right direction to get help they desperately need, and simply supports them in general. She is a very empathetic person, extremely devoted to her work.

We're filled in on Marti's job and home life with great detail. Her kids are entertaining and interesting in their own rights, each with their own distinctive little personality. This is interspersed with a different timeline, and this one is jarring: Marti is in trouble of the legal variety. Huge trouble, the kind where she's vilified and reporters are camped out in front of her place. Either she's done something dreadfully wrong or she's in danger of spending a long time in prison as punishment for something she didn't do. We don't find out exactly what she's accused of until after the book is half over.

Family drama, relationship trouble, legal issues, and hospital politics all blend together in this whopper of a book. I didn't know which way was up sometimes, but I enjoyed the ride. I had some quibbles with the ending and would have liked the different timelines to be labeled, but I'd very much recommend giving this book a shot.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and St. Martin's Press, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

I was curious to read this book as I worked as a medical social worker for years so wasn't sure how accurate it would be.I would say although I worked in England and Wales this was very realistic and the author has done her research very well.This is not an easy profession and it takes its toll on you emotionally, unless you don't care, in which case you shouldn't be doing the job.This was very character driven as you would expect, and kept my interest throughout ,it is well worth a read and I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Life as a doctor’s wife is lonely, especially now that Elliot has started taking on more work, heavier rotations, a new role. It’s not unheard of for Marti to go days without seeing her husband and it’s definitely beginning to cause a rift in their marriage. So when she’s presented the opportunity to not only jump back into work, but take a position at the hospital where Elliot works, Marti hardly hesitates.

If being a doctor’s wife is an underappreciated role, it’s nothing compared to that of a social worker and Marti sees it all: newly-pregnant teens, women simply down on their luck and unable to provide for a baby, women angry at the world for burdening them with an infant, a severely mentally handicapped woman who winds up pregnant. A birth should be cause for celebration – unfortunately, one night there’s a horrific tragedy, dubbed a terrible mistake, and suddenly Marti is thrust into the spotlight.

Best Intentions jumps back and forth, telling the story leading up to what Marti witnessed and her current life under arrest and awaiting trial. While reading I couldn’t help but think of Rena Olsen’s The Girl Before – not for similiar content (The Girl Before deals with human trafficking), but because both books feature that past/present narrative I love so much; in this case, the present storyline in both novels feature the women being questioned about terrible crimes.

The crime in Best Intentions is murder, namely the death of a newborn after a terrible and unforgivable mistake instantly left her brain dead and in a vegetative state upon birth. There’s a lot of moral and ethical talk in this novel: would the baby be better off dead? She will never breathe on her own, there’s no brain activity whatsoever. The mother is practically a child herself. The subject matter definitely isn’t easy, but it’s extremely thought-provoking and I enjoyed it immensely.

There’s a LOT of drama within the book’s pages – infidelities, nasty frenemy-type relationships with other doctors’ wives, discussion of the medical field itself (the extremely long hours doctors are expected to work, doctors far too tired to function yet tasked with delicate surgeries and operations, behind-the-scenes talk of things I would have never thought about like fudging numbers to make it look like young doctors are only – ha – working 90 hours when they’re really putting in 100 or more a week), but the book never felt weighed down. In fact, it was such an intense ride I tore right through it!

When Marti’s trial arrives, the chapters read like scenes straight out of Law & Order and I loved it. There was a HUGE mic drop moment where I nearly shrieked it was that good. I’m sure this will change now that the book has been released, but looking through the reviews for Best Intentions on GoodReads, there are NO 1- or 2-star reviews and that is extremely impressive.

Best Intentions is a roller coaster of a novel and such a fun, wildly intense ride. I love it when books make me think and there were some seriously thought-provoking ethical dilemmas here. This was such an emotional, compelling read that I tore through in a single sitting and have no problem recommending! I’m VERY excited to see what Erika does next!

BEST INTENTIONS by Erika Ruskin is a clever, detailed, and intricate story brimming with drama and characters that will get under your skin.

Marti Trailor has the perfect life, married to a successful obstetrician with three beautiful children that she absolutely adores. Deciding to return to work she finds herself working alongside her husband at his hospital which isn't the best scenario, but Marti throws herself fully into her new clients and really enjoys the challenge. But when a delivery goes wrong, Marti finds herself charged for a crime that she vehemently denies, and so the story unfolds as she tells us her version of events.

BEST INTENTIONS by Erika Ruskin is character driven and when we read Marti's account we can feel the anger, frustration, and sadness oozing from her out of the page. With plenty of medical and legal elements in this novel, it is obvious that the author has spent a lot of time on her research.

​With plenty of unexpected twists and turns, BEST INTENTIONS by Erika Ruskin took me by surprise throughout and I became invested in this story which is always a sign of a great book. If you like a dramatic story with a medical bent then definitely give this one a try.

Best Intentions is a wonderful read!! Erika Raskin definitely knows how to make readers feel that they know her characters - they are that fully-developed and realistic. Wow!

Marti Trailor has it all – three children, a doctor husband who is the department head for OB/GYN and as well as head of the Risk Management group for the hospital, true friends, wonderful relationships with her brothers. Yet something is missing. Trained in social work, she longs to go back to work, and unexpectedly is offered a job in a new department at her husband’s hospital. She takes it and loves it. But working brings her marital issues to the forefront where they can no longer be ignored. Then something horrific happens and Marti finds herself in the middle of a trial that could cost her everything.

Promoted as a domestic suspense novel with a lawsuit involved, this book is definitely that. But it is also about relationships of all kinds - marital, parent-child, siblings, friends, work, clients - and poses many good questions about each. How long do you remain supportive when the other person is not present even when physically with you? How do you know what is best for your children when the marriage is failing? Where are the boundary lines with your employer, and with your clients? And most important - how do you remain true to your beliefs and your moral compass when doing the right thing jeopardizes those you love and could take everything you hold dear away from you?

I found this book engrossing – the pages turned themselves, I swear!! I definitely look forward to future offerings by this author!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and review this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I thought this story started with a hiss and a roar and then it got all predictable in places. Despite that it still was a good, easy read. Marti has to be one of the unluckiest lady's in the world, however she definitely had better luck, somewhat a little unbelievable, towards the end.

The best thing about Best Intentions is that the author doesn't give us too much too soon. From the beginning, you know the main character is accused of something. You just don't know what.

Marti Trailor is a social worker who is a stay at home mom. She has three children whom she loves dearly and she's married to Elliot who's an obstetrician. But lately, Marti has been feeling restless. When she meets Win Phillips during a social gathering and he offers her a job, she can't contain her enthusiasm. She's ready to go back to work and help people. One drawback, her new position will take her closer to her husband's professional life and he is not crazy about the idea.

Marti finds herself quite busy with her new job and she develops a special bond with one of the girls she's helping. Tonya Maine is an eighteen-year-old girl who's pregnant but the father of her baby doesn't want to be involved. Marty becomes her support system. She helps her find a place to live and later becomes her Lamaze partner.

These long hours at work, her friendship with Win, her personal interest in Tonya leads to constant disagreements with Elliot. Not that he's not to blame. He's always too busy to help with the children, take his wife out or simply spend time at home. Marti knows her marriage is on the rocks, Elliot might be cheating and when something awful happens, her freedom is at stake.

Best Intentions had characters I liked and disliked. Colby, Marti's best friend was priceless. She was supportive, funny and had her own story to tell. I love Marti's brothers too. They were there for Marti in her time of need. It was too easy to hate Elliot. He was selfish and egotistical. The word worthless comes to mind. Win, I wish he had more character development but from was I saw, I liked.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel, although, I have to say that I felt like the "discovery" was too easy and gratuitous. I would've preferred a different approach to the ending. Perhaps something less tidy.

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Marti Trailor is a stay at home mom who decides to go back to work and restart her career as a social worker for pregnant women. She accepts a job at the same hospital where her husband works as an OB/GYN and he is less than pleased with this arrangement.
Her marriage is not on steady ground as it is, due to the long and exhausting hours her husband has to keep at the hospital. As her job excels, her marriage falls apart. Because of the excessive hours the residents have to work, a tragic mistake was made and Marti was wrongly accused of murder. Even her estranged husband, for his own reasons, has testified against her. Is she acquitted of the charges or is she found guilty and goes to jail.? I know you won't want to put the book down to see how this plays out!
Best Intentions tells the story about numerous relationships...marriage, friendships, co-workers and life in general. This book was a fast read because you won't want to put it down, once you start it!

Wow! This is one phenomenal book!
Although.the first few chapters started a bit slow, the roller coaster took off for an amazing wild ride.
I loved Leland! Best lawyer ever!
How thrilled I was, that Marti finally was able to respect and love herself.
This book is a must read for anyone who has anything to do with the medical profession. Not to be forgotten very soon!

I'm going to rename this book The Best Surprise of this Summer. Oh my God, why did it stay this long on my NetGalley shelf??? (Probably because I had too many to read, and still do... :p)

Marti Trailor has a great life. Wife of an obstetrician, mother of three, and newly back on the job market as a social worker. Marti is not only the kind of woman you look and think “She has it all”, she is funny, kind, and trying to do her best. You can feel it form her actions, her thoughts, it's written all over her. No, she is not perfect, and the appearances are not always to be believed, we all know that. But Marti does her best with what she has.

Now, why was I on her side from the first page? Why did I read this book in one sitting? Why was it impossible for me to tear myself away from the story? Because the author brilliantly uses the dual past/present narration in the voice of Marti, offering us two sides of the same woman. A before, and an after. Only you have no idea what was the event breaking her life in two parts, and what led her to where she is now.

There's something fabulously enticing in the writing, Erika Raskin talks to all women through her main character and plays with the idea the worst can happen to the best people, just because. Isn't this scary? Truth be told, Best Intentions is one of the most terrifying stories I have read. There is no blood, per se (now you're wondering), there is no serial killers, cockroaches, apocalypse. No. Just a woman trying to help. Helping turns out to be her downfall.

We all want to help, we give a hand when a friend needs it, we lend our lawnmower, we buy a sandwich for the homeless guy at the corner of the street. I like to think of the best in each human being. But what if by trying to save someone, you drive yourself to hell?

The past slowly unfolds, revealing hints and bits that add up to create a giant explosion, making me shake my head in disbelief, turning me into an angry woman so wishing to jump into the pages to help another woman in need. I devoured those parts by looking closely at each little piece of information, knowing something was about to happen but hoping it actually wouldn't! I can't explain why I cared so much for Marti. Maybe because I dare think there are people who care enough to go as far as she does to make things better for others. I admired her, and when the world came crashing down, in hours, page after page, my heart break and I felt helpless and so tense I thought I was in a nightmare I was gonna wake up from!

The plot is so taut that there is no escape, especially when things are also personal. Because Marti's husband is, like all doctors, always busy, always putting more hours, always away. This part of domestic issues captivated me as I felt this was something I knew about but it was a totally different experience to live it along with Marti, who had always been in the shadow of her husband. Until now. The author made things so real I was absolutely immersed in this tailspin and trying to make sense of everything. The characterization is amazingly well-crafted so there's always a doubt, always a little niggle at the back of your mind, always a little something to say “It's not right.” And like all people wearing their heart on their sleeve and putting their everything into what they do, Marti can't take it. Except she has everything to lose.

The last part was definitely my favorite. I can't say why so you'll have to believe me when I say this is a must-read. Because on top of the past/present narration, the thick plot, the helpless innocent being accused, there's a final act that brings everything together in an explosive way. A denouement the former law student in me loved to see unfold, an ending that won't release the tension until the very last drops of hope has been drained from your body.

If you are looking for one of the best thrillers of the summer, look no further! Best Intentions reminds us we are not safe from seeing our lives turned upside down just because we want to do the right thing. Erika Ruskin puts her main character into a position we all could find ourselves in, nailing a merciless and intense plot that leaves you wondering what YOU would do!

Marti Trailor, her husband Elliot and their three children have a beautiful home in the suburbs near Richmond, VA. They live in place where the social scene demands you act, dress and behave a certain way. Marti, like her father, a well known congressman, understands the public eye but definitely beats to her own drum without apology. After surviving the weariness of stay at home mom status for years, Marti is offered a social work job at the same hospital as Elliot, who is a leading OB/GYN in the department. Marti will care for pregnant women who need assistance, some of them not being older than children themselves. Elliot does not seem thrilled about this new position but since his residency ended he has seemed distant and secretive. Marti has been on this rollercoaster with Elliot for years, always hoping the next step would bring the family closer. But Elliot is never home and as she tiptoes around their life as stranger she fears what the future may bring. From the beginning the reader is aware a great tragedy has occurred. Marti is on trial for a crime. The story is told as it flashes back to the envied life everyone thought she was living. As the truth begins to unfold through her best friend who is a stealth reporter, Marti leans more and more on her sweet handsome boss Win and reevaluates everything she once naively believed about her husband and the life they built. Best Intentions brings the reader deep into the hearts of this model family to uncover the truth of marriage, motherhood and friendship. Filled with twists and turns and fabulous characters, I highly recommend this well written suspenseful novel.

3.5 stars

Marti Trailor―social worker, mother of three, wife of a successful obstetrician, daughter of a Congressman―is ready to go back to work. She’s thrilled when the perfect opportunity falls in her lap. Marti quickly begins to feel like she is making a difference in the lives of her clients. Soon, though, she finds herself caught up in the dark side of the medical center.

I should start off this review by saying that the lack of formatting of the ARC I received took away some of my enjoyment of this story. The division of time periods is not clear and led to an unnatural rhythm in the writing, making the story feel disjointed and out of sync. It wasn’t until I read a review after finishing the book that I realized the story was jumping back and forth between past and present (Duh! I should have figured that out!) That made things make more sense, but because of the formatting I simply wasn’t getting that while reading. Even knowing what I know now, the telling of the story still left me feeling all over the place.

Best Intentions was good. It had good bones. I read it with a sense of needing to know what really happened. For most of the book you don’t even know for sure who was is in trouble or why. However, I felt as if I were left hanging at the end without complete closure. It was a too neat and tidy and I wanted more.

What fascinated me most about this book was its location – Richmond, Virginia. Virginia is home for me. While many places are fictionalized here there were some actual places that had me thinking “I’ve heard of that!”

Another descent addition to your mystery/thriller/suspense TBR if you’re a fan of the genre.

A mother of three children. A wife of a successful husband. Marti Trailor feels like something is missing. She was a social worker in another life and want to return to this rewarding work. A chance meeting at a party leads to a job, and soon she is working along side her husband, an obstetrician at Richmond Hospital. Marti becomes involved in Tonya Maines's case, a pregnant mother whom she forges a bond. Marti becomes personally involved in Tonya's life, even being her birthing coach and godmother to the unborn child. At the delivery, something goes wrong, Marti witnesses an action and Tonya gives birth to a baby with hypoxic brain injury. A grave error by the obstetrical resident. But it is Marti who is charged and forced in the legal playground of criminal justice system.

What a great reading experience. Dramatic. Captivating. And witty. Erika Raskin weaves a clever plot in a well-written narrative that is fluid and easy to read. The book starts off with Marti meeting her lawyer for the first time. He asks her to tell him what happened from the beginning. Marti begins to recounts her story in between snippets of legal preparations. The narrative starts with a promise. "...the case that has it all. Malpractice. Adultery. Class. Race." The escalation of the story is slow but the when the tension peaks about the halfway mark, it catapults into a courtroom drama. The ending will leave you satisfied.

Best Intentions has well-developed character portrayals. The protagonist becomes more endearing as the story unfolds. We see Marti as a devoted mother, daughter of a congressman and a brilliant social worker with a focus on aiding single mothers. At times, Marti oversteps her boundaries in her job, leading to colliding roles. Her clients are unique and colorful, and Marti handles each one with grace. Marti's children, Poppy, Nina, and Sam, each have a distinct personality, and together the sibling interactions give the reader a glimpse into childhood. Nina is especially striking in the way she mothers her younger brother and sister. Elliot, the obstetrician, and husband, is self-absorbed and spends his waking moments in the hospital. Slowly into the book we gaze at a spouse who is slightly shy of abusive and repelling. The interactions between Marti and Elliot are tense, and we see a marriage fracturing apart. Marti's friend Colby, a constant source of entertainment and support, was a significant character in the novel. As a reporter, the interesting story she was working on wove seamlessly in and out of the narrative.

The legal story seemed to take a secondary role in this character driven story which was slightly disappointing. I wanted to bear witness to the medical system being tried in a courtroom, with a plethora of testimony upon expert witnesses. This medical-legal drama was a personal draw for my choosing to read this novel. But Raskin excels in describing the pulse of a University teaching hospital.

Being exposed for multiple years to obstetrics, hospital institutions, and brushes with legal upheavals, I found this novel to be extremely accurate and credible. Frequently, when an author writes about the medical profession, details are misconstrued. However, Raskin gets this right, especially the handling of the obstetrical emergency of prolapse cord. Overworked healthcare professionals and drug abuse are also undercurrents in the story. The nuances of the obstetrical side of medicine, from the job, the roles, the quandaries to the personal dispositions gives the reader a vivid gaze into the hospital.

Overall, an excellent read that held my interest until the very end. I would highly recommend Best Intentions.

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An enjoyable book of domestic fiction with a bit of who-dun-it mixed in. A compelling, character driven story which started out a little slow but when it took hold it didn't let go.

Best Intentions is a well written book. Good plot and character development. Loved this book and the author's writing style.

Well looks like I found a new author to stalk this year. First of all thank you for allowing me to read this early, I am honored. Excuse me tho while I "GOOGLE" the author and purchase her other books.

Best Intentions is a domestic 'whodunnit' except from the beginning we know that Marti is the alleged perpetrator. So the questions becomes, did she? And if so, why? And if not, WHO DID?

Weaving in and out of these questions is domestic life, marriage, infidelity, family and people attempting to balance it all in the imperfect way with which we all struggle.

I was reading this book during a VERY busy time in my life, when I had a child graduating and company here, so I was more distracted than usual. Had that not been the case I think I would be rating this higher than the 3.5 I am giving it. I would definitely recommend that you give this book a read and see what you think! Many of my fellow reviewers on Goodreads are raving over it!

Marti Trainer is an obstetrician's wife, mother of three, and a senator's daughter. After years of being a stay-at-home mom, she makes a spur-of-the-moment decision to go back to social work which ends up having an irrevocable and life changing impact on all of their lives forever.

This women's fiction novel, Best Intentions by Erica Raskin, is a very easy and quick read, has a plausible plot line, and relatable developed characters. I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review. https://moesbookblog.wordpress.com/

Reviewed: June 10, 2017. Novel Publish Date: August 15, 2017.