A disturbed Henry Allen Keen rejected by a mall employee decides to open fire on the masses in the store she works at. Former military man Sean Tennant and his wife Molly Winter are living quietly and happily under the radar when Sean's solo actions to take out the lone gunman at the mall cause repercussions for the life they've created. Sean's automatic responses to the threat of Keen leaves him in the glaring spotlight - only to be made worse by the fact that he disappears from the scene before anyone can thank him - or ask questions. Now the two men hunting Sean for separate purposes know where he and Molly have been hiding. One man seeks to recover his stolen goods while the other lays the blame solely at Sean's feet for the death of his brother. Sean & Molly were able to escape and create a life once before but will they be able to escape both men and Sean's sudden fame?

This book is told from several points of view. Each section is titled for the character and it is helpful as this book jumps characters quite often. The Good Killer is a solid book and I was very satisfied with the ending that the author wrote. I read a lot of books that are parts of series and sometimes it is honestly a relief to read a book that isn't. The ending didn't leave me with unanswered questions or even a thought that there could be more added to this story. The ripple effect that Henry Allen Keen's actions caused in this story was a nice touch and I feel like not a lot of authors focus on that. The near misses of the characters in this book coupled with the cross country chase from the Midwest to the East Coast makes this book an exciting read.

I would recommend this book to readers that enjoy thrillers, books with multiple points of view, and crime novels. This book is definitely not full of sensitive subjects other than violence, a public shooting, and mental health issues. Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read this book in exchange an honest review.

“The Good Killer” opens with a chilling narrative. Grammar and sentence construction with a present tense narrative, brief details, and clipped conversations create a mysterious, tense, and chaotic atmosphere. Characters meet at the mall, the encounters appear unorganized and frantic, and then, the shooting. There is a killer on the run, a good guy with a gun.
An unusual narrative takes shape. There is danger on every front from the hunter, the hunted, and the pursuer of both. Jumbles of people from low-level hoodlums to law enforcement personnel are all after the same individuals: Molly and Sean. There are however, many people do not want them caught.
Dolan creates complex and genuine characters with abundant backstories, and none are exactly who they appear to be at first glance. Each narrative is labeled with name of principal character to help readers identify the point of view of the episode. Molly is flying to Montana for a retreat on a ranch with yoga, meditation, and riding horses, and Sean is driving her to the airport. Then there is Cole; Sean talks to Cole, takes his advice, looks to him for direction, but Cole died years ago. Cole is the past that haunts Sean’s present.
There are also the cylinder seals, pieces of ancient stone, artifacts that if Sean had a clear legal title, might sell at auction for millions of dollars. They are just stone, but they are worth so much, so full of history, have so much impact. Sean wonders what might have happened if not for those stones.
“The Good Killer” proceeds in a careful, systematic way with a slow accumulation of facts, and then unexpectedly takes readers somewhere else. I received a review copy of “The Good Killer” from Harry Dolan, Mysterious Press, and Ingram Publishing Services. The characters are flawed but compelling and likeable. It is a strange case with twists and surprises at every turn. It has trauma, drama, and death but a satisfying end.

DNF at 55%. I thought the premise of this book was really interesting. Sean and Molly have been living quietly and staying under the radar. Until one day when Sean ends up at the mall and is able to stop a mass shooter. That act of bravery ends up getting his face on national news and suddenly they have to run.

At first I was intrigued - I wanted to learn who they were hiding from and why and see what was going to happen. However it ended up quickly getting very convoluted with multiple people chasing them and bouncing around between a lot of different perspectives and eventually I lost interest.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reading copy.

High stakes chase cross country

Sean and Molly have been living a life under the radar for the last six years, keeping a low profile.

This comes to an end when Sean kills a shooter at a local mall in Houston, a shooter driven by unrequited love.

Now Sean's picture is being shown on all the news shows and he and Molly are again being hunted for events that happened to Sean six years ago.

This was a great story, one I enjoyed thoroughly. I enjoyed the storyline and the way it wrapped around all the many characters. I enjoyed the characters, good and bad, and the way the author showed both the good and bad sides in many of the characters.

If you like fast-paced thrillers, this story is one you shouldn't pass up.

I received this book from Mysterious Press through Edelweiss and Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

As this book began, there were so many characters, so much jumping from one person to another narrating, that I found myself bored. But then - - I got used to all the characters and the different points of view as the action sped up. LOTS of action! Lots of bad guys, all going after Sean and Molly. It was an unusual take on a violent story and it came to a satisfying conclusion.

It’s complicated

Sean Tennant and Molly Winter are minding their own business and keeping their heads down. The last thing they want is the publicity of any kind but fate has a habit of giving you something you don't desire and so it is when Sean visits the Mall and gets involved with a jilted lover.

However, there's a reason why Sean and Molly are living quiet lives as they are not who they seem. In short order, three groups are seeking to find them and only one is guaranteed not to kill them once found.

It’s an interesting plot as the reader is not too sure whose “side” to be on and the circumstances leading up to the final chase mean that loyalties are divided, especially if you’re the kind of person who can see both sides of the story. Some of those who are on opposite sides have once been very close and the events leading to the split are eventually revealed.

Although the pace of the plot varies, there are in my opinion too many “flat” episodes where not a lot happens apart from journeying around the country. I was close to becoming bored on several occasions.....close to but never quite reached that state as the action fired up again just in time.

It’s a novel which can be recommended if the genre is a favourite of the reader but it would have benefitted from an editor’s red pencil at times. A shorter but more intense thriller would have earned the fifth star.

mr zorg

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book for review

This was a pretty decent book. I didn't expect much to come from it, but it definitely kept me entertained. Im not going to sum it up; there are plenty of other reviews that will do that for you. But if you're looking for a good crime book, you could do a lot worse than this one! The only thing you need to watch out for is paying attention to who's who - there are a lot of characters in this book (mostly male) and if you don't pay attention you'll get very confused. But if you don't mind that, pick this book up. 3.5 stars!

I've been a fan of Harry Dolan's writing for a good long while, so when I saw his latest release on NetGalley, I was thrilled to get a copy. I wasn't disappointed in this venture. Dolan has constructed a concise, complicated narrative of a man who is indeed a good killer - ending a mass shooting in progress. But with that benevolent murder comes all types of complications both within himself, and in those around him. What is the cost of his act of good will? This novel moves quickly, and I found myself really engaged with the storytelling, and especially Dolan's rich characters. Definitely recommend for those who enjoy thrillers.

Harry Dolan has crafted an engrossing page turner of a read in The Good Killer. Well worth the time of the read!

Thank you to Grove Atlantic/Mysterious Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fast-paced and gripping read. The story was told from the point of view of five different narrators, mainly, with a few short guest spots thrown in - and it worked surprisingly well. The author made each voice distinct and clear, and didn't make the mistake of lingering and recounting the same event from differing points of view. Since there was no natural stopping point, it drew me in and was a compulsive read. Not going to go into the plot as such, but I loved the twist of seeing someone we first perceive as "good" turns out to be harboring dark secrets that may reveal he is not such a good person - and the other way round.

My only criticism is that the book is plot-driven rather than giving a lot of depth to the various characters, and the read was more like watching an action-packed movie than reading a well plotted thriller. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this immensely.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book is faced paced and difficult to put down. I was put off this book for so long mainly due to the cover but really glad I read it and would recommend.

The premise of the story is good and I enjoyed the characters. This is a book you will devour over a day or two.

Who would guess that a trip to the mall to purchase new hiking boots could so dramatically affect your life and safety? While Molly is away at a yoga retreat, Sean Tennant visits the mall and interrupts a deranged man is shooting innocent people. Sean is former military and takes out the shooter and at the same time realizes that his privacy is gone. He has kept a low profile knowing that there are two men from his past who if they find him will eliminate him. One just wants him dead and the other is seeking what Sean has kept hidden and then dead. Now on the run to escape the notoriety from the shooting he is also being tracked by the police. Non-stop action as Sean tries to outwit his enemies and stay alive. When they involve Molly, all bets are off. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

When Sean Tennant kills an active shooter at a Houston Mall, he leaves the scene and is immediately a person of interest. Sean and Molly have been living a quite life, they have secrets, secrets they don’t want anyone to know. Now with his picture all over the news and internet, their cover has been blown. What are their deep secrets? Why have they been in hiding all these years. This novel is fast paced and one you will find difficult to put down. Will Sean and Molly get away from their enemies? Or will his act of heroism cost him everything?

When Sean stops a mass shooting at a mall in Texas, that act of heroism may have just cost him his life.
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Sean and Molly have been living their lives as discreetly and cautiously for the past 6 years. After Sean, a former soldier, takes out an active shooter, in Houston’s largest shopping mall, he flees the scene. Everyone wants to know about the hero who saved them, but Sean doesn’t want the exposure. Unfortunately, the two men him and Molly have been hiding from catch wind of the story, and now they’re on a mission. One believes Sean is responsible for his brother’s death, and will stop at nothing until he gets his revenge. The other, wants to recover something Molly and Sean stole from him years ago. Both men are dangerous and determined to get what they want. Thus starts the cross country hunt.
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Thank you Netgalley and Mysterious Press for the advanced copy for my review! Publish date: February 14, 2020

I really enjoyed this book! I finished a majority of it in one sitting and the rest the next morning. This story keeps you hooked from the beginning. I found myself shaking my head at some of the people they come across, or smiling about another thing. It will definitely take you on a whirlwind of a journey! Everything tied up together nicely and I was pleased with the ending. I’m from Michigan, so when I kept coming across “Downriver” cities that I’m from, I got excited. I figured the author had to be from here to know all these little cities, and turns out he moved here from NYC, so that was really awesome! Overall - loved it, highly recommend!

I really liked this book and agree with others reviewers that this could be Dolan’s breakout book. Intelligent, suspenseful , well written and not cliched this tale of revenge, love, brotherhood and violence is captivating from the first page. Dolan goes on my must read list now. Plus he has a great crime novelist name.

Sean Tennant becomes an accidental hero when he intervenes in a shooting spree in a Houston mall. But he's a man with a secret, and the ensuing publicity threatens the new lives he and his pregnant lover Molly gave created. As they feared, the two men who want him dead, both of whom gave been searching fir the pair for years, are alerted to their prey and will stop at nothing to apprehend them. One wants the treasure they stole from the collector who stole it to begin with, and the other - the brother of Sean's best friend, who died on a mission in the war and blames Sean fir his death - just wants Sean dead, too. The pair go on the lam, retrieving the treasure from hiding places around the country, managing to stay ahead if the searchers until the denouement of this well-crafted mystery.

Overall a good read. Some places it gets a little drawn out. I would read other books by this author.

Entertaining!

The Good Killer is a psychological thriller about a man in hiding, who in the blink of an eye, becomes a nationally revered hero. Now exposed to the world, he must take cover and run to keep enemies at bay as there is a price on his life.

Aptly titled, there is a constant push and pull between good and bad. "The Good Killer," Sean, appears to be a good person who happens to be a killer. However, he is keeping dark secrets that might reveal that he is not such a good person. Several other characters also may or may not be good or bad, but also are potential killers. I was constantly questioning all the characters’ motives. However, as a whole, the novel is more about the plot than the characters themselves.

The biggest issue I had with this book is that there are too many narrators. There are 5 main narrators, with a couple of others thrown in. For this reason, I felt like I only got a glimpse of each character vs.reading about fully developed, multidimensional characters. In the end, I didn’t feel like I really knew any of the characters, nor did I really care about what happened to them.


The Good Killer is an interesting read, but it more like watching an action-packed movie versus reading a tautly written and cleverly plotted thriller. While I didn’t love it, I found the premise fascinating, and I was thoroughly entertained by all of the action.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

When a man steps in to stop an active shooter, he sets off a deadly chain reaction. The race against time is told from multiple perspectives, and Dolan ratchets up the tension with expert precision.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Good Killer by Harry Dolan. This was an unexpected surprise book - I loved it. Fast paced and vividly written. The novel centers on a young man, Sean, an Iraqi vet who, with his best friend, Cole, have been through thick and thin. Sean has been a lost soul, but he has met Molly and she centers him, she loves him, and she sticks by him even though his past is "chasing" him all over the country.
Sean lives a quiet life with Molly - that's until one day, in a mall, and an active shooter threatens innocent people. That''s something Sean cannot stand for. Sean becomes a hero, but that is not what he wants. Sean wants that quiet life back but he can't do that since his face is plastered all over the news and internet.
Without giving too much away, Sean and Molly must go on the run - there are people after them - the cops and the bad guys. Sean and Molly have an insurance policy - ancient stones that are worth millions. But those stones are worth nothing if they can't escape those who are after them. So Sean and Molly run.for their lives but the forces are close behind and both sides want Sean - dead or alive.
Excellent - 4.5 stars.