“By the end of next summer, before the kids go back to school, I will kill my family".

Well, with an opening like that, it's kind of hard not to be drawn in to this novel, or turned off depending on your point of view, for this novel won't be for everyone.

Des, is a father of 3, he is a 'good father'. But he is as controlling as you suspect that he might be from the novel's opening, he is aggressive, constantly jealous, envious and fearful. He is an awful character.

But then that is entirely the point.

I think this novel is written not to understand or like Des, but to showcase that his sort of character does exist in the world however uncomfortable that may make the reader feel.

I’m disappointed to say I didn’t really enjoy this book - I found it hard to get into & slow to start.

Firstly thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. The opening had me gripped and I hoped the rest of the book would continue in the same way, sadly this was not the case. The story is told entirely from Des’ point of view across multiple time periods which helps to develop the story. However I did not enjoy the writing style or Des’ character. I can appreciate that the erratic style helps to portray adds’ state of mind and it does make the story feel more authentic but I just did not enjoy it. Although the writing style was erratic I did feel that the story was slow paced for the majority of the book and I found it hard to remain engaged with the story. I would have possibly enjoyed this book more had it been written from multiple points of view ie. Jenny, Jerome or the children.

This one was a hard no from me and it was hard to get into the book.

Many thanks to the publishers for my review copy.

Sorry to say I didn’t really enjoy this book. Hard to get into, kind of kept reading to get it done but didn’t enjoy it.
The first few lines got you in, but then you just kept chasing the story and it just ended.
Odd book.

I had to DNF this as I could not get into the story The characters were all unlikeable and there was seemingly not much plot which was a shame considering the opening line was 'I murdered my entire family' ( or something to that effect.)

I have started this weird, twisted story. Do I like the way it opened? No. But have I shut the book, no. Such a paradox. I know that just to get the weirdness out of my head I will read it.

Edit:
Ok finished the book.. and I hated it .. weird, and sick and twisted

The book was very well written, and the author used a dual timeline, which keeps the reader glued to the see how the couple's relationship changed. The ending isn't expected, and makes for a all over entertaining read. Recommended.

Sorry illness delayed me reviewing this title but I really enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend and love to read more from this author

A disturbing dark psychological thriller. I felt it started slow but still had that read on read on thing all books need. Don’t give up because it will pull you in and keep you up wanting to read on. A strong 4/5.

Another Thriller that was unfortunately not what I had expected. Having said that, it was written well so I flew through it.

The book was written in a ‘stream of consciousness’ style, which I wasn’t a fan of. And the plot itself wasn’t so much of a mystery, but rather a descent into madness.

Des wasn’t a likeable character, and he wasn’t supposed to be. But I found it hard to relate/symphatise with him because there was no single thing about him that I could appreciate (unlike Joe in ‘You’ for example who could be totally charming when he turned it on). Des was awkward, possessive, abusive, and creepy from the beginning. It probably said more about Jen’s character than Des’ that she kept getting attracted to men of questionable characters.

I did have a few favourite quotes though. One of them that I thought was particularly true was:
“There’s so much here that I don’t know about her. I realise now that I thought that I knew everything. But that, I figure, is the arrogance of marriage.”

At the end of the day, it was a short-ish book and I didn’t hate the experience of reading it. And I quite liked the Author’s writing style so I’d be checking more books from her.

When the first line of a book tells you that the character is going to kill their family, you are sucked in straight away!

Des is the main character in this book, he is married to Jenny and we hear about their story between when they met and now, when we hear that Des plans on killing his wife and children. While he is in fact "a good father" his obsession with controlling his wife becomes more and more difficult to read about, and the story builds and builds.

It will keep you hooked!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the ARC

<i> “By the end of next summer, before the kids go back to school, I will kill my family.”</i>

It's hard not to be drawn in with that kind of opening line.

This book is told purely from the point of view of Des. He is a father of 3 who does the soccer runs and cooks for the family and is seen as a good father. But he is controlling in a very passive aggressive way, constantly jealous, envious and fearful.

This is a pretty tough read, and a great attempt from the author to answer the questions that we all ask when we hear terrible stories on the news of a parent killing their whole family.

Although I appreciate the writing style and accept there is a terrible subject matter, I'm not sure reading this was overall a positive experience. Perhaps best for those who love a look inside the mind of a psychopath and aren't concerned with how it all ends.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t enjoy this book at all, I found it very depressing. Sorry it was definitely not for me.

Many thanks to netgalley and Catherine Talbot for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

What a compelling read right from the beginning! I loved the nonlinear timeline. I loved the first person. My eyes were wide as I read because I just had to see what happened next! Absolutely loved Catherine Talbot’s writing and I can’t wait to read more!!! 5 big stars from me!!!

I love books like this, great read well written, addictive and gripping, had me from the start, fully recommend

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC - I feel that the start to this book was quite promising, however for me it didn’t live up its expectations. It was ok, a fairly easy read, although quite depressing. It wasn’t for me but I am sure it will be popular for someone else.

I am so pleased that I was given the opportunity to read A Good Father, a début psychological thriller that exceeded my expectations!

With its bewitching and captivating opening sentence, the story slowly gathered pace and I loved the tension in the plotline. It tells the story of Des, his wife Jenny, and their children. Des is an unfulfilled life insurance salesman, but it is a steady job; he is a good husband and father and helps out at his sons' under-elevens football team. Jenny is an artist in her forties who works with wood and also sketches but earns very little. A Good Father tracks Des’s increasingly controlling behaviour and descent into meanness, jealousy, rage and murder.

Full of disturbing moments and totally addictive, it held my attention from the very first chapter. Set in Killiney, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Des is the narrator and the chapters set in the present (2017) alternate with chapters set in the 1990s when Des met and married Jenny. As far as Jenny is concerned, Des is a loving and attentive man who adores and supports her.

As a narrator, Des is extremely unreliable and Catherine Talbot's clever writing meant I didn't want to put this book down. The story evolves slowly, the suspense gradually building, bringing with it palpable tension and immense feelings of apprehension and dread, as well as a looming threat of violence.

This cracking story was very well executed by the author, with an explosive conclusion. I shall be looking out for Catherine Talbot's next offering as she clearly has talent. Filled with drama, I recommend A Good Father as a hugely worthwhile and excellent read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Penguin Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

The opening line of “Before the end of summer, before the kids go back to school, I will kill my family.” held the promise of a thrilling read. Des, the narrator, goes to great lengths to show the outside world he is a good father to his three children and devoted husband to Jenny. However the dark thoughts he has and his true feelings towards his family are far from good.

The book is dual timeframe, switching from present day and the period when Des first met Jenny.

I found this quite a slow read but I was keen to discover what happened to the characters, given the opening line.

I’d be interested to see what the author has in store for her next novel.

Thanks to Penguin Books UK and NetGalley for the review copy.

Our narrator is Des, a man masquerading as a good father and devoted husband to his artist wife, Jenny. The opening lines of the book, however, tell us all we need to know about his true feelings:

‘Before the end of summer, before the kids go back to school, I will kill my family.’

Des claims to be unsure of how best to protect his family and preserve their innocence in a modern world. In reality, he creates a narrative to justify the abuse of his family, his volatile temper and his increasing anger and bitterness towards his mundane life. We are shown flashbacks to the beginning of his relationship with Jenny in an attempt to help us better understand his current situation; instead it serves as an insight into the systemic abuse that Jenny has suffered at the hands of her husband.

Since Des is our storyteller, it is hard to enjoy this book. I started to get Jack Torrance from The Shining vibes from Des in the beginning – the flashbacks to historic episodes of violence coupled with the slow burning anger. By the middle of A Good Father, Des is a watered down version of Jack, but to be inside his mind as he tells his story is a very unpleasant place indeed.