This debut novel by Susan Walter pulls you right in and keeps you turning the pages. It's very well written and you truly like the characters. The descriptions are very well done and the execution of the story is great. I throughly enjoyed this book from start to finish.

It definitely starts off with a promise. A promise to take care of everything. If you keep quiet. If you don't tell. If you can just move on and accept what happened. Holly and her daughter, Savannah, have their worlds torn apart. Turned upside down, in an instant. Things go from happy to horrible in the blink of an eye. Just a few seconds of looking away and nothing is the same. But they do move on. To a whole new life in a whole new part of town. To a very upscale area that they would never have had any other way. But can they truly move on. Can they truly forget what happened. Are they headed for a breakdown that they can't return from...

This book is told from many different voices. From the two survivors to others who are involved. Some even without their knowledge. At least for a while. Each story or perspective is also in two time frames. One being three month before and the other three months after or now. You learn about each person before things go so bad and after the fact. The things that lead up to the fact. What happens to Holly and Savannah will leave you holding your breath in many ways. You will want them to be happy and safe. You will like them. Even through all they have endured they are so close. Mother and daughter are always there for each other.

Someone is holding a huge secret though. Someone knows exactly what happened to Holly's husband. Who did what was done. They are willing to pay to keep it quiet. They are willing to do anything to keep things quiet. This book tells the story of a family's love for each other. What happens when you lose the one you depend on. The one you love so much. What you will do for the surviving one though. Also what a person will do for their child. Even when facing losing everyone they hold dear. I felt so bad for that one person in the end. I really did.

This book really pulls you in and won't let you go. Each chapter gives you more. Tells you more about each character. You get to know them in a deep way.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #SusanWalter, #LakeUnionPublishing, #AmazonFirstReads, for this book. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

5/5 stars and a high recommendation.

Good premise, but fell flat. The first half was extremely repetitive. I didn't believe Jack or Evan's characters at all. And the fact that Holly ended up with Evan was just gross.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I so wanted to like this, I just couldn’t get into it. It’s written from the point of view of six characters, and unfortunately I just didn’t connect with any of them. It has a lot of back and forth, but it is well written so easy to follow. I know this book will appeal to other readers, just not me I’m afraid. Thank you #netgalley

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC for a honest review! Happy Pub date!!
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This is a great way to start spooky season! I read this a few months ago as an eARC and I enjoyed how fast paced it was and the fact it was a good thriller with different perspectives! It was really neat to see everything tie together. With an unpredictable twist ending!

My only issue is was HOW MANY different characters had stories intertwined. At some point I was so confused and had to reread a few chapters to make sure I was getting everything right.
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Holly’s husband has just been killed by a hit and run driver. Her and her daughter, Savannah just had their life turned upside down, but someone how there is a mysterious person to still take care of them.

Holly and Savannah quickly uproot their lives and move to a nicer part of town where their arrival turns some heads.

Everyone has secrets to hide in this town, how do you make sure they are kept quiet?

I received a copy of this debut novel from NetGalley. In this fast-paced read, Holly's husband is killed right in front of her in a hit and run accident, in which she is also seriously injured. While she is unconscious in the hospital, her daughter Savannah is approached by a man saying that he will take care of everything if the dashcam video of the accident is not given to the police. Not knowing what to do, Savannah agrees, and Holly goes along with this decision. Holly and Savannah are soon living in an extremely nice house in an upscale neighborhood and have a seemingly unlimited amount of money to spend. Things, of course, are not perfect, and Holly and Savannah both struggle with the loss of husband/parent and with the decision they made.

I was immediately drawn into this story. It has family drama, suspense, intrigue, and I did not see all the twists coming! I highly recommend it!

I honestly don't know what to do with the moral and emotional dilemma that this book gave me! Would you be "paid off" to keep the details of your husbands (let's call it was it was..) murder? Or would you tell them to shove off? I loved the daughter Savannah's outlook and how she grew up in a relatively short period of time. I really enjoyed this book. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

In one moment Holly Kendrick’s husband is killed in a hit-and-run, whilst Holly is left severely injured & her daughter, Savannah knows their life will never be the same. She doesn't know just how true that will become, as they are approached by Evan - a fixer for a Hollywood heavyweight.. Evan has a proposition: his employer will pay for Holly's hospital treatment, move them into a new house in a swanky neighbourhood, & pay them a generous allowance - if they don't go to the police about the accident. The new neighbourhood is all they envisaged, but when they make friends with the neighbours, they realise that they aren't the only ones with secrets.

I an in two minds with this one. On the one hand, I liked the plot & I really wanted to know what was going to happen next, but on the other hand, the characters were drawn rather thinly & I didn't feel as if I was connecting with them at all. Andy was probably the most down-to-earth & relatable character. The twists of the plot were not a surprise, but I did think it was a decent read.

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Lake Union Publishing, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

WOW. This book blew me away! This is a binge-able thriller that will not disappoint. Susan Walter is definitely an auto-buy author after this one! If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would!

Holly Kendrick always sits in her car when she gets home for a few extra minutes to enjoy the cool air conditioning before facing the So Cal heat. Her husband always comes to meet her and open her door. Today this leads to tragedy. As he opens the door a black SUV strikes him and Holly killing him instantly and fleeing the scene. When Savannah reaches the hospital to unconscious mother is, she finds a strange man in the room. At first she thinks he is an ambulance chaser but he is there to make her a deal- a new house, all hospital bills covered and money beyond their wildest dreams in exchange for their silence. What is a human life worth? Can money really buy happiness?
The story is told between various characters- Evan, the attorney/fixer, Holly, Savannah, the famous director who is trying to do the right thing and the neighbors- an overly inquisitive and slight envious wife and her aspiring screenwriter husband.
I really enjoyed this and this was another of those times when you open a book intending to read a chapter to get the feel of the story and find yourself blinking hours later when you finish and wonder how it got to be so late. The only thing that keeps this from being a full five star is it seemed to veer into preachy towards the end. This is due for publication on October 1, 2021 and definitely should be on everyone’s’ fall reading lists. Thank you to #netgalley and #lakeunion publishers.

It all starts with a promise from a stranger: We’ll take care of everything.

And what a perfect start! Told in alternating points of view, which I love. A crime, a cover up, deceptions! The perfect combo for a crime thriller. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more from the author!

Maybe I'm old fashioned but I like a book where I can root for the protagonist. I guess not everyone likes the multiple POV storytelling but I felt the author did an excellent job building up the characters this way and I found myself pulled right into the plight of Holly and Savannah. In fact, I felt connected with all the characters in this book and loved the plot twists and excellent storytelling. Great read all around and I hope to see more books from this author.

This is a very readable thriller. I kept flipping those pages because one chapter would end and I would keep going. Each chapter easily led to the next and I wanted to keep reading. That all said, this is one that started off so strong, but kind of fizzled out for me by the end. This is mostly because I saw the ending coming and was not surprised by any of the twists. That is always kind of a bummer when you are reading thrillers, at least for me. I also think the many POVs hurt this one rather than helped the suspense. I think we needed to cut at least two POVs.

I think I would still recommend this one despite the complaints I have simply because it is so readable. There are several points to the ending that I would love to discuss with others because I have some questions. I cannot ask these questions here because, well, spoilers! But I would ask if I could. I think if you read this with others, it might make an interesting read because you could discuss these points I have questions about.

This is definitely not a perfect thriller, but it is interesting. I don't think you would be bored reading this one. It is unique and the pace is quick.

A hit-and-run accident which seriously injures Holly and kills her husband turns Holly Kendrick’s life upside down. A fixer for the guilty party offers a whole new lifestyle to Holly and her daughter Savannah, including a new home in an upper class neighbourhood in Los Angeles. In return they must keep silent about the accident.

The story is told in nice short chapters from the alternating viewpoints of the main characters going back 3 months and then forward to the present. This is another book that I enjoyed much more than I expected to. It was well written and a quick read with good characters and a novel plot, quite different from the usual storyline. I was happy with the epilogue which wrapped everything up nicely. This is the author's first novel and I really hope she intends to write more. Recommended.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.

Publication Date: October 1, 2021

I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was really different to other books I have read recently At first I thought I had managed to work out quite a bit of the plot, and I was curious to see if I was right, and if that was it. I was right to a certain extent, but thankfully there was a lot more to the book than I had anticipated, and it was quite a ride, with some unexpected turns that I certainly didn't see coming. I loved it.

Thank you to #NetGalley for allowing me to read #GoodAsDead by #SusanWaller
A terrific book, with a very engaging story.
When Hollys husband is killed in a hit and run herself left injured and unconscious it is her 16 year old daughter who picks up the pieces and sets in motion their future arrangements.
Told from the viewpoints of an unlikely group of people who are all drawn together by the tragic incident and what follows.
This book is not one to miss.

What a debut novel !

Holly and Savannah take a deal that will enable them to live more than comfortably after the hit and run death of their husband/father.

A pay off.

Did they just do a deal with the devil?

Can they live with themselves keeping such a huge secret?

Twists and turns, red herrings will keep you on your toes as the pages fly by.

I could not put this book down, I had to know what would happen to everyone involved.

No spoilers.

Good as Dead deserves to be on the top of your TBR piles.

Can't wait for Susan Walter's next book. First in line I will be.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a thrilling read.

This was an excellent book, one of the best I’ve read in months! I loved the alternating viewpoints of the characters as well as the intriguing plot lines. I will definitely look for more from this author!

After a hit-and-run accident leaves Holly injured and her husband dead, a fixer for a high-powered guilty party offers Holly and her daughter a life of luxury in exchange for silence. Told from alternating points of view, Susan Walter's Good As Dead explores how an unlikely group of people are bound to one another by a crime and its cover-up, and what happens when it begins to crumble.

I've never seen a book balance this many character across a three-month timespan so effectively, achieved due to Walter's concise and matter-of-fact writing style. The chapters alternate between each character three months ago and then present-day, yet are kept short while revealing more about the character and moving the plot forward. I usually find such quick character shifting annoying and hard to settle into, but Walter does it expertly.

Due to the back of forth switch between each character, it took a while to get to the climax we know is building, but luckily it didn't feel too annoying due to the short, informative, and intriguing information. Some parts were unfortunately somewhat boring, which is why this doesn't get 5 stars from me, but it doesn't last long before it flings into tension and becomes a real page-turner. There were times I gasped and said things such as "no!!!" out loud.

Good as Dead is a great idea written in a unique way in a successful manner. I note the author is a screenwriter and director with one film under her belt, as well as this one book, and I'd love to see this book made into a film due to how gripping the story and characters are. It was thrilling to watch unfold and to live inside the character's heads, who were all incredibly different from one another. I will definitely look forward to whatever Walter writes next, be it film or book.

Holly Kendrick has a wonderful husband and a 17-year-old daughter whom she loves dearly and they have a good relationship.

Gabe is killed in a horrific hit-and-run accident. The driver of a large SUV tore the door off of their car, killing Gabe and leaving Holly on the road, twisted, her knee broken.
They are approached with house and Money as long as they don’t turn the driver in.
All they have to do is to keep quiet about what they saw during the accident. Holly doesn’t remember much.

Savannah knows that they desperately need the money. Her mom won’t be able to work for a long while, they have lost her father and his income and the medical bills are mounting.

They accept the offer even though Holly is not sure.

The neighbors are watching and it is getting harder to not turn in the driver.

Great read!

#bookstagram ##featuremybooks #booktography #bookpic #bookstagramista #mybookfeatures #booknerd #bookishfeatures #bookwormlife #instabooks #readingrocks#netgalley

A book that starts as a hit-and-run story and then turns to the age-old question of can money buy happiness. I couldn't believe this book was the author's first novel since I was hooked. It has a little bit of everything for every reader. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.