This is all about the poison that secrets and lies can bring to life. Holly's husband Gabe was killed instantly when he was struck b a car just as he was opening their car door for her. She's severely injured, so much so that the fixer who will change their lives approaches her daughter Savannah to offer an incredible package - money, a house in Calabasas, etc,- in return for silence. They take it and their lives are turned upside down in more ways than they could have expected. Holly's a fish out of water, Savannah is happy until....And then there are the neighbors. It's told from multiple POVs and the time line does shift back and forth but it all works. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Hard to review without spoilers but know that it's a page turner.

In one moment, Holly Kendricks’ life is changed forever. Her husband is killed and she is severely injured. Waking up in the hospital her teenage daughter, Savannah, is there along with a stranger, a man who says he wants to help her…for a price. Evan is an attorney for a powerful man, a fixer who rushes in when his client needs a situation “handled”. Holly and Savannah can have a life of ease, all they need to do is sign the paperwork. Grieving the loss of her husband, she is slightly hostile towards Evan and the way he arranges her life. Although the story line sounded interesting, I needed more information as to who the characters were (other than their name at the beginning of a chapter) before the author began switching from character to character. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

This story is told through several points of view to explore the costs of covering up a crime. Are the monetary rewards worth the guilt and fear of being exposed? This was an enjoyable twisty tale about secrets and the price to keep them.

The lives of Holly Kendrick and her 16 year old daughter, Savannah, are irrevocably changed one morning when a hit and run accident claims the life of Holly’s husband, Gabriel. With her mother still unconscious in hospital, Savannah is left to consider the offer from a stranger, a ‘fixer’ for a wealthy celebrity, to take care of everything if she would only get rid of the dash cam footage. Neither Holly nor Savannah want to accept this ‘blood money’ but with Holly’s injuries and no income what is the family to do? Holly agrees simply so that Savannah can have a more comfortable life. But of course secrets have a habit of leaking out when most inconvenient.

Evan, the fixer, arranges a rather splendid new home for the Kendricks in an upmarket area where Savannah might meet ‘the right people’. He also pays their bills, provides credit cards and so on. Holly is moved in but is never comfortable with the fancy house and the whole setup but Savannah seems happy so she goes with it. The neighbours try and be welcoming but the dynamic is a little off. Holly can’t help feeling like a fraud.

But when Savannah gets herself a boyfriend Holly is happy for her daughter. Little do any of the players know that the whole cover-up is about to be blown up!

This was rather impressive for a debut book. It was somewhat plausible but maybe more so for Californians and celebrities. The plot was different and good. The pacing worked well because we knew from the start that something awful was going to happen so tension mounted throughout the story. I thought the characters were well portrayed. Holly was never comfortable with her new found wealth but wanted the best for her daughter. The neighbours were trying desperately to be upwardly mobile but they were also very nice people and came through when needed. In fact it was the curiosity of the husband (a former investigative journalist and aspiring screenwriter) that drove a fair bit of the drama.

This was a story about how far you would go to protect someone you loved and the cost of keeping secrets. It also explores the question of whether money can buy happiness. I enjoyed the story and would be happy to read more from this author. Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

This is such a powerful story of love between parents and child and friendship between strangers. Characters nicely develop. The pace for the story is perfect, not too rush nor slow. Andy and Libby's story seems like a separate story that barely fit into the main storyline. The ending does wrap up the story nicely that didn't leave me to feel empty. Evan's character is to the story critical to the storyline stand, yet his backstory was weak. His feeling for Holly out of nowhere is hard to believe.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I mean doesn’t the title just make you think it’s going to be an amazing thriller?! The author wrote such a good storyline. The characters really go all out on this one, making you not want to stop reading!

***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.co.uk***

What an unexpectedly brilliant read. This had kept being pushed to the bottom of my tbr pile, shame on me, it was excellent.

Holly's husband is killed in tragic circumstances & now she & her teenage daughter are alone in the world.

They say that money can't buy happiness but can it buy silence for a secret that must be kept?

Solid Mystery, Could Have Used Better Time Notations. This is one that is intriguing, yet also a bit slow up front - and sometimes hard to keep track of who/ when we are in any given section. There are four main perspectives - the survivor of a horrific car crash, her daughter, a lawyer, and a new neighbor of the survivor and her daughter - with several others also thrown in at different times - the lawyer's client and the neighbor's wife being the main two of these. All interweave at various points all the way through the ending, and indeed the epilogue is almost Fallout style in giving updates on what happens from each character's perspective. The only real issue I had with the book was specifically the editing, and specifically that it could have used a "Present" header the same way it often used a "3 months ago" header when shifting perspectives. Usually the chapter after the "3 months ago" chapter is from the same character perspective, but now we're back in the present... except this is only really noted via context clues. Still, truly an excellent book that is much more that it appears at first, with a bit of a thriller at the back of the book in an epic conclusion. Very much recommended.

I couldn't put this book down. This book kept me guessing all the way until the end. A hit and run results in the death of the main characters husband. Whoever is responsible has a lot of money and offers to trade her a life of wealth for her silence. It all continues on from there. Can money buy happiness?

Overall I really enjoyed this book. You get a little bit of everything. Dark and messed up people doing dark and messed up things, family drama, Hollywood glamour....

On the day that Holly Kendricks husband is killed in a hit and run accident she makes a decision that impacts on more than her life. A fixer comes to her hospital bed, and tells her that a new house, car and lifestyle will be paid for her, to prevent the person who killed her husband from going to jail.
But her decision has a knock on effect for more than just her.
A novel with a dilemma is my sort of book, to put myself in Holly's position, what would I do?
A really good debut novel. Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

Got a secret,
Can you keep it?
Swear this one you'll save.
Better lock it in your pocket,
Taking this one to the grave.
If I show you then I know you
Won't tell what I said.
'Cause two can keep a secret
If one of them is dead.
--The Pierces (Pretty Little Liars)

What price can you put on silence? Holly Kendrick married her high school sweetheart and together they’ve made a happy home for their daughter, Savannah, even if they were considered white trash poor. But this loving family is about to face a choice of conscience after Holly’s husband is killed by a hit and run driver, and Holly is left with a shattered leg and a concussion. Laid up in a hospital bed unconscious and in dire need of surgery, Holly has no idea that her teenage daughter is meeting with a “fixer”. A man that is promising to make all their dreams come true with the assurance of purchasing them a perfect home in an upper-class neighborhood with excellent schools and more money than they could possibly spend. The cost? All they have to do is keep quiet…tell no one of their arrangement and say nothing about the vehicle that fled the scene. But what happens when guilt starts eating away at all the parties involved… “Guilty feelings can be boxed up, but life has a way of jostling them free. For some they leak out slowly, seeping into the deep crevices of your conscience, haunting your dreams until you die. For others, they build up like a steam in a pressure cooker, threatening to blow you wide open…this was not going to go away…the only unknown was who was going to slow rot, and who was going to explode…”

Told from alternating points of view with a “Then” and “Now” chapter sequence, GOOD AS DEAD is like nothing I’ve read before. A tale full of tragedy and second chances, the author weaves the characters in a series of events that builds until they fall like dominos one after another. While you may be quick to judge when the last page is turned, stop and put yourself in their place…take a long look in the mirror…what price would you pay to protect the ones you love? “Grief is relentless—a simmering flame that can be stoked by a whisper. It burrows down in the deep recesses of your heart, then surges up like bile, filling your lungs until it hurts to breathe.”

Loved and highly recommend! This is one of those mystery/thrillers I’ll be telling all my book peeps to read!




**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

“We’ll take care of everything, of course.”

Sweetest words you ever did hear – until you come to the chilling decision that silence has a price and it’s not always monetary.

Holly Kendrick’s life changes in a split second – her husband, Gabe, comes to open her car door for her and a SUV hits both of them, killing him instantly. When their daughter, Savannah, arrives at the hospital, she finds a strange man, a fixer for the high-powered guilty party, offering to buy them a new house, pay all hospital bills, provide a top surgeon for Holly’s operation, and financial freedom in exchange for their silence. Holly is in no position to refuse and they move into an upscale neighbourhood in Calabasas, California. It doesn’t take Holly, who formerly shopped at thrift shops and didn’t have a well-padded bank account, long to figure out that the neighbours have as many secrets as she does.

This fast-paced thriller answers the question – Can money buy happiness? You’ll be presented with multiple points of view; that of the fixer, the wife, the daughter, the director, and the neighbours. They all have secrets and you’ll have a front row seat when their carefully curated lives start to crumble.

Walter also draws our attention to the impact that one single decision has, not only on the decision maker, but on those around him/her. The ripple effect has a wide wake.

Different timeline shifts and points of view mean that the reader needs to read the chapter headings carefully!

Full of twists, an eye-popping climax and secrets galore, this psychological thriller needs to be on your radar come October 1, 2021.

“What is a human life worth?”

“They say money corrupts. I was a blatant case in point.”

“I suddenly realized, money can’t buy happiness. But is sure as s$&@ can take it away.”

I was gifted this advance copy by Susan Walter, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Thank you Netgalley and lake Union Publishing for an arc of this book. This book drew me in from the beginning! Holly was such a great character, I couldn't wait to find out what happens to her. The story was intriguing, even though it seemed that there were too many characters/stories going on at times. They all made sense at the end, though so it was okay. I found the different timelines a little confusing, and it took me a little time to get used to the same character in the "three months ago" chapters being the same as the next chapter that was in the present even though the chapter heading didn't say so. I'm not sure how I felt about the resolution, and the epilogues were kind of a let down for me. However, the book kept my interest and I enjoyed it!

This was a really exciting debut novel by Susan Walter. Right from the start it is a really exciting story as Holly's husband is killed in a hit and run right before her eyes. After that a fixer comes in to "fix" it for the guilty party, making sure Holly and her teenage daughter have everything money can buy, but will it buy happiness and at what cost?

The story goes on to show how both the guilty party, the fixer and Holly and her daughter live with their choices.

An exciting read with some twists that I kind of expected and some that I did not see coming.

When Hollie lost her beloved husband in a horrible hit and run she thought her life was over. While she was in the hospital her daughter found a stranger in her mothers hospital room promising to make things better by flying in the best surgeon possible to fix her mom’s broken leg. While Savannah has no idea what the far reaching consequences would be by agreeing to this, she knows that’s what her mom needs at that moment. As this stranger promises them a new home and more money than they will ever need, they know that accepting the deal will be life changing, but maybe not in a positive way. Told from different points of view, this story was an excellent edge of your seat mystery as well as examining love and loss. Highly recommend.

Holly Kendrick gets home from work when she becomes a witness to her husband Gabe’s murder. Her husband was opening the car door for her when a black SUV comes and mows him down. Which kills him instantly. But instead of getting the police involved, as Holly has video recording from a dashcam. The killer pays her to silence her and ends up buying her a mansion for herself and her daughter Savannah. Can they both start and new life regardless of what happened to Gabe. Will the money ease their pain of what happened that day?
They move into a mansion in Calabasas CA. But can they be happy? The neighbour’s sense that something is not right. But they are not the only ones with secrets. Some of the neighbours have too. Neighbour Jake is an investigative reported starts delving into their past to find out more about them and who is the man Evian that keeps coming to the house.
Susan Walter’s debt novel Good as Dead is a fast-paced thrilling read. It is a multi-layered story told in several points of view which wraps up nicely at the end. When I first started reading, I wasn’t sure if this was my kind of book but, I surprised myself how much I enjoyed it. This is a cleverly written story with a great twist at the end.

An accident irrevocably alters all lives involved, also those on the periphery. Initially, there are several voices in the story that Made it difficult to discern who they were, especially when they weren’t labeled. As I delved deeper into the story, threads began to appear. As those threads wove tighter into a more comprehensive picture, several key pieces of the story became clear. It’s an intricate plot and there’s lots of deceptions. I liked the story and how the author brought all the subplots together to complete the picture. An adage that fits this book’s theme is you get what you pay for.

What a great read, totally enjoyed the story . The story and characters were well written and I was quickly hooked. I would definitely recommend .

👩 Book Review 👩

👩 Good as Dead by Susan Walter

👩 Publication Date - 1st October 2021

👩 Holly Kendrick’s husband is dead. Holly saw it all. In one violent moment, a hit-and-run accident turns Holly’s life upside down. Then a fixer for the high-powered guilty party approaches Holly with an offer she is in no position to refuse. Holly and her daughter, Savannah, will want for nothing, beginning with a luxury dream house―all for the price of their silence. But when their sudden appearance in privileged Calabasas, California, piques the curiosity of neighbors, the price becomes greater than they imagined. Because Holly and Savannah aren’t the only ones in the neighborhood with something to hide.

👩 Good As Dead is a fast paced thriller! In a matter of seconds, Holly Kendrick’s life changes - first she witnessed her husband die in a hit and run accident then she accepts an offer for silence from the guilty party!

👩 The constant changes of perspective is very enjoyable, the book doesn't ever feel that it is slowing down or the excitement is going to stop.

👩 The characters were very well developed qbd very likeable.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars!
Holly Kendrick’s just has a traumatic experience! She just got home and her husband Gabe greets her by opening the car door for her. When out of nowhere comes a speeding SUV that hits and kills her husband. The guilty party flees the scene of the accident as he doesn’t want to go to jail for murder. Holly’s car has a ‘Dashcam’ so there is genuine fear that he will be identified.
Holly is given and offer for her silence that she cannot refuse ~starting with a beautiful home. Soon she and her daughter Savannah are living the life of her dreams!
Hmm ~ Can money bring happiness? Or does it destroy you?
I call myself a big fan of psychological thriller fan. Love the twists.
So when the story ~ seems like a ‘oh hum’ got this! Turns into a ~Wait I didn’t see that coming ~
Totally my kind of a story!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for professional review purposes only.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 14, 2021.