Clemmie and Muffin are friends but that doesn't mean they know everything about each other. They both have secrets and they begin to come to light one morning at church when Muffin abruptly drags Clemmie away after spotting a man she thinks she knows. But before there is time to figure out what is going on a good deed will be committed.

The story alternates with chapters from the past where we learn more about a young woman named Christaphine. The story covers topics of ageism and racism. There is a connection with the author's previous book and it may be helpful to read that one first.

This isn't a typical thriller. You might like this If you like stories with a message and character driven stories. I expected something a little different. Also the ending didn't work for me. Don't forget about the title of the book. It's important.

Clemmie is a good listener and her friend Muffin tells her what happened in a small town in South Carolina in 1964. Muffin is afraid the past will catch up with her. And Clemmie is afraid of the same.
This book deals with friendship and racism. Reminded me of To Kill A Mockingbird.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and to the publisher Poisoned Pen Press.

Oh, this was so good but so painful. Two women with such dark secrets in their pasts that come back to haunt them. Really well done. It’s weird for me being a “northerner” reading about people from the south and how totally different we are.

This was my first book by this author and I was left wanting, wanting to know more about Clemmie especially. The book felt like it was missing something, or I was. And then I realized this is part two of Before She Was Helen! I had no idea and had not read the first book.

The beginning of the book was suspenseful and I felt the tension while reading but the ending felt a little rushed and seemed unfinished, the book is very short page-wise. Cooney mixes past and present with sensitive issues like ageism and racism, especially those at the forefront of the 1960s. That is usually a very enjoyable topic for me, I love Southern fiction especially of the historical kind.

I enjoyed the senior angle as there aren't a lot of books that have older women of a certain age as the main characters but the whole Clemmie angle should have been left out as she already had her book...it added nothing and was dissatisfying. There was lots of internal dialogue and that's okay sometimes as you can get inside a character's head but there was lots of saying and not enough doing. I loved the premise but the book lacked in the execution.

Such a fun read!! About two ladies who now live in a retirement community and the death of one of them, what lead to Muffins death? Was it something from her past? Which good deed lead to her murder will surprise you! I enjoyed this funny, heart warming and clean story!

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!!

A big thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Wrong Good Deed by Caroline B. Cooney. I was thrilled to learn that my request to read this book was approved in exchange for my honest review. Caroline B. Cooney was an author whose books I enjoyed immensely as a tween and teen, and I was delighted to learn she wrote adult novels as well.

It seems as though The Wrong Good Deed is a sequel to another novel by Caroline B. Cooney called Before She Was Helen. I haven't read that book yet, but it is on my list of books to read because it would explain the background of the main character of The Wrong Good Deed. Where as this book can be read as a stand alone book, it would have been that much better had I read the other book first!

I enjoyed the flashbacks to the 1960's and was shocked at the small Southern town's reaction to desegregation. Even though this is a work of fiction it gave me insight to how people reacted back then and how some of them had regrets about their actions or lack thereof. Not being alive during this time period, I can't fathom what it was like to live then except for reading about it. It made my heart break. I don't have any complaints about this story.

Well-written, engrossing, and heartbreaking, The Wrong Good Deed gives the reader a glimpse into history that has one on the edge of their seat. Five out of five stars.

Set in South Carolina in both the 1960s and fifty years later, The Wrong Good Deed surprised me. Through the eyes of two women, author Caroline B. Cooney writes racism, segregation (signing out library books was an ordeal) and intense hate during the civil rights era into this arresting story.

Christaphine's husband Tommy was part of a group about to lynch a young man. Christaphine was in the right place at the right time for him but put herself into grave danger. Her life changed forever.

Fifty years later in their 70s, friends Muffin and Clemmie were living in a retirement home, hiding dangerous secrets from each other and everyone else. Their loneliness also contributed to the haunting atmosphere.

My favourite aspect of the novel is that the main characters are aging rather than thirty somethings. They deal with a kaleidoscope of emotions and experiences. The ending is not what I expected.

My sincere thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this unique and compelling novel.

Residents of Sun City, SC, a senior retirement community have to deal with bad memories and crimes from the past. Several of them are not who they seem to be, and fear having their past names and actions dredged up. Times have changed--but have the people?

The main viewpoint character appears to be the same person as in Cooney's Before She Was Helen, slightly earlier in her life. But I thought that that other not-Helen had a family, and this one doesn't seem to.

Not a great book, but not bad.

This book surprised me in a good way. It was a thought-provoking page turner that I read in 2 sittings. I liked the fact that we heard the story from the characters who were in their 70's living in a retirement home. Clemmie and Muffin were certainly full of surprises. Their pasts are coming back to haunt them, some 50 years later. It is a dark read that had some lighter moments with the elderly cast.

I look forward to reading more from this author. Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for my advanced reading copy. Published May 2nd

I remember reading books by Cooney as a kid, so I was excited to try out this novel and see if the magic was still there. Unfortunately, for me, this one just didn't hit the mark. There are many good things about this story, and much to learn about the subjects involved, but I just had a very hard time getting into the book. I had to keep reminding myself to pick it back up.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the advance copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I thought the beginning of this book was very good. The story started out really good but as it got closer the the middle closer to the ending it really disappointed me. The story just fell flat for me.

I recently was given the opportunity to read The Wrong Good Deed by Caroline B. Cooney and really enjoyed it! It was not at all what I was expecting but I was still very pleasantly surprised by it by the time I was finished reading.

As a Canadian, I don't know a whole lot about the history of the USA and so as this book discussed historical events, I was learning a lot about how desegregation occurred which was very interesting to me. It was interesting to me that this book about a seniors community could be so fascinating and I definitely did not expect it to be so tense that I had to read it in under 24 hours! All of these details lead to a story that I did not expect but yet I really enjoyed. The author did a very good job of intertwining all of the characters' backstories in unexpected ways, making me excited to see how each new character fit into the puzzle and how each one was connected to the final resolution.

My only complaint about this book was simply that Clemmie's backstory felt unnecessary at times. It never seemed to be tied into the main storyline and so just merely existed on the sidelines with no impact on the rest of the story. If it had been tied in more at the end it would have seemed more important and so I think that I would have been able to enjoy reading those portions of the book more than I did.

Overall, I really enjoyed this glimpse into American history and the suspenseful storyline!

I received a copy of this book for free, and I am reviewing this voluntarily.

Buckle up your seatbelts and get ready for one heck of a ride: I read “The Wrong Good Deed” in two very short evenings! Taking place over the course of a week, the plot is… alas, there’s lots I want to say about this book, but really can’t because, well, spoilers, and I really don’t want to ruin the goodness of this novel for you. What I can say is that it deals with issues of racism, segregation, white supremacy, compliance through silence, lynchings, finding answers and peace, facing the harsh realities of who we are, questions of loyalty to one’s friends and family, love, moving on and looking back, being afraid of your past, and looking over your shoulder.

Clemmie and Muffin’s stories are revealed through the day to day using current events to reveal their separate pasts. I’d have liked to know more of Helen/Clemmie’s story as so much is alluded to with questions and details left to discover or interpret. Cooney has written “Before She was Helen” which I think would answer many of these questions. I have yet to read this book but am planning on rectifying this soon (it is not a series, though you can certainly read them in order or as stand-alone novels). I also thought that the plot’s resolution was very fast, (and included a few surprises) but I did enjoy how most everything was wrapped up. I am wondering if Cooney plans to set a third novel in Sun City retirement community with some of the same characters to satisfy even more of the answers.

I first read a book by Caroline B. Cooney when I found her in the stacks at my school library. I devoured the “Face on the Milk Carton” and have been a fan of her writing ever since. That said, I hadn’t realized that she was writing adult fiction until recently and am so very glad that @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress approved my request to read “The Wrong Good Deed” which is released on May 2, 2023. Preorder your copy today!

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This review is a bit hard for me as I enjoyed the premise and feel of the beginning however, it was ultimately a letdown. I was confused by who was actually the main character and was left wanting for the comeuppance of many. Unfortunately, the ending missed the mark for me. I am a fan of the writing style and flow, but the ending seemed a bit washed over. Sorry.

I am a big fan of Caroline Cooney books, so I was thrilled to receive an early copy of The Wrong Good Deed. This book tells the story of two elderly friends, Muffin and Clemmie, who are living in a retirement community. During a church service, Muffin thinks she recognizes a dark figure from her past. We are transported back in time 50 years when we learn Muffin was living a married life in her 20s. It was then Muffin stopped a crime that was going to take place, and she fled her life. Now, someone who knows her past is back. There are a lot of underlying themes in The Wrong Good Deed, such as racism, de-segregation, and the treatment of seniors in society. This was a very quick and enjoyable read at under 300 pages. I would have liked to learn more about these characters, but overall this was a great mystery. I particularly liked reading about how elders relive their youth.
Thank to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 20% - just could not get into this no matter how hard I tried. I'll keep it mind to go back to, but it feels like it should be marketed as Christian fiction, in which case, I would have known I wouldn't enjoy it.

This book was quite unexpected for me. I enjoyed it but it was a lot heavier than I anticipated. Perhaps I need to give it another go when I'm in the right mindset!

The Wrong Good Deed
by Caroline B. Cooney
Pub Date 02 May 2023
Poisoned Pen Press
Women's Fiction

Clemmie and Muffin are friends living in a retirement home. As their dangerous past haunts them, the duo must confront dark secrets. Told from alternative POV's these feisty ladies prove that age is not an issue.

Despite the lighthearted moments, the author addresses serious issues of racial inequality during the Civil Rights era. Check the trigger warnings before proceeding. This material may not be suitable for all audiences.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sharing this novel with me. Your kindness is appreciated.

The Wrong Good Deed is a standalone mystery drama by author, Caroline B Cooney. When I was a teenager, Caroline B Cooney was one of my absolute favorite authors, and years later I didn’t realise that she had written other adult books. When I saw this one coming up, I didn’t hesitate to grab a copy and I’ll definitely be going back to check out what else she has written since I was a teenager. The story of this one follows two friends in their 70s living in a retirement village. We learn about Christaphine’s past in which she did a ‘good deed’ for someone which ended up costing her everything. As someone who lives and grew up in a very different part of the world, I found the South Carolina setting in the 60s very eye opening and interesting to read about. I thought having the older characters was a nice change of pace as most thrillers I read are typically people in their 20s-30s. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an arc.

Having read Caroline B. Cooney books when I was a tween/teen I was super excited to receive an early copy of The Wrong Good Deed. I did enjoy this book. I liked that the main characters were older adults, but felt that we could have gotten more backstory for one of the them. I received an e-arc.of this books from netgalley and the publisher poisoned pen press in exchange for my honest review.