How far would you go to help a friend? Would you help them bury the husband they have killed?

That's exactly what Jo does when her best friend Dana calls her, asking for her help. But then their story starts to crumble and the police start to get suspicious.

Wowzers! This was quite the ride. If you like fast paced twisty thrillers, this one should be on your tbr. I had no idea where things were going and managed to get through the majority of this book in one sitting.

When Jo receives a frantic late-night call from her friend Dana, little does she know that it will lead to a series of events that will test their friendship to its limits. A Friend Indeed by Elka Ray is a fast-paced suspenseful thriller that delves into the dark secrets hidden behind closed doors and the lengths people will go to protect themselves and their loved ones.

The story begins with Jo rushing to Dana's oceanfront mansion, only to discover Dana standing over her dead husband. Dana confesses to killing him after years of secret abuse, and pleads with Jo to help her cover up the crime. What follows is a gripping tale of deception, betrayal, and the consequences of keeping dark secrets hidden for too long.

The novel is written in dual points-of-view, allowing readers to see the story unfold from both Jo and Dana's perspectives. These type of novels add an extra layer of depth to the characters and allows us to stay engaged throughout. While the two main characters have their moments, not many of the characters in A Friend Indeed are extremely likable. However, it does seem that Elka Ray did this on purpose to allow you to keep the mystery of what happened until the last page.

While A Friend Indeed can be classified as a whodunnit novel, it doesn't really read as a typical one. The complex dynamics between Jo and Dana as they navigate the aftermath of Stan's murder along with the twists and turns throughout the book give us a different feel that your normal whodunnit novels.

As fans of novels that keep you guessing and have a few twists and turns, this felt like it would be perfect. However, we found the numerous twists, reveals, and shocks to be a bit too much.

Although this novel is not perfect, the themes of friendship, betrayal, and loyalty, A Friend Indeed is sure to leave a lasting impression on readers who enjoy a good psychological thriller.

Overall I found this thriller to be very fun and it kept me guessing a fair amount of the time. I also liked the examination of a devoted friendship between two women being pushed to the limit when one helps the other move and get rid of her husband's body, and the paranoia, fallout, and secrets that come out after the fact. But I do think that this book suffers from the fact that, for me, it has almost TOO many twists, reveals, and shocks. Sometimes less is more, and that is especially true for me when I am reading a thriller. I really don't like it when a thriller feels a need to keep shocking a reader, and A FRIEND INDEED definitely has shades of this.

I will definitely be looking into more Elka Ray books in the future, because A FRIEND INDEED was an enjoyable read, perfect for the upcoming summer season! It doesn't reinvent the wheel really, but that's totally fine.

I like the premise of A Friend Indeed: A true friend is one who would help you bury a body. But what about after the body is buried?

Unfortunately, I didn’t love this one. Most importantly, the writing style was not for me. There wasn’t much rhythm to the sentences & the paragraphs didn’t flow well; there was a constant use of very short sentences & inclusion of small off topic details that mostly seemed to distract from the scene.

I’ll also say, both main characters were deeply unenjoyable to read about. This isn’t to say “unlikeable,” because that is an inaccurate and unhelpful way to describe characters, but these two characters were so similar in the way they were judgmental and selfish and crazy hypocritical and lacked all self awareness, and there was absolutely nothing to connect me as the reader to either of the main characters. So, why even read this?!

The only humanizing aspect of either of them was their love for their children, which even then felt so shallow and unrealistic. From the first moment her son was being suspected of murder… Dana’s internal monologue should have landed very strongly one way or the other. Either she’s his son and she’ll walk backwards in to hell with him hand in hand, or he’s no longer her little boy and a monster and needs to go down. this whole “it can’t be him! …But what if it is… BUT IT’S NOT!” was so tiring and made the many twists toward the end weaker for it.

And it just did not sit right with me how so much of Jo’s stream of consciousness was dedicated to being misogynistic toward Gemma, a 16 year old student of hers and daughter of an old high school bully, without that hypocrisy ever getting addressed or challenged or leading to any sort of character depth or growth for anyone. It’s not healthy for any adult woman, especially a teacher, to have THAT much hate for random female students without a shred of empathy for the teenager’s internal life. If the author wanted to explore the internalized misogyny many women have that manifests in anger toward teen girls, that would have been a great way to do it, but it is never addressed through the whole book, not by Jo, or Gemma, or Dana or even subtextually. It felt shallow.

The twists didn’t really surprise me, and both of the characters missed plenty of things that were completely obvious, so the thriller/mystery plot was just okay for me. Not spectacular, and not terrible.

Overall, disappointing on both the thriller mystery side & the complex female relationships side.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book: A Friend Indeed
Author: Elka Ray
Publishing: May 14, 2024
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4/5)
Review:
Fast pace, duel POVs, secrets, lies, small-town vibes, blackmail, & women-centered.
I have conflicting feelings about this. There were a few things thrown in that I thought were unnecessary. It's an entertaining read if you don't take it too seriously. The settings and descriptions are very detailed. Not very many likable characters, but gives the story depth. Deliciously good twists and turns. I recommend this!

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, & the author of this ARC.
#AFriendIndeed #NetGalley #BlackstonePublishing #ElkaRay
*also added to goodreads*

This was a fast paced who-done-it / what-are-we-going-to-do thriller. I did guess some of the twist but was way off on some others! I enjoyed this read and would recommend it to friends and family. I think the dynamic between the 2 best friends was great and Jo is the ultimate BFF.

I was drawn to A Friend Indeed by Elka Ray because of its plot centering around two longtime best friends.

At first sight, this fast-paced psychological thriller is about a murder and how two women inexperienced in covering up crimes are covering up this crime. But this clever novel also explores what trust is and whether we can ever really know the people who are closest to us.

I love how the author starts the story immediately in the first sentence. Protagonist Jo gets a frantic call and rushes out late at night to help her best friend Dana. Her motivation is mixed yet seems to lean heavily on her satisfaction that Dana needs her.

“Pathetic, but there it is, even at my age. That’s a first in thirty years of friendship. Even as a young girl—no, especially as a young girl, Dana never needed me.”

The story is told from a double point of view, so the reader also gets Dana’s side of the events. This heightens the intrigue each time the perspective changes and deepens the reader’s understanding of both characters.

Ray writes tension extremely well. With short yet never boring sentences she draws you into Jo and Dana’s tribulations.

“My heart’s a panicked bird against glass, thrashing. I jab in the code. Finally the gates open.”

What made A Friend Indeed so compelling for me were the realistic details of everyday life. From household worries and extramarital affairs to teenage boys scoring drugs at school. In classic noir, you rarely see the tender intimacy of parenting young girls mixed with the brutal tragedy of death. In Ray’s excellent new novel the two go hand in hand.

The questions that torture Jo and Dana give this novel a spellbinding pull. Did anybody witness their coverup? Who is sending them blackmail letters? What do the cops know and what do they (only) suspect? Who is telling lies to whom? What keeps Jo and Dana from revealing the truth?

A Friend Indeed is a treat for lovers of shocking stories about betrayal and the sacrifices we make for love.

A fast paced, suspenseful, dramatic thrill ride! A summer must read!

The book opens with Jo receiving a frantic call from longtime friend, Dana. Jo’s friendship and loyalty is immediately put to the test. Dana’s husband has died and a cover up ensues.

I liked that this didn’t read as a whodunit. There are so many books that follow the same mold and great books end up being “meh” because it feels so repetitive. Instead this has the reader focusing on the ongoing guilt of the characters and the suspense of the possibility of being caught. Chapters as from two POVs: Jo and Dana. The two different perspectives and the emotion-fueled drama and paranoia of both characters makes the reader question if one or both are reliable narrators.

This was a fantastic read and is a great vacation option to gobble up in 1-2 sittings.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC opportunity.
Pub Date May 14 2024

This book read exactly like watching a Lifetime movie and I was sooo in the mood for that type of story when I started so this really worked for me. The pacing is fast and furious and it switches back and forth between Jo and Dana’s perspectives which just left me wanting to read just one more chapter until I had just finished the entire book. It opens with Dana calling Jo for help because she just killed her husband so a train wreck I couldn’t look away from right from the beginning. What follows is a twisty ride with over the top reveals and stunning twists that were outrageous but deliciously juicy and fun. If you don’t take this one too seriously and just suspended all disbelief this was a blast!

WHOA, was that ever a fast-paced read!! Ray writes like a bat-out-hell: her sentences rushing by like a fierce Northwestern wind.

The descriptions and settings were all on-point. I loved the details: the smell of the sea, the flowers Dana arranged, the artwork--I felt very much embedded in the lives of the two main characters: friends from childhood who become locked together in a game of cat and mouse after the death of one friend's husband. Who do you believe? Jo or Dana? Neither? Both? I honestly had no idea until the twisty twisty end.

A solid thriller from an exceptionally talented writer.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC of this book.

Elka Ray delivers a twisty, turny, keeps-you-guessing thriller in A Friend Indeed. It's a quick read that leaves you wanting to turn each page to find out who is lying to whom and will those lies catch up to them. Dana and Jo are old school friends who separated to lead very different lives. Now Dana lives in the wealthy neighborhood of their home town and Jo has moved back to start over with her young daughter, living in a small, basement apartment. But Jo owes a lot to Dana, so when Jo gets a call in the middle of the night from a distraught Dana, of course she's going to do whatever she can to help. But when helping means dumping Dana's murdered husband in the ocean, Jo starts on a path of both telling and discovering lies.

There are a lot of surprise moments in this story. Both the lead characters seem to do some very questionable things throughout the story, especially when it come to men. But there's a balance between how someone who has had an 'easy' life reacts to tragedy versus how someone who had it harder does. Ultimately, neither of these women are 'good' characters so neither are really likable. But if you want a nice suspenseful beach read, then this fits the bill.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for my ARC copy.

This was such a great read for me. It grabbed me right from the beginning and never let go. We often see the phrase "a real best friend would help you bury a body", but would they really? You gotta read this to find out.
The story is narrated by the two friends, Jo and Dana. You get the history of their friendship and their families, a few other people along the way and some pretty good twists. It moves at a fast pace and keeps you wanting more. If it weren't for those life things like work and sleep I probably would have finished in one sitting and I haven't had a book do that for me in quite a while.
A well written, fast paced thriller that keeps you guessing all the way and finishes with a jaw dropper. Five stars, highly recommend!

Thank you kindly to NetGalley & Blackstone Publishing for the eARC to read and review.

This was an enjoyable read! I loved the dual first-person narratives and cast of characters. There were definitely some unlikeable ones sprinkled in, but they added depth to the story. It gave 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑻𝒐 𝑴𝒆 vibes at times as well, and I loved that show!

A solid 3.5 stars, rounded down for nit-picky reasons, but definitely one I recommend picking up!

Thank you SO much to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I absolutely loved this!! Such great characters and a great storyline.

My full review is to follow in a few days.....

This was a fun one! Dana and Jo have been close friends since childhood, so when Dana asks for Jo's help disposing of her dead husband's body, Jo doesn't even hesitate. But perhaps she should have because next come drug dealers, hit and runs, extramarital affairs, and blackmail, all twisting and turning together to leave the reader questioning everything.
I loved the Washington State coast setting of this one and the 'rich people behaving badly' vibe. This is the author's first psychological thriller novel, and it ought not to be her last!

This was such a fast, twisty read! Every time I got interrupted, I couldn't wait to get back to Jo & Dana and see what they'd gotten themselves into next. The setting is very atmospheric and the tension palpable. This novel will make you think twice the next time your best friend asks for a favor.

A Friend Indeed has some great twists and turns and is quite pacey. It's a fun, quick, bingeable read. The characters are well-rounded and, at times, morally ambiguous (in the best possible way). Themes explored are friendship, fiercely protective maternal instincts, and class. This is a strong thriller all the way up to the finish, where you get one last gotcha, just pages from the end. Highly recommended.

If you liked the Netflix show “Dead To Me” you will enjoy this read!

When Jo gets a call from her longtime friend Dana, who she’s just recently reconnected with logistically, she rushes to her friends aid. What she doesn’t anticipate finding is Dana’s husband, Stan, lying dead on the floor. Dana convinced her to help cover it up, and now they’re left covering their tracks.

This was a short, easy read which I would recommend for fans of women centered thrillers, with dual POVs.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC

I constantly need attention…

Yes, I’m one of those.

Tell me I’m pretty and make me tacos and we will be best friends forever.

Unlike these women

Someone’s been naughty

It seems to me that someone needs a spanking and not the fun kind 😉.

A Friend Indeed

If this title doesn’t scream lifetime movie I don’t know what does . It also read just like it was playing out before your eyes. I knew these women on a first name basis and referred to them in conversation.

It was not once but twice I had to explain I’m not crazy … I mean I am, but not really, right?

“ Twisty and ingenious, A Friend Indeed is an engrossing psychological thriller perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Ruth Ware.”

Teaser :

When single mom Jo Dykstra was at her lowest--jobless and penniless--her childhood friend Dana McFarlane helped her out bigtime by securing her a teaching job and thus an opportunity for a new life in the affluent Pacific Northwest town of Glebes Bay. So, when Jo gets a frantic late-night call from Dana, sobbing and desperate for help, it feels like a chance to help her friend in return.

The last thing Jo expects to see when she arrives at Dana's oceanfront mansion? Her friend's handsome and wealthy husband, Stan, dead, sprawled face down on the floor. Dana admits to killing her husband following years of secret abuse and begs Jo not to call the police. For nearly two decades, Dana's marriage and family had looked picture perfect. Who'd ever believe that pillar-of-the-community Stan was a monster? Determined to cover up her husband's killing and shield her kids from scandal, Dana convinces Jo to help her dispose of the body.

But the cover-up starts to crumble when a blackmailer threatens to expose their crime. Hounded by gossipy neighbors, ill-fated lovers, and zealous cops, truth and lies are laid bare between Jo and Dana, putting their families in danger and threatening to shatter a thirty-year friendship. Shocking and fast-paced, A Friend Indeed is a riveting tale about the power of friendship and the deadly weight of lies.

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, Action, intrigue, Revenge, mystery, murder, a great who done it, great plot twist, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle!! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!