Stay-at-Home Dad Investigate Murder

A Rough Way to Go is a darkly comic and suspenseful novel that follows the story of Peter Greene, a stay-at-home father who discovers the body of a wealthy Wall Street investor washed up on the shore. This discovery propels Peter into a reluctant investigation, uncovering financial crimes and personal secrets. The narrative is a blend of domestic suspense, sleuthing, and psychological thriller elements, reminiscent of Gone Girl but from a male perspective.

Overall, A Rough Way to Go is a compelling debut novel that offers a unique perspective on contemporary issues through the lens of a stay-at-home dad turned amateur detective. Its combination of dark humour, suspenseful plot, and insightful commentary makes it a standout read. Whether you're looking for a gripping mystery or a thought-provoking exploration of modern masculinity, this book delivers on both fronts.

A rough way to go starts out extremely slow but eventually redeems itself,in a way. I enjoyed the character of Peter Greene. An unemployed finance dad that is tired of feeling insignificant in his life. He adores his three year old son but that's all he has to fill his days until a body washes ashore. Peter is shocked to see a wealthy finance guy from his old life. He goes to the police but they are convinced its accidental drowning. He decides to shake things up and investigate on his own.
There were a few bright spots to this novel but a lot of it was hard to believe but a lot of it was hard to believe and far-fetched as well as a little bit boring. However, I did enjoy Peter's investigation and how he grows throughout the story. The ending also wraps up nicely.

The premise of A Rough Way to Go sounded really interesting but the execution didn’t work for me and I ultimately decided to DNF.

Peter worked in finance on Wall Street, and though he was successful, he became victim of a reduction in force. For a short time he pretended he was on jury duty so he would not have to confess to his wife that he was out of a job. When his wife decided they should move to the beach since it would be a better place to raise their baby, he happily agreed. There he became a stay at home doting father to his small son. When he decided there was something suspicious about the body he found in the surf, his life became more complicated. I did not like any of the characters in this story and felt no sympathy for any of them. There was a twist at the end of the story I did not expect. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc with no pressure for a positive review.

Published by Grand Central Publishing on May 21, 2024

A Rough Way to Go is a dark comedy about financial crime and murder. The comedy comes from the hapless but likable narrator, Peter Green, an unemployed househusband who spends his time surfing, hanging out at the gym or library, watching his young son, and trying to finish the endless stream of errands his wife tasks him with completing. She peppers him with constant texts asking where he is, what he’s doing, when he’ll be home.

Pete’s “future appears pointless and bleak.” At least that’s how it appears to Pete, who apparently lacks the ambition to give his future a different shape. Some of the novel’s most amusing moments come from Pete’s efforts at quiet rebellion — like not putting down the toilet seat — when he tries to show his wife that he’s the boss.

Pete and Lauren used to live in the city. Pete lost his job for reasons that are never quite clear, probably because Pete is narrating the story and wants to gloss over his many failings. He was out of work for almost two years before Luke was born. Luke is almost four now and Pete hasn’t made a diligent effort to find a new job. Nor has he been a happy househusband. Pete once pretended he had jury duty to get away from Lauren and Luke.

Lauren works in finance, as did Pete when he last had a job. She seems to view Pete as her unpaid assistant whose only reason for existing is to make her life easier. She is remarkably unsympathetic when he comes home from the hospital after surviving a beating. Being married to Pete, on the other hand, would be exasperating. The story hints at mental health issues.

When Lauren told Pete she wanted to move to a location a few hours away, a place near the ocean with a more relaxed lifestyle, Pete was ecstatic. He now devotes himself to surfing whenever the weather and his childcare duties permit. Pete often takes Luke to the beach and meets up with his buddy Frank, who earns a living as a handyman who takes care of people’s property during the offseason. They take turns watching kids while the other surfs.

Pete has occasionally chatted with another surfer, Robert Townsend. They shared a background in finance but, like most of the people Pete knows, Townsend seemed to be put off by Pete’s unemployment.

Townsend’s body is found on the beach. Pete had seen him in the late afternoon on the day he entered the water. It seemed unlikely to Pete that Townsend would have gone surfing in the late afternoon after they chatted, given the weather. Townsend supposedly drove to a different beach where he supposedly had a surfing accident that resulted in a broken neck. The facts don’t make sense to Pete, so he presses a cop he knows from the gym to investigate. The cop wants Pete to calm down, but serenity doesn’t seem to be in Pete’s nature.

The story follows Pete as he makes a nuisance of himself trying to solve Townsend’s murder, if in fact it was a murder. The police seem indifferent to, or perhaps annoyed by, his suspicions. The clues that drive him are ambiguous. He bases conclusions on partial evidence, conclusions that seem to be wrong when more facts become available. Yet his suspicions are plausible, given the coincidental pattern of deaths among partners in the finance firm that employed Townsend. The firm has a checkered history that has left some investors in ruin. Perhaps Townsend was threatening to disclose illegal conduct. Maybe he wanted a bigger cut in exchange for silence.

The police warn Pete that he’s on the wrong track and repeatedly try to persuade him to stay out of police business. Perhaps the warnings have merit, but Pete is certain he’s being followed. A thuggish man threatens his family (although no witnesses can corroborate the encounter). Another administers a very real beating (although it might have been an ordinary bar fight). Townsend’s brother encourages Pete’s investigation but, for reasons that aren’t immediately clear, the sheriff is enraged that Pete even talked to the brother. The sheriff doesn’t even like the fact that Pete went to Townsend’s funeral or visited his widow to pay his respects — or more accurately, to make inquiries in furtherance of his haphazard investigation.

In the meantime, Pete’s wife is on the verge of divorcing him. Pete begins to question his own mental health. The reader will do the same.

These seemingly random facts not only add up to a story, they furnish clues to the mystery (if there is one) of Townsend’s death. The story’s genius lies in its creation of uncertainty about whether a crime even occurred or whether Pete has fantasized a murder and criminal conspiracy from a simple surfing accident. The solution is unexpected and smart.

Sam Garonzik milks a clever plot for its comedic potential, drawing from the dark humor that underlies relationship dramas, amateur detectives, and financial shenanigans. Most of the humor comes from Pete’s obsessive personality. A Rough Way to Go tells a fun, engaging story about a likable if downtrodden protagonist who might deserve some, but not all, of the hardships he endures as tries to puzzle out the circumstances of Townsend’s death.

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@novelsuspects granted me A ROUGH WAY TO GO by Sam Garonzik through @netgalley which was published on May 7th.

This is a suspense that felt very unique as it is all from Peter's perspective, a reluctant stay-at-home dad to his toddler, Luke. He and his little buddy meet and forge if not a friendship, a mutually beneficial companionship with Frank, who also has a young son. The men enjoy surfing and switch turns watching the boys and catching the waves. Peter's existence is full of angst, not feeling like he measures up and searching for something meaningful while loving his time with his son and less so with his wife. When a body is found washed ashore, and he knows who it is, Peter is compelled to search for answers. He opens a Pandora's box that threatens to drag him under as well.

I found this story really fascinating. The roles were interesting to me to see in Peter's marriage. The suspicions and compulsion he had to pursue this one seemingly random event felt extreme yet plausible. It worked for me. Every time I opened my Kindle, I was so curious to see what was next. Then it ended and, well, I don't know. I often love unusual or surprising endings, but this one didn't quite do it for me. I wanted a different resolution apparently.

Still, the story held my interest and I enjoyed it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I would recommend it, especially for those who are willing to try something fresh!

Sam Garonzik's intriguing debut, A ROUGH WAY TO GO, explores a former financial analyst husband, now a stay-at-home father and surfer whose life turns upside down when he begins investigating a mysterious drowning when dark secrets are unraveled, which may change the trajectory of his life and family.

About...

Peter (Pete) Greene, his wife Lauren, and their three-year-old son Luke moved to a sleepy beach town outside New York. Peter feels at a loss taking care of his loveable toddler and enjoys his time with his fellow surfer buddy Frank and others, who take turns caring for the children when the others surf. There is no hope of a job here.

Then, one day, the body of a man, Robert Townsend, who had worked for a Manhattan private equity group, GDR, is found washed ashore in a wet suit on the beach where Peter and Frank surfed.

Peter is intrigued by this mysterious death. How could this have occurred? He becomes obsessed with solving this mystery and even goes to the police with his son in hand to mention he had seen him on the beach. He cannot stop thinking about the guy they say was an accidental drowning, but could it be murder? He thinks there is a lot more to this story than meets the eye. HE IS NOT WRONG.

For some reason, no one else is as bothered by this guy's mysterious drowning (or was it murder), and he even attended the funeral.

Lauren and Peter have a distant, cold relationship. Their marriage is deteriorating. Something is missing in his life. She is the breadwinner, and Pete feels his wife only sees him as a babysitter. He does not feel like he is contributing and is resentful, even though he is a great father, loves his son, and wants the best for him.

However, the further he digs into the mystery, the more he puts his family in danger. He has no clue about the web of deceit and lies he is about to unravel or how far others, even those closest to him, may go to keep this secret buried. Knowing what happened could affect himself, his son, and his family.

Has he uncovered something sinister enough to risk his life and even his family?

My thoughts...

A ROUGH WAY TO GO is a darkly comic tale from a man's point of view blended with gripping domestic suspense, sleuthing, and psychological crime thriller. You have no idea where the author is taking you, the reader; however, by the time you reach the ending, your head is spinning at the jaw-dropping conclusion. It is a wild ride.

While I thought Peter's character was well-developed, all the other conversations, dialogue, and characters seemed robotic and flat. I would have liked to have seen more character development. Lauren is a horrible dull character, and she and Pete's relationship is strange and distant. I did enjoy the storyline, and when you reach the ending, you will almost root for Peter's thoughts and the outcome as he weighs his choices in this dilemma.

The novel is moody and a little unsettling, dark, sad, insightful, melancholy, yet at times darkly comic with a Gone Girl vibe. Written from a male perspective, which is a nice change from the norm of a stay-at-home mom (role reversal), it gives you mixed emotions about a man who turns out to be an unlikely hero. You are turning the pages to see how it will turn out, and then BAM—you are blindsided when the ball is dropped.

You are anxious to see how Peter will react to this information and what he will do. Then it kind of leaves the reader to decide. You will think more kindly of the dad once the last page is turned and his reaction. I could almost see a sequel (may be fun) with revenge and payback.

Recs...

Fans of Teddy Wayne, Lou Berney, Dan Chaon, and Ken Jaworowski may want to give this one a try. It is for readers who enjoy satires and contemporary topics such as masculinity, unemployment, fatherhood, life struggles, money, marriage, and more.

I look forward to reading more from this author. However, there is barely anything about the author online or a photo - mysterious?

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy for review purposes.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 3.5 Stars (rounded to 4)
Pub Date: May 21, 2024
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What a debut! The premise of this book really called to me and the story delivered. It’s honestly one my favorites this year. I loved having a thriller where the main character is a single dad. This was not only relatable but it was intense and I found myself *of course* rooting for him. I also didn’t have a clue who villain was so kudos to Sam Garonzik!

A Rough Way to Go by Sam Garonzik is a compelling and intriguing story.
A real page turning suspense novel. A plot that moves along at warp speed, and my Kindle pages seemed to turn themselves. With a unique protagonist, an interesting setting, and a story that grabs you from the beginning and keeps on building.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you Netgalley & Grand Central Publishing for an eARC ♥️


As a stay-at-home parent myself, I connected deeply with Peter Greene's struggles to find purpose and identity outside of his role as a caregiver. The author's raw and honest portrayal of the challenges of modern fatherhood resonated with me on a profound level. I loved how the book explored the complexities of masculinity and the pressure to provide, even when the traditional breadwinner role is turned on its head.

But what really drew me in was the thriller aspect of the story. I was on the edge of my seat as Pete dug deeper into the mysterious death and uncovered a web of secrets and lies. The twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end! I loved how the author wove together the threads of the mystery, keeping me guessing and suspecting everyone.

What I loved most about this book was its unflinching examination of masculinity, marriage, and the struggles of adulthood. It's a story that will resonate with anyone who's ever felt lost or uncertain about their place in the world. The writing is gritty and real, with a dash of humor that had me laughing out loud.

Peter's relationship with his son Luke was particularly poignant, and I loved how Sam Garonzik showed the beauty and chaos of parenting ♥️

In A Rough Way to Go from Sam Garonzik, Peter Greene never expected to end up as unemployed, but here he is, the stay-at-home dad, taking care of 3-year-old, Luke, while his wife, Lauren, commutes to New York for work every day. Peter used to be a Wall Street financial analyst until he was ‘let go.’ Shortly after Luke’s birth, Lauren decides they should leave New York, so they moved to a small beach town. That was about 2 and 1/2 years from when the action begins. Peter states that “things have been better out here” since they made the move. If their lives are ‘better,’ that must boil down to the environment rather than their toxic relationship.

One day the body of Robert Townsend washes up on the beach; Robert was the “heir apparent at a midsize firm in the city,” –the investment firm is GDR, known for its ruthlessness and sketchy behaviour. Sometime before Robert’s death, Pete saw Robert at the beach and tried to strike up a conversation, but a) Robert wasn’t the friendly type and b) Peter, now unemployed and tossed out of the world of finance is viewed as persona non grata. It’s as though failure is contagious–a disease to be avoided.

Robert’s death is supposedly an accident that occurred during surfing. But there are things that don’t add up, and Peter begins to investigate.

The book’s premise is interesting, and the author captures unemployed Peter’s feeling of uselessness. He tells everyone he meets that he’s a stay-at-home dad taking care of his son, but it’s a thinly veiled cover for his failed career. Peter’s patchy insight into his own need to chase the truth holds this story together–similarly he once desperately tried to get onto a jury in order to feel useful and needed, and it’s easy to empathize.

While the investigation is a salve for Peter’s lost career, it’s also a way to avoid facing his wife Lauren. Lauren, although a main character (who is mostly absent), remains thinly drawn. She appears mostly through lecturing texts. This is a woman who works hellacious hours in New York, not returning home until very late, and yet she still manages to attend a Monday Moms’ Group meeting “which always runs late, and then there’s Thursday which is reserved for her night class.” Plus then:

“half the time, she’s traveling. She’s always on some road show to bucket list cities like Baltimore and Boston for knife fights with the big mutual funds and insurance companies, or else she’s in New York.”

Although Lauren is rarely at home (some absences are work, others by choice), and has a sadly small amount of time with her son, she doesn’t hestitate to criticise, badger and police Peter’s parenting. But all this is, once again, a thinly veiled cover for stabbing at Peter’s failed career.

In fact, we often don’t speak. She prefers to text me, even if we’re in the same house. Sometimes she will come home, creep through the door, sneak into our room, and hide there so that Luke won’t discover her presence and demand to stay up with her for another few hours, but she still feels comfortable sending me texts filled with instructions from our bedroom.

Two other supporting characters: Frank and Gandle are also problematic. Frank’s role (even when explained) is a bit staged and Gandle doesn’t feel real.

This is a miserable marriage, and perhaps particularly so because Peter and Lauren are both relatively young and, by many standards have a lot to be happy about. I loved the last few chapters which include some great insights into human nature. Finally… this is great material for a mini series or a film.

Review copy

Novel Concept: 5/5
Execution of Novel Concept: 1/5

Title: 4/5
Characterization: 2/5
Dialogue: 1/5
Plot: 1/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Theme: 1/5
Prose: 4/5

Does this pass the Bechdel Test: No

Title
The Title references how the way Townson dies is a rough way to go because drowning is a fairly miserable death. It could also thematically connect to the down-esque misery of Peter Greene and his own family.

Characterization
Peter is a wonderfully developed character as well as Frank. They are, undoubtedly, the most interesting. Everyone else is passable but due to the strange dialogue choices and the insanity that is this plot, not a lot of characters stand out as fully realized people with interesting traits and flaws.

Luke is not a character. He's the toddler in this story and is more of a prop than an asset or hindrance to the story. I wanted to see more of the baby.

Also, every character is aggressive toward Pete for no reason. The moment Pete brings up this drowning case, it's like he's Ezio Auditore with the Auditore cloak and everyone around him is immediately agitated and after him. And while some characters make sense, it does not make sense that every single character ends up like this. We're now stuck in a cycle that we can see repeat, and my laundry cycle's are more entertaining.

Dialogue
This is the worst dialogue I've ever read in a book. The conversations read like a high school improv class- the way they speak is unnatural. An incredible amount of space is wasted with all of this needless back and forth. Concision is what this book needs, and a scissors is not a big enough set of sheers to cut every needless detail out. I recommend a chainsaw.

Plot
For a three hundred or so page novel, not a lot of important details happen in this book. Something so frustrating was the way the author would add in characterization interludes in the middle of what little tension they managed to drum up, effectively obliterating that tension in the process. This book feels 10% plot, 90% filler.

This plot does make sense at a fundamental level. I can see all of the pieces moving in the right direction. But the author is too coy with information which makes the read frustrating. I appreciate that details are well planted in the novel but planting information is more than sticking a seed in the dirt and calling it a day. There's a little cultivation that is required. I believe more could have been done with Lauren--I think it would have been more interesting for there to be more genuine hints towards her infidelity, more odd behavior that links her to this case. But we don't get that.

Frank's monologue is easily the worst part of the book. Where is the suspense? The thrill? It would be more fun for Peter to discover stuff rather than have it monologued to him.

And I'm not just a hater! One of my favorite games is Contradiction, which much like this novel, tries to make you think the crime is on a bigger scale than it is, when in reality it's just about infidelity. I LOVE that shit. I just wish in terms of plot we spent more time on the plot than we do characterizing Peter and Luke.

Atmosphere
This book does a fantastic job as representing a small coastal town. The knowledge environments felt well rounded--the business aspects of the novel felt well researched. The surfing aspects came off real enough that I believed it. The devil is in the details and while I am not an expert, the details here feel right enough. The general stress of being a stay at home dad with insecurity issues also felt particularly spot on. I really felt for Pete--even if he was frustrating it was a good frustrating.

Theme
I don't know what this book wanted to say. The ending is the last page of the book--and that's kind of it. There's noting finite it just feels like it ended with another needless anecdote. There's also no catharsis in the ending--all of this struggle. The uphill trudge of trying to get through this plot--and there's absolutely no pay-off. I finished the book and asked myself what was the point of reading it. Nothing really felt like it changed--not really.

Prose
At a sentence level, the prose is astoundingly good. Peter's voice is very clear and I liked the way he talked in his interior monologue (see my dialogue section for when he actually opens his mouth). I would say the voice is the selling point of this novel and is by far the best part about it. Aside from the dialogue, the prose is easy to read and understand. I never felt stupid or lost just trying to understand the thing.

Final Thoughts
You need a character in a Role of Privileged Knowledge. The hardest part about this novel is that no one is really giving Peter an in or a window to investigate and that's what's holding the story back the most. The abject hostility most characters have towards Peter disqualify them from this role. I would think that his cop friend could be the window, but she is also against him investigating. With someone allowing him to investigate by giving him access to things he might not have had previously, it would streamline some of the rockier parts of the plot.

Thank you to @netgalley for the advance ecopy, as well as the publisher for an advance physical copy.

This one started strong for me. I really really enjoyed the narrator's voice and humor. The chapters are short and were flying by.

Unfortunately, by halfway I started losing interest in the story and getting sick of the same "voice" of the narrator.

I did skip to the end to see the big reveal and I liked it.... I just wish it came faster

"A Rough Way to Go" by Sam Garonzik promises to be a riveting exploration of the complexities of modern life, masculinity, and the quest for purpose. Through the eyes of protagonist Peter Greene, readers are invited into a world where the idyllic surface of a beach town belies deeper tensions simmering beneath.

Garonzik's narrative hooks from the outset with Peter's struggle to find his place in a world vastly different from his former life in finance. As he grapples with unemployment, fatherhood, and the expectations of society, Peter's journey becomes a poignant reflection of the modern man's search for meaning and identity.

The mysterious death of Robert Townsend serves as a catalyst for Peter's quest for truth, leading him down a path fraught with danger and uncertainty. With each twist and turn, Garonzik expertly navigates the complexities of Peter's investigation, blurring the lines between personal redemption and reckless obsession.

At its core, "A Rough Way to Go" is a story about resilience and the indomitable human spirit. Through Peter's unwavering devotion to his son and his relentless pursuit of justice, Garonzik explores themes of love, loyalty, and the ties that bind us together.

With its raw, irreverent prose and unflinching exploration of modern capitalism, marriage, and fatherhood, "A Rough Way to Go" promises to be a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant read. Garonzik's narrative is sure to captivate readers, leaving them questioning the true cost of living a purpose-driven life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

2.5 stars rounded up

The first person narrative is all over the place and I found myself thinking, get to the point. One big plot line went nowhere and seems, in retrospect, a waste of reading. The "mystery" is revealed very close to the end of the book and that was his best writing. The ending itself was disappointing - not where I thought it was going. Pete is a very unsympathetic character, entirely self-absorbed, so I found it hard to keep my interest in the story because of him, especially when he put his 3 year old in danger. His relationship with his wife was toxic right from the start. In fact, now that I think about it, I didn't particularly like any of the characters.

I applaud anyone who can get a novel published, especially a debut author. He had a great idea for the mystery and I think with some editing it could have been really good.

Thank you for the opportunity to previewA Rough Way to Go. This book is written in first person. The narrator is an out of work dad His wife has a high stress job and makes a lot of money. He spends his days with his son and it’s not a bad life.
Soon they move to a small beach town outside of New York and the dad, Pete is trying to get used to the new environment.
But Pete is bored and soon he takes to the water. Surfing. He makes a friend. frank and things are good. Until one day a body washes up and Pete knows the guy. Police say it’s an accident. But… Pete just doesn’t think so. So he starts his own investigation.
Soon things change and it seems like no one wants to see if there is foul play.
And Pete thinks people are following him and watching where he goes and what he does.
His wife doesn’t seem to care. And Pete’s quest to get to the truth is getting him in trouble. A lot of trouble. And the truth may be something that may kill him.
This is different and I did find it hard to put down. 3.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

I enjoyed A Rough Way to Go, a book about a stay at home father that stumbles across a murder.

I found A Rough Way To Go a well-crafted novel, however it wasn't quite my cuppa.

A promising beginning, but all too quickly Pete, the emasculated male character who's point of view the story was told from is... Just sadly selfish. He was laid off, after working for a company for years (which has happened to me multiple times throughout my career in this age of uncertainty) and rather than shake it off, he took to his bed.

Note, this is a married man with responsibilities - and then, even worse, he lies to his wife immediately after she went through all the emotional and physical changes of having their first baby. He contrives a way to leave the house (and his wife and brand new baby) for a MONTH as he wanders around town, deserting them when his wife is recovering, leaving only her, still healing from just giving birth - to care for their first brand new baby.

Worst thing is, this story reads more like an autobiography rather than a novel, due to the extreme rationalization for the main character's problematic behavior that even risks his baby's life. The main character seems to feel that "merely" being a caretaker of his new baby is somehow below his importance, a role he personally feels emasculating.

It is just all so self-involved. Decent author, and an okay mystery, and I certainly hope the author keeps writing.

However, I kept feeling it was written by someone who still has a lot of growing up to do, someone who is young enough to be too egocentric to recognize the fate of others impacted by his actions.

Your mileage may vary, I will look forward to the author's future offerings, as the story has good "bones", "chops" whatever word fits best for you, you get the idea.

Dear readers, thank you so much for taking the time to read my humble opinions❤️.

I have to say I’m not a big fan of Pete. What is his deal?! I enjoyed the story for the most part but I wanted to punch the main character so there’s that. 😂 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, revenge, a great who done it, 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!