I am extremely underwhelmed. I had a lot of hope for this book when it started. I needed to know who the kid was and what happened to him. However, as all the lives of the people started coming together, it just didn't work for me. I would not consider this a thriller at all...maybe more contemporary fiction??? IDK. I LOVED the beginning but couldn't wait for the story to be over.

Thank you Harper Perennial and Paperbacks | Harper Paperbacks for an ARC of this book in exchange of my honest review.

This guy has lost everything and his life looks like there's not every going to be a point of being turned around. Suspenseful and addicting, I love a good second chance, but is it really?

received this as an ARC from NetGalley


This story was a great look into different family dynamics and the secrets we hold. Each character has their own share of struggles they are going through. It seems everyone’s story unfolds after an event takes place.

It was a good read. Left you wanting to continue reading to find the end result in everyone’s story.

This book offers a thoughtful exploration of grief and redemption through the eyes of sociology professor Matthew Larkin. The story begins with an intriguing premise and the book’s portrayal of Matthew is rich with emotion, capturing his struggle to find solace after the devastating loss of his toddler son. However, the novel falls short in several areas. I found the lack of action, and unexpected twists a bit disappointing. The pacing can feel sluggish at times, with the narrative occasionally losing momentum due to its focus on Matthew’s internal conflict. Despite its strong thematic elements, the story could have been enhanced with more dynamic and interconnected plotlines, as well as moments of heightened tension.

This is a solid read for those who appreciate introspective psychological thrillers, but it may not satisfy readers looking for a more action-packed and twisty experience.

The premise - a lonely man, post divorce and after the death of his toddler - is dirivng and finds a little boy on the side of the road during a storm. He stops to help the boy, who insists that he can't be taken to the police or the hospital.

But then....that's it. It's a nothing burger.

This has the potential to twist and turn but kind of fizzled out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This one drove me a little nuts because WHY is the professor that worried to make these dumbass mistakes. Alas, a great novel where murder is sometimes okay, in my opinion.

This thriller felt a bit nostalgic for me! I loved that it was set before a time of cell phones or the internet. The MMC is a little bit boring and I didn’t find myself wanting to stay up all night to finish it. Everything came together well in the end!

I was excited for this book. The premise was intriguing and I love mystery/thrillers. The characters were interesting ... at first. But as the story continued nothing happened. No twists, no shocks, no mysteries, and no thrills. This is a family drama with a lot of emotion. I'm the wrong audience for that.

I went into this book expecting a thriller, but in the end it didn’t feel that it qualified for that genre. There were a lot of big feelings touched on - death of a child, SA, etc - which I also didn’t expect. The characters were very surface level and even when the trauma was brought up, nothing got super deep. The story overall wasn’t bad, it just felt like there should have been more all around. It was a very easy read.

Thank you to Toni Halleen, NetGalley, and Harper Paperbacks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While this book started off decent, it lost the intrigue a ways in. I felt there was too much repetition and it was easy to guess the ending. Not a terrible read but not the best either.

Ok....Listen... YES! This was such a thriller and I could not put it down! Chapter after chapter I kept reading just to see what was going to happen and what would the consequences be for that decision! Secrets, heartbreak, shock, this one has it all!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Good Samaritan

Brace yourself, “The Good Samaritan” is where grief, abuse, trauma, and addiction collide!

A few different stories intertwined with a bit of an edge, family drama and real life hardships, I found myself to be invested in each of the characters. Tugging at my heartstrings throughout, so many emotions reached the surface; sadness, anger, frustration, hope, and much more.

Personally, I didn’t quite gain the traction of a psychological thriller but I was eager to unravel the mystery.

I didn’t really find this to be a psychological thriller. I liked how all the characters fit together, but I didn’t really find it suspenseful. It was not a bad read, just not what I was expecting.

The Good Samaritan is a novel set in the 1990s. This is a story that focuses on four main characters and their perspectives which are told through them. An alcoholic college professor Matthew, his high school daughter Claire, a foster care social worker Kira and Seaver a teenage runaway.

The story did touch upon the tragic loss of a child as Matthew’s son drowned at a young age and afterwards, he and his wife divorced. Matthew throws himself into his work as he is hoping for tenure when he comes upon a boy out in the cold appearing to be injured.

The story goes from character to character. I didn’t connect to any of the characters as I felt they needed a more personal explanation of their feelings, and I needed more of a why. Why didn’t Matthew spend more time with his daughter who clearly needed guidance. I needed more of Seaver’s story and his background, I needed more of Kira’s story, a social worker who cared so much for all those cases she was assigned to and was in the foster care system herself.

There were some questions I felt were not answered and I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I wanted to connect and understand the characters in more depth but felt bored at times and found myself skimming pages which is something I do not do.

Many thanks to Netgalley , Harper Perennial and Paperbacks and the author Toni Halleen for an advanced copy of this book.

Pub Date: Mar 04, 2025

Thanks NetGalley for the free ARC! In my opinion, this was an enjoyable read. I found Claire and Matthew’s point of view the most interesting and entertaining. The others were a bit bland and Kira’s was simply annoying. Also, all the kids in the story were a bit bratty. However, the storyline flowed with good writing.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF. I didn't find our mystery intriguing and found our unusual young man extremely unpleasant. I wasn't really interested in what he was hiding from. I was marginally curious about whatever might happen with bagel boy, but not enough to continue. Not, unfortunately, for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the copy of The Good Samaritan by Toni Hallen. I haven’t read a book with a male main character for a long time, so maybe that is why I couldn’t relate to this book. It didn’t feel like there was much of a plot, and the different POVs weren’t intriguing, but some of them had good moments that were interesting to read. Lots of things the characters did and how they acted never make sense so it was a struggle to care about them. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because I could see things others would love to read about!

Thank you NetGally and publisher for this book!

Wow! WOW! Wow!! Boy was this book a great one! I enjoyed this writing style. All of the twist and turns. This thriller was definitely one I had a hard time putting down. I guessed wrong every time!! I will be picking up more books by this author ASAP!!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Good Samaritan. This is a very interesting read. Told in 1992 before cell phones and the technology boom, this book took me back in time (in a good) way.
A man is traveling home and he finds a young boy on the verge of death. What does he do. Does he call the cops, walk away, or take him to the hospital. He makes his choice but things don’t go well and soon he finds out that this good deed may not turn out well.
Each chapter introduces a character and their relationship with each other. How they interact with each other and how their relationships are connected is what makes this book so compelling.
Very good 4 stars

I really enjoyed this as a psychological thriller novel, it was engaging and tense and was hooked from the first page. The characters felt like they belonged in this world and was glad they were realistically done. I enjoyed the idea of redemption in this world and was glad it was so well done. Toni Halleen has a strong writing style that left me wanting more.