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.

[arc review]
Thank you to Harper Perennial for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Good Samaritan releases March 4, 2025

Set in the 90s, <I>The Good Samaritan</I> is a story of a runaway kid, as told from the perspectives of an alcoholic college professor and his high school daughter, a foster care social worker, and Seaver (the runaway).

There wasn’t really a definitive plot. Although the story touched upon grief, SA, family dynamics, and child predation, none of those themes felt very prominent… everything kind of just fell into place and the mystery behind the guy in the barn wasn’t very suspenseful or mysterious at all.

I personally needed more complexity and higher stakes.

I am a HUGE fan of Toni Halleen and will read anything she writes. Her characters are well developed and I enjoy how her books include a moral dilemma that really put you in the character's shoes and make you think what you would do in the situation.

Matthew Larkin's life is falling apart his toddler son passed away and then his wife divorced him.His teenage daughter abandoned him, and then he lost his job that he loved forcing him to take a position at a small college in southern Minnesota. Driving down an empty highway one evening in a storm, he pulls off the side of the road and sees a child under a tarp alive but unconscious. He puts the boy in his car to take him to the hospital, but the child wakes up upset, begging Matthew not to take him to the hospital. In Matthew's grief, he makes some dangerous decisions that threaten to risk his life for his family.

Overall, it's a great plot for a thriller, but the book felt a little grandiose in terms of believability. Easy read in general.

Very anticlimactic. Everything seemed too rushed, and at the same time it felt as though nothing happened. Everything in the plot also felt unbelievable.