Book Synopsis:
Cole is the perfect husband: a romantic, supportive of his wife, Mel’s career, keen to be a hands-on dad, not a big drinker. A good guy.
So when Mel leaves him, he’s floored. She was lucky to be with a man like him.
Craving solitude, he accepts a job on the coast and quickly settles into his new life where he meets reclusive artist Lennie.
Lennie has made the same move for similar reasons. She is living in a crumbling cottage on the edge of a nearby cliff. It’s an undeniably scary location, but sometimes you have to face your fears to get past them.
As their relationship develops, two young women go missing while on a walk protesting gendered violence, right by where Cole and Lennie live. Finding themselves at the heart of a police investigation and media frenzy, it soon becomes clear that they don’t know each other very well at all.
This is what happens when women have had enough.
My Review:
One Of The Good Guys is a dark, twisty and thought provoking read that I’ve continued to think about long after reading.
The story is told from the point of view of three people Cole, his estranged wife Mel and Lennie. This is very cleverly done as it helps to slowly build the story, and the tension, as we hear from each character individually. I don’t think any of them were particularly likeable, though I did feel sorry for Cole and Mel at times. It definitely made me think about how there are two sides to every story and not to take one person’s version at face value.
I thought the book was a bit of a slow burn but soon got very intriguing, especially when the narrator changes over. There are lots of surprising twists and reveals that seem very real, adding to the feeling that this story could actually happen. I don’t want to given anything away but the issue of female safety was very thought provoking and I enjoyed exploring it more alongside the characters. It’s a very timely issue and one that definitely needs to be discussed more publicly.
The ending was very surprising and while I thought it was very clever I think it will divide opinions, as it did to the characters in the book. I felt surprising sympathy to all the characters involved when I wasn’t sure that I was meant to. I think this book would make a great book club read as there would be lots to discuss and dissect. I might even choose it as one of the books for the book club I run as I think it would lead to some interesting discussions.
Huge thanks to Laura from Pan Macmillian for the bookseller proof for Rossiter books in Malvern.
About The Author:
Hello, I’m a writer of thrillers and a lover of stories.
My latest book, ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS, was inspired by a groundswell of anger I’ve been feeling myself and amongst the women I know. Because if we don’t feel safe in the world, then it’s still a very unequal world. This is my answer to what happens when women have had enough of being scared.
I hope you enjoy this tense story set in a remote seaside location. I’d love to know if you guess the twist – I’m on instagram and X @aramintahall
And, if you do enjoy this one, I’ve published five other novels, EVERYTHING & NOTHING (2011), DOT (2013), OUR KIND OF CRUELTY (2017), IMPERFECT WOMEN/PERFECT STRANGERS (2019) & HIDDEN DEPTHS (2021)
Happy reading!
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