Scorched Grace: A Sister Holiday Mystery

it was different: i finished it. unfortunately someone in the book treated hypoglycemia with insulin instead of sugar under the tongue.

The tattooed, guitarslingingSister Holiday is the most redemptive PI there is. Her level of empathy, hard tenderness, and her wounds make for one of the most original main characters in recent literary history.

DNF after trying to read for 2 weeks, it’s both disturbing trauma porn and one of the most boring books I’ve ever tried to read

The story starts out with Cole, as he begins to rebuild his life after his wife left him. As he tells the story of his marriage, how his wife would verbally attack him and how, by the end, he was an abused spouse, but that he'd still like to put his marriage back together, how his college girlfriend also inexplicably turned on him, how he is a caring feminist, fully aware of the difficulties and dangers women face, it looks like this novel is going to be utterly predictable. As Cole goes on about what a great partner he is, and how it's the women in his life who are the abusive ones, it looks like this novel is going to simply be another book about domestic violence. Don't get me wrong, it's still underrepresented in fiction, but for a genre that requires some level of suspense and a few twists and turns, and from an author whose previous books had delivered on that element of the thriller, it was disappointing.

And then it turns out that this is a completely different novel than expected. While Cole may be exactly as he appears, the people around him very much aren't and what looked like a straightforward story becomes something a lot more complex and morally ambiguous. I don't think every element of this plot held together, but it was a lot of fun and it kept surprising me, so it did what a thriller is supposed to do.

“And I know, historically, it’s been hard to be a woman but, my God, it’s hard to be a man right now.”

A provocative and thought-provoking novel, One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall explores the gendered dynamic of power, the mythology of the ‘good guy’, and feminine rage.

Told in three parts primarily from the perspectives of three individuals but also through newspaper articles, podcast transcripts, Tweets, and WhatsApp chats from third parties, One of the Good Guys has an interesting structure.

Cole is the first to tell his story, that of a good guy baffled by the breakdown of his marriage who has taken refuge on a remote stretch of coast in the South of England. Melissa’s story starts seven years earlier and charts the course of her marriage to Cole. The third properly introduces Lennie, explains how and why she became involved with both Cole and Melissa, and the fate of two missing young women.

There’s a mystery here, more than one really, but it’s the complexity of the characters that offers the real intrigue. There is a thread of unreliability in each narrative that deliberately keeps the reader off balance. The way in which Hall manipulates the reveal of information is very clever, exposing conflicting points of view that forces continual reassessment of everything.

Dark, compelling, and powerful, One of the Good Guys is an impressive novel that unashamedly challenges society’s complacency with regard to violence against women. Not a pleasant read, but an important one.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was very much a book of two halves for me. The first section, told in the first person by Cole as he mulled over his failed marriage to Mel, was engaging. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that you realize pretty quickly that he's an unreliable narrator. There is a later section from Mel's point of view, which again was a thought-provoking read,. However the second half of the book, which deals more with the disappearance and presumed deaths of two women walking to protest against male violence, was entirely lacking in forward momentum. It went round and round in circles with tabloid newspaper articles, blog and podcast transcripts, and endless social media posts. I found these muddied the water even more than the actual revealed actions of the characters. This would be interesting as a starting point for a discussion on male violence, but as a novel it ultimately failed.

I'd seen lots of early reviews of One of the Good Guys talking about how good it was. Initially I wasn't sure whether I wanted to read a feminist thriller, but I was drawn in by the synopsis which asks the question 'if most men say they're one of the good guys, then why are so many women afraid to walk alone at night?', and let me tell you, I have read this amazing book quicker than I've read any book for quite a while. It hooked me from page one and didn't let go until I read the last page.

Cole is one of the aforementioned 'good guys'. He treated Mel, his wife, well and was supportive towards her. Why on earth she left him is a mystery to him. We hear from Cole, we hear from Mel and we hear from Lennie, an artist who lives in a clifftop cottage close to Cole. There's also a linked story of two young women walking the coast path to raise awareness of violence against women. The story is told in first person accounts interspersed with interviews, opinion pieces, texts, podcasts and articles. It's perfectly formulated to keep up the reader's interest and makes for a thought-provoking read which certainly made me think and question my own feelings.

One of the Good Guys is an uncomfortable read at times, with some disturbing features, not least the response from social media warriors who of course must put their two penn'orth in and who all believe their opinion is the right one. The crumbling clifftop setting is at turns both beautiful and menacing, mother nature wreaking havoc upon the coastline, and the plot itself is so incredibly relevant, drawing on some real events and entwining them with the narratives of the characters to make a truly arresting and unforgettable book. Brilliant!

Review of eBook

Cole Simmonds, recently divorced [and not particularly happy about it] relocates from London to the south coast of England where he accepts a position as a wildlife ranger and settles into a small cottage. He meets Leonora Baxter, an artist, living in a nearby cottage, and finds himself charmed.

When two young women, walking to raise awareness about gender violence, vanish while walking along the cliff’s edge, both Cole and Lennie find themselves in the middle of a police investigation.

What happened to Phoebe Canton and Molly Patterson? And could Cole have been involved?

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Characters here are well-defined; there’s a defined sense of place. Sadly, none of the characters are likable; the unfolding story is likely to cause readers to think even less of several of them. Throughout the narrative, the annoyingly whiney Cole tells the reader that he is “one of the good guys,” but his actions belie that fact. However, Cole is not the perpetrator here as his participation in a devious scheme comes about only because of trickery.

Several points of view are used throughout the telling of this tale: Cole, Lennie, and Mel each play a strong role in the narrative. The final section is composed of social media posts and is somewhat difficult to follow, especially for readers who may not spend significant amounts of time on various social media sites.

Although it would seem that the narrative hopes to raise awareness regarding violence against women, readers are likely to come away with far different thoughts, thanks to an unexpected situation created by several of the women. The narrative is a bit heavy-handed, causing the message to lose much of its effect.

Readers who appreciate tales filled with social commentary and culture may find the tale interesting.

I received a free copy of this book from Zando, Gillian Flynn Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#OneoftheGoodGuys #NetGalley