This book was so intriging in the beginning, had such promise of weirdness and unreliability but in the end, I think it didn't delivery. I feel that for me it tried to be a little too clever, a little too lacking the small clever detail that would make it truly shocking or engaging. The descent into madness was too broadly written and delivered, I think.

The setting makes this book stand out and as you are reading you get genuinely disturbed by the way the book is written: it keeps you in a state of unease, in a good way!

Read it super quickly as it is very enjoyable.

Sadly I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and found the constant references to opera irritating and pretentious. The basic storyline is good but unfortunately the execution was poor.

Thomas believes he’s a good man, he has a good job, lovely wife and daughter a beautiful house on Long Island and family close by.
His comfortable existence is shattered by events that can’t be undone, he feels he is the victim and everything begins to unravel around him.
This is a dark psychological story told from Thomas’ point of view - I didn’t sympathise with him, but you might.

A very different style of writing to what I am used to but that made the impact that I think was intended.
Everything is viewed and recounted through the eyes of Thomas. It is up to the reader to interpret whether he is a good a man as he believes. He is a good provider and wants the best for his family but emotionally he is not as good a support as he thinks he is. I would love to know what a psychologist would make of him.
I enjoyed picking up on the nuances of his narrative and this is where the book excels. I felt sympathy for Thomas initially given his childhood experiences but that soon changed into a sense of foreboding as the story progressed.
An intriguing and clever book. I loved the subtleties and the fact that it wasn’t all spelled out for the reader but allowed us to see how Thomas viewed events and then let us work out the significance of it all.
My only negative was the many operatic references which went completely over my head.

I dont normally give negative reviews especially if it's a proof read.
I really struggled with this book not just because of its punctual reference but the numbers coming up constantly and the reference to operatic songs throughout the book.
Only giving 2× as when finished could be a good read.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book.

I read this in about two sittings which shows I found it pretty fluid and easy to read. It was an interesting character study particularly as I do enjoy an unreliable narrator. I think as a narrator Thomas could have looked slightly deeper into his past, his actions and feelings and how all these things combined to lead to the horrifying conclusion. However I guess that this is exactly what the intended readers role is.

Reading definitely left me intrigued to know what happened after the event that the book revolves around.

I started “A Good Man” thinking I’ll read a couple of chapters, get a feel for the story, then suddenly, almost without blinking it seemed, I finished it. I fell into Thomas Martin’s story and followed it with an ever growing sense of unease, that off kilter sense that tells you it’s going to hurt. Indeed I think the very last sentence of this novel will haunt me for the foreseeable future, I had tears in my eyes as I read it.

The intelligence of this book comes in its nuances, in a lot of ways it is an interpretive story. You’ll bring your own experiences and influences to the narrative, we hear solely from main protagonist Thomas and you’ll hear in your own way…

An idyllic life, a happy marriage, a beautiful daughter. Escaping the trauma of his youth, Thomas is determined “his girls” will always be protected. To that end he works hard, provides well, loves completely. None the less tragedy will strike, but where oh where could it all have gone so wrong…

This was beautifully done, involving and addictive, a poetic flow to the prose that just drags you along in its wake – nothing is given a wider explanation you simply have to be in the moment. How far Thomas may be truthful or deceptive, whether to himself or to the reader, is all in the eyes of the beholder. You get a real feel for the lives being lived on the page but you can never really know all the players given the narrow view through a glass darkly.

Extremely disturbing but equally extraordinarily fascinating, this is far and away one of the best psychological character drama’s I’ve read in a long time.

I won’t forget Thomas that’s for sure. Neither will you.

Highly Recommended.

I had trouble getting into this book, and had to put it down and then go back to it. I still struggled, but persevered until the end. I wish I hadn't bothered.
I found the style of writing hard to follow, and did not find a connection with any of the characters.
Not my kind of book, sadly.

A very interesting book showing how we can all be stretched to the limit . Great the way the story was told going backwards and then to the present day . I can’t wait to read more from this author

What a brilliant book; I couldn't put it down. At first I thought it was a normal story of a man and his family (although his irritating habit of referring to his wife and daughter as "my girls" should have alerted me to the fact that something wasn't quite right) but as the story progressed it became clear that things aren't always as they seem, and that Thomas isn't a completely reliable narrator. The book is well-written, the characters totally believable (Thomas couldn't work in any industry other than advertising, with its manipulation of the truth) and the ending was, for me, completely unexpected. I will definitely be recommending this book.

My first problem with this book was why it had the title A Good Man because Thomas is certainly not that. He is another character in a novel which is full of dysfunctional people in dysfunctional relationships. Readers can get too much of that. His father was an abusive drunk,his mother inadequate,his twin sisters weird. He marries someone who also has issues. Then as his job collapses so does his life. There is too much of it in the book and it suffers from that.

I had no idea where this was going, having started it without reading any blurb or review. The writing style flowed well and kept my attention. The sisters were disturbing but Martin was totally believable as a good provider for his family. The ending was totally unexpected, shocking and abrupt. Brilliant!

On paper this sounded like my kind of book but I found the style of writing difficult to read. Another reviewer put it as " I found it a little jarring and disjointed; regularly meandering into dialogue that added a limited amount to the narrative" and I'd agree with that. The story and the concept are good but the way the book was written put me off unfortunately.

A deeply disturbing and well written story about an apparently decent father, husband, brother and son whose life and mind slowly unravel to reveal a shocking conclusion. On paper I should have enjoyed this but I found it a little jarring and disjointed; regularly meandering into dialogue that added a limited amount to the narrative. I suspect for many this will be a terrific read enlivened by the unreliable narration of the main protagonist.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Random House (Cornerstone) for an advance copy in consideration of an honest review.

What a tricky customer memory is! Does Thomas Martin believe what he's telling us or is it an elaborate ruse? An enjoyable and comfortable-to-read thriller. Not great but now bad. Thanks for the ARC netgalley x

A Good Man by Ani Katz is a delightfully surprising novel that grabs hold of you, taunts you, saddens you, disturbs you, then spits you out and turns it’s back on you and you’re left thinking, What WAS that?

Ms. Katz effortlessly weaves a trail of dread and foreboding from the very first page. Themes of abandonment, abuse, masculinity, redemption and how differently we see ourselves to those around us pervades the pages through beautifully constructed prose.

The real and perceived demands that western society places on men to be protectors, providers and defenders of their communities is artfully and thoughtfully presented.

I loved this book and highly recommend it!

#netgalley #agoodman #anikatz #randomhouse

Thomas Martin is a good man. He tells us so himself and shows us how he looks after his girls - his wife and daughter - and helps support his twin sisters and ailing mother. He's good at his job in advertising and has a team of 'girls' there too. His boss thinks he's great because he's creative and works hard. He's responsible, caring, thoughtful. So why have things gone so horribly wrong?

Maybe it's because Thomas is just too good to be true. A sense of foreboding slowly encroaches on the reader, warning them not to trust Thomas's version of himself. Are we wrong to distrust him? He had a terrible childhood, with an alcoholic father and a sister who mysteriously died. The twins never seem to have grown up and his mother has encouraged their helplessness. Maybe we're misjudging poor Thomas. He's the only one who's made something of himself, after all..

Though initially I wasn't sure I would fall under its spell, this psychological thriller did eventually get its claws into me and I found myself reading long into the night. Recommended for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.

France's Patrick Modiano is one of my favourite authors and in much of his work he explores the vagueness of incomplete memory when trying to determine the actuality and significance of events. Can you trust a narrative when it may be incomplete and less than truthful? Modiano came to mind after reading this wonderfully disturbing, haunting and gripping novel that sees a man giving his account of his life up to now while struggling to make sense and ultimately justify his actions. The more we read of his story the more a sense of foreboding and dread overtakes the reader. We know all will not end well.

Thomas Martin is "The Good Man" of the title. He sees himself as such. After being brought up in a dysfunctional family with a drunken and abusive father he now financially supports his frail mother and eccentric adult sisters. He also has a beautiful wife and a loving daughter, a well paid career in advertising and a fine house on Long Island. Thomas Martin is a" Good Man" but how much of his narrative can be trusted and what psychological damage has been caused by his childhood and the subsequent suicide of his sister?

We find out for example that his rather charming account of how he first met his future wife is later contradicted by her own version, the same contradiction goes for events concerning a work colleague. I personally really liked this book and managed to read it more or less in one sitting but it may not appeal to all. If you are looking for something a bit different then this is certainly worth a try.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Random House UK, Cornerstone, for the ARC.

This is a story of a Good Man - Martin - he adores his wife Miriam and their daughter. He has a good job in Manhattan at an advertising firm; consistently promoted and able to provide for his family - private school for his daughter and continuing provision for his two sisters and ailing mother. He does what is right - he has responsibilities.
That's the face of it - underneath there are currents of concern, discontent and psychosis, which gradually surface into an horrific conclusion.

His ostentatious childhood home where his 2 sisters, now in their twenties act like nymphs with complete disregard to 'normality'; his mother who long-ago determined that her daughters could be 'free-spirits'; the memory of a dead older Sister Evie; the subject of abuse and degradation by his father. But, he's a good man - he financially supports his sisters and mother as well as his adored family.

But something has to give. And it does.
Martin tries to tell his own story throughout the book. It's loving, adoring, sad and confusing at times. It seems his recollection of memories may differ from everyone else's.
Then, everything starts to disintegrate. He's done his best - he's been the provider, a good husband, a good father, then how did it all end this way?

OK, this is an intriguing read but you do have to have quite a mental work-out to understand what's going on.