This is a very complex thriller
The plot line is something you don’t want to consider happening
The suspense kept building in this fast paced book.
The writing is very descriptive
This is a book that you don’t want to put down

Exciting book to read. The plot was exciting. It was fast paced. Had me hooked from the off. The book was very well written. I really enjoyed this one

A fantastic read! I'm new to the author but will definitely be looking out for more from them in the future. It was interesting having a character like Carrie given her personality. Enjoyed the twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Really amazing book, I loved it, superb writing and a really great twisty plot, one of the best thrillers Ive read in ages, I devoured it!
Carrie suffers from a condition that I had never heard of, where she doesn't have the ability to read facial expressions, this made the book quite unique for me, I felt her horror and anguish when Sofia was missing, such great writing, I will read more from this author.

#TheGoodSamaritan #NetGalley Whilst a bit slow to start, this book soon picked up momentum and had me reading "just one more chapter". Two suspects for abducting Sofia and Zoe were identified early on and as facts emerged, I understood Carrie's dilemma as I also was torn between whether Tara or Josh was telling the truth! A great read!

I thought this was a great read that kept me absolutely engrossed. I found the story quite unusual, a crime has been committed but there seems to be no motive or clue as to the perpetrator and Sophia has been returned unharmed. There seems to be two potential suspects, yet neither of them stand out and as the story progresses I was constantly going backwards and forwards thinking one thing and then changing my mind. This was an excellent story that I thoroughly enjoyed, I would definitely read more from CJ Parsons!

I felt this book was a bit of a slow starter, took me a bit to get in to it but once I did I was hooked.
Carrie takes her five year old daughter Sophia to the park and while on the phone to her ex she takes her eye of her, when Carrie looks back Sophia is gone! There are two Good Samaritans Tara and Josh who come to help but the question is, who should Carrie trust and who shouldn’t she.
This was a good book filled with lots of twists and turns, it kept me guessing right until the end as to who had taken Sophia and why.
Was well worth reading. Thank you Headline and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Carrie Haversen is in the park with her five year old daughter, Sophia. Carrie takes her eyes off Sophia for just a few minutes to answer a phone call from her ex-partner, Simon. But when Carrie looks back, Sofia is missing. DCI Juliet Campbell and DI Alistair Larkin are called in to investigate. But two good samaritans return Sofia. Just who are these people who returned Sofia?



This is a complex thriller that will keep you guessing. The plotline is every parents worst nightmare. The suspense just kept building in this fast paced read. The storyline is captivating and it's descriptivly written. This is one roller coaster read you won't want to put down.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Headline and the author #CJParsons for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book I’ve read recently where characters have a hidden difference. Whilst many refer to certain mental or physical conditions as disabilities, I much prefer the term differences because, in my view, that’s what they are.

There are many titles in the crime/thriller genre with a missing child storyline and being a mum myself I often avoid these but the premise of this title attracted me. Two reasons for this were that I suspected the child, Sofia, was returned home (it says as much on the cover) and the description of her mother, Carrie, blaming her inability to read facial expressions as the reason behind the disappearance.

Carrie has Autistic traits, and as such finds social interactions and non-verbal communication difficult. She refers to the latter as “facial expression blindness”. It is these differences that she feels are to blame for her disappearance of Sofia, her five-year-old daughter.

DCI Julie Campbell leads the investigation, she is well known as an officer who trusts her instincts, and she finds it hard to see past her suspicion that Carrie is somehow involved in the disappearance. As the story unfolds, she begins to understand Carries differences, realises her suspicion is unfounded and turns her investigations elsewhere.

To everyone’s relief, Sofia is returned home two days later when a stranger knocks on Carrie’s door and asks “is this your daughter?”. The relief is short-lived as Carrie starts to live in a state of fear that Sofia’s abductor will return, especially when another child disappears twenty-six days later and this is where I felt the story really started to unfold. The number of possible suspects starts to mount up – all with possible motives as to why they’d abduct a child. Here is where I found myself in a thrilling, page-turning, race to the end, with many twists and turns along the way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read - the storyline, characters, and plot were all very well written, interesting, and engaging. Whilst the premise was similar to other titles, Parsons's writing added a gripping thrill that makes this a 5 star read and one that I’d highly recommend to any crime/thriller readers.

Thank you to Headline and NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for my honest review. Huge thanks also to CJ Parsons for such a great book.

This book is full of suspense, created straight from the offset and has you guessing the whole way through. Carrie’s five year old daughter disappears under her eye whilst playing in the park. Days later, a stranger finds Sophia and brings her home. Carrie ends up building close relationships with the two people we as readers are suspicious of, she’s a very trusting character who you sometimes want to shake and tell her to stop being so naive in a way. It’s very fast paced, and twisty which is everything you want in a thriller. I have to say, I did guess correctly and worked out who the abductor was, but that didn’t affect how much I enjoyed the book. A very enjoyable read!

This is a well written book that drops lots of clues making me think I knew where the story was going. But then something happened to change my mind. It kept me on my toes right to the very end. Well worth a read

I never repeat the blurb. Loved this. Not often a book really leaves me guessing to the end. Great story with realistic characters.

A tense and terrifying thriller that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, C J Parsons’ The Good Samaritan brings a parent’s worst fear to chilling life.

Like any mother, Carrie’s world revolves around her beloved daughter, Sofia. Keeping her safe and happy is Carrie’s number one priority, so her world completely and utterly shatters when Sofia goes missing. Out of her mind with worry, Carrie’s imagination begins to work overtime as she wonders what tragic fate awaits her daughter – until a miracle happens and a kind-hearted stranger brings her back. Carrie knows that she should feel elated that she had been so lucky and that her daughter appears unharmed and content. However, she simply cannot shake off this feeling that something is not quite right. Is this just Carrie being overprotective? Should she listen to her gut instinct and tell the police? Or should she just count her blessings that her daughter is back home safe and sound?

Carrie simply cannot rest easy. Somebody is out there who is still after her child and who still wants to harm her daughter and she will not rest until she finds out who this evil abductor is and makes him pay for what he put her through. Carrie can, at least, rely on the good Samaritans who had helped out in her hour of need. Whilst she was going through the worst moment of her life, she could always turn to them when she needed help and support and they always offered it to her. Nothing was too much trouble and there was no favour that they wouldn’t do for her. But should Carrie have been so trusting? Did they really have their best interest at heart? Or did she open the door to a dangerous enemy intent on causing maximum destruction?

With everything to lose, Carrie needs to tread carefully and trust nobody because one false move could end up costing her everything she holds dear to her heart…

If it’s heart-pounding suspense you’re after, then look no further than C J Parsons’ The Good Samaritan. A book that grabs you from the very first page and takes you on a shocking and sinister rollercoaster ride that will leave you breathless, C J Parsons’ The Good Samaritan effortlessly blends apprehension and mind-blowing twists and turns in one spine-tingling page-turner that is absolutely impossible to put down.

Fans of psychological thrillers looking for a book to keep them up way past their bedtime need to add C J Parsons’ The Good Samaritan to their auto-buy list.

DCI Juliet Campbell normally had no problems reading people that she met whilst carrying out her investigations but when she first interviews Carrie Haversen she has no idea what to make of her. When she usually meets the parents of missing children, they are generally hysterical and demanding action and answers but Carrie is just sat in front of her displaying no sign of any emotions with a blank face and talking in a bland robotic voice. As the interview progressed Juliet struggled to control her feelings of frustration but then Carrie suddenly revealed that she suffered from social - emotional agnosia aka facial expression blindness and also had autistic traits. These two stubborn, strong willed women who each had their own psychological character traits are the main voices throughout this captivating thriller. Carrie was a complex character and I thought that the author had done a fantastic job of portraying a condition that I have never heard of so couldn't imagine knowing how to live with. Her descriptions of Carrie's struggles to figure out how to interact properly with other characters seemed realistic. And it was heart breaking to watch her gradually accepting Josh and Tara into her isolated life and her refusal to accept that maybe she was to trust one or both of them. On the subject of Josh, I personally thought that taking consideration her autistic traits and what had happened to Sophie, I thought she put a lot of trust in him a bit too quickly. I really liked DCI Campbell nd I loved the interactions between her and brash Irish DI Alistair Larkin. The team were a mixed bag of realistic individuals and I was pleased that the police investigation which was packed full of red herrings, twists and turns and loads of dead ends wasn't bogged down by police politics, backstabbing and oneupmanship. The third voice in the story was little Sofia who was a realistic mix of five year old emotions, character traits, needs and demands.But what would motivate someone to abduct a innocent young girl only for her to be found and returned home so quickly? How can Carrie keep her daughter safe when she wouldn't recognise danger of it as staring her in the face.

This is a extremely well written, roller coaster ride that hooks in the reader from the first page and keeps you glued to your kindle and frantically turning the pages. It's packed full of twists and turns, keeps you guessing and has a prevailing sense of foreboding that increases as the story unfolds. I would love to watch a film adaptation of this book. I thought this was a fantastic read and would love to watch a film adaptation of this book. Worth far more than five stars and very very highly recommended.

The Good Samaritan by C.J Parsons is a psychological thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. Carrie Haverson is at the park with her daughter, Sofia. Carrie takes a phone call and in the few distracted minutes she is on the phone, Sofia is gone.Two good samaritans come to their aid and Sofia is returned. DCI Juliet Campbell and DI Alistair Larkin are on the case of Sofia as well. Are these people who and what they say they are or is there more to it?
This is a proper page-turner with a main character that has been realistically developed. Carrie suffers from a condition that means she cannot read facial emotions, and it is a condition that places her on the ASDSpectrum but she isn't autistic.She struggles with little things we take for granted in everyday life but it also means that she is unable to distinguish a truthful and honest person from a dishonest liar. This causes her so much anguish after Sofia goes missing, she is quite honestly distraught and torn to pieces.As the story progresses I was so intrigued to know of the samaritans had any negative intentions or motives.It had me on the edge of my seat while I attempted to unravel their intentions, where they manipulating Carrie or were they genuine, time only tells when it is ready I suppose. This anticipation builds the tension slowly to the end of the book and the pacing is perfect for the book C.J Parsons even manages to throw some twists in so, ther reader is led down some blind alleys as well.
Thank you to Random Things Tours,C.J Parsons and NetGalley for the book to write this review.

Title: The Good Samaritan
Author: C J Parsons
Pages: 443
Publisher: Headline Publishing
Rating: 4/5

A huge thank you to C J Parsons, Headline Publishing, Netgalley and Random Things Tours for letting me be part of the tour.

Synopsis:

Carrie’s world is thrown into turmoil when Sofia, her five-year-old daughter disappears from the park she is playing in. Carrie blames herself; she feels her inability to read others facial expressions may have endangered her child. She is about to lose hope when days later a stranger turns up on her doorstep with Sofia in his arms. Carrie’s relief doesn’t last for long because the abductor is still unknown and still out there. Sofia may still be in danger and Carrie could still be missing the warning signs.

Review:
The front cover of this read instantly caught my eye and those few words given away really piqued my interest. The questions in the book’s description also made me eager to read because I wanted answers for those questions being asked. The publish date for The Good Samaritan is November 26th, so there are not many reviews currently up but the stars that have been rewarded so far hint that this would be a good read. Another thriller that sounded right up my street and another thriller that definitely didn’t disappoint.

The story begins in Sofia’s perspective and I find reads from children’s perspectives to be quite powerful, it definitely adds to the tension and sets the tone, especially when the book is a thriller. At times I felt quite emotional hearing from Sofia, I could really feel how scared she was, so praise to the author for creating an atmosphere like this.

The Good Samaritan does a fantastic job at touching on mental health and bringing to light how scary and unpredictable mental health can be. It also highlights how humans can take advantage of other people when they have a vulnerability, really showing off the dark side of humanity.

This was a read that had you constantly changing your mind as to who was behind it all. I think I guessed but then other events that happened changed my mind, it felt too obvious being some characters but then again it made sense of it to be them. I finally confidently worked out who it was, but right until the very end I had a sense of doubt and I love it when stories have the power to do this! I also like how little clues were cleverly dropped into the story for us to pick up on and that made me doubt my thoughts.

I wouldn’t say I connected with the characters on a deeper level, but I did really feel for Carrie. She was in an awful position, let alone when struggling to recognise expressions and emotions. I wanted to dive into the story and give her a shake at times, but it really wasn’t her fault. I did however love her relationship with Sofia, she was the perfect mother to her. As for Sofia, she was sweet and sensible, she had a good understanding of other people’s feelings and I really wanted her to be safe.

I could really feel the tension in the story at times, to the point that I sometimes felt slightly unnerved. I also like how the story kept referring back to the title, which added to the tension for me. Some of the chapters left me hanging which made it hard to put the book back down because I was left needing answers. The last few chapters were also action packed, giving me the climax, I was looking for after quite a build-up.

I was relieved when I finally got to the end of the story, not because I wanted it to be over but because I wanted my questions answering and I wanted to know if my gut instinct was correct. The Good Samaritan isn’t your usual straight forward thriller, it is twisty from the get go and very gripping. Welldone C J Parsons!

This was a good, well written book which I thoroughly enjoyed although it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat.

The characters were well developed but unfortunately it didn't have the 'wow' factor for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. this book had some good suspense, but in my opinion was very predictable. It was still a good book, but it didn't take me long to figure out who the bad guy was going to be.

My Thoughts: This story had be hooked and questioning myself throughout! – definitely the best kind of thriller.

We follow Carrie, who after taking her eyes off her daughter for 2 minutes to take a phone call finds herself distraught because Sofia is no longer there.

She is approached by Tara, who quickly gathers a group of mums together to arrange a search party and comes up empty handed so helps Carrie inform the police.

Whilst talking to police we learn that Carrie is unable to read people’s facial expressions and struggles with understanding implications in tones of voice, as such she also struggles to express the same emotions & can sometimes come across as cold as a result.

Sofia is later returned by a man who claims to be a stranger who just walked past where Sofia was being held – is he telling the truth?!

I really struggled to put this book down, as much as I was getting frustrated with myself because I just couldn’t work out who was responsible and where the story was going! I was even doubting that the ending was really the ending 😂

If you love a thriller that will take you on a never ending journey and keep you on your toes throughout then this is definitely the one for you!

How can you tell a lie from a truth and know who to trust when you cannot read facial expressions? Something most of us can do without even realising it. Having a protagonist with this condition, alongside being on the spectrum, really made this stand out amongst other thrillers. I especially loved her daughter’s sweet referral to it as assburgers.

My heart was in my mouth and I could sense the foreboding as Sofia goes to a gap in the fence, while Carrie is distracted by a phone call from Sofia’s father, as they are at the park. The author has taken every parents worst nightmare and made it even worse by slowly revealing the drugging of Sofia using a stuffed toy and the added complication of her father’s mental health issues.

Then we meet DCI Juliet Campbell and DI Alistair Larkin sent in to investigate, just as stranger Josh knocks on Carrie’s door a few days later with Sofia in his arms. Claiming he found her in a shed at an empty property whilst out on a walk. Juliet while questioning Josh discovers she can’t read him so starts to understand a small part of what Carrie has to live with making her more empathetic.

The characters are all so uniquely different and it is testament to the author that she has captured each of them with authenticity. Especially as there are different genders, race and ages. Carrie and Sofia stand out and the love they have for each other makes you root for a happy ending, while trying to work out who is behind trying to stop that from happening and why.

A totally original concept with characters you can emotionally invest in, doesn’t get much better than that.