Good Guys and Bad Guys
by Maya Smith
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date 28 Jul 2025 | Archive Date 21 Aug 2025
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Description
Like most seemingly perfect places, Jake’s hometown of Asheton hides some dark secrets. His entire life it has been a safe place with good people, where nothing ever seems to go wrong. That is, until his parents suddenly go missing. When he decides the police are just too incompetent to solve such an important mystery, he enlists his best friend Danny to help him discover what actually happened to cause their disappearance.
With help from his grandmother and older sister Hannah, Jake attempts to track down the bad guys responsible, but instead he finds out that his parents may not have been who they said they were. He soon realises that he may be being lied to on a much larger scale, as his own family becomes increasingly under suspicion.
And the world being divided into good guys and bad guys may not be as simple as Jake had originally thought.
A Note From the Publisher
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781836289746 |
| PRICE | £4.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 224 |
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 2 members
Featured Reviews
Karly B, Reviewer
This was a very quick and entertaining read. Captivating characters and an endearing plot. It was fun, fast, and witty.
Erica L, Librarian
GOOD GUYS AND BAD GUYS is a book about a mystery & the child who solves it, but it's also a book about nuance. I liked the concept and the reveal of the mystery. The narration was a bit forced at times, but it's a fun style I don't usually see. Combined with the plot and the takeaways I think this would be a solid readalike for The Mysterious Benedict Society.
All that said, I felt that the pacing was slightly off - Jake's knowledge of what happened was (I think) meant to add suspense, and maybe for a kid it would! But for me, his constant referrals to a "now" and "what we know now that the mystery's solved" were just frustrating. As well, the dialogue felt pretty stilted a lot of the time.
I'll be recommending this to fans of character-driven middle grade mysteries and kids who are looking for a bit deeper, more challenging of a read.
Thanks to NetGalley, Troubador, and the author for the eARC. This is 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 on Goodreads and NetGalley.
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