Aimee Molloy

Sam Statler and his wife Annie Potter moved from New York City to Chestnut Hill, NY when Sam’s mother had to be placed in a nursing home because of her dementia. Sam, a psychologist, is quickly building a successful private practice when he disappears during a late-season tropical storm.

Holy cow. I’ve been looking for a book with a great twist for years (since reading Shutter Island back in 2010) and been consistently disappointed. This book didn’t just twist, it corkscrewed! show more Repeatedly! I literally gasped at the end of each part.

The “Girl” or “Woman” psychological thriller craze irritates me. I gave both Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins a DNF. I did manage to finish The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine and The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides but I was underwhelmed. I don’t remember whose review prompted me to request Goodnight Beautiful at the library, but I’m glad I did.

I started listening to the book with trepidation. Was this going to be another book with a crazy, unlikeable, untrustworthy female? I was starting to get a sinking feeling in my stomach when a female character comes out with this statement (possibly not an exact quote as I’m transcribing from the audio):

“Another unreliable female narrator. I’m getting a little tired of the way women are being depicted in fiction right now, to be honest. […] That we’re prone to neurosis and/or hysteria and our judgment shouldn’t be trusted. Thus legitimizing the hegemonic idea of masculinity and men’s dominant position in society and justifying the subordination of women.”

“What’s this?” I thought. “She’s echoing my own thoughts! Is Ms. Molloy going to own that trope or is she going to turn it on its head?” I decided to stick around and see. The payoff for me was huge!

The author included a lot of nods to books featuring unstable women. I’m sure I missed some of the Easter eggs since I’m so resistant to the genre, but I appreciated the ones I picked up on. I truly can’t say more without giving something away so you’ll just have to take my word on it from here.

The audiobook, read by Val Toomey, George Newbern, Marin Ireland, and Joel Froomkin, was fabulous. One detail about the casting bothered me at first but it made sense as I continued.

I’ll stop here but if you’re looking for a fast-paced, twisty read and you’re as tired of the “crazy girl” thrillers as I am, give this one a try. show less

This is a psychological thriller you’ll think you have all figured out...but believe me... you don’t! Don’t even try to guess who amongst the plethora of equally unreliable characters is the culprit, just give in to the wild ride. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Come closer... when you get to page 92 the rug gets pulled out from under you.... but that is where the real story begins. This story is told in alternating perspectives...which I don’t usually care for...but in this show more case it worked very well. show less

Brilliant in many respects, this is a well thought out, high velocity mystery with a rather unique element. Early in the story, a character references a favorite mystery book and as the story progresses we learn the antagonist uses the plot to execute the same elements of it to achieve his goal. Good character development, consistency in pacing and use of continual POV changes keep the reader guessing. While mystery isn't my genre of choice, this one truly shines. Highly recommended for all show more who love surprises show less

What a fun little twisted mystery. I must admit, this one completely got me! I was rolling along when I hit Part 2 and realized - I had not been paying good enough attention! I had to backtrack and re-read a lot to set myself straight. It caught me again, another section forward, and again I found I'd made assumptions about both the characters and the story. It was very refreshing to have a mystery so completely twist me around. I loved the POV and trying to put all the pieces together. It's show more twisted and even though the story even references once that possibly inspired it, it's original on its own and is engrossing and fast paced. I loved it! show less