Another psychological thriller, unreliable narrator, woman in danger, etc. And, you know, there are certain clichés, motifs, tropes, call them what you will, true crime fans know these to be true, with one being that if a husband goes missing, it’s ALWAYS the wife (or vice versa). So when I started reading Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy, author of The Good Mother, all I knew was that the storyline included a husband who goes missing. Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley, I have the chance to give my honest review after spending ONE WHOLE DAY glued to the pages of this book. Yes, it’s a perfect beach read/summer diversion/pandemic escape mechanism.
The storyline revolves around a pair of newlyweds, Sam Statler and Annie Potter. He’s a psychotherapist, and she’s…well, lonely after they have moved from New York City to Sam’s hometown upstate. Sam is super busy, working in his downstairs office, listening to his clientele, most of whom are women. Sam has no ideas that every conversation can be heard upstairs through a vent in the office ceiling. Things go along smoothly, until a young French woman driving a Mini Cooper shows up and Sam decides to leave work and go to meet her rather than go home.
As I said, I spent a day on this one, and enjoyed it. A lot. But then there’s that ending…I hope her next book continues her skill with plot and character development and does better with wrapping up the story. I did enjoy the resolution, just not the way we got there. Four stars. Fun read!