GOOD AS DEAD by Susan Walter

 

It all starts with a promise from a stranger: We’ll take care of everything.

Holly Kendrick’s husband is dead. Holly saw it all. In one violent moment, a hit-and-run accident turns Holly’s life upside down. Then a fixer for the high-powered guilty party approaches Holly with an offer she is in no position to refuse. Holly and her daughter, Savannah, will want for nothing, beginning with a luxury dream house—all for the price of their silence. But when their sudden appearance in privileged Calabasas, California, piques the curiosity of neighbors, the price becomes greater than they imagined. Because Holly and Savannah aren’t the only ones in the neighborhood with something to hide.

Told from alternating points of view, Good as Dead draws together an unlikely group of people bound to one another by a crime, a cover-up, and compounding deceptions. As carefully constructed lives begin to crumble, how far will everyone be willing to go to bury the truth and protect the people they love?

MY THOUGHTS

This debut novel by Susan Walter pulls you right in and keeps you turning the pages. It's very well written and you truly like the characters. The descriptions are very well done and the execution of the story is great. I throughly enjoyed this book from start to finish.

It definitely starts off with a promise. A promise to take care of everything. If you keep quiet. If you don't tell. If you can just move on and accept what happened. Holly and her daughter, Savannah, have their worlds torn apart. Turned upside down, in an instant. Things go from happy to horrible in the blink of an eye. Just a few seconds of looking away and nothing is the same. But they do move on. To a whole new life in a whole new part of town. To a very upscale area that they would never have had any other way. But can they truly move on. Can they truly forget what happened. Are they headed for a breakdown that they can't return from... 

This book is told from many different voices. From the two survivors to others who are involved. Some even without their knowledge. At least for a while. Each story or perspective is also in two time frames. One being three month before and the other three months after or now. You learn about each person before things go so bad and after the fact. The things that lead up to the fact. What happens to Holly and Savannah will leave you holding your breath in many ways. You will want them to be happy and safe. You will like them. Even through all they have endured they are so close. Mother and daughter are always there for each other. 

Someone is holding a huge secret though. Someone knows exactly what happened to Holly's husband. Who did what was done. They are willing to pay to keep it quiet. They are willing to do anything to keep things quiet. This book tells the story of a family's love for each other. What happens when you lose the one you depend on. The one you love so much. What you will do for the surviving one though. Also what a person will do for their child. Even when facing losing everyone they hold dear. I felt so bad for that one person in the end. I really did. 

This book really pulls you in and won't let you go. Each chapter gives you more. Tells you more about each character. You get to know them in a deep way. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, #SusanWalter, #LakeUnionPublishing, #AmazonFirstReads, for this book. This is my own true thoughts about this book. 

5/5 stars and a high recommendation.