The writing style just didn't work for me. I didn't finish it.

5+++ Wonderful Stars - Wow, such an amazing story! I loved LOVED it! It was my second read by this author but as my previous read by him wasn’t that good, this one compensated it! This book took me out of my comfort zone (pushed me so hard) and let me tell you this one was an uncomfortable read but I’m glad I read it, it was definitely worth it! It was a really good psychological thriller, a page turner one, I couldn’t put it down and I was on the edge of my seat all the time! Well done Mr. Marrs!
Laura works for The End of the Line. The End of the Line’s purpose is to be some one a caller can unload their problems onto and help them to get through it but at the end it’s the callers’ decision to do the right/wrong thing!!

"It believes that everyone has the right to live or die on his or her own terms … We believe it’s absolutely their decision to end their lives and we won’t try to talk them out of it … We listen, we don’t act."

But Laura has her own agenda. She manipulated them and used it in her own favor. She is so smart and so cruel. Everything is fine with her (or it’s better to say she thinks that way) until Steven called her and said he doesn’t want to be alive anymore. And it’s not just this, the story turned in other unexpected ways. First you think you know her well enough, but then everything chaned and you realized that you know nothing about her! The author did a good job to bring so much hatred in me!

"Reading people’s misery and answering questions often helped to relax me."

The writing was amazing, the characters were so perfect and the story line was well-written. my only complaint was the ending. I just wanted to see (view spoiler) Told in dual POV (except the epilogue), 1st person. All in all, I loved it so much and I hope you enjoy it just like me!

Thanks to John Marrs, Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced digital copy in exchange an honest review.

HOT DAMN!!!

What a deliciously devious little novel this is. John Marrs has created a wicked villain in Laura. She is absolutely awful but you will love to hate her. I was completely gripped from beginning to end.

Laura works at the End of the Line call center where you're a friendly voice and comforting shoulder to potential suicide victims. Unbeknownst to all around her but this is where she gets her kicks by convincing people that they are not worthy of life and essentially assisting them in their suicide. She has one caller, David, in which she has become a little too attached to. He doesn't want to die alone. He wants someone to do it with him and because Laura isn't going to do it she'll need to find someone else. Along comes Charlotte a pregnant woman with pre-natal depression and she fits the part perfectly for Laura and here she instigates a plan for the dual suicide and succeeds. What she doesn't count on is Charlotte's husband , Ryan. In his grief and desperation to figure out why his pregnant wife would kill herself with another man he begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together and it leads him right to Laura. I'm going to leave it at that because this is when the roller coaster ride begins and it was FUN!!!

My first John Marrs book but certainly not my last. I enjoyed this immensely. 5 Fantastic stars!

.Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this! This is exactly the type of psychological thriller I'd been hoping for! "Laura" works for a hotline that is open to those considering suicide - and Laura is not what you would expect should she answer your call! Laura is one of the craziest characters yet! The suspense in this book just builds! It is well written and there's constant surprises throughout this book woven in so cleverly. I have to say, I absolutely loved this! Well done!

“When you’re not considered to be a threat, you can get away with much, much more.”

As I started reading this book, I almost immediately realized just how good it was. By the time I reached the halfway point, I knew it would be one of my all-time favorites, and one of the best thrillers I’d read all year.

From the beginning, the reader is thrust into a world of craziness that only escalates as you move through the pages. Laura is a very interesting character whose complete madness knows no bounds. I was intrigued by Steven as well, and the story had SO many twists I was honestly surprised at the end of every chapter. I’m usually good at seeing something coming, but with The Good Samaritan, I didn’t have a clue about what was going to happen next.

The story is written in a style that’s easy and pleasant to read, made to encourage the reader to keep turning the pages. I read the book in two days and even ended up staying up until 5 am because it was totally unable to put the book down.

Now that I’m finished with this novel, I can’t WAIT to read more by John Marrs. I believe this is his fourth novel, and I’m incredibly excited to see what his devious mind is capable of in his other works.

An outstanding thriller, a journey into the depraved mind of a seemingly perfect mommy that keeps you guessing until the last second. Completely addictive, a must read for me.

Would recommend for: fans of domestic noir. If you enjoyed books by Shari Lapena, you will devour this amazing read.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

Trigger warning: One of the main characters of the novel encourages people to end their own lives, and therefore the book deals heavily with suicide. There are also lenghty parts which describe methods of suicide.

The Good Samaritan follows Laura, who works for End of the Line, a suicide line which assist people in their darkest moments. However, she is very different from her co-workers: instead of helping the callers she encourages them to commit suicide. She is very careful at picking the perfect "candidates", but things start to go wrong when Ryan, the husband of her latest victim, begins suspecting someone might have provoked his wife's death.

The Good Samaritan was a solid thriller, with an original content and some shocking twists. I must admit the topic was a little too much for me at times: some parts I found uncomfortable and hard to digest, and this took away from my enjoyment of the book.

All in all, however, I think the story was well done. Laura's point of view was disturbing and I sincerely loathed her, but it was also kind of fascinating seeing inside her head. The way she re-imagined past events in order to suit her best was very well done. I think I will remember her character for a long time. Ryan's parts were a little boring at times because they recounted, from his point of view, events we already knew from Laura's chapters; I think his parts slowed down the narration a bit. However, after Laura and Ryan's first confrontation the story really picked up. There were some jaw-dropping twists and I loved how the author made it seem the story was going in a certain direction, and then it all suddenly changed.

I would definitely read John Marrs in the future, and I would recommend this book, but only if you are able to deal with the heavy topic.

That was a chilling read. Laura is one of the best -or better say worst- characters I have seen in a book for quite a while. As the blurb says, Laura works for a telephone helpline. But she is obsessed with dead and has her own rules to play by. But then she comes across Ryan. His wife killed herself while pregnant. In his grieve he looks for answers and soon he finds out that his wife did call the helpline quite a lot.

Ryan finds out about Laura’s role in his wife’s suicide. He begins to watch her and works out a plan. Soon they are in engaged in some kind of duel. They are trying to bring each other down and ruin their life.

This book is not a very fast paced thriller. Most of the time it is more of a slow burner. First we meet Laura and her way of handling things. Then the story is told from Ryan’s point of view. They are playing a cat and mouse game and Ryan is getting into it deeper and deeper.

This book is a dark and disturbing read. And also very sad. You will meet the most despicable character and you are watching the downfall of a man first hand. The author explains very extensive. That’s what takes a bit the pace out of it. But you are rewarded with a well crafted and very intense and complex story.

I enjoyed “The One” from John Marrs a couple of month ago and I liked it very much. This book is very different but as unique and brilliantly done as “The One”. I admire his talent to create such unusual storylines. I highly recommend this book if you love a good psychological thriller.

Deeply disturbing, but utterly gripping ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If nothing else, this book would get the award for having the most heinous female protagonist ever (well, at least since I read Misery - yep, we are in the realms of Annie Wilkes’ levels of cray cray here...) But it has a hell of a lot more going on then that.

Its not giving anything away to allude to the fact that the main character, Laura, works on a suicide hotline (helpline ...?) but is using it in the most horrific way to get her own kicks. I’ll just state now that if you’re depressed, sensitive to the subject of suicide, or had a loved one take their own life.....you might just want to give this one a miss. Because there’s quite a lot of talk about it - and there is NO skirting around the issue. We get a lot of the gnarly details about methods....look, just be warned and go into this book aware of that.

On the other hand if you like a book to go so dark you need your own miners lamp to look for any glimmer of hope, then this is for you! Disclaimer - I’m not a horrible person (I’m not, I swear) but as someone who loves psychological thrillers, the premise of a woman working on a suicide hotline and actually encouraging people to end their own lives was morbidly fascinating. What a clever premise for a thriller. I mean, it doesn't get much more macabre than that. You just knew Laura was going to have such a grisly back story to have ended up that way, and oh boy did she!

I found the build up of this book just a little too drawn out for my liking and I was just starting to lose interest a tad when we meet Ryan. Ryan is left distraught when his pregnant girlfriend takes her own life. The ONLY thing you see coming in this book is that he traces her mysterious suicide back to Laura - but all the other plot twists from then on are so cleverly crafted. After that frustratingly slow build, I had been caught, hook, line and sinker and I couldn’t stop reading. I’ve seen a few Goodreads reviews giving this a DNF after about 50 pages - my advice is stick with it, because it’s about to get soooooo good.

This is the first book I have read by this author and was more than pleasantly surprised. The characters were completely believable and I loved how carefully the story had been interwoven so you are drip fed more and more of the back story and slowly things start to make sense.

I did feel like I needed a big hug after reading this though, ... and a hot chocolate, and a rom com..... and a room full of puppies. I mean, it is intensely dark and there is no real relief throughout. But if that is your cup of tea, then this is an excellent, suspenseful thriller that you will not be able to put down.

Just make sure to have some chocolate on standby for afterwards

Laura works for End of the Line in Northampton, an outfit much like The Samaritans, set up to talk positively with those who are at the end of their tether and needing someone to chat with anonymously and supportively. She is governed by clear guidelines and has been mentored very carefully by one of the experienced counsellor peers. Gradually she has become a valued member of the team and a passionate and hardworking advocate for their objectives. She is their chief fundraiser and is desperate to be accepted and admired. She does odd jobs for her colleagues, bakes cakes for the office and everyone likes her. She is totally thrilled with herself, but Laura has a very troubled hidden distant past and there are also secrets she is keeping about her current life.
Recently Laura has been helping a new client called Ryan; Laura is delighted to add him to her list of special clients. He’s just the ticket. She has exactly the skills he needs and in her own mind she is ideally suited to help him. She builds up his trust patiently and skilfully. She feels a deep joy in her heart, just like a fisherman does when he is reeling in a giant, record-breaking catch. Ryan confides in her and tells her she really gets him. It will soon be time to test out the waters. Laura cannot wait until Ryan finally makes his decision. But Ryan has secrets of his own that Laura is completely unaware of. Laura will not like what happens next, but then neither will Ryan.
'The Good Samaritan' is a well written story about a game of cat and mouse. It is dark and very disturbing, full of tension and pervading menace. I did not like either of the main characters, both unreliable narrators, selfish and lacking in compassion and empathy. They are oozing with duplicity. There are plenty of thrills and spills, shocks and twists and turns. I did not enjoy the storyline where vulnerability was preyed on ruthlessly and with criminal intent. I loathed the violence, lies and unkindness. I found the dual narration where the two main characters retold the story: same facts, different points of view tedious. I thought that it was much too long and slowed down the pace considerably. I definitely disliked the last chapter intensely. I was so disappointed and shocked that the novel ended in that way.
I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher Thomas & Mercer for my copy of this novel, sent to me in return for an honest review. I’m glad I read this novel and there is much to like about it. It’s a 7/10 from me.

The Good Samaritan by John Marrs is a well-written, dark and disturbing thriller.

While most suspense novels reveal little from the beginning and build up the story up to a surprise ending, Marrs sets the game from the beginning of the novel by introducing anti-heroine Laura and her deadly motives.

Laura works for End of the Line, a charity organisation where people ring in their moments of despair. She is pretty much like a nocturnal animal on hunt, looking out for suicidal people and offering them a keen support to end their lives. One day, she convinces a pregnant woman with prenatal depression to commit suicide together with a stranger. Then this woman's husband, Ryan starts investigating his wife's death. Would he be able to find answers? Will he be able to find what Laura did?

Laura is an anti-heroine, a mean, emotionless woman with a heart of stone- and we are supposed to dislike. her but especially in the beginning of the novel I couldn't avoid grinning to her witty but mean inner thoughts.
Here is an example:

"‘No thank you, I’m gluten intolerant.’
‘Is that really a thing? Do you just wake up one morning and realise that after fifty-odd years you can’t eat cake?’
‘I’m forty-two.’
She glared at me and I made an imaginary chalk mark on a board."

I didn't find the plot particularly interesting in the beginning, however Laura's brutal and sarcastic inner thoughts kept me reading as she was a very promising character. It doesn't take long before other characters start entering into the game and the story develops into a very interesting cat and mouse game between the them. I was hooked until the end to find out what was going to happen next, and found the ending really pleasing.

There were two things I didn't like in the story (mild spoilers): first, the coincidences in the plot that bumped characters into each other (Tony-Janine, Ryan-Effie) and second the parts about Laura's life with Sylvia. I would have preferred less details, leaving gaps for imagination rather than agitating the reader as the subject was quite sensitive and upsetting.

This book is perfect read for fans of Peter Swanson as he also masters writing strategic battling/hunt between the characters, like 'The Kind worth Killing' or 'Her Every Fear'.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The good Samaritan by john marrs.
Laura works at end of lines. People phone in when they are feeling at their worst. She is only supposed to listen. But she does so much more. Will she be caught?
Omg. An absolutely fantastic read with great . I really didn't know how I felt about laura. I liked her but I hated her too. I was curious as to who Steven was and what he really wanted. I didn't trust him. I really didn't expect that. A shocking twister of a read. Could not put it down. 5*. Highly recommended.

John Marrs has an amazing gift for creating complex characters. Laura might not be the perfect candidate for a volunteer position manning a suicide helpline. She is full of anger and resentment and enjoys people’s suffering. The perfect caller will be one she can ‘help’ end their life. She presents one normal, charming face to the world and yet clearly we see the psychopath lurking under her façade. There were enough twists and turns to keep me engrossed and wanting desperately to know what would happen next. Laura was a disturbing character and this story kept me speculating how this would end until the very last page. It is a dark thriller and if that appeals to you, you are in for one pulse-pounding ride. Kudos to John Marrs for a book that was impossible to put down.
John Marrs, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley provided a digital copy and I want to say thank you for the opportunity to read The Good Samaritan.

John Marrs has an amazing imagination and the three books of his I’ve read have all been fresh and unique – not easy with so many psychological thriller writers doing great things! The Good Samaritan is based on a chilling notion: the very person you turn to for help is the devil incarnate. Instead of providing a compassionate ear for those who call the suicide helpline, Laura manipulates them to satisfy her own macabre desires. Each time I thought good would triumph, the author threw in yet another curveball. I didn’t warm to any of the characters in this book – all were equally awful in different ways. The ending, in true Marrs fashion, is unexpected and a corker! This is a fast-paced, gripping, easy read that will have wide appeal.

I think this is one of the best books I've read this year! Don't worry no spoilers here.

It's taken me a few days since I finished reading it to try and find the words to describe the effect it has had on me. I love getting immersed in a good book but this was something else. It really isn't often that you come across a book that is so engrossing that you forget it's a book. My husband wasn't impressed, he had to keep tapping me to get my attention because as soon as I started reading it i'd be so lost in the story that I wouldn't hear anything around me.

The characters are superb. They're incredibly complex with very different relationships and yet there wasn't one character in this book that I didn't love. The main character Laura is astonishingly written, her depth and challenge, the way she evolves, is unique and I loved that just when I thought i'd figured her all out, along came another layer to confuse, entertain, shock and empathise with. Which shows you the power of the written word and how adept John Marrs is at creating characters.

I spent half the book thinking I knew what was coming, waiting to see if I was correct. Every time I thought I had come to terms with an event along came a new character or a massive twist that I just didn't see. Even the little twists, they way the story unfolds and the way peoples lives are intertwined really does bring home to me how incredible this book is and how talented he is as a writer.

The pace and flow of this book is great, every time I had to put it down I simply couldn't wait to pick it up again. I found myself compelled to read as much as I could in any given moment of the day. I had to find out what would happen next and I hate the ending. It's not that I hated the way it finished or how it finished, but the fact it left me a little bit in despair. I need, really really NEED to know more. I'm scared that John Marrs might not be writing a sequel already and I beg him (if he's reading this) to please please please hurry up and finish a sequel. I hate to think that this is it, that I will never know what happens, I'm not sure I can come to terms with the unfinished lives of some of the characters. I think I have been through 4 stages of grief since I finished the book and I really cant recommend it enough. It might not be everyone's cup of tea and it all depends what sort of books you like reading, but if you've read this far into my review I definitely recommend that you pick up or download a copy and start reading!

superb characterisation and with a story that's both believable and yet has a dollop of fantasy..

I found the setting intimate and that made it even more disturbing. A seriously good thriller. John marrs leads the Brit pack for thrillers.

Centered around Laura, a volunteer advisor on a phone line for those in despair and feeling suicidal. Laura’s not the one you want to get at the end of the phone as rather than talk you out of suicide she will actually do her best to talk you in to it.
There are so many Psychological Thrillers around at the moment which follow similar themes. This is a very refreshing concept- and it works!!

Laura is a caretaker, a mother figure even for the other volunteers at The End of the Line. What nobody knows is that she acts compassionate for some, but is a silent killer for others. People who are at their lowest point and finally call and reach out to Laura are met with a professional lady on the other end of the line but one who clearly has a hidden agenda. She always sticks to the roadbook but she has her little ways to find out if people are willing to take the most drastic measures possible. She's so self-centered and lacks any compassion for another human being and is so effective in hiding her true colours. She finds it a victory if she can add someone to her list. She sucks up the callers' angst, their uneasiness, their desperation and their confusion. She lives off it and gets a thrill when hearing or imagining their last breath. It didn't take long at all to realise how evil Laura's character really was and I loved to hate her. 

The first hundred pages made my resentment towards Laura grow and grow and I could hardly wrap my head around it when reading how she justifies her actions that she’s ‘helping’ people. She’s got an amazing (awful) track record already and when she answers the phone to Steven who's suffering depression she clocks a promising new candidate to guide towards the end. It won't go exactly as she planned though and that’s the understatement of the year!

Myohmyohmy what a twisty turny novel this is! I felt I was watching a ping-pong match and I was waiting for the flatliner announcing the end of the game but there was no such thing.. it just went on and on! There were a lot of punches thrown in The Good Samaritan, both literally and metaphorically speaking. At the start of the novel I didn't know what to expect really (ok I didn't read the blurb so I really went in blind and I can highly recommend) but I wasn't expecting this rollercoaster of events. Once I reached that one pivotal moment in this novel I didn't want to put it down anymore. After a while, I just didn't know how this was going to end any more, there was no stopping this woman. The ending was perfect though and left me a little speechless even.

Laura is someone you just have to get to know. There's so much more to her than meets the eye and she and Ryan made this book such a thrill to read. I already knew John Marrs was a great author (I loved The One) but god he's really outdone himself again with this one, so orginal and full of suspense, a real must-read.

I say don't read the reviews, because this is a book that you should just pick up and read. If you're reading this you are wasting valuable time that could be spent reading The Good Samaritan. It is brilliant. Seriously, are you still reading this? Why??? Get the book. Turn off your phone. Get rid of all distractions. You will not want to be disturbed by anything other than John Marrs' excellent writing. There are spine tingling moments; moments that make you hold your breath; moments when you desperately don't want to find out what happens; but you do really. It will stay with you for a long time. Superb.

Hey, so my first foray into using a kindle, lets deal with that first, once Id set it up, sorted out downloads fussed about my Amazon kindle email etc and it the ‘book’ was there on my screen I was more at ease and then after an initial ‘settling in’ few mins really loved it, I went between my ipad and iphone and found it easier and more relaxing than I ever imagined, oh I still love the feel of a ‘real’ book and will be buying them, I like seeing books around the flat and for others to also see them and look at them etc.....anyway onto ‘The Good Samaritan’, the new, yet to be published book from John Marrs,........its a masterpiece!!, this book is a totally different feel from his last 3 books I have read, I would say its darker andeven more intense ( if possible ).....it is set around 2 main characters ( there are others who play a lesser role) and as the title would suggest its set in a Samaritans type office,the main character, Laura, is SO well written I hated her!!!!..... John Marrs truly writes pure brilliance, his story telling is superb and you are caught up in this story telling world from the first page,this story telling then becomes for the reader real, very real, so real at one point I almost rang the Police about Laura...I jest but you get my point,as always every page leaves you wanting more and his cliff hangers are the best and continue to shock and surprise, I can only advise you to pre order this for its release on Dec 1st, ( Kindle Unlimited Nov 1st ) those that have read his previous books will not be disappointed and those who will be experiencing his work for the first time I GUARANTEE will be ordering his previous 3 books, 10/10, highly recommended

The Good Samaritan

I discovered John Marrs last January while dealing with a pregnancy related reading hiatus. The first book I read of his blew me away and I quickly sought out his other 2 novels and read them in quick succession. Just imagine my excitement when The Good Samaritan became available.
WOW! Yet again John Marrs has pulled another cracker out of the bag, This is by fair the best so far, and I thought that the others would take some beating. Despite being incredibly dark and twisty, I couldn’t help but like the main character, but also found them to be equally as unlikeable and I thought that all of the characters to be very believable. I was kept hooked from start to finish, with many surprises, twists and turns. The Good Samaritan has leapt to the top of my favourite all time reads, I eagerly await the next novel and will definitely recommend to my friends and anyone who will listen.