Ok so it’s pretty certain this is going to be my favorite book of 2018. It was insane how intense this book was! Imagine calling a helpline expecting a friendly person to answer and talk through your problems but what you actually get is someone who agrees your life is heading no where and encourages you to kill yourself. This book is dark. This book should be read. Buy it now!

Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I think for me the synopsis had built higher expectations than the book delivered. Or maybe just different. It's a good angle of the same old murderer's plot, told in a rather fast-paced and engaging way. I loved the main character - not so goody-goody or a lost soul who wakes up suddenly not knowing what she'd done and why. Refreshing! Five stars for her character development.

The only let down for me was that despite how original and unique it sounded from the mentioned synopsis, it didn't really feel all that unpredictable and mind-blowing.

But that's just me - I read so many psych thrillers that I'm starting to feel like that about every third book. For those who cherish this genre and get to only a few books over their summer holiday, this is a fabulous choice, will keep you up with nerve ends tingling until the very last page.

Wow. This book. The Good Samaritan is the second John Marrs novel that I have read, and boy, was it twisted. Part suspense and part psychological thriller, this book had me flipping pages late into the night.

Let's begin, shall we?

Laura is your basic middle-age suburban wife with a husband and three kids. Well, so it seems. She spends her days volunteering at End of the Line, a suicide hotline where people can call when they feel most desperate. Except, Laura has a little secret. Instead of helping counsel her clients and offering them alternatives to ending their life, Laura is acting as a predator seeking out prey. When she finds her chosen victims, she encourages them to end their lives. She does not simply just turn a blind eye, but she goes so far as to offer them suggestions on how to best go about this practice.

I told you, twisted, right?

Well, Laura's mission is moving along swimmingly, until she meets her match in Ryan. Ryan's pregnant wife, suffering with depression, had recently been calling the hotline and speaking with Laura. At Laura's advice, Ryan's wife decides to end her life. Ryan had gotten wind of the fact that his wife had been speaking with a representative of End of the Line. When he does some further research, he realizes that there is strong speculation that someone working for End of the Line is acting as God. Ryan makes it his mission to find out who.

Ryan then concocts a plot to discover who is responsible for his wife's death. Pretending that he is at the end of his rope, he begins calling the center, and eventually identifies the responsible party. He vows to get revenge on Laura, and to harm her and her family, just as she has ruined his.

As we all know though, seeking revenge comes at a cost. Ryan and Laura become entangled in a battle, and no one is immune from the ramifications. As we see Ryan target Laura's family, we begin to realize how sick and disturbed Laura really is, and we cringe at the domino affect that her actions have. Who is Laura really? What had made her this way?

This book is truly twisted, and I found myself gasping aloud a few times at the plot twists and turns. Just when I thought that I had something figured out, the book would move in a completely different direction. John Marrs knows how to weave stories that have readers wondering what the heck is going to happen next. I would absolutely recommend for readers who are looking for something a little darker, as this is definitely not a light and breezy read.

I love A good Thriller and OMG this one did not disappoint it was great from beginning to end!

The One by John Marrs was one of my favourite books I read last year so I knew I had to read The Good Samaritan by the same author.

The concept of this thriller is unique and brilliant. You assume if you were to call a suicide helpline you would be given support and advice. But what if the person on the other end of the line wanted you dead?

The main character, Laura, was such an intense and dark character - she is an expert at portraying herself as the perfect human, when in fact she is deeply flawed.

I am a sucker for an unreliable narrator and I absolutely adored this book. One of my favourite thrillers I've read, I couldn't put this book down.

Well where to start ......... this book really is a must read for anyone that loves psychological thrillers.

I don’t really want to say too much about it as I think it is a book you really need to read without knowing too much.

The story revolves around Laura, a middle aged lady with a husband and three children, who volunteers at a charity called End of The Line, which is basically a suicide hotline. Laura helps people who are considering suicide but does she help a bit too much ?

The story is written from two different views - Laura and a man called Ryan, whose wife ends her life after calling End of The Line. I love books that are written in this style with alternating chapters as it gives a real insight into how two people’s views of situations can be totally different.

The characters are brilliant and really complex, although you will probably find yourself feeling sorry for them one minute and then absolutely hating them the next.

All in all this is a book that you will find yourself totally engrossed in and will leave you wanting to find out what happens next at the end of each chapter. Be prepared to lose some sleep if reading in the evenings as you won’t want to stop.

Totally recommend this book if you love psychological thrillers . A definite must read !!

A very twisting and dark novel written by the author of The One. Ever since I read The One, I was immediately a fan.

This novel was very dark. Usually when reading a thriller novel, that's what you hope for but this was unexpected. It's really like nothing I've ever read before. It's a very unique story and that's what makes it great. Marrs writes with such detail, that I wonder how he created this Laura character.

Laura's character is a psychotic, creep and sadistic character. She made me cringe lots of times. The fact that she works at a helpline center and that she enjoys hearing people die alone is sickening. She makes the novel amazing with her crazy plans and sometimes it really does go far, but you can't stop reading because you want to know how it ends.

I don't think this book might be for everyone because it tends to get really dark and it is very vivid. It might make some people uncomfortable because it's not a happy novel. Suicide and death is a sensitive topic to everyone and this book does not shy away from anything. But if you do enjoy a novel with a sadistic character from time to time (I don't blame you, I do too), then this is the perfect book for you.

The conclusion was not how I wanted it to end, but it was still satisfying. Excited to see what's next for Marrs!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow that was one heck of a rollercoaster ride.

Completely new author to me but the blurb is what drew me to this book and I'm so glad to say that I wasn't disappointed at all.

It was a brilliant story plot, so very well written and as for the characters, just amazing. It was all so very believable and scary to think that this could actaully happen in a real life situation.

I literally couldn't turn the pages fast enough and I was in high suspense and anticipation as to what would happen next.

So it's a 5 star from me, as I absolutely loved it.

Wow, such an intense and thrilling read from John Marrs. Laura, a manipulative crisis counselor at “The End of the Line” encourages callers to end their lives and Ryan, a man grieving the loss of his pregnant wife/unborn son to suicide are characters that completely drew me in, their interconnecting dynamics kept me on the edge of my seat. I can easily see this book being adapted for the big screen. I’d be the first in line to buy a ticket. One of the best books I’ve read this year.

DNF. I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t connect to the story and that made me so sad because the synopsis sounded so good.

It’s just a case of it’s not for me I guess.

I was intrigued by the blurb for this book and it didn’t disappoint.
Laura is a very troubled woman and is using her job at ‘End of the Line’ to be there on the phone when someone takes their own life.
Her job is meant to be a counsellor but instead she uses it to find vulnerable people who are thinking about suicide, and she encourages them to do it.
This is shocking enough but the aftermath of Charlotte’s death left me speechless. Her husband finds out that Laura was somehow involved and then he seeks revenge for this.
I won’t say too much about this aspect as it really is scary how quickly lives can be ruined when someone is trying to manipulate your life.
At one point I felt sorry for Laura but for the most part she made my blood boil!
This is a gripping psychological thriller and I’d highly recommend it.
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

It was well written but sadly I couldn't finish the book. I don't think that if you are receiving treatment for depression that this book is the best for you to read. I will try another of Mr. Marrs' books.

The Good Samaritan is easily one of the darkest and most disturbing books I’ve read in a long time. After being unable to put down John Marrs’s uniquely suspenseful The One, I knew I wanted more of his writing in my life. The Good Samaritan is a vastly different novel and its subject matter isn’t for everyone, but I found myself just as unable to put down this story, fascinated by the train wreck of two people absolutely determined to destroy one another.

The first half of the novel takes its time in setting the stage, introducing us to Laura and Ryan and their motivations. My interest drifted at times, repulsed by Laura’s character and how emphasized it felt because of the slow pacing. But once the second half takes off, the pace and tension skyrocket through plenty of twists and turns leading up to a haunting finale. My jaw was on the floor several times, and I’m still not sure how I feel about that ending.

Laura is the sort of main character you don’t love to hate, you just flat-out hate. There’s little room for sympathy for someone who exploits the good intentions of a suicide hotline and actively walks people toward that final ledge rather than away from it. Nevertheless, I begrudgingly came to love how carefully Marrs unfolds her story so that the true magnitude of her unreliability as a narrator and the depths of her scheming don’t become clear until you’re already sucked into her web of deceit. And I was similarly impressed by how Marrs contorts Ryan into a character that isn’t easy to like, even next to someone as twisted as Laura. It’s chilling to see the uncomfortable lengths that both of them are willing to go to, driven by desperation, grief, and anger.

Even though I often found The Good Samaritan to be disturbing and hard to swallow, I have to say that I enjoyed this crazy novel. Obsession, manipulation, and the touch of unreliable narrators are present every single page. I’m quickly learning to expect the unexpected with John Marrs’s writing, and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more of his work. In the meantime, if you give this one a shot, be sure to have a nice, light read on deck for afterwards. You’ll want it.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I shall be looking for his past books based on this one read! It was tense and each chapter was carefully structured from the point of views of Ryan and Laura. I felt sorry for both characters and kept changing my mind on who I wanted to "win". The ending was a complete surprise but very clever!

Easily one of the best thrillers I have had the pleasure of reading in the last few years, this book is simply impossible put down. Good Samaritan is the story of Laura, a volunteer on a suicide helpline, who seems to be a little too involved with the callers, and even more worryingly seems to be encouraging them in their final moments. It's impossible to describe the plot any further without major spoilers, but suffice it to say that Laura has a troubled past, and now her actions may finally catch up with her.
A terrific page turner that takes off from the opening chapter and never loses pace, the book is an excellent example of how engaging an unreliable and frankly unlikable main character can be. As might be expected in this genre, there are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader hooked, though I think the only flaw I can a find is that there is possibly one twist too many towards the end. Overall this was an excellent and very enjoyable read, and a book I would happily recommend.

I'm a happy person because there are so many good books in the world... This, for me at last, is an incredible good one. The writing flows easily, the characters are strong, the story is full of little clues that makes you want to read on and the twist at the end is unexpected.
John Marrs pictures a woman who is very disturbed but she hides it well, not only for her friends and family but most of all for herself. She weaves an intricate web but in the end she gets caught in it herself. Slowly, ever so slowly you read how she spirales down to a point of no return.
It may not be a book to read for people who ever needed a telephone helpline in their lives, but on the other hand the story is so unbelievable that it doesn't come too close to reality.

Thanks to NetGally for this book.

I'd like to thank netgalley for my copy of this fantastic gripping book, it has been on my wish list for a while now after reading great reviews and the synopsis sounded like my cup of tea for sure, boy it did not disappoint and lives up to its reviews! The first page lures you in immediately where a suicide takes place of a pregnant woman called charlotte, Laura who works for a charity called end of the line which is a service to offer advice and a friendly ear to those suffering from depression and other mental health, is on the phone to Charlotte and do not be fooled by Laura she may seem like she works at end of the line to lend a sympathetic ear but she has her own calculating agenda for her reasons working there... half way through we might Ryan charlotte who committed suicides husband, he is really struggling to come to grips with charlottes suicide and feels something isn't quite right, after doing research of his own he finds Laura and it becomes a game of cat and mouse, the twists are breath taking and I'd find myself wanting to shout out at times, I'd be hanging off my seat sometimes scared to read on because the twists are so great, Laura is a cold manipulative character who will stop at nothing to get her own way. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it can at times be an emotional read but it certainly is a gripping and addictive thriller.

I really like The One by John Marrs and was delighted to receive a copy of his book The Good Samaritan.
Laura is a volunteer at a suicide helpline called End Of The Line. Laura desperately wants the help the callers who phone for reassurance but not in the way that you would expect. This is an excellent psychological thriller that had me hooked from the first page. I could not put it down and read it in one day. This is the best book I've read this year, highly recommend. I would like to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC.
Laura volunteers for End of The Line, a help line for people who are at then end of their tether and need an understanding voice to listen to their problems. Laura, a mother of 3, who's had a very disturbing childhood, especially loves people who are on the edge, thinking of ending their lives. She likes nothing better than helping them to the other side, it's what she's particularly good at. When she has talked 2 people into jumping to their death together, she has no idea of the consequences. The husband of the woman, Ryan, is absolutely devastated on learning his heavily pregnant wife has killed herself clutching the hand of an unknown man. He is driven to find out what or who was behind the tragedy. Laura has no idea of the chaos she's in for...life as she knows it is over; a nightmarish future awaits her.
This intense psychological thriller is difficult to read at times, but impossible to put down. Laura is a hateful character, intensely disturbed and extremely hard to like. Ryan is easier to like and understand, but he descends into a madness of his own, committing acts almost as nasty as Laura's.
This stark look at mental aberrations is addictive and perfect for lovers of a well written and intense psychological thriller.