Ani Katz’s debut novel A Good Man caught my attention for what it offered - a suspenseful domestic thriller in a small package. I was intrigued to discover how Katz would pull this story off in so few pages - just over 200.

A Good Man tells the tale of a purportedly “good man” - Thomas Martin. Thomas has an esteemed job at a NYC advertising firm, and a beautiful family made up of his wife Miriam and daughter Ava. Thomas also has a dark past and an even darker future. A Good Man is his story. He will take you through the years, showing you how we ended up where we are now. You will see a “good man,” but as you delve further into this book, you will also begin to notice the cracks in the facade. Is he really as good as he presents himself to the world?

My first impression of A Good Man is that it gives off major Mad Men vibes. Many people wondered if Don Draper was a psychopath, and the same goes for Thomas Martin. Both characters are wildly successful advertising men with troubled pasts and big egos who don’t appreciate or take care of what they have. If you enjoyed the show, you will see much of Don in Thomas, but don’t expect these stories to follow a similar path because A Good Man definitely goes down the creepy route.

In fact, I liked this novel much better before it went all horrifying on me. I enjoyed the psychological character study Katz does on Thomas, but by the time this story takes a turn for the worse, I wasn’t buying Thomas’s devolution into madness. The reasons for his actions weren’t strong enough for me. I wanted the stakes to be higher. I needed to believe that this could really happen. Unfortunately, Katz did not sell that to me, so I was left feeling disappointed and confused at the end. Why did Katz write this book if she wasn’t going to push this story to the limit?

A Good Man is a leisurely paced analysis of one man’s life. A man that goes off the rails with the littlest of upsets. If you enjoy vague books that let you peer in to people’s lives, but keep you at a distance, then you may like A Good Man. However, if you are reading this book for the suspense thriller aspects, you may end up disappointed.

This book was an OK read for me. I did finish the book but most of the time I was not sure where the story was going. The main character Thomas has done something horrific and he tries to explain what he has done. In his mind he was just trying to be a Good Man. The story is disturbing and this book will not be for everyone.

If you're looking for an unsettling book that will leave you looking in a fun house mirror at every turn of the page, look no further than A Good Man. I must say that I picked this title up solely on the vague, but ominous description it presented as the book blurb. And ominous it was. That train started on the first page and didn't let up until the last. But by then I had increasingly barreled along the tracks with it as I was powerless to stop the train wreck that was increasingly closer and closer with every chapter.

This story opens with our main character, Thomas Martin, about to embark on a retelling of certain parts of his life as part of a timeline to explain why a particular tragic situation has befallen him. We are not told of what the event is, but we can definitely surmise that he played a large role in causing it. As the story begins, I was already initially wary of the main character and his personal narration. However, the author did a great job in slowly dialing up the untrustworthiness as each snapshot progresses. He seems to be just a solid, mediocre guy recalling some nostalgic memories in the beginning. As each section slides along, you start seeing cracks in the facade and even more unsettling details that don't match up. The reasoning for this retelling of pre-tragedy events is so Thomas can try to pinpoint where exactly his life deteriorated into what horrific deed he has done. And by following his account, we try to grapple with it as well.

I must say that I don't quite know how I feel about this book. I can't say that I liked it as that seems strange to me due to the heaviness of the subject matter. I will say that the author did a great job of providing a very fitting atmosphere in this book. I was increasingly uncomfortable and alarmed as I retreated more into the book. As our main character's facade starts to fall into pieces through the clash of conflicting details already established and flickers of hidden emotion that start to permeate through his rational thoughts, I was hesitantly trying to pick up the pieces for a clearer picture.

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. I chose it for what the book blurb promised and it met those expectations. If you're looking for a psychological tale that eases a foreboding cloak around your shoulders from the first sentence and only increases the weight, you might try it out. Shorter read as well. Still letting it settle into my thoughts.

I would like to thank NetGalley for an E-Arc of this title.

Thomas Martin has the picture-perfect life, a nice home, a fantastic job, a wonderful wife, and a great daughter. But he has a hidden, twisted and dark past. Our unreliable narrator presents the perfect façade as readers learn how his two pasts finally tie together with what he did. This disturbing novel is a well-written, dark psychological thriller that will leave readers in shock and horror. For fans of Psychological Horror and Thrillers.

I enjoyed the narration of the main character. Very suspenseful and a definite page turner. This is very impressive thriller from a first time author. If you like dark story lines and the build of suspense I highly recommend reading this. It was a relatively quick read but kept me guessing until the end.

This book is indicated as the author's first published novel. If this is the beginning the lady is a definite comer. Ani Katz has taken on a difficult subject and exceeded any preliminary expectations. The plot takes on the task of following a man for several years as personal factors drive him over the edge of sanity and into madness. And it does it by utilizing the individual as the narrator in a story told via a first person description. In other words as the sickness takes hold of Thomas Martin; the narrator, his own words provide the clues for the progression of his illness.
Martin is a lucky man as the story begins. He is married to a beautiful and talented woman, has a lovely daughter and is a rising star at a prestigious New York City advertising agency. He also is able to help out financially his widowed mother and two sisters living in what was the family home prior to his getting married.
After committing a horrific deed that cannot be undone Thomas begins an unraveling going from good to bad and back again in terms of mood swings. Where his ego takes him is evident to the reader, not as a spoiler, but as the conscious process of the author building the picture of a sensitive man reaching a point where he cannot cope. What Thomas Martin eventually does is not a surprise but the culmination of the author's building the plot of a book that is impossible to put down before finishing it. I really hope that Ms Katz will continue to write novels because they should be exceptional reading.