Sorry to say I didn’t really enjoy this book. Hard to get into, kind of kept reading to get it done but didn’t enjoy it.
The first few lines got you in, but then you just kept chasing the story and it just ended.
Odd book.

I had to DNF this as I could not get into the story The characters were all unlikeable and there was seemingly not much plot which was a shame considering the opening line was 'I murdered my entire family' ( or something to that effect.)

I have started this weird, twisted story. Do I like the way it opened? No. But have I shut the book, no. Such a paradox. I know that just to get the weirdness out of my head I will read it.

Edit:
Ok finished the book.. and I hated it .. weird, and sick and twisted

The book was very well written, and the author used a dual timeline, which keeps the reader glued to the see how the couple's relationship changed. The ending isn't expected, and makes for a all over entertaining read. Recommended.

Sorry illness delayed me reviewing this title but I really enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend and love to read more from this author

A disturbing dark psychological thriller. I felt it started slow but still had that read on read on thing all books need. Don’t give up because it will pull you in and keep you up wanting to read on. A strong 4/5.

Another Thriller that was unfortunately not what I had expected. Having said that, it was written well so I flew through it.

The book was written in a ‘stream of consciousness’ style, which I wasn’t a fan of. And the plot itself wasn’t so much of a mystery, but rather a descent into madness.

Des wasn’t a likeable character, and he wasn’t supposed to be. But I found it hard to relate/symphatise with him because there was no single thing about him that I could appreciate (unlike Joe in ‘You’ for example who could be totally charming when he turned it on). Des was awkward, possessive, abusive, and creepy from the beginning. It probably said more about Jen’s character than Des’ that she kept getting attracted to men of questionable characters.

I did have a few favourite quotes though. One of them that I thought was particularly true was:
“There’s so much here that I don’t know about her. I realise now that I thought that I knew everything. But that, I figure, is the arrogance of marriage.”

At the end of the day, it was a short-ish book and I didn’t hate the experience of reading it. And I quite liked the Author’s writing style so I’d be checking more books from her.

When the first line of a book tells you that the character is going to kill their family, you are sucked in straight away!

Des is the main character in this book, he is married to Jenny and we hear about their story between when they met and now, when we hear that Des plans on killing his wife and children. While he is in fact "a good father" his obsession with controlling his wife becomes more and more difficult to read about, and the story builds and builds.

It will keep you hooked!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the ARC

<i> “By the end of next summer, before the kids go back to school, I will kill my family.”</i>

It's hard not to be drawn in with that kind of opening line.

This book is told purely from the point of view of Des. He is a father of 3 who does the soccer runs and cooks for the family and is seen as a good father. But he is controlling in a very passive aggressive way, constantly jealous, envious and fearful.

This is a pretty tough read, and a great attempt from the author to answer the questions that we all ask when we hear terrible stories on the news of a parent killing their whole family.

Although I appreciate the writing style and accept there is a terrible subject matter, I'm not sure reading this was overall a positive experience. Perhaps best for those who love a look inside the mind of a psychopath and aren't concerned with how it all ends.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t enjoy this book at all, I found it very depressing. Sorry it was definitely not for me.

Many thanks to netgalley and Catherine Talbot for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

What a compelling read right from the beginning! I loved the nonlinear timeline. I loved the first person. My eyes were wide as I read because I just had to see what happened next! Absolutely loved Catherine Talbot’s writing and I can’t wait to read more!!! 5 big stars from me!!!

I love books like this, great read well written, addictive and gripping, had me from the start, fully recommend

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC - I feel that the start to this book was quite promising, however for me it didn’t live up its expectations. It was ok, a fairly easy read, although quite depressing. It wasn’t for me but I am sure it will be popular for someone else.

I am so pleased that I was given the opportunity to read A Good Father, a début psychological thriller that exceeded my expectations!

With its bewitching and captivating opening sentence, the story slowly gathered pace and I loved the tension in the plotline. It tells the story of Des, his wife Jenny, and their children. Des is an unfulfilled life insurance salesman, but it is a steady job; he is a good husband and father and helps out at his sons' under-elevens football team. Jenny is an artist in her forties who works with wood and also sketches but earns very little. A Good Father tracks Des’s increasingly controlling behaviour and descent into meanness, jealousy, rage and murder.

Full of disturbing moments and totally addictive, it held my attention from the very first chapter. Set in Killiney, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Des is the narrator and the chapters set in the present (2017) alternate with chapters set in the 1990s when Des met and married Jenny. As far as Jenny is concerned, Des is a loving and attentive man who adores and supports her.

As a narrator, Des is extremely unreliable and Catherine Talbot's clever writing meant I didn't want to put this book down. The story evolves slowly, the suspense gradually building, bringing with it palpable tension and immense feelings of apprehension and dread, as well as a looming threat of violence.

This cracking story was very well executed by the author, with an explosive conclusion. I shall be looking out for Catherine Talbot's next offering as she clearly has talent. Filled with drama, I recommend A Good Father as a hugely worthwhile and excellent read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Penguin Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This is a brilliant psychological thriller.
The story of Des is told through two different timelines I think this is a very well written novel. It has some good storytelling and descriptions throughout the book. The more you read the more shocked you become with Des and his behaviour. It’s difficult to see why Jenny stays with him and would have been nice to see what Jenny’s point of view was further along in the book.

The opening line of “Before the end of summer, before the kids go back to school, I will kill my family.” held the promise of a thrilling read. Des, the narrator, goes to great lengths to show the outside world he is a good father to his three children and devoted husband to Jenny. However the dark thoughts he has and his true feelings towards his family are far from good.

The book is dual timeframe, switching from present day and the period when Des first met Jenny.

I found this quite a slow read but I was keen to discover what happened to the characters, given the opening line.

I’d be interested to see what the author has in store for her next novel.

Thanks to Penguin Books UK and NetGalley for the review copy.

Our narrator is Des, a man masquerading as a good father and devoted husband to his artist wife, Jenny. The opening lines of the book, however, tell us all we need to know about his true feelings:

‘Before the end of summer, before the kids go back to school, I will kill my family.’

Des claims to be unsure of how best to protect his family and preserve their innocence in a modern world. In reality, he creates a narrative to justify the abuse of his family, his volatile temper and his increasing anger and bitterness towards his mundane life. We are shown flashbacks to the beginning of his relationship with Jenny in an attempt to help us better understand his current situation; instead it serves as an insight into the systemic abuse that Jenny has suffered at the hands of her husband.

Since Des is our storyteller, it is hard to enjoy this book. I started to get Jack Torrance from The Shining vibes from Des in the beginning – the flashbacks to historic episodes of violence coupled with the slow burning anger. By the middle of A Good Father, Des is a watered down version of Jack, but to be inside his mind as he tells his story is a very unpleasant place indeed.

God this was a chilling read, knowing what Des was going to do was awful and the way he wrote about it so matter of fact was worse 🙈 I really liked it though and thought it was a really good book, thrilling and chilling and very dark, just how I like them 😉

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Books UK for the electronic copy of this book.

A Good Father is the debut novel by Catherine Talbot - it is a rather chilling psychological thriller.

The narrative takes the reader into the mind of Des - his thoughts and feelings; how he wants to appear to others and knowing that he has to restrain his real thoughts. He's a failed artist and becomes besotted with Jenny, herself an artist and does everything he thinks he should do to win her over, whilst his true thoughts and feelings - expressed only to himself - are the complete opposite. He hates his job, thinks he could do better but never quite achieves it. All the things he told himself he loved about Jenny gradually become resentments especially when Jenny wants to maintain a friendship with her ex boyfriend Jerome. Envy, jealousy and hatred ensue, building gradually over their 8 year marriage. and culminating in murder. The deterioration in their marriage mirrors the deterioration of Des's mind - and a very, very disturbed mind it is.

There really is only one character to this novel - Des. Jenny just seems to float around in the background oblivious to her family and comes across as a weak, self-centered individual. All Des wants to be is a good father but his insane fear of losing his family drives him over the edge.

Not a comfortable read, but one does feel absolutely compelled to keep reading it. You know from the very beginning what the ending is going to be, but it was a fascinating read of the journey taken to get there.

A very depressing book defining everything apart from a perfect husband. I found Des to be a person who suffered from childhood as having insecurities and demanding control. As a father he does not seem to want his children around him and it is almost as if resents them. In defence his marriage is totally unconventional and the relationship between husband and wife is virtually non existent as well. I did not enjoy reading this and wanted to give up many times.