Good As Dead is the first book I have read by Susan Walter after the synopsis drew me in, making this an exciting and anticipated read. Overall, this has a great plot concept, however, the multiple points of view made this a complex read.

The beginning was amazing and intriguing. The reader is dropped straight into the action, making the most of this a great page-turner. The chapters are short and punchy, making this easy to fly through.

However, I needed to complete a little diagram to remember how each character was connected to the other, as I found myself getting slightly confused. The timeline jumping from past to present throughout also was rather unappealing.

Despite these criticisms, I would still say this is worth picking up. I liked it, just didn't love it but it hasn't put me off reading more of this author's work, and as far as thrillers go, this is OK. Just keep a pen and notebook handy whilst reading this!

YESSSSS GIRL! Loved this one, so fun! Exciting story line, excellent character development, amazing twists, the pages flew by and I enjoyed every word! Does money buy happiness? You’ll have to read this to find out, don’t miss this one! Can’t wait for this author to write another one!

Thank you Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Susan Walter for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Good as dead is a very compelling book. It is told from many prospectives and it jumps from the present to three months in the past. There are many twists and turns and kept my interest. I definitely plan on reading more from this author.

"It all starts with a promise from a stranger: We’ll take care of everything" this was what got me invested and I'm glad I did. It was such a good read and a great plot.

When Holly's husband dies in a tragic accident leaving her and their daughter to fend for themselves, how could she possibly turn down an offer that would solve all of their financial worries?

I'm not going to lie, I was initially drawn to this book because the title and premise reminded me of the Netflix show Dead To Me, which I loved, and this book did not disappoint.
Fast-paced and compelling, this is a perfect, quick, thriller read.
The consistent form in the rotating POVs and flashbacks made it really easy to follow and draw the necessary connections between past and present without having it spelled out for you. I found myself invested in each of the characters' stories and finding out how they connected with one another.
While the ultimate reveal and "plot twist" wasn't necessarily mind-blowing, neither did it detract from the overall enjoyment of the story and it also felt well thought out and executed.

Long story short, if you, like me, enjoyed Dead to Me on Netflix (or just fast-paced thrillers in general) I would definitely check out this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my e-arc of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.

Good as Dead by Susan Walter has quite an interesting premise that makes you think about what you’d have done in similar circumstances. Holly lost her husband in a hit and run accident. Before she even laid him to rest, the guilty party’s fixer approached her with an offer that was difficult to refuse. In exchange for her silence and the deletion of the dashcam recording, Holly and her daughter would get a huge financial settlement. Holly and Savannah want justice. However, they are struggling financially and there is no telling how a legal suit would go. Would it drag out in court? How will the two survive during that time? The decision to accept the offer is easy to judge because yes, its wrong. However, I couldn’t judge the 2.

The story is focused on events that took place once Holly and Savannah moved into a new, affluent neighborhood as part of the settlement. Their neighbors are suspicious of them. In addition, the 2 are struggling with own guilt of having accepted the settlement. With such a huge secret and a number of people involved, I was curious to see if anyone would crack. I was also curious about guilty party and the entire deal. Of course, the nosy neighbours had me nervous too.

The narrative style is quite interesting with a number of narrators including Holly, Savannah, the Fixer, Holly’s nosy new neighbors and the guilty party. Worry not though, it was easy to keep track of all of the them and the story has quite an easy flow.

This was a fast-paced psychological thriller that had me at the edge of my seat up to the last page.

This is a fast-paced psychological thriller told from multiple perspectives. I was hooked from the beginning. It's a quick read that you won't want to put down. The only thing I didn't love was the tiny bit of romance weaved in. I love a good romance, but this didn't need it!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. What a read! Gripping and twisty, the pace never lets up. Told from multiple points of view the story just builds. Great writing, great characters and thoroughly unputdownable. Highly highly recommended!

This story starts with a car accident whereby Holly 's husband is killed and Holly and her daughter Savannah have been paid by an anonymous person to keep quiet. They have been set up in an amazing house with millions of dollars in the bank, but they have to remain silent about what happened.

This book would make a good action thriller film with plenty of twists and plots of under-handed actions, whilst in the background a love was growing in secrecy.

However, it was quite confusing to get to grips with the different time scales, jumping back and forth over a period of 3 months and with the introduction of different characters along the way, it was easy at times to know what character was saying what until a page into the chapter, maybe if the chapters were labelled with each character name at the beginning it would be helpful.

Although this narrative is a bit far-fetched, when you consider if a grieving mother and daughter would be so desperate to be willingly bought by not sharing key evidence with the police? Although with the introduction of Libby and Andy' and their financial circumstances, I found it interesting the parallels that were established between the two families. Both families trying to live the true LA dream

I enjoyed this book but I think I was hoping for a few more unexpected explosives revelations.that might have occurred between Jack and Holly. And although I thought Evan might end up being the bigger villain and double cross everyone, due his want for money and power, his character became the softest.

Once I got into this book, I found the book both enthralling and intriguing, even though a bit confusing due to the time differences over concurrent chapters. . With Holly and Savannah living opposite a retired investigative journalist, I think you knew that justice and truth would out. However, the manner in which the author Walter's moves to this final point is so energetic, gripping and unexpected. A thoroughly great read.

I can't describe this book except to say that it's compulsively readable. I absolutely could not put it down.

Dual timelines and multiple perspectives often become very difficult to keep track of this, but this author pulls it off flawlessly. The web of connections between the characters is well-woven and interesting. The characters are fleshed out well and are all great; flawed but sympathetic.

I couldn't possibly say enough good things about this book. One of my favorites of the year so far. Can't wait for more from this author!

After going through a long period of crazy work times with no time to read, I was looking for a true escapist thriller. This one fit the bill perfectly. A fast and suspenseful read with plenty of intrigue and just the right amount of twists and turns..

This book is told by multiple narrators, and begins with a horrible car accident, the family whose life it shattered, and the man who is desperate to cover it up. The characters in the book lead lives that are intertwined in mysterious and coincidental ways, and these intersections reveal themselves slowly throughout the book. I really liked the character of Savannah, the sixteen-year-old daughter at the center of the family tragedy who decides to take matters into her own hands. Some of the plot twists in the book were fairly predictable, but they were satisfying and well-executed. The motivations of all the characters are interesting and fully realized with some fun twists and surprises.

The book never loses steam and is fun to read from start to finish — very fast-paced with a lot of suspense. Interesting issues, from Hollywood deals to keeping up with the Joneses, are featured. The characters are very well drawn. I was very impressed with this debut effort and look forward to reading more thrillers by Susan Walter!

Thanks to Lake Union and NetGalley for the ARC of this fun thriller.

This book was an amazing surprise! There’s so much buzz about it right now! Hollys husband was killed in a terrible accident but she’s been offered help to stay silent. Too bad secrets are impossible to keep. Really enjoyed this one and hope to see more from this author.

3.75 stars

Y'all, I am having such a hard time rating this book.

It has so many things going for it: multiple POVs, fast-paced writing, great characters, and some very interesting observations about wealth and deceit. I can tell that Walter has done work in TV before because she does a fabulous job of giving you distinct and interesting perspectives on the material.

However, while Good as Dead was billed as a suspense/thriller novel, I never felt for a second that it deserved that distinction.

Yes, there are thrilling elements and moments of suspense (although they are sprinkled sparingly throughout and appear in earnest only in the last 20% of the book). That being said, this is about as much of a thriller as Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere.

Good as Dead is most successful when it is examining power dynamics and how a sudden lack of wealth can lead people to take desperate measures. The thriller element is probably the most underdeveloped part of the novel; while we have six narrators, the one character that would really bring the story together is never utilized in that way and it leaves their motivations feeling a bit weak. For me, this book either needed to move into complete suspense/psychological thriller or dig deeper into its own ideas about wealth/power.

All in all, I thought this was an incredibly strong debut from Susan Walter and I am very eager to see what she delivers next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Okay so this book shook me. I am scared and I finished reading this about a week ago. I think this would make an excellent premise for a series or movie. Super well done.

I’m happy I didn’t pay for it. The writing was good but the story was so predictable that I couldn’t finish it fast enough. That’s how I know if I am enjoying a book or not. If it’s a great story then I just want to keep on reading. On a positive note……might be an ok Lifetime movie if you like that kinda thing. Personally, I do not.

When Holly Kendrick got into an accident she didn't know her life would change so drastically.

A hit-and-run accident leaves Holly in hospital, seriously injured and her husband dead. Waiting for her mother to wake up, Holly's 16 years old daughter Savannah is just getting used to the fact that the life she knew is gone when Evan offers her something they desperately need - money.
But Evan is a fixer, trying to make amends in the name of the guilty party- accepting his offer means that the paycheck to paycheck life will be behind them but it also means no talking, investigating or persecuting the person who is responsible for the accident.


The book is told in 6 alternating points of views and every time the POV changes there is a chapter from the previous events, dating back three months in the past, and then it goes back to the future.
The chapters are short but captivating and the alternating POV's were easy to follow. The build of chapters was what really drove me into the story, you get introduced to all the important characters without feeling overwhelmed.
The plot was (for me) a little bit predictable but delivered cleverly.

I think the way this story was built and written is what gave me such enjoyment reading it, and after some not so interesting work i had previously read, this one greatly surprised me. I have high hopes for Susan Walter's new works(s) if she intends to write some.

If this is Susan Walter’s debut, I cannot wait to see what comes next! Good As Dead is a domestic suspense/thriller that I found extremely difficult to put down. It was gripping from page one to the electrifying conclusion.
A hit and run results in the death of the leading protagonist Holly’s husband, the driver has a lot of money and offers to trade a life of luxury for her silence. Can money buy happiness? You will need to dive into this one to find out. I do not want to give too much away but I can say this, you will fly through Good As Dead as the suspense will kill you.
With multiple viewpoints and plenty of twists it is a well-constructed thriller with great character development, I felt compelled to keep turning the pages and was completely satisfied with the finish.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this early reading copy. Definitely one to look out for, Good As Dead is out now.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy for review, all opinions are my own.

Holy cow!!!! This book was awesome! I read it in a weekend! I seriously couldn’t put it down. I’m so surprised that this is a debut novel, you could not tell! There was a slight confusion at times at who was “talking” in a chapter but I soon got it straightened out and was fine. I really appreciated the short chapters, I think it kept me flying through it. I give it a solid four stars!! I think the only thing keeping me from giving it a full 5 was my own confusion at chapters, but if you’re looking for a fast paced ride, this is it! I will be on the lookout for more books by Susan Walter!

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.

Good premise, but fell flat. The first half was extremely repetitive. I didn't believe Jack or Evan's characters at all. And the fact that Holly ended up with Evan was just gross.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.