Thanks to NetGalley, Avid Read Press / Simon & Schuster,, and James Whitfield Thomson for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In A Better Ending James Whitfield Thomson explores the 1974 death of his sister, Eileen. After nearly three decades, Thomson cannot reconcile the idea of Eileen’s death by suicide with the person he remembers. With the help of a private investigator, Thomson sets out to learn more about Eileen’s life in California, especially her marriage to her high school sweetheart turned cop, Vic.

I went into A Better Ending expecting a riveting story of true crime. In reality, Thomson’s book was more of a memoir, exploring his reactions to his sister’s death. Thomson spends a significant amount of time and money trying to know his sister without acknowledging the privilege that made this possible. Further, there is little reflection on the true difficulties of his sister’s life (depression and domestic abuse) and how women were treated in the 1970s. Ultimately, my dislike of Thomson made it difficult to enjoy this book.

so I did start to read this book. And while I could picture just about everything in my head the subject matter turned out to be far too hard for me at this time. I want to congratulate the author on the release of his novel though and I am definitely going to try to read this again at a later date

This was a hard book to read at times, mainly because of the many tragedies that befell Thomson's family, as well as the shoddy police work that led to the confusion and questions that plagued Jim for years. I thought it was extremely brave of him to open that Pandora's Box and begin looking into his sister's death with little more than a letter she had written and the 27-year-old word of his ex-brother-in-law to go on. I admire him for sticking with it, knowing full well it may not end with the outcome he wanted, or any sort of definitive outcome at all. His meticulous journal writing helped with the veracity of the details of his investigation and I am glad he was able to find some closure at the end of it all.

A Better Ending delivers a well-reported and grounded account of crime, told with a clear-eyed, straightforward tone that resists overt sentimentality. Thomson’s prose does what it sets out to do: present the facts, explore motivations, and illuminate the aftermath without unnecessary embellishment.

While the book succeeds in its journalistic clarity, the storytelling itself lacks urgency. The pacing felt uneven, with stretches that seemed unnecessarily drawn out. Though the subject matter holds inherent interest, the momentum lags in places, making the reading experience feel slower than it needed to be.

Ultimately, A Better Ending is competent and factual, but not especially compelling. It gets the job done, but doesn’t leave a lasting impression.

A Better Ending was an excellent read. it was thorough and heartbreaking. Writing was propulsive. Great story

James Whitfield Thomson’s A Better Ending is an emotionally resonant memoir about a brother's investigation into the circumstances surrounding his sister's tragic death. In September 1974, Jim Thomson learned that his younger sister, Eileen , had taken her own life. The novel delves into the complexities of regret, redemption, and the narratives we construct about our own lives. With rich prose and layered storytelling, Thomson crafts a compelling character-driven tale that prompts readers to reflect on their own paths and choices.

The novel follows Jim and his quest to reconsider everything he thought he knew about his sister, her husband, and himself. He does a compelling job of exploring themes of memory, reinvention, and the pursuit of closure. Thomson intricately examines how individuals wrestle with the past, questioning whether a "better ending" is truly possible or merely a hopeful illusion.

Thomson’s writing is elegant yet accessible, balancing introspection with engaging storytelling. His characters are shaped by their histories and desires, which makes their struggles deeply relatable. The protagonist’s journey is meticulously crafted, offering moments of quiet reflection alongside narrative tension that keeps the reader engaged.

This book has lingered in my mind long after the final page. If you enjoy books that explore the emotional and philosophical complexities of human nature. With its compelling narrative ,Thomson delivers a memorable reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-copy of A Better Ending by James Thomson in exchange for a honest review.A Better Ending is what the author seeks in the early 2000s after having to living with the fact that his sister Eileen committed suicide since 1974.There were many secrets his sister kept from her family including abuse at the hands of her police officer husband Vic and her infidelity but was it enough to drive her to suicide or was Vic responsible for her death.This is a very riveting account of a troubled woman growing up in a dysfunctional household trying to make a better life for herself while grappling with miscarriages and abuse.

Thank you so much to James Whitfield Thomson, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Better Ending exists as a shining example of a brother doing everything it takes to uncover the truth behind his late sister's death. The brother in question: James Whitfield Thomson. And what makes this unique? The death of his sister, Eileen, happened just about 3 decades prior to this novel's publication.

I applaud the author for investing so many years of his life into investigating his sister's suicide. It shows great dedication and devotion to the subset matter. However, there is some language scattered throughout the book that just rubbed me the wrong way. I know that this might just be a generational nitpickiness on my end, but I do believe that this novel could have benefitted from a female view--whether it be a more in depth interview of the deceased's female friends, or even another round of editing from a female editor. I just finished the novel with a feeling that some things were missed, or even that more secrets of the past could have been uncovered with an alternate view on the matter.

A particular chapter near then end of the novel really stood out to me. Without spoiling too much, this is in regards to a mention about the amount of time since Eileen's last miscarriage--with the suicide occurring roughly 9 months after she miscarried. Only Eileen's husband's new wife, Laura deemed this important at the time. Despite this timing issue and its relationship to the suicide being brought up, Thomson merely brushes this idea aside, deeming it not relevant to the narrative at hand. However despite this hiccup, everything else seems well researched and written.

This was interesting. I'm unsure how to rate it. It's the story of a brother's search for the truth of his sister's death, but it felt like Eileen herself got erased in some ways. Not my favorite, but I'll be sitting with some of the realities of this story for a while.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for honest feedback!

Much like the title, I had wished that this book also has A Better Ending. There was so much time that had based between when the death of Jim's sister had died and when this was written. Jim started to have doubts about his sister's "suicide" and decided to investigate. I think more than anything, this book explores grief and how people cope with it at different periods of their life.

While there were times while I was reading, that I found myself pulled strongly in one direction or another based on things that were uncovered, as said, the ending proved unsatisfying. I hope, however, that writing this book brought Jim and his family some peace and closure.

Thank you to Net Galley and also to Avid Reader Press/ Simon and Schuster for the ARC!

James Whitfield Thomson’s A Better Ending is one of those books that sneaks up on you—in the best way. His writing is smart, sharp, and full of that wry humor that makes you smirk even when things get a little messy. The characters feel so real, like people you’ve met (or maybe even been at some point), and the way Thomson unravels their story keeps you hooked. It’s the kind of book that makes you think about the choices we make and the stories we tell ourselves, but in a way that’s entertaining, not heavy-handed. A solid, satisfying read!

This is a compelling story and a well-written book.
The sad truth is this long and winding, well-told story also means the author lived this truth and that makes me very sad for him. I hope writing this book is cathartic for him.

The book starts as a subconscious overlay of Jim's story as he starts writing a novel with many elements that totally align with the details of his life and his sisters death...with the one element that's different between his novel and his truth being the narrator of his novel has doubts about his sister's death - was is a suicide or was it a homicide ? On a trip to Puerto Rico he comes to the revelation his novel is actually his subconscious telling him he had doubts her death was a suicide... hence : this book.

No Spoilers except that it's a great book and a compelling story to dive into - I finished it in two days. It's heartbreaking; it's sweet and tender and it's revealing.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher, Harper Muse. These opinions are completely my own.

A Better Ending: a brother's twenty-year quest to uncover the truth about his sister's death by James Whitfield Thomson is an appropriately titled book. Throughout the years James has lost his dad, mom, brother and sister to various deaths, but his sister's death bothered him the most. Although her life wasn't perfect and she struggled with having a baby she ultimately died suddenly from a gun shot to the chest. The evidence is unclear as to if it's a suicide like her husband claims and a cover up since her husband is a cop?
The story follows her brother's twenty year quest to answer what happened to his sister. Throughout the years he is able to uncover interesting evidence and interview several people and ultimately comes to a place of peace.
A real life mystery asks the question, how far would you go to undercover the truth behind a loved ones death?

Thank you to James Whitfield and Avid Reader Press for working with NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This book comes to stores March 25th 2025

This book is an interesting addition to true crime writing as well as to memoir and general nonfiction. A heartbreaking story of a brother searching for the truth about his sister.

I can understand the mixed reviews on this one, but I'll give it a go anyway.

Thompson and his siblings grew up in close quarters in Pittsburgh. With an unfortunate family history of alcoholism and violence, he finds himself reopening the wounds from his sister's death. Despite previously moving on from Eileen's death, he realizes there was some shoddy police work and several inconsistencies in his brother-in-law's story.

My gut reaction post-read is 4-5, because I was enthralled. I needed to know everything. While the ending-ending, post meeting Vic (not a spoiler, he's on his way in the first pages), was a bit lackluster, I think it was also realistic. Sometimes it just is the way it is and we don't get clean closure.

However, I agree with others that we didn't get to know Eileen well enough, and I wish we could've. She loved dogs, wanted children, and seemed like a go-getter, but what else? He said they weren't exactly close, but surely there was more to her. Ultimately, we're left with her simply as a victim, either of circumstance or direct violence. She deserved more.

Jim lost his sister in 1974 to what he viewed as a suspicious suicide. After years of not knowing, he embarks on a journey of truth. He wants to know what really happened. Did his sister, Eileen, really kill herself? Or was it her then husband, who happened to be a cop, who murdered her?

Jim is really trying to get to the bottom of it. He cannot accept that his sister took her own life. He finally decided to try to find the truth. But will the truth set him free? It was a decent book telling the story behind the investigation Jim starts. #netgalley #goodreads #books

This book was very relatable to me, being about the loss of a close sibling and how it eats at you as the years, then decades go by. Author Jim Thomson realized 27 years after losing his sister that he couldn't live with the story he'd been told about what happened. So he started digging into it, trying to find the truth of Eileen's death, whether it was really a suicide, or if her cop husband killed her. Jim was on a mission, a quest to get the real truth, despite destroyed evidence and shoddy police work. The passage of time didn't help matters either. But he had to persist. I liked his writing style in this book and hope he does more non-fiction.

This was good but I couldn't say I loved it. This was more about a brothers love for his sister. It was more personal than true crime.

A Better Ending is a fascinating and heart wrenching book about loss, family and searching for justice. James Whitfield Thomson delivers a well written personal story of the lengths people will go for truth and justice especially for family.

Interesting book.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.