Thanks NetGalley for the free ARC! In my opinion, this was an enjoyable read. I found Claire and Matthew’s point of view the most interesting and entertaining. The others were a bit bland and Kira’s was simply annoying. Also, all the kids in the story were a bit bratty. However, the storyline flowed with good writing.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF. I didn't find our mystery intriguing and found our unusual young man extremely unpleasant. I wasn't really interested in what he was hiding from. I was marginally curious about whatever might happen with bagel boy, but not enough to continue. Not, unfortunately, for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the copy of The Good Samaritan by Toni Hallen. I haven’t read a book with a male main character for a long time, so maybe that is why I couldn’t relate to this book. It didn’t feel like there was much of a plot, and the different POVs weren’t intriguing, but some of them had good moments that were interesting to read. Lots of things the characters did and how they acted never make sense so it was a struggle to care about them. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because I could see things others would love to read about!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Good Samaritan. This is a very interesting read. Told in 1992 before cell phones and the technology boom, this book took me back in time (in a good) way.
A man is traveling home and he finds a young boy on the verge of death. What does he do. Does he call the cops, walk away, or take him to the hospital. He makes his choice but things don’t go well and soon he finds out that this good deed may not turn out well.
Each chapter introduces a character and their relationship with each other. How they interact with each other and how their relationships are connected is what makes this book so compelling.
Very good 4 stars

[arc review]
Thank you to Harper Perennial for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Good Samaritan releases March 4, 2025

Set in the 90s, <I>The Good Samaritan</I> is a story of a runaway kid, as told from the perspectives of an alcoholic college professor and his high school daughter, a foster care social worker, and Seaver (the runaway).

There wasn’t really a definitive plot. Although the story touched upon grief, SA, family dynamics, and child predation, none of those themes felt very prominent… everything kind of just fell into place and the mystery behind the guy in the barn wasn’t very suspenseful or mysterious at all.

I personally needed more complexity and higher stakes.

I am a HUGE fan of Toni Halleen and will read anything she writes. Her characters are well developed and I enjoy how her books include a moral dilemma that really put you in the character's shoes and make you think what you would do in the situation.

Matthew Larkin's life is falling apart his toddler son passed away and then his wife divorced him.His teenage daughter abandoned him, and then he lost his job that he loved forcing him to take a position at a small college in southern Minnesota. Driving down an empty highway one evening in a storm, he pulls off the side of the road and sees a child under a tarp alive but unconscious. He puts the boy in his car to take him to the hospital, but the child wakes up upset, begging Matthew not to take him to the hospital. In Matthew's grief, he makes some dangerous decisions that threaten to risk his life for his family.

Overall, it's a great plot for a thriller, but the book felt a little grandiose in terms of believability. Easy read in general.

Very anticlimactic. Everything seemed too rushed, and at the same time it felt as though nothing happened. Everything in the plot also felt unbelievable.