WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?? Oof that was one crazy fantastic ride! If you're ever in need of help or hope, you better pray you don't get Laura on the other end of the phone.
Also, I REALLY hope there i a sequel in the works because....GRRRRRRR!!!! IYKYK

I love John Marrs books’ and this one has been on my tbr for some time so I was really happy to get an audio arc and it did not disappoint ! . I listened to this is in one seating ! As always JM has written quite unique story and Laura is a character you cannot help but love and hate at the same time !
The various POVs were quite interesting and definitely added some depth to the story . And the narrator who voiced Laura’s chapters was just perfection!

My rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Audio rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

John Marrs does it again! He has kept me interested and guessing the entire time of reading the book! I stayed up late to finish the last 25% of the book because I had to know what happened!

His books are always so creative and unlike any other books I have read!

I received an audiobook copy new bonus chapters. The narrators weee good and I loved having two different ones!

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for giving me this advanced copy. This opinion is my own

This book completely messed with my head—in the best way. It’s dark, twisted, and at times downright uncomfortable to read, but I was hooked from start to finish. John Marrs does such a brilliant job of making you question your instincts. Just when I thought I knew where things were headed, he pulled the rug out from under me.

The pacing starts slow, but once it picks up, it doesn’t let go. I loved how unpredictable it was—every time I thought I could breathe, something worse happened. I also really appreciated how morally grey the characters were; no one is fully good or fully bad, and that made it all the more disturbing.

Some parts were genuinely hard to read, but I couldn’t stop. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you enjoy thrillers that go to very dark places, this one absolutely delivers.

4.5 Audiobook. Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook. I loved the narrators. The story was really good. There were some twists that i didn’t expect. Liked all the characters except Laura lol. John Marrs is quickly becoming one of my favorite thriller authors.

This work is mostly told from a dual POV, with the POVs told in sections rather than alternating every other chapter. This worked pretty well, as it made it easier to connect with each character’s arc and made it feel a bit more cohesive. But the main issue for me was that I felt nothing for the characters. Certainly none of them were likeable or sympathetic, but beyond that they just fell flat overall.

My other main issue with this work was the believability. It started off strongly, the premise was believable, and I was invested. But then things kept escalating to and beyond the point of absurdity. This made the ending especially disappointing, and kind of made me feel like the ride to get there wasn’t really all that worth it.

Nothing about this work quite clicked for me, which was disappointing. I’m an outlier on this one, though. If you like popcorn thrillers and don’t mind OTT events, then you’ll probably enjoy this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

First, let me say I’m not someone big on trigger warnings, but I do believe this book needs one. If you are sensitive to suicide or are currently mourning someone lost to suicide, this may be a hard book to read, so tread carefully and be prepared.

Okay, that said, this is a GREAT psychological thriller!! So unique and a storyline that I really couldn’t predict. It was like Freida McFadden on steroids.

Laura works for a suicide hotline, but she’s not there to talk people out of it. She’s purposely waiting to find people who are serious, the ones who really mean it and are ready to go through with it.

That’s all I’ll say about the plot because I don’t want to give too much away. If you like really unhinged storylines with plot twists galore, you need to grab this one!

The narrators did an incredible job with bringing the characters to life. Their voices are clear and easy to understand, as well as adding suspense to an already suspenseful plot. I love that it’s a dual narration.

I never read the original version, so I don’t know how this new epilogue compares, but I loved it!

Thanks so much to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to listen! This is a wild one!

I enjoyed some of John Marrs earlier work but unfortunately I have learned that he is more of a miss rather than a miss for me. Basically, his books all feel the same with the same general sci fi thriller premise. Even if the plot is different, I feel like I've read it before and not in a good way. I decided to dnf this one and won't be requesting anymore by this author.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

3.75 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for providing me with this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I actually really enjoyed this one, even though it made me a bit uncomfortable at times... it's wild what some people get a kick out of! It felt really different to anything I’ve read before. The story touches on some sensitive and dark subjects, so I’d definitely recommend checking the trigger warnings beforehand.

That said, I was totally gripped—I couldn’t wait to see what each chapter would bring. The characters are seriously complex, and that just added to the intrigue.

Thank you Brilliance publishing for The Good Samaritan! I am late to the John Marrs fandom so I appreciate the access to this story. The voice acting was perfection, really a masterful take on a dark plot and theme!
This book hooked me with its exceptional storytelling and sinister cat-and-mouse dynamic—what begins as a slow burn soon unravels into a full-blown psychological game of wit and manipulation. Told through dual perspectives, the story builds tension masterfully as Ryan, reeling from his wife’s suicide, begins to suspect Laura, a seemingly kind suicide hotline volunteer with far more sinister motivations. Laura is one of the most disturbing yet fascinating characters I’ve read in a long time—deeply layered, morally deranged, and impossible to look away from. I was initially hesitant about the subject matter, but the author handles it with such sharp plotting and psychological depth that I couldn’t stop reading. Short chapters, unexpected twists, and a constant sense of unease kept me fully immersed. Highly recommended for fans of suspenseful, character-driven thrillers that explore obsession, power, and blurred lines between good and evil.

I thought this book was great. The audio was wonderful. I got lost in the story while I was listening and had a great time.

Laura works for End Of the Line - the place you call when you have lost all hope, and need reassurance that life is worth living. However Laura doesn't want to give them hope. Laura wants to talk them into killing themselves. She thrives on it. But now someone’s on to her—Ryan, whose world falls apart when his pregnant wife ends her life, hand in hand with a stranger. Ryan has to know who this man was to his wife, and why did they choose to die together?

This book was originally released in 2017, and has just been re-released with an exclusive epilogue. I am a huge fan of this author's books and this is the only one I hadn't read. It was so good. Laura had something terrible happen to her as a child, and I don't know if that broke her or if she was already broken, but she just seemed to devolve from there on out. She was an unreliable narrator due to the fact that she re-wrote the narrative as it suited her, and she seemed to have memory loss as well. The way she talked people into killing themselves was just chilling, as was the depths she went to in order to ruin Ryan's life after he discovered her secret. This book kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what lengths she would stoop to next, and how he would react. The narrator did an excellent job bringing this novel to life, and making me feel like I was in the thick of it all. I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves a good thriller!

This one is a dark, twisted psychological read. OMG, the twists! It follows Laura, who volunteers at the End of the Line, helping people in tough situations talk things through. Oh, but she’s on another mission too. To help push some people over the edge. This one definitely picked up the pace halfway through, and I was hooked. The narrators Elizabeth Knowelden, Charlotte Cole, Matthew Lloyd Davies, and Tim Campbell delivered brilliant performances. The tones and inflections they used were spot on. I was absolutely addicted to their performance until the very end. This is great for fans who crave a diabolical and twisted psychological read and an unreliable FMC.

A very special thanks to Brilliance Audio + Netgalley for the ALC.

I really liked this!

This was my second John Marrs book, and it has me excited to read more of his books! This one was so fun because it was just plain disturbing and had me feeling slightly uncomfortable while listening to it. (Yes, I consider that fun 😆)

I really had no idea where things were going the entire time, and I was absolutely hooked to this. The FMC is obviously unlikeable- downright despicable- yet I couldn’t say I liked her adversary much more. I don’t know if I was cheering for anyone throughout the book, but the ending had me reeling! The re-release of this book has a bonus chapter not in the original edition, so if you’ve read this book before, you should definitely try to get the bonus chapter somehow!

𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝑰'𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐:
Psych thriller lovers, but definitely check the CWs first, as suicide is a main element of this book.

𝑨 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏:
I loved all the narrators for this! It was seriously such a great audio production- I highly recommend the audio for this!

4.5/5 rounded up

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BrillancePublishing for the book #TheGoodSamaritan by #JohnMarrs. I loved this book and is absolutely genius in all the twists and outcomes of the book! Laura works at the End of the Line hotline where you are supposed to help show people that their life is great and worth living. She had a rough childhood growing up and would rather encourage the people to die instead of live. But, she didn’t expect one of her “victims” husband to come after her. Will he get his revenge or will Laura win again?

What did I just listen to? The narrators were perfection. I devoured this in a day. This was a unique story and had me captivated the entire time, no dragging. The ending made me mad and I get why it ended that way.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨✨ (4.5/5)

“….and that’s what makes me a good mother….and a Good Samaritan.”

Thanks to Brilliance Publishing for my #gifted copy of this #audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Now THIS is the John Marrs we know and love.

Laura is a total whacko in the best way for a thriller. She’s smart, cunning and as cold hearted as they come. Someone you’ll definitely love to hate. She’s got ZERO redeeming qualities.

She will stop at nothing to show the reader what a true psycho she is.

I also really enjoyed the newly added bonus chapter.

I def think a duology would be appropriate on this one. There’s a certain someone with vengeance and I’d like to see that play out.

This is a true form John Marrs read. Definitely one I’ll keep recommending. What a cool series this would make…let’s say like 5 episodes or something like that.

John Marrs can write a thriller like no other.
Somehow he creates the most diabolical characters, and some of the most terrifying situations.
The Good Samaritan is an intricate tale of delusion and deceit.
Laura is your worst nightmare. She’s a psychopath on the other line of your suicide hotline call, and she’s not afraid to encourage you to jump. When she does just that to Ryan’s pregnant wife, he becomes obsessed with getting revenge.
Y’all. This book is nuts. It’s a wild ride. Laura is as unhinged as they come.

*if suicide is a trigger for you, I would steer clear of this read.

This audiobook was so unique! I have never ever read anything like it. I enjoyed the dual POVs and the narrators! I listened at 2x. I enjoyed the bonus chapter as it gave more to the story. Although, Laura did not get near enough of the karma that she was owed.

Some of the things I didn’t like was that the unreliable narrator made things a bit confusing. All of the characters were horribly unlikeable. At times, you felt bad for “Steven” but his storyline just kept getting worse. His family treated him horribly as well which was annoying.

All in all, it was a decently entertaining audiobook.

What the what?! This was a roller coaster. It’s crazy when a narcissistic sociopath gets allllll the luck. Thanks for the chance to listen.