Tag: carol goodman

Our Marriage is Murder by Carol Goodman (Literary Mystery)

A love story and a mystery, immersed in literary and classical references with a touch of modern greed and drama. Master genre novelists Fred and Theda Morgan-Lane are both writing and life partners. At least they were. Now — on the cusp of attending a mystery convention at the gorgeous Italian castle where their very popular “Death Takes a Holiday” series was launched — they plan to announce the end of both. Or at least Theda does; Fred has a few other plans up his sleeve. Ignoring whatever plans they each may have, things start going horribly wrong as one by one the murders from their first novel seem to be repeating in real life.

The writing is (as always) good; the pacing deliberate and triggering just the right blend of edge-of-the-seat and calm curiosity; and the characters are all interesting (to me) people. The characters and their various relationships are intriguing because they capture multiple levels of overlapping and inconsistent emotional undercurrents. Especially once the murders start and everyone is forced to look at everyone else in a whole new, and highly suspicious, way. Goodman is both a classicist and a feminist, and both themes run through the narrative in credible fashion. Most importantly, the resolution was surprising (to me), tenable, and completely satisfying — the perfect combination!

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 21st, 2026.

Writers and Liars by Carol Goodman (Mystery / Thriller)

A completely gripping, classics based, mystery/thriller set in a classic Golden Age of Mysteries setting: a secluded Greek island, a group of invitees with a not-completely-positive history, a missing host, and … the first dead body. From there it’s one surprise after another and the reader is completely immersed in the whodunnit / who can I trust suspicion-laden head of the narrator, Maia. Why is this book so much more appealing (to me) than a typical mystery / thriller? It was engaging on an emotional, psychological, intellectual, and philosophical level — that doesn’t happen too often. As with almost all of Goodman’s books (I believe this is number 21), it was completely steeped in Greek mythology — the stories, the archeological remnants, the world of antiquity trading (and theft), and some compelling new (to me) interpretations of the myths as conveyed in the (almost too) vivid depictions of a physical (and mental) labyrinth. The imagery was captivating, and I don’t usually go for written imagery. The plot was perfectly paced, with a tug of war between confusion and epiphany, and the closure was smooth, clever, and completely satisfying.

I’m pretty sure I have read most, if not all, of Goodman’s 21 novels, but this is the first one I listened to. The reader was very good, though a little over the top (IMHO) with voice snottiness for certain unpleasant characters; however she kept my interest and did get me to slow down from rapid reading pace to take in some of the details I might otherwise have missed.

Thank you to HarperAudio and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The audio book was published on July 15th, 2025.

Return to Wyldcliffe Heights by Carol Goodman (Fiction)

Agnes Corey — junior editor at Gatehouse Publishing — has managed to convince the reclusive author of a wildly popular book (The Secret of Wyldcliff Hall — think Jane Eyre style) to write a sequel. What’s more, as the author was blinded in a terrible fire shortly after the first book — Agnes is to move in to the crumbling estate (once a psychiatric hospital for wayward women) and serve as the author’s amanuensis. It’s clear that the original book, and the one that will follow, are more autobiographical than not, but whose autobiography exactly?

I was pulled in from page one and am in awe of just how many truly convoluted plot twists I read by the end, although I shouldn’t be too surprised as Goodman is a master storyteller and strange and twisted plots are her forte. (I’m pretty sure I have read all 25 of her books so I should know!) Stories within stories, fluid identities, and three distinct timelines that are recalled through memories, anecdotes, letters, and scraps of papers found in odd places. It would not hurt to take notes while reading! One consistent theme: women committed to various types of institutions and the very nasty men who kept them there. But this is by no means a depressing tale of oppression — our characters are strong, learn how to become effectively wary, and forge solid friendships that survive against some pretty terrible odds.

In summary: Creepy! Gothic! Twisted! One-sitting reading! Great for fans of Kate Morton and Diane Setterfield.

Thank you to William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 30th, 2024.

The Bones of the Story by Carol Goodman (Thriller)

A highly selective literary honor society at the Briarwood school in upstate New York. An even more selective senior writing seminar with a famous writer. A group of students who would do anything to get into both. What happened then? What is happening now, 25 years years later? In this eerie, academically oriented, psychological thriller, Carol Goodman explores themes of vengeance, retribution, guilt, and the impact of one’s “minor” misdeed on the person who feels wronged. Lots of literary references for me, plenty of action and Agatha Christie style “pop em off one by one until you suspect absolutely everybody,” and a surprise ending. I did have a little trouble keeping track of all the characters — my advice is just to write down the names as they are introduced so you don’t forget any 🙂

Thank you to William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 11th, 2023

The Disinvited Guest by Carol Goodman (Mystery / Thriller)

Writing: 4/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 4/5
Don’t read this book before bedtime!

Reed and Lucy Harper — along with Reed’s sister Liz and her lover Niko, and Lucy’s best friend Ada and husband Crosby, and Mac, the caretaker — all head to a remote island off the coast of Maine in the year 2030 to wait out what appears to be an even more deadly pandemic. The island, now owned by Reed and his sister, was once a quarantine hospital for (mostly Irish) immigrants with Typhus back in the mid 1800s. It is a creepy place, with three generations of deathly illness — the Harper parents died there of Covid in the previous pandemic, and numerous Typhoid patients met their end there the century before.

From the tense start until the surprising finish, the plot twists and turns in a Lord of the Flies meets locked-room Agatha Christie meets part Hitchcock’s Rebecca unfurling. When bad things start happening and the brutality of the island’s history starts bleeding through to the present, Lucy feels her sense of reality slipping.

This is a mystery / thriller with a huge amount of character development. The interpersonal dynamics are nuanced and ever evolving with the threats of unknown origin inserting suspicion and fear where there was once cameraderie and friendship. Very difficult to put down or to get out of your head.

The last thing I wanted to read was a dystopian books about pandemics, so let me reassure you that pandemics really didn’t feature except as an impetus to get them on the island in a quarantine state.

Thank you to William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 12th, 2022.

The Stranger Behind You by Carol Goodman (Mystery / Thriller)

Plot: 5/5 Characters: 4/5 Writing: 4/5

Carol Goodman writes the most intriguing, convoluted, surprising novels. She is a master of setting the mood (in this case — creepy, mysterious, righteous, and fearful). The Stranger Behind You is a woman-centric, Gothic-style, mystery-thriller whose plot lines and main characters keep twisting together in unexpected ways. It all comes together beautifully but with constant surprises and a real sense of not ever feeling like you know the characters all the way. The theme might be — you never know who you can trust. Parallel stories weave together police corruption, mobsters from the past, and #metoo style manipulation of women. I’m not generally a reader of books that induce anxiety or stress, and I did have to limit myself to daytime reading for the first third of the book — but it was not the kind of thriller that induces too much anxiety (for me). I’m not a fan of heavy-handed books where all the men are horrible and the women manage to thrive regardless, so let me hasten to say that this is not one of those books. There are some pretty nasty men, and a few nasty women — but there are also plenty good men and women and possibly even a delightfully drawn and mysterious guiding spirit. Enjoy trying to figure out which is which in advance!

Great writing, great storytelling.

Thank you to William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 6th, 2021.

The Night Visitors by Carol Goodman (Fiction)

Plot: 5 Characters: 4.5 Writing: 4

A taut thriller and (ultimately heart warming) family drama all in one.

Alice and 10-year old Oren are running away from an abusive man. A call to a hotline sends them to Delphi, NY where they are taken in by Mattie. Mattie is a spinster living in a decaying mansion who puts all of her time, energy, and money into The Sanctuary. Alice is highly suspicious of all do-gooders; Oren is a boy who seems to always know things he shouldn’t.

I’d forgotten how much I like Carol Goodman — she is a fantastic writer. The story is paced perfectly, with completely unpredictable twists and turns. No cliches or stereotypes (with one exception — see below)! The story of domestic abuse, the social structures and people who try to help, and the attitudes and interactions of the participants have depth and variety. I liked the balanced views — not all abusive relationships are the same, not all the male characters are scumbags, and not all the social workers are competent or effective.

Big themes are woven throughout — Justice; Vengeance; Forgiveness. Goodman has a Classics background and that figures in as well — Greek mythology keeps popping up, and I particularly liked the story of Orestes, Athena, and the Furies as the introduction of the concept of Justice replacing Vengeance in the scheme of human affairs. Lastly, the feeling of a ghostly presence lends an otherworldly quality to the story.

The only part of the book that didn’t quite work for me were the two nasty, abusive men. They are the only two characters whose behavior and dialogue felt like stereotypes rather than real people. I guess Ms. Goodman really didn’t want to be in their heads any longer than necessary. However, this was an issue in only a tiny fraction of the pages. This was one of those books that is almost impossible to put down (although due to the tense nature of the story I didn’t let myself read it too close to bedtime!)

Highly recommended!

Some quotes:
“I’m a woman on the wrong side of fifty, back where she started, with no way out but one.”

“Some people look up at the night sky and see random scatter, others read stories in the chaos. That’s what I do when I adjudicate a case. I make sense out of chaos.”

“She looks up when she reaches the shelter of the porch, and there’s so much anger and resentment in her eyes that I flinch, I’ve seen that look in abused women, that look that doesn’t just expect the next blow but says, I know I deserve it. But I’ve never gotten used to it, or liked how it made me feel, that little split-second flicker of Maybe you do.”

“But at some point I catch a satisfied smile on Oren’s face and realize that here is a child who takes on the weight of the emotions around him by playing the peacemaker.”