Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jan 2020
224 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
A dark and gripping novel of psychological suspense about a family man driven to unspeakable acts, in the vein of The Perfect Nanny and We Need to Talk About Kevin.
Thomas Martin was a devoted family man who had all the trappings of an enviable life: a beautiful wife and daughter, a well-appointed home on Long Island's north shore, a job at a prestigious Manhattan advertising firm. He was also a devoted son and brother, shielding the women in his orbit from the everyday brutalities of the world.
But what happens when Thomas's fragile ego is rocked? After committing a horrific deed — that he can never undo — Thomas grapples with his sense of self. Sometimes he casts himself as a victim and, at other times, a monster. All he ever did was try to be a good man, but maybe if he tells his version of the story, he might uncover how and why things unraveled so horribly.
"Powerful and unsettling...This masterly first novel is sure to attract an audience from outside the mystery/thriller genre." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"This is the sort of relentless novel you can't put down even when you're afraid to read what happens next. An unnerving and absorbing exploration of modern masculinity and how the seeds of violence are sown." - Kirkus Reviews
"Chillingly good...Katz has delivered a whip-smart, beautifully written meditation on marriage, masculinity and the thin line between happiness and disaster." - Bookpage
"Ani Katz is a brilliant writer. I sat down to read A Good Man and didn't move until I'd finished it. This is a spellbinding work of psychologically potent art. I can't wait to read what she does next. I loved this book." - Caroline Kepnes, author of You
"Katz draws a life in its most delicate lines, then destroys it. And this is a story you won't forget." - Nico Walker, New York Times bestselling author of Cherry
"A Good Man slinks into the dark heart of a ripped-from-the-headlines crime fueled by toxic masculinity. As in Leila Slimani's The Perfect Nanny, the slow unpeeling—layer by layer—of the conventions of sanity left me breathless, saddened, and spooked." - Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet and June
This information about A Good Man was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Ani Katz is a writer, photographer, and teacher. She was born and raised on the South Shore of Long Island, New York, and holds an MFA in photography from Columbia College Chicago and a BA from Yale. She lives in Brooklyn.
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