Book synopsis for One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall

"When I started writing One of the Good Guys I kept a little strip of paper pinned above my desk. It read: women have had enough and it made me brave. I didn’t want my book to have any female victims in it, I didn’t want anyone to be saved. But to do this I realised I needed to flip the idea of the thriller on its head." - Read the full interview at Writing.ie

"...when I started writing One of the Good Guys, that I wanted to flip the narrative. I didn’t want small wins. The novel’s set up feels like a familiar thriller – a woman living on the edge of a cliff in a ramshackle cottage, a man who seems too good to be true moving in nearby and two young women going missing on a walk as they pass through the treacherous landscape. But once I’d done that I wanted to make sure that nothing felt familiar." Read the full post at Culture Fly

"For me every character needs to have shades of everything to make them work as fully rounded, believable individuals – the truth is we all have moments of victimhood in us, we’ve all felt defeated at times, which is why the idea is still so potent." Read the full interview at Muddy Stilettos

"Well, this book certainly makes you think. It’s one of those books that poses some very important questions and will encourage discussion amongst those who have read it. It is very current and very relevant, a very complex book that takes a look at the modern world, where women’s safety is very firmly on the agenda, and the abuse and violence experienced by women is put very definitely under the spotlight. But it’s also a book that is as clever as it is complex and I really rather liked it." Read the full review at Jen Med's Book Reviews

"Overall, this is definitely a worthwhile novel, but I think my enjoyment of it was very much enhanced by the audio performance which really blew me away. Highly recommend listening to it!" - Read the full review at That Publishing Blog

"Deeply unsettling but totally brilliant, One of the Good Guys is a book that demands to be read. Desperation, depravity, danger, dark deeds and disturbed relationships saturate the page of this powerful and all-too familiar tale." - Read the full review at Emma’s Biblio Treasures

"Hall writes well and keeps you guessing as you read, your opinion of the characters (who you will love to hate) wavering at times until you start doubting yourself, until you reach the end and make your final decision." - Read the full review at Paradise is a Library

Do you think Cole was a good guy or a bad guy? Why?

Why do you think it took Mel so long to see what Cole was doing to her? 

Was destroying the embryos the right thing to do?

Why do you think Cole believed he was doing nothing wrong?

Is silence consent?

Was Laura right to accuse Cole after so any years? Do you think there is a time limit on calling rape?

How much do you think Cole's parents were to blame for his behaviour? 

Were Lennie, Mel, and the girls wrong to stage the disappearance of the girls? 

Do you think Cole will ever become a father and if so, what sort of father do you think he will be? 

How much do you think social media and the media in general manipulate stories to sway public opinion?

Do you agree that the media was only interested in the story because the girls were thought to be kidnapped? Why was the walk not enough to get attention for their cause?

Do you think that there was media attention because the girls were young, attractive and white? Would it have been different if they were older or a different race?