Matt Goldman

3.5⭐

45-year-old Joey Green, a divorced father of two, travels from Chicago to Beaufort, South Carolina to help his mother take care of his 75-year-old father, Marshall, who has recently been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. His father, a doctor by profession, spent his whole life tending to the needs of patients in a free clinic for the less privileged and moved back to Beaufort after a long career in Chicago. Marshall's illness has adversely affected his short-term recall but his ability to recollect events from his past is stronger and he is able to describe his memories from decades ago with astonishing clarity. Marshall also experiences bouts of hallucinations wherein he strikes up conversations with people from his past. As Joey spends more time with his father, Marshall shares his memories of his own life as a child growing up in Beaufort and often brings up fond memories from Joey's and Joey's sisters' childhoods.

“My father had lost most of those distractions. He couldn’t hold anything in his head long enough to anesthetize himself with the simple diversion of thinking ahead. His past was his only safe haven. He could linger there to relive what he’d already lived. His present offered nothing but giant steps toward the end.”

When an affluent and influential member of the community is found murdered and clues point to the murder weapon being a pistol owned by Marshall, it is up to Joey to prove his father’s innocence as the police seem to close in on Marshall as a suspect. He is aided by Leela, also divorced and the daughter of his parents’ neighbors, with whom both sets of parents are intent on setting him up. From his father’s recollections, Joey also learns of two previous murders, dating back decades, of people close to Marshall. Joey must figure out whether the present-day murder is in any way connected to the events in his father’s past.

Matt Goldman’s Carolina Moonset is a beautifully penned novel. The setting is atmospheric and I loved the descriptions of the coastal town and the community. Goldman’s writing is impressive as are the characterizations. Both Joey’s and Marshall’s characters are very well–developed. Though the plot has a murder mystery at its core, the novel touches upon themes of love, family, community and aging. While I did enjoy the banter between Leela and Joey, I felt that the romantic track was unnecessary and rushed. The author paints a moving picture of the emotional toll that Marshall’s diagnosis has on his family and Joey’s helplessness as he witnesses his father’s health deteriorating and his desire to cherish every moment he can with his father is heartbreaking. Given that the story vacillates between the impact of Marshall’s illness on the Greens’ lives and the murder mystery, the pace does fluctuate which is not a problem. The author does a fine job of balancing both aspects of the story. The interactions between Joey and his father were deeply moving as was the bond the Green family shared with their friends and neighbors.The final reveal is a surprise and I enjoyed the build-up . This is my first Matt Goldman novel and I look forward to reading more of his work in the future.

“There are moments in life when you feel a truth so irrefutable that every thought and emotion you’ve ever experienced, every joy and hardship, falls into alignment. In that pinhole of time life makes sense.”… (plus d'informations)

Title: A Good Family
Author: Matt Goldman
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group, Forge Books
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"A Good Family" by Matt Goldman

My Sentiments:

We find this story quite intriguing while being a dramatic domestic suspense-thriller that deals with Kate Kuhlmann, her husband, Jack, and their two children [Elin & Kaleb]. Everything seemed to be going ok for this Kuhlmann family that lived in Edina, Minneapolis [on the outside...perfect couple, house, and neighborhood] until her husband started acting strange and getting worse as the marriage continued. Was t his job, or was he having an affair? Yes, ate had formed a friendship with a guy that started because she loved skiing, and it seemed like her husband had no time for her being 'touchy, angry, and so secretive,' and this was even to the two children. This was funny because he had the nerve to be concerned about her relationship with her ski buddy. Then this family has a friend from college, Adam Bagman Ross, that came for an uninvited visit and ended up staying with them. As the story continues, something is quite strange about this marriage, her club friends, neighbors, the man not living with them in his particular place... all was strange. Finally, promo ng Kate to ask for a divorce because she knows that something is wrong. She couldn't get any answers that she believed from Jack. What was this big secret that Jack was hiding with their friend Adam that had moved in and lived over their garage in their guest house? This story will be long, but by the end, the reader can see why the reader will have to keep up due to so many twists and turns coming out of this story. I liked the flashback of Katte's life with her parents and twin brothers. I guess she thought that marrying Jack would solve all of her problems [due to the fact he had money], different from living with her grandparents after the death of her parents. I loved how Kate fooled her husband, naming the kids after...well, I will stop here and say you must pick up "A Good Family" and see how this author brings it out, giving us a wow of a good ending for the reader.

Thank you, NetGalley, for eARC in exchange for an honest review.… (plus d'informations)

A slow-moving domestic thriller that, in some places, is right up there with the movie Gaslight.

There are plenty of issues with this book; for example, Katie seems to be heavily in denial. We can almost understand why, but I can't buy it - not completely. I had to stretch my credibility muscles quite a bit during parts of this novel. Katie just seemed too naive to be a higher-up at General Mills.

I can not say that this was a bad read-it really wasn't, and it kept me turning pages avidly. I really wanted to know how and why Jack kept disappearing and why Bagman just suddenly showed up with not a peep from Jack or Katie at the lateness of the hour.

This was worth the time it takes to read and will keep you guessing even if the ending is a little too pat for my comfort. I will most likely be reading the next book Mr. Goldman produces.

ARC* was supplied by the publisher Forge Books, the author, and NetGalley.… (plus d'informations)