Quick take
A tense read with characters you're not sure you can believe. No spoilers, but trust us—you won't guess that ending.
Good to know
Psychological
Action-packed
Marriage issues
Suburban drama
Synopsis
Newlyweds Sam Statler and Annie Potter are head over heels, and excited to say good-bye to New York and start a life together in Sam's sleepy hometown in upstate New York. Or, it turns out, a life where Annie spends most of her time alone while Sam, her therapist husband, works long hours in his downstairs office, tending to the egos of his (mostly female) clientele.
Little does Sam know that through a vent in his ceiling, every word of his sessions can be heard from the room upstairs. The pharmacist's wife, contemplating a divorce. The well-known painter whose boyfriend doesn’t satisfy her in bed. Who could resist listening? Everything is fine until the French girl in the green mini Cooper shows up, and Sam decides to go to work and not come home, throwing a wrench into Sam and Annie's happily ever after.
Free sample
Get an early look from the first pages of Goodnight Beautiful.
Goodnight Beautiful
Prologue
October 20
I look up as a man with ruddy cheeks and a crew cut walks into the restaurant, shaking rain from his baseball cap. “Hey, sweetheart,” he calls to the pink-haired girl mixing drinks behind the bar. “Any chance you can hang this in the window?”
“Sure thing,” she says, nodding toward the piece of paper in his hand. “Another fundraiser for the fire department?”
“No, someone’s gone missing,” he says.
“Missing? What happened to her?”
“Not her. Him.”
“Him? Well, that’s not something you hear every day.”
“Disappeared the night of the storm. Trying to get the word out.”
The door closes behind him as she walks to the end of the bar and picks up the flyer, reading aloud to the woman eating lunch at the corner seat. “Dr. Sam Statler, a local therapist, is six foot one, with black hair and green eyes. He’s believed to be driving a 2019 Lexus RX 350.” Whistling, she holds up the piece of paper. “Whoever he’s gone missing with is a lucky lady.” I steal a glance at Sam’s photograph—those eyes, that dimple, the word MISSING in seventy-two-point font above his head.
Why I love it
Siobhan Jones
BOTM Editorial Team
The highest praise for a thriller is unfortunately the thing you’re mostly likely to hear about any average thriller. You won’t see the twist coming, proclaims the marketing copy, even though a voracious reader of the genre will, nine times out of ten, do just that. But here I am saying it: Goodnight Beautiful has so many unusual turns that I think you really will be taken by surprise.
Picture a little town in upstate New York, where Manhattan-based professionals in search of a slower pace might comfortably relocate. That’s just what Sam Statler, a handsome therapist, and his wife Annie have done. Annie fills her hours alone, adjusting to their new life, while Sam spends his days receiving clients in need of care. Despite a few secrets Annie and Sam are keeping from each other—and us readers—life proceeds normally until one day when Sam goes missing.
This isn’t just a search for a missing person—this is a madcap story that gave me the feeling of wandering through an empty house, afraid to turn a corner for fear of what’s lurking down the hall. Aimee Molloy entered the domestic suspense scene a few years ago with a splash, and her second novel does not disappoint. Good luck guessing the ending!
Member ratings (7,485)
Tammy C.
Basom, NY
You’ll never guess what’s next doesn’t even begin to describe this twisty domestic thriller! I absolutely loved it. AND as an added BONUS there is a amazing nod to Stephen King built into the story ❤️
Cristin J.
Wyoming, MI
It’s like riding a rollercoaster in the backseat for the first time. You never know where it’s going to take you and just when you think you know, NOPE! Brace yourself, you won’t see the ending coming
Dylan P.
Costa Mesa, CA
W O W ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book could easily be held to the same caliber as Gone Girl with its left-field twists and an insane ending. I cannot recommend it more!! READ THIS BOOK EVERYONE.
Tiffany O.
Warren, OH
Every page had my mind blown! Talk about keeping you guessing the whole time. Just when you think you know what is going on, and who is who, BAM! Turn the page and dig in deeper for a beautiful surprise
Mandie Z.
Bedford, TX
This book had everything emotions, suspense, & fast paced edge of your seat thriller. It’s takes you on an up & down journey into secrets, lies, betrayal, & emotional trauma. Loved the different POV.