Book Review: The Wrong Good Deed by Caroline B. Cooney

My Rating: 2.5⭐

During a Sunday service at Trinity Hill Church, Clemmie’s friend Muffin, also a resident of the senior living village in North Carolina where Clemmie lives, catches a glimpse of someone from her past – a past she left behind almost fifty years ago. Clemmie is bewildered by Muffin’s panicked response. Even after Muffin shares the traumatic events from her past and shares her fears, Clemmie isn’t quite convinced that anybody would harm Muffin over events that occurred so long ago. But over the following week, Clemmie realizes she is wrong. But in trying to help her friend will she be able to protect her own secrets? Not only Clemmie and Muffin, but others in their community carry burdens from their pasts and would want to protect themselves their families and the lives they have made for themselves from falling apart if those secrets ever saw the light of day.

With its fast-paced narrative, sensitive themes and strong characterizations, The Wrong Good Deed by Caroline B. Cooney has a lot of promise but falls short in execution. The author blends both past and present timelines combining social issues and an element of suspense. The author gives is a brief but impactful look at the racism, white supremacy, desegregation and resistance to integration among certain factions during the 1960s. In the present-day narrative, we follow Clemmie and her friends, all seniors, and their lives in their residential community The author touches upon themes of aging, isolation, and loneliness among seniors. I appreciate that the author attempts to address several sensitive topics but I wasn’t quite satisfied with how the story plays out. After a suspenseful build-up, the resolution of the mystery leaves a lot to be desired. The significance of past events is diminished largely by how the author chose to end this story. The friendships between the characters came across as forced and/or obligatory rather than fueled by genuine regard for one another or emotional attachment. I also failed to see the point in bringing up Clemmie’s past and her secrets in bits throughout the narrative given that ultimately Clemmie’s storyline is left for the most part, unexplored. While I didn't dislike this book in its totality, I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped.

Many thanks to author Caroline B. Cooney, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due to be released on May 02, 2023.