“Polly Stewart's  The Good Ones  is a fantastic achievement. A classic Southern Gothic tale told through the prism of modern-day sensibilities. Not to be missed.”—S. A. Cosby,  New York Times  bestselling author of  Razorblade Tears “A riveting, unflinching exploration of adolescent female friendships, small-town pressures to conform, and the true crime lover’s tendency to conflate empathy and voyeurism,  The Good Ones  drew me in from the first lines and still hasn’t released me, days after finishing.”—Katie Gutierrez, nationally bestselling author of  More Than You’ll Ever Know An engrossing work of literary suspense that illuminates the push and pull of female friendship and the costs of being good when the rules for women begin to chafe. The last time Nicola Bennett saw Lauren Ballard she was scraping a key along the side of a new cherry-red Chevy Silverado. That was the night before her friend mysteriously vanished from her home, leaving a bloodstained washcloth and signs of a struggle—as well as her grieving husband and young daughter—behind. Now, nearly twenty years later, Nicola, newly unemployed and still haunted by the disappearance of her childhood friend, is returning to her Appalachian hometown. For Nicola, Tyndall County has remained frozen in time. Everywhere she turns she’s reminded of Lauren. Yet shockingly, her former friends and neighbors have all moved on. Drawn to stories of missing girls, Nicola obsessively searches the internet, hoping to discover a clue to Lauren’s ultimate fate. Driven by a desperate need to know what happened to her friend, Nicola takes a job in her hometown, determined to uncover any bit of information, any small clue, that can help. Deep down she knows the answers are tucked in the hollows and valleys of this small Blue Ridge county. As secrets come to light and the truth begins to unravel, will Nicola finally find release and break free of the past—or lose herself completely to unanswered questions from her adolescence? "Polly Stewart's The Good Ones is a fantastic achievement. A classic Southern Gothic tale told through the prism of modern-day sensibilities. Not to be missed." - S. A. Cosby, author of Razorblade Tears “Polly Stewart buoys The Good Ones . . . with finely drawn characters who harbor a pleasing passel of secrets.”  - New York Times Book Review “Stewart’s debut is a powerful novel about a woman, recently returned to her Appalachian hometown, who grows obsessed with a friend’s disappearance twenty years prior, and with other cases of missing women. What emerges is a sprawling tale about a town’s secrets and lingering traumas, as well as one woman’s reckoning with life’s darkest turns. Stewart is a writer to watch.”  - CrimeReads “I just finished debut author Polly Stewart’s  The Good Ones , a wild Southern noir with a brilliant and bold voice and one hell of a twist. - Garden & Gun Magazine "Fans of Emma Cline’s  The Girls  and Gillian Flynn’s  Sharp Objects  will devour Stewart’s unnerving examination of the tangled bonds between teenage girls and the suffocating constraints of womanhood. A hometown mystery with a plot twist that will blow your flip-flops off." - Oprah Daily “Polly Stewart’s  The Good Ones  is a Southern Gothic page-turner that’s as thoughtful as it is suspenseful. . . . In this haunting crime novel, even the smallest details are steeped in Southern Gothic beauty.  The Good Ones  is not content merely to thrill, but asks the reader probing questions about womanhood that will linger long after its startling twist of an ending.” - Chapter 16 “A promising slice of psychological suspense . . .[Stewart’s] messy, endearing lead and swift pacing make for a . . . thrilling ride. This should please fans of Megan Miranda and Megan Abbott.” - Publishers Weekly "With writing that stands out in the genre, Polly Stewart creates a true page-turner that has both atmosphere and depth." - Mosaic Magazine “[Polly Stewart] is a master of creating a compelling narrative. The Good Ones is a complex and engrossing story. Filled with secrets, surprises, and a shocking twist, this book is well worth reading. Highly recommended.” - Fresh Fiction “This book kept me guessing to the end. Just when I figured out who was responsible for the disappearance, [Stewart] would throw in something that made me completely change my mind. The ending was perfect and answered all of the questions that existed throughout the book. . . . The entire mystery around Lauren's disappearance makes this book an interesting read." - Girl Who Reads "An unsettling mystery about a young mother’s disappearance and the cost of centering ourselves in someone else’s story. Dark, suspenseful, and thought-provoking, The Good Ones kept me turning pages late into the night." - Allison Buccola, author of Catch Her When She Falls "Bold, beautiful, savage and stunning. The Good Ones is a taut thriller, an elegant exploration of loss and the haunt of past mistakes, a