A Good Person

One of Publishers Weekly‘s Spring 2026 Writers to Watch

“King’s debut, with its deeply unreliable narrator and zigzagging plot, evokes a zillennial Gone Girl.” —New York Times Book Review

“Once you hop on this wild ride of a novel, you won’t want to get off . . . With tart prose that tastes like sour candy, Kirsten King’s debut is a home run. Commenting on everything from corporate culture to dating and gender roles, this novel had all the ingredients of a must-read.” —Marie Claire

“This book was incredible. Kirsten King’s love-to-hate narrator thinks she’s found the perfect man, at least until he dumps her unceremoniously then turns up dead the next day . . . Who is a good person? What treatment do they get that allows them to remain that way? While the unlikeable female narrator has had its day as a trend, A Good Person reinvigorates the trope for a new era of complicated antiheroes ready to rage against the patriarchy.” —CrimeReads

“One of the most delectable themes in the weird girl lit genre is the problematic or unlikeable narrator; in King’s debut we follow a young woman whose sort of boyfriend dies after she puts a hex on him. But is she more at fault than she’s letting on?” —Forbes.com

“A horrific delight.” —Bad on Paper

“Self-preservation is a blood sport for Kirsten King’s protagonist in A Good Person, a dark satire with cosmic twists. . . . King’s contemporary debut catapults readers into the “neurotic” psyche of one of modern literature’s most audacious narcissists and follows her through a series of mishaps that land her in the middle of a murder investigation . . . A screenwriter, King artfully spins a story that straddles pure comedy—particularly the dialogue between her protagonist and her equally self-absorbed mother—and the horror genre. Lillian, one realizes with mounting dread, has the makings of a true sociopath. Encountering multiple thrilling plot turns that throw Lillian’s world into disarray, A Good Person accelerates toward a brilliant finale as appalling as it is inevitable. . . . [An] artfully written dark satire.” —Shelf Awareness (starred review)

“[A] clever tale of a vengeful woman . . . King raises thought-provoking questions about performances of victimhood and the desire for justice, and the propulsive narrative careens through some surprising twists. It’s equal parts thrilling and chilling.” —Publishers Weekly

“A character-driven dark comedy, A Good Person balances outrageous behavior with biting humor and a compulsively readable voice. Recommended for readers who enjoy sharply funny, voice-driven fiction with morally complicated women at the center.” —Booklist

“Electrifying. A Good Person is a compulsively readable and sharply insightful spin on the unreliable narrator and an utterly fresh take on a page-turning thriller. I loved it.” —Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Like Mother, Like Daughter

“A Good Person is a laugh-out-loud, unflinchingly sharp thriller that’s unlike anything I’ve ever read before. An ode to unlikable female characters and the darkest, most honest parts of ourselves, this novel reads like a love letter to Amy Dunne of Gone Girl. In other words, it’s my dream book. I absolutely loved it.” —Olivia Muenter, USA Today bestselling author of Such a Bad Influence and Little One

“An enthusiastically deranged frolic of a novel, A Good Person is for readers who adore mess. I couldn’t get enough of Lillian’s voice, both disturbing and delightful, and felt so sorry for every character that crossed her path. Truly an enchanting debut from Kirsten King with a wink, a smile, and a swift kick in the ass. Loved!” —Rachel Koller Croft, USA Today bestselling author of Stone Cold Fox and We Love the Nightlife

“Wild, wicked, and laugh out loud funny. Lillian is a bad person, but Kirsten King is a GREAT writer.” —Sarah Harman, author of All the Other Mothers Hate Me

“I raced, cringing, through Kirsten King’s taut psychological thriller, compelled and repelled in equal measure by Lillian’s assured narration. After spending so much time in Lillian’s head, the reader starts to lose sight of what, exactly, makes ‘a good person.’ And that’s high praise.” —Laura Sims, author of How Can I Help You

“Sharp, hilarious, and painfully relatable, Kirsten King’s debut will keep you laughing as you turn each page. Lillian is the chaotic friend, the ex you still stalk, and the woman you claim to despise but still can’t stop following.” —Monika Kim, author of The Eyes Are the Best Part

“I stayed up way too late reading Kirsten King’s A Good Person. I could not put it down, had to know how it ended. Wow. Maybe Lillian is not your textbook definition of a good person, but I fell for her hard.” —Marcy Dermansky, author of Hot Air

“An unforgettable read, driven by a delightfully diabolical antiheroine whose antics are both terrifying and impressive. I gulped it down in two delirious sittings, gobsmacked by the twists and turns, and by Lillian’s dangerous self-delusion. But be warned: the most terrifying twist might be just how much Lillian reminds you of yourself in your darkest moments.” —Caitlin Barasch, author of A Novel Obsession

“I adored this deliciously acidic, addictive novel. Lillian is my favorite kind of heroine, interior, self-interested and dripping with venom. Her grotesque worldview is, in turn, funny, tragic, minutely observed and worryingly relatable. Poisonous, giddy, excruciating, delightful – an exceptional debut.” —Emma van Straaten, author of Creep

“A daring thrill ride into the dark corners of a troubled mind. . . . What starts as a hilarious zippy sugar high becomes a harrowing crash—I was…entranced, reading through my fingers but also never putting it down.” —Elizabeth Rose Quinn, author of Follow Me

“You’ll laugh, you’ll gasp, you’ll find it painfully relatable. A Good Person is delightfully dark, funny, and thought-provoking. I couldn’t put it down.” —Annakeara Stinson, author of forthcoming Nerve Damage

“King’s A Good Person is a ferocious, anxiety inducing, and hilarious debut. Lillian is an antiheroine for the ages and a brutal figurehead for the worst parts of gen z. The experience of reading her progressive downward spiral felt like a sustained panic attack. I audibly said “oh no” about every three pages. A mic drop of a debut.” —Caroline Glenn, author of forthcoming Cruelty Free