Good Dog

by Mabek Kawsek

Every happy family has a terrible secret.

Agnes

Agnes Tan-Lim has it all: Victor, her devoted husband; Sophia, her loving daughter; and her thriving business. Then she receives a phone call from her daughter’s kidnapper. Now, Agnes must quell her panic and rush to get Sophia back. But Sophia’s kidnapping is just the beginning of a series of events that will cause Agnes’s seemingly perfect life to come crashing down, forcing her to face the truth that she has always refused to believe.

Marlene

Far from the rich Tsinoy suburbs of Agnes, Marlene Ong sits in her tiny apartment, badgered by supernatural visions—a chorus of ghosts, a skyway built on a secret, a specter calling out to her husband. She won’t leave Marlene alone until her body is found.

Two women whose lives get increasingly tangled realize that the mysteries they must solve are part of a more sinister plot.

Good Dog reveals a Tsinoy businesswoman trapped in tradition, made to confront an unexpected monster.

Genres: Paranormal, Crime, Novels

230 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2019

Reviews

[Pam Z (Pam's Shenanigans)]

First, thank you to Anvil Publishing for giving me a copy of Good Dog during its official book launch. This doesn't, in any way, affect my feelings towards the book.

Loved that the POVs are from two Chinese-Filipino women, both with hauntingly dark pasts and presents, who are both strong-willed and realized they ain't got no time for men's bullsh*t. It's more than just a crime fiction title as the paranormal and various Chinese traditions played a huge part in this book.

I loved this!

FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW IN MY BLOG! Hopefully soon!

BLOG: Pam Who Cried Books || Twitter || Instagram

[Earl]

To have a novel that reflects Chinese-Filipino sensibilities and culture is I believe something unique and monuemental in the history of Philippine literature, and I commend Mabek Kawsek for that. Despite having some narrative flaws that seem to be convoluted and in some ways with confused direction (there were themes that were not pushed enough), I really enjoyed this novel. It looked like an action film that has enough plot to keep us reading. I hope everybody can read this.

[Athena]

I enjoyed reading this novel that focuses on two Chinese Filipino (Tsinoy) women, the men each of them is involved with, and the troubled history that ties those two men together. The concept is strong, and the women characters, though not necessarily sympathetic, feel real. BUT the plot is a mess; it makes no sense after about halfway through. The pacing is inconsistent. The way actions play out in relation to space is often confusing. It's just that somehow these things didn't matter that much to me. It felt special to read a Tsinoy woman writer lovingly capture contemporary Tsinoy women's experiences.

[Mark Benedict Lim]

Three stars because of the intent to reverse racist representations and victimhood narratives. But sadly, I think, this will do more harm than good. I get that it is trying to portray the Chinese Filipino community as heterogeneous as possible (at least in terms of their moralities and ethical decisions), but the novel is surprisingly still very uncritical. I mean, one of the protagonists is a rich capitalist, but her wealth was never treated as problematic?

Also, the narration and the dialogue are sooo cringey. Who even says asong kalye as an insult?

[KIRIAKI(Dominica Amat)]

Πρώτη δημοσίευση εδώ: https://www.dominicamat.gr/2025/05/bl...

ΒΙΒΛΙΟΠΡΟΤΑΣΗ

Τίτλος: Καλό σκυλί

Συγγραφέας: Μάμπεκ Κάοσεκ

''Κάθε χαρούμενη οικογένεια έχει ένα φριχτό μυστικό."

Καλό σκυλί σημαίνει...
...υπακοή,
...καμία τάση αντίρρησης,
...καμία τάση αμφισβήτησης,
...τυφλή κι άνευ όρων αφοσίωση,
...παντελής έλλειψη εγωϊσμού,
...υποτέλεια,
...αποδοχή ως δεδομένων όλων όσων σου προσφέρονται,
...να ζεις μία ζωή συμβατική,
...να μην έχεις προσωπικότητα...

Αυτές ήταν οι αρχικές σκέψεις που πέρασαν από το μυαλό μου, ακούγοντας για πρώτη φορά τον τίτλο του αστυνομικού μυθιστορήματος της συγγραφέως Μάμπεκ Κάοσεκ (Mabek Kawsek), με τίτλο ''Καλό σκυλί'' (Good dog), το οποίο κυκλοφορεί από τις εκδόσεις Βακχικόν, σε μετάφραση της κυρίας Γιούλης Σταματίου.
Ένα ιδιαίτερο αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα (ίσως να επισκιάζει το ψυχολογικό κομμάτι εκείνο του αστυνομικού) που μιλάει για τις διαπροσωπικές σχέσεις των μελών μίας οικογένειας, καθώς και τα μυστικά που τους/τις ''δένουν'' και τους/τις ''χωρίζουν'' την ίδια στιγμή. Κάθε μέλος κι ένα πιόνι πάνω στη σκακιέρα με συγκεκριμένη/προκαθορισμένη πορεία, τρόπο σκέψης και δράσης. Ένα μυθιστόρημα που στηρίζεται, κατά κόρον, στο ψυχολογικό κομμάτι της προσέγγισης της υπόθεσης μέσω των προσώπων που θα βρεθούν στις πρωταγωνιστικές και στις δευτεραγωνιστικές θέσεις και θα αποκαλύψουν όλα αυτά τα ένοχα και μη, τους φόβους και τις αλήθειες, τα μυστικά, καθώς και όλα όσα εκείνα μας καθορίζουν ως προσωπικότητες μέσα σε κοινωνικό, φιλικό, όπως και οικογενειακό σύνολο...
Ένα μυθιστόρημα που μοιάζει σαν να κρατά τις όποιες αντικειμενικές αποστάσεις σε συναισθηματικό, κυρίως, επίπεδο, μα ταυτόχρονα μας αφήνει γεμάτους/ες από συναισθήματα. Μία αντιφατική, συνεπώς, συνθήκη που επικρατεί καθ'όλη τη διάρκεια της ανάγνωσης του εν λόγω βιβλίου, που ενώ με έκανε να μην μπορώ να ''δεθώ'' στον βαθμό που θα επιθυμούσα με τα πρόσωπά του -ίσως εδώ παίζει ρόλο και οι διαφορές μεταξύ της κουλτούρας των λαών (δεν το λέω με αρνητική έννοια!)- το διάβασα με μία ανάσα οδηγούμενη σε έναν επίλογο που, ταυτοχρόνως, με ξάφνιασε και με ικανοποίησε πλήρως...

Περιγραφή:

Η Άγκνες, μια πλούσια Φιλιππινέζα κινεζικής καταγωγής (ή αλλιώς Τσινόι), τα έχει όλα: τον πιστό της σύζυγο, την πολυαγαπημένη της κόρη, και την ακμάζουσα επιχείρησή της. Μια μέρα, λαμβάνει ένα τηλεφώνημα από τον απαγωγέα της κόρης της. Αυτή θα είναι μόνο η αρχή μιας σειράς γεγονότων που θα κάνουν την επιφανειακά αψεγάδιαστη ζωή της να καταρρεύσει, αναγκάζοντάς τη να έρθει αντιμέτωπη με την αλήθεια που πάντα αρνιόταν να πιστέψει.

Την ίδια στιγμή, μακριά από τις συνοικίες των Τσινόι, η Μαρλέν κάθεται στο μικροσκοπικό της διαμέρισμα, στιγματισμένη από υπερφυσικά οράματα: μια συγχορδία φαντασμάτων, μια πεζογέφυρα χτισμένη πάνω σε ένα μυστικό, μια σκιά που φωνάζει στον σύζυγό της να μην αφήσει τη Μαρλέν σε ησυχία μέχρι να βρεθεί το σώμα της.

Δύο γυναίκες των οποίων οι ζωές μπλέκονται όλο και περισσότερο, όταν συνειδητοποιούν πως τα μυστήρια που καλούνται να επιλύσουν είναι μέρος ενός πιο δυσοίωνου σχεδίου. Θα καταφέρει άραγε μια επιχειρηματίας παγιδευμένη στην παράδοση να αντιμετωπίσει ένα απρόσμενο τέρας;

Αναζητήστε το! Καλή ανάγνωση.

Κυκλοφορεί από τις εκδόσεις Βακχικόν.

https://vivliovamon.blogspot.com/2025...

[Gigi]

Out of all the characters in this book, I was drawn to Auntie Ma (and Kang Atsi). Curious ako sa mga stories niya, sa naging buhay niya when she was young, her marriage to Angkong hanggang sa tumanda na, happy and content in her small apartment in Chinatown. Favorite part ko ng novel yung childhood ni Marlene. Ramdam ko ang tension and suspense. I also love the descriptions of Chinese food, customs and way of life sa Chinatown in that chapter.

Marami sa female characters sa kuwento, subservient at takot magsalita. Na-overpower sila ng mga tatay, asawa, jowa or yung culture nila. Violence ang naging way nila para magkaroon ng boses.

Siguro mali ang expectation ko na fast-paced thriller ang librong ito. Sa simula ganoon nga siya, ang bilis ng mga pangyayari. But towards the middle, medyo dumami yung flashbacks and bumagal na para sa akin ang kuwento. May mga actions and decisions din yung characters na mahirap paniwalaan at medyo annoying. There were also some parts na akala ko importante yun pala hindi gaya ng ink on bills at kulang ang ransom na binayad and may parts na parang nakalimutan nang balikan like yung mga kasamang kidnapper ni Victor.

[zo!]

Personally, it became slow somewhere before the middle part before the twist/climax, and I did not read it for a few months before picking it up again. Despite this issue (which I think, is more of my fault), I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! One of the few thrillers I've read set in the Philippines, with themes tied to cultural notions of Chinoys and their businesses; specifically, the women who built these businesses in silence and resilience. Much of this book is about women (specifically Chinays) and portraying their struggles with identity in relation to men in their lives — a husband, a partner, a father, entrepreneurs, ghosts. I wished the titular characters met earlier...? But I still love this so much :DDD

[Julia Azarcon]

a very compelling read with great characters and a lot of heart. was more of a ghost/horror story than i thought it’d be but in a great way. great depiction of superstitious tsinoy practices and culture. faltered a bit for me a little at the end but still really enjoyed nonetheless, one of my favorite local filipino books i’ve read so far.

[Bianca Nagac]

This book was more than just the great reviews it got from highly respected writers. I like how Kawsek has woven two different lives of Tsinays and brought them in an unforgettable tale of dignity. I admire how Kawsek gives us a view of Chinese values, with so intricate details of their daily lives. I also like how the military way of life is shown in the chapters of this book because Kawsek made their complex situations relatable on a civilian's perspective. I love how each of the character's strengths and weaknesses teach us deep lessons about love and honor.

[Volkan Oktar]

geleneksel bir aile yaşamı süren agnes, polis kocası victor ve arkadaşı jerry ile polisiye olayları çözmek için "ruhlarla iletişim kurma" yeteneğini kullanan marlene, karakterleri hikayenin merkezinde yer alıyor. konu, çocukların kaçırılması ve fidye istenmesi üzerine gelişiyor. kitabın başlarından itibaren kötü karakterin kim olduğunu tahmin etmek hiç zor değil. karakterlerin, okuyana mantıksız gibi görünen kararlar alarak olayları geliştirmesi ise kurgunun etkisini çok aşağı çekiyor. (2,5)