Good Guys: A Novel

By: Sharon Bala

Published by McClelland & Stewart, 2026-01-20

From the bestselling author of The Boat People comes a page-turning moral thriller about money, the dark side of philanthropy, and what happens when you try to change the world for all the wrong reasons.

"The easiest choices are the ones you make for other people."

Claire Talbot is the publicist at Children of the World, an NGO that funds international aid projects. Morally burnt out after decades working in reputation management, Claire is relieved to finally use her PR skills for good. Too bad the charity is on the verge of bankruptcy. In a last-ditch effort to keep them afloat, Claire arranges for an A-list actress to volunteer at one of their overseas orphanages. When the actress decides to adopt a baby and promises a massive donation, it seems as if Claire has single-handedly saved the day. But after a journalist digs into their operations and reveals a shocking crime, Claire and her colleagues must reckon with their complicity and all the ways their work abroad has harmed the very people they set out to save.

Moving between their headquarters in Toronto and their compound in Central America, the novel charts the charity’s rise and fall. By turns scathing and compassionate, the book offers a compelling behind-the-scenes look at the complex and morally ambiguous world of international aid, and ultimately asks the question: is it possible to do good in a broken system?