No Bad Deed by Heather Chavez
Thriller | Mystery
Published by William Morrow
Released February 18th, 2020
Goodreads | Amazon
Rating: 
Note: I received a free finished copy of this book from the publisher. This in no way affects my opinions.
Most of us like to think of ourselves as good people, as the kind of people who would stop to help a stranger on the street. After all, we would like someone to help us if we were the ones in danger, right?
In Heather Chavez’s recent novel No Bad Deed, our main character, Cassie Larkin, stops to helps a woman being beaten by a man on the side of the road. That decision to step in and help, while saving the woman’s life, turns Cassie’s life upside down and puts herself and her entire family in danger.
This novel was definitely exciting to read. It kept a quick pace, and its twists and turns kept me guessing right up to the end. It was far from perfect, however; the choices Cassie made throughout the novel left me baffled. Some of the things she did seemed to actually impede the police’s investigation into what was happening.
While exciting, the plot often seemed far-fetched to me. The disappearance of the woman’s husband and the subsequent threatening of her and her entire family would (hopefully) never be treated as nonchalantly by the police as it seemed to be in this novel. Also, when I found out what the “twist” of the story was, I found it ridiculously outlandish. There were so many ways that the story could have ended and it still could have made sense, but Chavez chose the ending that was the most unrealistic. Finally, on this same sentiment, too often I found the characters or situations too convenient. To enjoy No Bad Deed, you’ll have to suspend a lot of your disbelief.
I mostly enjoyed the quick pacing of this story, but at times it was almost too fast-paced. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but personally, I think I would have connected to the characters more if I’d had more time to get to know anyone other than Cassie. In addition to this, the first half of the book was orderly, while the second half felt rushed and convoluted. I suppose you could make the argument that the writing reflected what was happening in Cassie’s brain, but I feel like it’s more likely that it was sloppy writing. Which is a shame; Chavez clearly has talent, and so much more could have been done with this idea.
Despite the problems I had with No Bad Deed, I still enjoyed the experience of reading it. A book doesn’t have to be perfect to be fun to read. If what you’re in the mood for is a fast-paced, exciting thriller about a good deed gone wrong, No Bad Deed will be the perfect choice for you.
Read Yourself Happy 