Review of No Good Deed by Victor Gischler

Author : Victor Gischler

Release date: September 4, 2018

Publisher: Tor Forge Books

Pages: 256

Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/No-Good-Deed-Victor-Gischler/dp/1250106699/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536762414&sr=8-1&keywords=victor+gischler

“Francis could see only the vague outline of her in the darkness, but it seemed as if her head was cocked, listening. A few seconds later, she blew out a sigh, seemed satisfied, and flipped on the light switch. ‘I need my suitcase.’ She wasn’t what Francis had pictured.”

Francis Berringer is a minor cog in a corporate machine. His girlfriend just left him. He can’t tie his tie straight. His life takes a sudden turn when he’s running late for work one morning and stumbles across a suitcase full of women’s clothes and an odd business card with only an email address on it. He knows he shouldn’t get involved but can’t resist. He sends a message to the email address and arranges the return of the suitcase. The way Francis’ life is going, he could use a little karma, so why not do a good deed?

“A blinking red flag on his computer monitor caught his attention, a message in his in-box. I have your office address. I’m coming for the suitcase. Do not contact me via this email again. Ghost Girl. He sighed. You have a way with the ladies, Francis.”

And then the girl shows up, a slender good looking blond, nose ring, tattoos, bomber jacket, army boots, and all. Berringer is intrigued by the attractive stranger and soon finds himself dodging bullets and doing his best to stay alive, wishing he’d never bothered with that suitcase in the first place. A muscle car, automatic pistols, and a girl with a secret. Francis doesn’t have a lot of experience with these things, and all he knows is that the bad guys are after him and the good guys are, too.

Victor Gischler’s writing spans multiple genres—crime thrillers, satirical science fiction, and epic fantasy. Gischler’s debut novel Gun Monkeys (2001, Dell) was nominated for the Edgar Award, and his novel Shotgun Opera (2006, Dell) was an Anthony Award finalist.

No Good Deed tells the story of a regular guy who tries to do the right thing but finds himself in an unexpected situation. Who doesn't root for a down-on-his-luck, reluctant good guy protagonist who’s unwittingly mixed up in a mystery? Toss in a good-looking woman who’s filled with secrets, throw in a gang of criminal hooligans, and a cold-hearted antagonist government agent and you’ve got the recipe for a fun and rewarding read.

“The squeal of tires and the roar of an engine drew Francis’s attention. His head snapped around to see a black sedan rounding the corner behind him. It gunned the engine again, bearing down with alarming sped. ‘Run!’ The girl sprinted ahead, not even waiting to see if Francis followed.”

Overall, Gischler’s writing style is fast-paced, humorous, and loaded with thrills and chills. The plotline is dynamic and chock full of edge of your seat surprises. This gripping, free-wheeling joy ride of a whodunnit invariably leaves the reader unabashedly cheering for the heroes and jeering the villains.

Michael Thomas Barry is a staff reviewer for the New York Journal of Books and the author of eight nonfiction books.

This review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on September 10, 2018 - https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/no-good-deed

Review of "The Girl Who Knew Too Much" by Amanda Quick

Anna Harris is the private secretary to wealthy New York socialite, Helen Spencer and for the past year has lived a fast paced life filled with glitter and glamour. This lifestyle is horrifyingly shattered when she stumbles upon the body of her boss, who has been brutally stabbed to death.

“There was blood everywhere in the elegant, white-on-white boudoir. It soaked the dead women’s silver satin evening gown and the carpet beneath her body.”

A menacing warning, “Run,” has been written with victim’s own blood on the wall, and in that moment she knows that the idyllic life she has been living was a deception. Fleeing the scene, she drives across country to Los Angeles, where she attempts to find peace and security. She changes her name to Irene Glasson, which she thinks has a “Hollywood ring to it” and accepts a position as a cub reporter at Whispers, a small tabloid newspaper.

Her quiet life is shattered when murder follows her west. A hot lead about a lured affair between up-and-coming actor, Nick Tremayne and starlet Gloria Maitland takes Irene to the lavish and private Burning Cove Hotel, 100 miles north of Los Angeles.

Arriving for the midnight appointment, Irene finds her source, Gloria Maitland, dead at the bottom of a pool. Once again she finds herself fleeing the scene of a murder, but this time Irene is determined to prove the drowning was not an accident. She partners with Oliver Ward, formerly a famous magician and now the mysterious owner of the hotel to discover why this woman may have been silenced. Seeking the truth, they both soon learn that the glamorous paradise hides dark and dangerous secrets.
“And that past, always just out of sight, could drag them both down.”

Amanda Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz, who also writes as Jayne Castle), has written more than 50 New York Times bestselling novels. In her newest release, The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Quick transports readers back to the golden age of Hollywood and through clever plot twists unmasks the gritty realities that hide behind tinsel town’s glitzy facades.

The Girl Who Knew Too Much is a solid murder mystery, although not one of Quick’s best efforts. It is ripe with details and dialogue. Its short chapters accelerate the story forward at breakneck speed. Main protagonists, Irene and Oliver, are amiable but aren’t easy to attach to. Both are complex characters, so it takes some time to get to know each of them. There are several confusing storylines and trying to keep track of it all is not always easy. Some of the villains you know right away and some are surprising.

Nonetheless, The Girl Who Knew Too Much is a fun, spunky, read that contains plenty of simmering sexual chemistry, which will most definitely satiate the most ardent fans of Amanda Quick. Although it’s a little bit anti-climactic once it’s over, lovers of romantic historical murder mysteries will enjoy the suspense, characters, and atmosphere of old Hollywood.

Michael Thomas Barry's most recent book is In the Company of Evil: Thirty Years of California Crime, 1950–1980. He is the author of six other nonfiction books and is a columnist for CrimeMagazine.com.

Review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on May 9, 2017 http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/girl-who

Buy the book from Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/0399174478/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494348626&sr=8-1&keywords=amanda+quick