No Good Deed

 

What would you do if the trip of a lifetime turned into a crime scene?

Katherine Kovacic’s No Good Deed opens with grief and quickly runs into danger. Rena and Tom had mapped out a retirement road trip through the Australian Outback. When he dies before they go, Rena decides to go anyway. There’s nothing waiting for her at home but memories and the open road feels like the only way forward.

When she spots a fire burning off the highway, she pulls over and finds a vehicle engulfed in flames, with a body inside. The victim turns out to be a former colleague with a questionable reputation and possible ties to rare pink diamonds. What follows is an investigation that pulls Rena into a web of theft, deception, and murder.

Rena is a refreshing lead. She’s a retired geologist who’s smart, practical, and friendly. She understands land and minerals the way some people understand body language. Her knowledge of rocks and terrain is integral to how she moves through the world and this mystery. She’s also a mature woman navigating grief, retirement, and a life that looks nothing like the one she expected. That perspective gives the story a realistic edge.

And then there’s the setting. The Australian Outback isn’t just a backdrop. It looms-vast, beautiful, and unforgiving. Kovacic writes the landscape with such authority that you can feel the heat rising off the red dirt. Rena’s geological expertise enhances that sense of place. Even if you’ve never set foot in Australia, you’ll feel like you’ve traveled there.

The pacing is steady rather than breakneck. This isn’t a pedal-to-the-metal thriller. It’s more like panning for gold—patient, deliberate, and occasionally striking something that glints in the sun. That rhythm fits both the landscape and Rena’s dogged determination.

Themes of resilience, reinvention, and the courage it takes to keep going run beneath the mystery. There’s also an undercurrent about what we owe the dead. And what we owe ourselves when life shifts without warning.

I closed this book hoping Rena has more road ahead of her. Australia is a big place. I’d happily follow her back into the bush.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for the gifted ARC. No Good Deed drops Mar 31. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: Have you ever taken a trip that changed you in ways you didn’t expect?

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