Really well written! I was on the edge of my seat a few times. Great imagery really put the reader in the moment. I’ll definitely be checking out more books by this author!

4 out of 5 stars

I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Veterinarian Cassie Larkin is driving home from work one night when she sees a man assaulting a woman on the side of the road. Feeling like she has no choice but to help Cassie pulls over, gets out of her car and tries to help the woman. When the man sees her he tells her to go away. That he has no plans to hurt her but Cassie does all she can to stop him, including calling the police and getting closer. When the man escapes he takes her van. She knows that he now has her address and the keys to her home.

The next day happens to be Halloween and when Cassie's husband Sam disappears as he is taking her daughter Audrey trick or treating Cassie knows she must do everything she can to find her husband even if it puts her life in jeopardy.

Heather Chavez has written a fast paced mystery that keeps you interested until the last moment when it all comes to a head, revealing a shocking twist.

Cassie Larkin is on her way home from her veterinary business she owns. Once again it’s a late night which means she missed dinner with the family. Close to home she sees a man and a woman fighting and it getting physical. She dials 911 and is told to stay in the car which she doesn’t do. She gets involved with the situation and finds the woman close to death. The man tells her to ‘let her die, and I’ll let you live.’ Kind of a weird statement and then he steals her mini-van, which also contains her purse. The police arrive and get statements and Cassie is finally able to go home.
She’s worried that the man will come after her and the family but the police tell her she should be okay. The next day is Halloween and her husband is taking their daughter out. She gets home late again and is at home and notices they haven’t returned and it’s getting late. She tries to call but no answer. She goes looking for them and finds her daughter but her husband has gone missing. He left her with a woman he knew from school. Then she gets weird messages from him saying he needs time and has been having an affair.
Then she keeps getting messages that are strange, finds out someone is watching her, finds her house bugged and her husband still missing. She is working with the police but no luck finding the man who attacked the woman or her husband. Cassie decides to go on offense and starts her own investigation and finds suspicious people and things that don’t add up. Then she gets shocking news about her past and how it all ties together with what’s going on and makes a last stand that could cost her the life of her family and herself.

This book was so fast paced and action packed that it made it almost impossible for me to put it down(I finished it in two sittings). The characters and the storyline are definitely unforgettable. I would definitely recommend for a quick thriller/suspense read.

This is a debut novel for Heather Chavez... and I must admit that I’m impressed right off the bat!

The cover of this book is also creepy, yet stunning! The rain makes everything just a little more “uncomfortable.”

This fast-paced, high-action thriller will be released on February 18th,2020...just a little over a week away!

I strongly suggest that you get your hands on a copy! I am very thankful for Netgalley and Harper Collins for allowing me to read an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Late one night when Cassie is on her way home from an emergency surgery performed at her veterinary practice, she sees a man and a woman fighting on the side of the road. She quickly pulls over, calls 9-1-1 but it is in that split second, against the operator’s advice, when she decides to get involved that she will WISH that she didn’t for the rest of her life. Especially since the police don’t seem to believe a word that she’s saying.

“When Detective Rico walked away [ from her], he wiped his hands on his slacks, as if trying to rid them of something unpleasant.”

The madness starts on Halloween evening when the dog that she operated on the previous night returns even sicker than before, she returns home to find that her husband is missing and her daughter has been left alone with strangers.

The following morning her husband’s car is gone, he won’t answer his phone to explain ...but he will answer texts...

“It’s complicated...I’m not alone.”

There were many times that my jaw-dropped. “I bit my tongue with enough force to draw blood.” Cassie, my friend, I would have too if my mouth hadn’t been closed while desperately trying to figure out your situation.

“3...2...1...” That’s certainly a countdown, the messenger is sending you a warning, but what happens when you have no idea when the timeline starts and stops, and what will happen when the clock strikes 1...?

Of course I’m not going to give you any clues as to what occurs...now what would be the fun in that? The best part of a mystery are the unexpected plot twists, and this has quite a few. They are also explained quite well. You aren’t left wondering to yourself... saying ...”wait, huh?” Many times thrillers have dragged me down a path that make ZERO sense but thankfully this is not one of them.

My rating has been knocked down a star simply because of unanswered questions that I have. I would’ve preferred the story to have gone on a bit longer if it wrapped up some of it’s loose ends. Closure is something that I crave in books. This story is somewhat closed, but bits and pieces are still left missing.

That being said, this book is pretty damn fantastic. There is a wide cast of characters that are thoroughly flushed out. Detective Rico, strict and accusatory when he must be, but also a family- man at heart was one of my favorite characters. I hope in the future that there could be a series starring him as a main character? Maybe? PLEASE.

I connected immediately with our main character Cassie, a wife, veterinarian and a mother of two: Leo, 15 and Audrey who is in the first grade. She is quick-witted and sarcastic with comments like...” I had spent so much time with the police lately I wondered if I should whip up some friendship bracelets.”

I identified with her...”When I was single my clothes remained in puddles on the floor until laundry day.” And The old me was the kind of girl you’d love to take to a party. She mixed a killer mojito, knew the answer to every trivia question, and had your back if you picked a fight with your ex’s new girlfriend, even if you were in the wrong.” ( Me, in my 20’s!) “ But old Cassie could be a bitch to live with. She was surly and could hold a grudge , and she didn’t always think clearly, especially after too many of those mojitos.” ( Also me in my 20’s, sub the mojito for a Vodka Red-bull.)

I definitely recommend this book and will be looking forward to future titles by this author. 4 solid stars.

Stay tuned below for the questions/concerns that I wish I knew the answers to. NOTE: will contain spoilers!

1. What happened with the picture of Sam having sex with another woman? (Not literally- I know it was likely burned in the fire at Zoe’s house.) It was said that after studied it was doctored so that the top of the woman/girl was made to look younger but it was definitely still him with another woman and verified to be in the present day due to a scar. Who was this woman? It clearly wasn’t Cassie/ Megan.

2. Did Cassie ever return to the coffee shop and fulfill her cash promise to the barista? If so, was anything else said?

3. Why wasn’t Sam honest with Cassie/ Megan up front about the “supposed” scandal. He hadn’t gone to work for weeks, so where was he going? Why was he pretending to have the flu?

4. What EXACTLY happened on Halloween night? I wish that a timeline was given at the end and better explained.

5. Were the bloody zombie teeth just a plant at the abandoned house? Was Sam ever really in the house at all?

6. What type of punishment will Helen receive for her deceit?

7. What happens now with Leo and the other boy on the field? As well as the social media posts? Was that part of this situation too, or something else entirely to throw the reader off?

The novel started out with a bang, and I flew through the first 50% or so. However, the second half of the book lost its way a little bit and it just became too difficult to suspend my disbelief in the way everything played out. There were so many twists and turns which, while somewhat exciting, also made it tricky to keep track of who was who and exactly what was going on. I often had to pause and really think about how to connect the dots, which took away from the enjoyment of reading a little bit. Overall, this was a pretty quick read but the implausibility and chaos of the ending left me wanting more.

Many thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow and Heather Chavez for the opportunity to read and review this debut thriller - 5 stars for a book that I truly couldn't - and didn't - put down. I was so close to finishing it this morning when it was time to get the day started, so I had no choice but to carry the book around with me reading in any spare second I had. It's that twisty, suspenseful good!

Cassie is coming home late from her veterinarian clinic when she sees a man and woman fighting. Flashbacks from a time in her past when she didn't act and someone died, Cassie leaves her vehicle and follows the pair, only to find herself in danger. The attacker manages to steal Cassie's van - with her purse and all identifying information inside. So now her entire family is at risk. Meanwhile, her husband, Sam, has been acting distant - taking phone calls in private and keeping secrets. Then he disappears while trick-or-treating with their young daughter. Did he leave of his own accord to be with his mistress? Cassie sets out to find both the truth and her husband.

That's all you need to know - plenty enough to pick up this book when it is released next week. Carve out some time and just enjoy this thriller - and hope that this author has more stories for us to come!

Many thanks to William Morrow Publishing and Netgalley for the chance to read this novel.

Whew! The blurb made me desperate to pick up No Bad Deed, a quick-paced debut from Heather Chavez. The first half of this book was exactly as the blurb suggested - my heart was definitely pounding as the details of the characters' lives unraveled. The story started in the way I love for my thrillers to, it captured my attention from the get-go and I couldn't wait to find out what was happening, without a clue as to why things were occurring the way they were. I was eager to tell everyone how much I was loving this story because it boasted the break-neck speed I needed.

After such a promising start, I was sure No Bad Deed would be a five-star read for me, but unfortunately, the latter half of the plot didn't hold up quite as well, in my opinion. There were a few blank spots in my mind that tend to happen when the writing is telling more than showing. From one paragraph to the next, the characters would randomly be doing different things that weren't described in the previous paragraph. I would have to go back to reread, to make sure I hadn't missed important details, which made the reading experience less enjoyable. It was confusing to read toward the end, making it feel as if not as much care was put into the second half of the book.

I also felt that the plot veered off course. The twist was not what I was expecting, but I don't know if anyone could have predicted it. It seemed too random due to a large number of characters cropping up as the book evolved. It became difficult to keep up with who was who. Overall, I was slightly disappointed by the lackluster finish for a book that started quite exceptionally. 

No Bad Deed releases February 18th.

I started this one last night and couldn’t put it down once I started! 😳This is a roller coaster of a book 🎢 and the twists are at a whole new level in Heather Chavez’s debut novel. I read a lot of thrillers, but I did not see the twists coming in this one! The best way to describe this book is to compare it to driving on a twisty mountain side road 🏔🚘 in deep fog, where you can only see the immediate 10 feet in front of you. You know that there will be turns and twists coming, but you can’t see them until it’s almost too late. This was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for me mainly because I haven’t been this caught off guard in a while!

Here’s what it’s about:
On Cassie’s way home from work she witnesses a man and woman fighting on the side of the road. After calling 911, she makes a split-second decision that will throw her life into chaos. When Cassie physically tries to stop him, he suddenly turns on her and spits out an ominous threat: “Let her die, and I’ll let you live.” *

When Cassie chooses to help the woman the attacker steals her car. Now he has her name. Her address. And he knows about her children. *

When Cassie’s husband mysteriously disappears the next day, she can’t help but feel like his disappearance has something to do with her “good deed” from the day before.

As she desperately searches for answers, Cassie discovers that nothing is as random as it seems, and that “no good deed goes unpunished” may be very true.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers for this Advanced Reader Copy!

ARC from Netgalley

I’ve always been a fan of Thrillers, particularly in movies, but it wasn’t until last year that I really grew to love them on page. And I have to say, if I could take one of the Thrillers I’ve read and have it appear on the big screen, it would be this one! It’s mind boggling to me that No Bad Deed is a debut. This is a book I lived and breathed while I was reading it; I don’t think wild horses could have pulled me away. When Cassie Larkin stops one rainy night to help a woman who’s the victim of an assault in progress, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. And the next day, when her husband goes missing, she’s convinced he was kidnapped. But the more digs, the more she wonders if it has to do with the shaky ground their marriage was on. To say that this book was full of twists and turns would be an understatement. There were so many players in this book; nothing was what it seemed, and things were so messed up. Even Cassie, whose point of view I was reading from, was suspect to me. There was also a twist at the end of this book that was clear the reader was supposed to see coming, but Cassie had no idea, and it really ramped up everything that was happening and had my pulse pounding.

I’m not going to say any more about the plot, because I think there are lots of things that would be considered spoilery, but know that this book was so enthralling and is not to be missed if you enjoy a good Mystery/Thriller. It’s hard to believe that this book wasn’t even on my radar until a random email put it there. And I am so thankful that it did! No Bad Deed had the same feel that the older movie Double Jeopardy did (the one with Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones,) and similar to that movie, this one is about the lengths a woman will go to to get her family back and keep them safe. Obviously I would recommend this book to you, but I am left with one burning question: Heather Chavez, if this is what you come out of the gate with, what the hell else do you have up your sleeve?

This was a very good debut novel! No Bad Deed follows Cassie Larkin, a wife and mother who witnesses an assault one night while driving home and inadvertently gets herself too involved. While attempting to help, her car ends up getting stolen leaving the perpetrator with her home address and access to her house and family. The day after the attack, Cassie's husband Sam goes missing. Is his disappearance related, or did he take off on his own? Who was the woman that got attacked and where did the attacker go? Heather Chavez does a great job creating suspense and jaw dropping moments throughout the book, while wrapping everything up in a satisfying ending. Definitely a thriller with a bit of a unique spin that sets it apart from others in the genre. Highly recommend!

No Bad Deed reminded me so much of a Harlan Coben story that I had a hard time believing it was a debut novel. A seemingly normal family suddenly finds themselves in extremely unusual circumstances. A mother witnesses a crime on her way home from work and then the next night her husband disappears. Is it a coincidence? Was the husband hiding something before he disappeared? Did he leave on his own or was he kidnapped? Why does it seem like someone is suddenly targeting their family?

These are all the questions you are left wondering as the story unfolds. The main character Cassie is determined to find out what happened to her husband and whether it has something to do with the crime she witnessed. The journey is definitely a wild ride as Cassie struggles to understand her husband’s disappearance. She tries the police, but doesn’t seem to get very far. No one else seems concerned that her husband is missing including his best friend. So then when other things start happening and it seems like someone has set out to seemingly destroy all her family and friends, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

What I liked: I honestly didn’t know how this one would end. The reader is left wondering if Cassie’s husband Sam left her due to an affair or whether he was abducted after she pointed police to an alleged killer. There was enough suspense that just when you think you know the answer to the question above, the author takes a different turn and you are left guessing again. Eventually the reader learns how the two events were connected, but I the ending was still a surprise to me. It was also a pretty clean read with little foul language.

What I didn’t like: I felt like there were a few holes in the story that could have been explained more. I enjoyed that there were a lot of twists and turns, but some of them were definitely more believable than others. I didn’t like that Cassie seemed to suddenly turn into a private investigator halfway through the story. And sometimes I felt like she made very silly and dangerous decisions. I also thought the confrontation scene at the end was way too long and drawn out and totally could have been cut in half.

Overall, I enjoyed this read! It was very quick and kept you guessing until the end. Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for an advanced reader copy of this book!

This was..........not great. In fact, this was the worst thriller I've ever read. Think of every thriller trope you've ever heard of. It doesn't even have to be a trope you've read personally. Just a trope you've heard of or know about. Now, put those all together and they were all probably somehow integrated into the plot of this novel. It was just utter ridiculousness and I had to skim the last 30% of this novel because I couldn't care less about what happened to these characters. In that last 30% of this story, we had another five tropes pop up and it seemed another five characters. That's another gripe I have about this story, there were just way too many characters to keep straight. I felt like we needed a glossary at the back of the book to remind us who was who.

I read a lot of fantasy and I regularly read thrillers. I'd say that means I've found ways to suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy these stories. However, I could not suspend my disbelief enough to believe any of this was happening to our main character. None of it felt real and when of course something new that's completely horrible happened to her, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I woke up with a headache this morning from how often I rolled my eyes last night forcing myself through this. Somehow, our main character took all of the bad karma in the world for herself. The big reveal at the end was completely unsatisfactory too, at least in my opinion. Maybe at that point I just couldn't find it in myself to care enough who was behind all of this ridiculousness because it just didn't seem real. The ending was also completely unrealistic and so cheesy, especially after everything that happened.

I don't usually give books a one-star rating but I had to stay true to my rating system listed on the side of my blog. I absolutely didn't enjoy anything about this and I won't be picking any future books up from this author, unless she chooses to write in a different genre. The writing wasn't bad, but all of the plot points were.

As soon as I started reading, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to stop until I found out how it ended. Cassie is a veterinarian who’s been growing apart from her husband. They still love each other, but…they seem to only be together for their two children. One night, Cassie tries to save a woman and the guy attacking her takes off with her wallet and van. He has her keys, her ID, her credit cards and now knows everything about her. The next day her husband disappears. In what could be a first in the history of humans, Cassie is hoping that it’s because he was having an affair and he left her for another woman. The alternative is even worse. Cassie will do everything to find her hubby. Now, one of my biggest pet peeves with these kinds of books is that the characters make stupid decisions, the first one being refusing to call the Police. This book doesn’t fall into that. Like presumably an innocent person would do in real life, Cassie involves the authorities and tells them everything every step of the way. She’s also pretty smart. The author doesn’t put her in silly situations to add drama, but even if everything Cassie does is the best option available, it’s still not turning out as she thought. The plot is intelligent and suspenseful, the characters fantastic and the pace breathtaking.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/HarperCollins Publishers!

This book hooked me right from the start. It was fast paced and never not intriguing. There were lots of twists and it was a bit complicated to piece together the villains actions and motivations but I needed to get to that explanation.

Cassie Larkin is driving home to her family after work one night when she sees a man and a woman fighting on the side of the road. It’s dark and it’s raining. She dials 911, but it seems like they will not make it in time. Cassie gets out of the car to help the woman. As they struggle, the man says, “Let her die, and I’ll let you live.” Cassie cannot let the woman die and stays with her. The man quickly runs to her car and steals it. Now he has her vehicle and her purse with all her identifying information in it. Cassie is scared that the man will come after her and her family now. The next day Cassie’s husband disappears. Nothing is as it appears. Cassie doesn’t know who to trust in order to keep herself and her family safe. Soon the police begin to believe that she is not so innocent and that she may have harmed her husband. Cassie’s knows that she and her entire family are in grave danger, but she has no idea why and from whom. This is a thrilling and suspenseful ride. I loved this book. It’s my first Heather Chavez book, but I’ll definitely pick up some more. I received an advance copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Wow, this was a great, strong debut novel. This thriller captivated me from the very first page and it was hard to put it down (in fact, I read most of it in one sitting). I like Heather Chavez's prose and while I don't agree with every decision Cassie made, I am somewhat in awe of her "badassness". As far as the plot, yes it was very twisty-turney and it moved quite fast. But that created a few problems, in my opinion. There were quite a few holes in the plot that were never explained or just didn't make sense.

Cassie Larkin stops along the side of the road after witnessing a man and woman fighting. After calling 911 she gets out of her car in hopes of helping the woman only to have the man tell threaten her and escape in her car with her purse. The following night Cassie’s husband, while trick or treating with their daughter, disappears.

That is the start of a crazy ride filled with ups and downs, suspects and victims, secrets and truths. Action packed with a few twists this is a good one day read.

I must add I was saddened at some of the story that unfolded at the end, but I guess that is simply how real life plays out sometimes. Also pay close attention to the characters or you may end up confused.

We recommend this book if you want a thriller with enough twists to keep you engaged while you try to figure out the “whys.”

Fast-paced and mesmerizing, this novel is exciting to read, but somewhat hard to believe, as the plot totally strains credibility. The leading character never showers, hardly ever eats, is able to accomplish her goal with no normal, everyday constraints.

Everything changes for Dr. Cassie Larkin on the fateful afternoon when she impulsively stops to help a stranger while on her way home. Cassie is sure anyone else in her place would have done the same as she confronts the big man who attacked a defenseless woman and left her by the side of an abandoned hospital. The menacing stranger issues an ugly warning to Cassie before departing the scene, “Let her die, and I’ll let you live.”

After being interviewed by police, Cassie heads home to her two children and husband visibly shaken by the afternoon’s events. The next day Cassie’s husband goes missing under extremely suspicious circumstances. Even though her marriage had seen better days as of late, Cassie is not convinced that her husband simply walked out of his own volition, as the people around her suggest. She knows he wouldn’t just up and leave his children and her. Cassie soon starts to wonder if her husband’s sudden and unexpected disappearance may be connected in some way to the frightening stranger she encountered the day before.

This has honestly been the most exciting and “edge of your seat” thriller I have read this year so far. I am a slow reader, and this had me glued to my seat and turning pages (well not really since I read this on my Kindle, but you know what I mean!). I had so many theories about what happened to Cassie’s husband and every time I thought I knew exactly where this was going, the plot went somewhere else. Even though none of my theories were actually correct, the ending was not entirely a surprise. It’s hard to say why without getting into details so I won’t. You’ll just have to read it for yourselves!

*Special thanks to the publisher for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Veterinarian Cassie Larkin is driving home late after performing surgery on repeat client, Lester, Daryl's golden retriever. It's rainy, dark, and the woods surrounding the narrow road give Cassie the heebie-jeebies (me too)--and then she stumbles upon what she believes is an atypical car accident.

But when Cassie encounters a man and woman fighting on the side of the road, she is quickly proven wrong. Trained to assist in medical emergencies, Cassie makes the rash decision to ignore the 9-1-1 operator's advice, and she leaves the car, abandoning her keys in the ignition and her purse on the seat. Before the man steals Cassie's car, he says something that makes her very core shudder (mine too!):

"Let her die, and I’ll let you live."

But Cassie doesn't let her die. She risks her life to save this stranger, and what ensues is a twisted, wicked game of cat-and-mouse.

No Bad Deed by Heather Chavez is a fast-paced, absolutely unputdownable thriller. While the writing is superb and the plot is enthralling, I think what really makes this book shine are the characters--and there are quite a few of them; however, they are well-developed and distinguishable, and I found myself rooting for them all. I experienced the emotional highs and lows, the love and doubt, the longing and desperation with them as I devoured each page. I was desperate to discover the answers to what really happened the night Cassie saved the woman on the side of the road, and I felt Cassie's agony as she struggled to find her missing husband (with very little help from anyone else). What I appreciated most about this book was that Cassie was a smart, strong woman, who didn't breakdown when I think many others would have. She remained the calm, intelligent woman we were introduced to in chapter one.

I absolutely recommend this one if you enjoy fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thrillers.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest, unbiased opinion.