Past Deeds: An absolutely unputdownable crime thriller (Brandon Fisher FBI, #8)

by Carolyn Arnold

The sun was just coming up, and the sniper’s hands were sweaty as she looked through the rifle’s scope to the streets eight stories below and point eight miles away. In mere minutes, the target would be dead.

A prosecuting attorney is murdered in a sniping that takes place in Arlington, Virginia, less than fifteen minutes from Washington. FBI Agent Brandon Fisher and his team with the Behavioral Analysis Unit are called in to investigate the threat level and to determine if the lawyer was targeted. The FBI hadn’t anticipated previous victims stretching from coast to coast. 

The team splits up across the country, but more than jet lag is getting to Brandon. As their profile on the shooter takes shape, their one theory on motive strikes too close to home and has him battling with regret over a past decision. He comes to discover some choices not only haunt us but can have long- and far-reaching repercussions we couldn’t even begin to imagine. Will Brandon be able to set aside his personal issues for long enough to stop a serial killing spree before there’s another victim?

• ISBN10: 198835398X
• ISBN13: 9781988353982
• Publish Date: 18 February 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 348
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Whenever I am in the mood for a fast-paced plot, an edge of your seat read, Carolyn Arnold is one of the many authors I can rely on to meet this need. Therefore, when the opportunity came for me to read and review her latest novel, I could not resist.

The story began with a federal prosecutor being gunned down in front of a high priced condo by a sniper. Although this is not typical of the cases Brandon’s team would investigate, the fact it occurred close to their headquarters, a special request was made for them to take over the investigation. The question on everyone’s mind was why was the victim targeted? As the team dug deeper, they would discover there was more to the murder than they had originally thought, and they may be dealing with a serial killer.

The plot may not have been as fast-paced as the previous books, but it was engaging. I found I could not put the book down, as I had to know how the events would unfold. This is one of those mysteries where figuring out the identity of the villain and the motive for their actions proved difficult. I got my answers at the same time the team did. However, there was one incident the team never saw coming, but I expected that outcome.

It was great re-connecting with the characters. Kelly, a former police officer and a new member of the team, attempted to her worth to her boss throughout the investigation. Meanwhile, Brandon and Paige are struggling with their feelings for each other and guilt over a mistake from their past. The current case did not help the situation as it aided in opening old wounds.

From my experience with the author’s work, I expected to get an insight into the mind of the antagonist throughout the story. However, this was not the case with this installment.

I got a small glimpse into the sniper’s mental state. However, it was not until events were tied up that I got the full details on the sniper’s state of mind. I would have preferred if the author had provided this information throughout the story, as I believe it would have helped me to establish a connection to this character.

As usual, I enjoyed the author’s writing style. Intense, riveting, bold and true to life.

Conclusion/Recommendation
Although, this was not my favourite of the series, I still found Past Deeds to be an engaging read and one I would recommend to fans of mysteries, psychological suspense and police procedurals.