All Good Deeds (Lucy Kendall, #1)

by Stacy Green

[kimbacaffeinate]

All Good Deeds has an urban fantasy vibe, minus the paranormal aspect. Lucy Kendall is a complicated, fearless and disgusted by the loopholes that allow scum to walk the streets. A vigilante with her own set of rules; she is the judge, jury and executioner. A child is abducted, and it all links back to a case involving Justin Beckett, a child killer who changed the path of Lucy’s life. Lucyis determined to save the child, and seek justice but things get complicated when a man proclaiming to be a sociopath reveals he knows her secrets. The tale that unfolds is tightly woven, with twists and turns that kept me lost within its pages.

Lucy has baggage, but she is smart, ruthless and has her own moral code. I loved this tenacious kick-ass female despite her flaws. Green has given her a strong background that allowed me to connect with her. She is jaded and fearless, and yet she retains a compassionate side. Green allowed her to grow, question herself and open up to others. Green has left room for development and I look forward to witnessing it. The head detective on the case is linked to her past, and the number one suspect. I found their interactions engaging and realistic. Todd is a competent detective, and quite clever. I am hoping she continues to interact with him throughout the series. Chris Hale, the self-proclaiming sociopath was an interesting character, and we slowly learn details. All of the characters from the suspects to the victims were developed with enough secrets allowing the reader to become immersed.

All Good Deeds takes place in Philadelphia, a territory I am familiar with notching up my enjoyment. One of the things I love about following an author is seeing the growth that takes place as they hone their skills. I thoroughly enjoyed the Delta Crossroads trilogy, but for me this first book in the Lucy Kendall series raised the bar. It is tighter, more fleshed out and filled with delicious twists. She took several characters and threads weaving them into a suspenseful thriller. The tale deals with pedophiles, and touches on issues from registry, to rehabilitation while allowing the reader to piecing together clues with Lucy at the helm. The tale grabs you from page one and is laced with climatic scenes, red herrings and a fully developed ending. All Good Deed was well researched from police procedure to crime making this an exciting start with a heroine who intrigues me.

Copy provided by author. Full review on blog.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer