I really enjoyed this stand alone by author David Baldacci an d it made me realise I really must read more of his work soon. Nicely written and the 640 pages flew by as I enjoyed the twists and turns in this entertaining read. Great characters, especially the lead one Aloysius Archer who I would love to read in other books if the author decided.
It's 1949 and war veteran Aloysius Archer is released from Carderock Prison, he is sent to Poca City on parole with a short list of rules to follow to keep him on the straight and narrow. Events move fast for Archer and the town quickly proves more complicated and dangerous than he would like. On his very first day of freedom he is offered what appears to be a straight forward job of collecting a debt owed to a powerful local businessman, Hank Pittleman. It is not long before Archer discovers that the job is not so easy and that the indebted man has a furious grudge against Hank and refuses to pay. Archer has a natural charm and the ladies are quick to notice him. Very soon Archer is attracting the attention of Hank's mistress Jackie Tuttle and Archer's parole officer, Miss Ernestine Crabtree.

A murder takes place and ex prisoner Archer finds himself under police suspicion and he realises that this could easily take him back to prison. With his freedom at risk he gets together with Detective Shaw to solve the crime that threatens to send him back into prison.
The book is reasonably slow paced but this did not affect my enjoyment at all, as the characters come to life in this exquisitely written novel.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Macmillan for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Baldacci introduced me to thrillers and I’ve been a faithful fan ever since. One Good Deed is a departure from his usual offerings which are typically set in the modern day. I’ll be honest I wasn’t sure at first. I kept going - it’s Baldacci, after all! - and within a few chapters I was hooked.

Archer is a well-developed likeable (but not without his flaws) character who finds himself drawn in to the underbelly of your typical small-town USA.

When Archer finds a prominent local figure murdered in a hotel room on the same corridor as his room the narrative really takes off. I genuinely didn’t guess who was behind the murder. Or should that be 'murders'!

There's a nicely nuanced cast of heroes and villains (or are they?) and Baldacci as ever pays attention to his female characters. They are supremely well-written in OGD and he doesn't rely on cliches to describe them either.

The detail of smalltown postwar America is exceptional. I could feel taste and smell every detail of Poca city.

It’s a richly written, well-researched offering - an essential summer read.

Set in post war America in 1949, One Good Deed is a page turning mystery thriller.
Our hero is Aloysius Archer, just released from prison for a crime he did not commit, a war hero serving his time in Europe during WW2. He is sent to Poca a town in a southern state to serve out his probation time, and so his adventure begins. Archer is a wonderful character, and as the book progresses you like him more and more, his humour and honesty shine through.
This story is extremely evocative of the post war period with fabulous descriptions of the clothing, behaviour and dialogue. I felt as if I was in an old 40’s film, with perhaps James Cagney, Robert Mitchum and a host of other old film stars of that time.
Others have written a full synopsis better than I, just let it take you along on this wonderful adventure with thrills and surprises aplenty, and the court case and ending......utterly brilliant. Basically a wonderful well written read.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

I got this as an ARC - and boy was I happy - the day before my holiday. What an excellent book, wonderfully written. This is a new character from David Baldacci, I hope he writes more about Archer in the future. Set in 1949 it was a great story of how we used to live and how hard everything was. Some really great female characters and some nasty men. Couldn’t put it down - now the wait for his next book....

Honestly - David Baldacci could write on the back of a stamp and make it brilliant reading! One Good Deed is the story of Archer - ex-con (ish) who's out on parole having served time and ends up in small town America. He's been a soldier in WW2 and now just wants to make his way through life with as few problems and hassles as possible. Needless to say - and thankfully for the reader - his plans go awry and he finds himself embroiled in the criminal activities of the town - drawn into their squabbles and much more. Who knew said small town could have so many conniving and nefarious characters!? I just loved this book and really hope that Baldacci turns Archer into a ''shamus'' for us eager readers. I'd LOVE more from Archer and hope Mr Baldacci listens to my pleas for MORE MORE MORE........PLEEEEEEEEASE.

David Baldacci usually writes contemporary thrillers but this new book is set in post World War 2 America.
As is the case in all his books there is a lead protagonist , a bit of a loner/ outsider, who investigates a mystery, in this case it is ex-con Aloyisius Archer who turns up in Poca City on his release from gaol.
He is directed to meet with his parole officer, Ernestine Crabtree, but gets caught up with a feud between two local businessmen when he pops into the local bar and Hank Pittleman pays him to collect a debt from his rival. Being short of money, Archer agrees to do this and this decision leads him into all sorts of trouble.
Archer is attracted to both Jackie, Pittleman’s mistress and also Ernestine Crabtree and the reader spends the book wondering if he will end up with either of them and if Jackie, in particular, is just using him for her own purposes.
However when a murder occurs and Archer is implicated he decides to help the lead Detective Shaw to investigate in order to clear his name.
There is a lot of description and period detail in this book. The author seems to want to describe exactly what all the characters are wearing, presumably so that the reader can picture the said characters. Sometimes there is slightly too much of this and, in my opinion, it really does slows down the plot. “ He wore a threadbare single breasted brown victory suit with peak lapels.”
I particularly liked Archer who seemed to have made a couple of wrong decisions and ended up in jail for a crime he did not commit. There was a lot about his time in the army and this helps him bond with Detective Shaw who is also ex military.
This is slightly different from Baldaccci’s previous novels and once I had got used to the historical setting and slower pace, I found it an interesting read which picked up as the novel progressed.
I was left wondering at the end whether Aloyisius Archer was going to be featuring in another book as it had the feeling of a possible first in a series rather than a stand alone.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I normally really like this author and this book was not the best but an ok read with a new character Archer. Good but not great read.

Aloysius Archer is a good man, or at least he tries to be. He is also an ex-con sent to an out of the way southern town to wait out his parole. By the time he has been there 24 hours he has way more trouble than he knows what to do with.

This is a brilliant 20th century historical crime novel with so much period authenticity you can picture it easily. Archer is an extremely likeable protagonist and, as you would expect from David Baldacci, all the other characters are well rounded and believable. It was also great to read a story where evidence had to be gathered without the assistance of social media, mobile phones or detailed forensic tests and then interpreted because of the expertise of those hopefully on the right side of the law.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to fans of David Baldacci, those who enjoy first class storytelling or want to begin an exciting journey with a stand alone novel from an expert at thriller writing.

Firstly thank you to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for the chance to read this latest David Baldacci. This book is possibly the best David Baldacci book that I have read and I have read them all. It is a departure from his usual themed books as it is set in USA in the 1950's just after the second World War. It is a fast paced, page turner of a novel and the main character, Aloysius Archer , is a character who you root for all the way through . The style of his writing makes you feel as if you a right there in the actual book. experiencing the 50's at first hand. Hopefully this is the first of a new series and I have no hesitation in recommending this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book pre-publication date. Set not long after the end of World War David Baldacci is introducing us to a new character - Archer. I have read a number of David's books and experienced a range of his characters and I don't think Archer is going to be one of my favourites. I found the book a bit plodding in style and very slow to capture my imagination. The skeleton of the story is OK but there is just so much literary padding around it that it takes a long time to reach anywhere....a bit like Archer it must be said !
I hope Baldacci puts this outing down to experience and returns with the characters and style we have come to look forward too !

David Baldacci can be relied upon to provide gripping novels and I enjoyed One Good Deed very much. I can't say I liked any of the characters particularly, but I don't think that mattered. The book kept me guessing til the end and was suitably tense until that point!

A five star thriller David Baldacci does it again.This is a stand alone thriller unputdownable with twists and turns.that kept me guessing racing through the pages .Highly recommend,#netgalley #panmacmillan

A good standalone thriller from an exceptionally talented and experienced writer who knows his trade and craft.

The plot hummed along at breakneck speed and the main character was suitably enigmatic and sympathetic enough to keep me reading.

Excellent descriptions of time and place and I enjoyed every aspect of it.

Highly recommended.