Past Deeds by Carolyn Arnold – book review

Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Past Deeds by bestselling author Carolyn Arnold to review. I’ve now read a number of Carolyn’s books, so I was very much looking forward to reading this one, particularly as it stars FBI Agent Brandon Fisher just like the first of her books I read. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.

Here is the book blurb.

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?

Past Deeds is a gripping psychological crime thriller that will have you flipping the pages as you try to put the clues together faster than the FBI. To stand a chance, you’ll need to unravel the psyche of a killer. This mystery will also make you think and reflect—and you just might wonder if any past decisions you’ve made are stalking you, ready to strike.

Become addicted to an international bestselling series that will take you into the minds of the most heinous and disturbing serial killers the world could ever imagine.

This is book 8 in the series featuring FBI agent Brandon Fisher, but works fine as a stand alone read. The dynamics of the team have changed as Zach left at the end of book 7, replaced by Kelly. And now Jack is mentoring Kelly, so Brandon has been reassigned to partner with Paige. This is somewhat awkward as they have history. However I haven’t read whichever book they had a relationship in, and didn’t find this detracted from the overall read.

The story starts in Arlington, Virginia with a skilled sniper killing her target, a lawyer, Darrell Reid across town from 8 miles away. What an opening to lure you in. I can’t even begin to imagine a shooting like that. Chapter 2 moves forward just over an hour to the start of the FBI investigation, as we follow the ideas of different team members in turn, with intermittent chapters focussing on the sniper, so the reader always knows a bit more than the FBI, although of course not the whole picture.

About a quarter of the way into the book, the investigation widens across the country once similarities are matched to earlier victims. We have a serial killer, across a chain of different towns. Will they find the killer before there is a other victim? How come the earlier killings weren’t linked up before?

This book had me on the edge of my seat, turning the pages, as they follow the trail of breadcrumbs.

But one small point. I did grumble about this in book 7, but the author is still using acronyms like BAU – Behavioural Analysis Unit. But maybe these are more widely known in the US than over here.

Past Deeds published today, is available on Amazon, currently priced at £13.99 in paperback or £5.55 in Kindle format. Once again, Carolyn keeps us on the edge of our seat with this gripping story. A real page turner.

Here are the links to my reviews of other books by Carolyn Arnold.
Remnants
Power Struggle
The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh
On the Count of Three
Shades of Justice
Exercise is Murder

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