Mystery

One Good Deed

One Good Deed

  • Downloads：9882
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-16 03:16:50
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：David Baldacci
  • ISBN：B07PV3ZKS4
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Summary

Murder and family secrets， a touch of romance and deeply-felt revenge – with the twist of all twists – make up the perfect page-turning thriller， One Good Deed。

For all those who love mystery， crime， Raymond Chandler and Agatha Christie from one of the world's bestselling thriller writers， David Baldacci。

In 1949， Aloysius Archer arrives in the dusty Southern town of Poca City。 He has nothing but a handful of dollars， the clothes he’s wearing and an appointment with his new parole officer。 After his wartime experiences in Italy and a prison sentence for a crime he didn’t commit， Archer is looking for a fresh start and a peaceful life。

On his first night of freedom， Archer meets local business tycoon Hank Pittleman， who promises Archer handsome compensation to work as his debt collector。 Yet Archer takes on more than he bargains for， as he becomes embroiled in a long-running feud between the drought-struck town’s most dangerous residents。 When one of them dies， the authorities label Archer as their number one suspect。

A bloody game is being played above and below the law。 Everybody playing has a deeply buried secret， and Archer must uncover them all – if he’s to avoid going back behind bars。

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Reviews

Tony Johnston ，

As per normal :Very readable ✅Varied， interesting characters ✅Intricate plot development ✅100 pages too long ✅Classic Baldacci ✅

Anne ，

This was my first book by this author。 Maybe his earlier ones are better， but after this book， I don't plan to find out。 The book is overwhelmingly sexist with poorly written women characters who do ridiculous things。 This is the best example a a male author unable to write women characters I've seen。 Even above that issue， the book was full of plot elements that made me roll my eyes。 Skip this one folks， it doesn't even qualify as pure thriller entertainment。 This was my first book by this author。 Maybe his earlier ones are better， but after this book， I don't plan to find out。 The book is overwhelmingly sexist with poorly written women characters who do ridiculous things。 This is the best example a a male author unable to write women characters I've seen。 Even above that issue， the book was full of plot elements that made me roll my eyes。 Skip this one folks， it doesn't even qualify as pure thriller entertainment。 。。。more

Lorraine Montgomery ，

One Good Deed is the first in a new series by author David Baldacci， the Aloysius Archer series。  The story is set in the late 40s， post WWII， and Aloysius has just been paroled from Carderock Prison early and has to spend the next three years in Poca City， a 7 hr bus ride west of the prison reporting to his parole officer， Earnestine Crabtree。  All he has to his name is the suit， tie， shoes， and hat he wore into prison and his parole papers with a long list of dos and don'ts and the few bil One Good Deed is the first in a new series by author David Baldacci， the Aloysius Archer series。  The story is set in the late 40s， post WWII， and Aloysius has just been paroled from Carderock Prison early and has to spend the next three years in Poca City， a 7 hr bus ride west of the prison reporting to his parole officer， Earnestine Crabtree。  All he has to his name is the suit， tie， shoes， and hat he wore into prison and his parole papers with a long list of dos and don'ts and the few bills he'd been given on his way out the door。  He checked in to the Derby Hotel in Poca and before he went to bed， he'd already broken rule #14: no bars or drinks。Archer has been given a raw deal。  He left college to go to war， came home to wander， picking up odd jobs and seeing his country。  He got fitted up for a crime he didn't commit and sent to prison。  He got early parole for good behaviour and has come out with a really positive attitude and a determination to do well and never see prison again。  Although he breaks rules when he thinks he can get away with it and it's important to him， before he meets with Crabtree the next morning， he's been hired to collect a debt for the largest business owner in the town， Hank Pittleman， and been given a $40。 advance。  He's met Hank's mistress （she likes to call herself his chattel rather than mistress）， Jackie Tuttle， and it's her father he's to collect a 1947 Cadillac from。  He's also met another parolee， a dangerous， psychotic man named Dill who is working at the slaughterhouse owned by Pittleman and Archer wants to avoid him at all costs。When Archer is at first unsuccessful at collecting the debt or Cadillac from Tuttle， is hit on by Jackie， and Hank turns up dead in a room down the hall from Archer's， he becomes the prime suspect。  After the state detective， Lieutenant Shaw starts asking questions， he eventually decides that Archer isn't really a suspect， and the two form a loose alliance to try to solve Hank's murder。  Then， when Pittleman's warehouse manager turns up dead， an attack is made on Jackie， and then her father is found dead， Shaw ends up in hospital and Archer is put on trial for his life。This is a kind of slow moving story that reveals Archer's character and philosophy of life carefully as he interacts with his various contacts in the small town of Poca。  Those honest citizens who really get to know him learn to respect and like him， as did I。  The plot meanders around to the degree that you're unsure， along with Archer， as to just who can be trusted。  Shaw encourages Archer in the ways of detecting and tells him he should become a 'shamus'， that he has good instincts。  Ernestine， who has gone out of her way to help him， disappears in the middle of the night along with her typewriter。  There are lots of twists and surprises as Archer decides to investigate on his own and defend himself in the trial。  This was a differently paced book than I'm used to with Baldacci but quite enjoyable and well executed。  I'm assuming that in the next novel in the series， Archer will be embarking on this new career path。 。。。more

Bethany ，

Archer is a good man。 He’s a WWII vet， and an ex-con yet his heart is firmly in the right place。 Attractive， smart， and capable ladies keep him hopping in this story that reads like a film noir movie。 Archers heart and powers of observation help him on his journey back into society after his stint in prison。 Maybe， after this， he will hang out his shingle and try his hand at being a shamus。

Dakwan ，

Not his best work but I like the Archer character。

Elle ，

An engaging read。 I read to the end and still didn’t solve the mystery so having a surprise was a great change， I like the character， Aloysius Archer， reminded me of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher。

Andy Richter ，

This was my first David Baldacci book。 A great mystery！ I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series。

Mandy White （mandylovestoread） ，

What a great book and Archer is a fantastic character。 Looking forward to the next book。。 A bit different for Baldacci to do an historical fiction but quite enjoyed it

Karen Bourne-Douglas ，

Thank you for another great read。 These characters were well placed， I had to savor this book as I do with all of DB's books。 Cant wait to read Book #2！！ Thank you for another great read。 These characters were well placed， I had to savor this book as I do with all of DB's books。 Cant wait to read Book #2！！ 。。。more

Marie ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Good， surprise ending

Catherine ，

What's not to like about a David Baldacci book。 Loved the historic setting although found it a little laboured/contrived at times。 What's not to like about a David Baldacci book。 Loved the historic setting although found it a little laboured/contrived at times。 。。。more

Lynn Collard ，

A good Baldacci read but nothing special or captivating。

Marion ，

So good。 Looking forward to more。

Michael ，

This was a book I fought to finish。 I found it mostly implausible and shallow in parts。 Of all the Baldacci books I've read this impressed me the least。 This was the first book I read after I entered the hospital and it took me longer to read it because I had trouble holding the book but I don't think that had anything to do with my dissatisfaction。 I don't see myself continuing with the series but look forward to other Baldacci works。Enough said。 This was a book I fought to finish。 I found it mostly implausible and shallow in parts。 Of all the Baldacci books I've read this impressed me the least。 This was the first book I read after I entered the hospital and it took me longer to read it because I had trouble holding the book but I don't think that had anything to do with my dissatisfaction。 I don't see myself continuing with the series but look forward to other Baldacci works。Enough said。 。。。more

Gio C ，

To men this book was okay。 I was written very plainly and simply。 Didn't really rack my brain or make me think all that much。 The character Archer was very likable。 He was also extremely lucky， almost to the point of lunacy。 I felt like it was written for a beginner reader to mysteries or a much younger audience。 I do not for the life of me can understand why he had to italicize， "corroboration" or any form of the work literally EVERYTIME it was used。 I felt like the author thought the reader wa To men this book was okay。 I was written very plainly and simply。 Didn't really rack my brain or make me think all that much。 The character Archer was very likable。 He was also extremely lucky， almost to the point of lunacy。 I felt like it was written for a beginner reader to mysteries or a much younger audience。 I do not for the life of me can understand why he had to italicize， "corroboration" or any form of the work literally EVERYTIME it was used。 I felt like the author thought the reader was so inept in the way of mysteries that you had to be held by your hand the entire time and spoon fed the answers。 Besides all of that the story was sound and a little enjoyable。 I know that this isn't one of his earlier novels that I could blame the faults on a "learning curve" so I doubt I will be reading anymore of this series unless someone can convince me otherwise。 。。。more

Isharaque Aornob ，

ঢাউস সাইজের বই। এজন্য পড়তেও সময় লাগল একটু। ডেভিড বালড্যাচির লেখা সবসময়ই উপভোগ্য। এজন্য পড়তে অসুবিধা হয়নি। শুরুর দিকটা বেশ স্লো-ই। প্রথম একশো পৃষ্টার পর আসল কাহিনীর শুরু। আর্চার নামের এক দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের যোদ্ধা সদ্যই জেল খেটে প্যারোলের কারণে পোকা সিটিতে যায়। সেখানে পায় একজনের টাকা উদ্ধারের কাজ। কিন্তু হঠাৎ-ই খুন হয় লোকটা। ফেঁসে যায় আর্চার। আর্চার কী নিজেকে নির্দোষ প্রমাণ করতে পারবে？উপন্যাসটার টাইমলাইন দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্বের ঠিক পরের সময়ের। ফলে স্বাভাবিকভাবেই দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধ ভালো ঢাউস সাইজের বই। এজন্য পড়তেও সময় লাগল একটু। ডেভিড বালড্যাচির লেখা সবসময়ই উপভোগ্য। এজন্য পড়তে অসুবিধা হয়নি। শুরুর দিকটা বেশ স্লো-ই। প্রথম একশো পৃষ্টার পর আসল কাহিনীর শুরু। আর্চার নামের এক দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের যোদ্ধা সদ্যই জেল খেটে প্যারোলের কারণে পোকা সিটিতে যায়। সেখানে পায় একজনের টাকা উদ্ধারের কাজ। কিন্তু হঠাৎ-ই খুন হয় লোকটা। ফেঁসে যায় আর্চার। আর্চার কী নিজেকে নির্দোষ প্রমাণ করতে পারবে？উপন্যাসটার টাইমলাইন দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্বের ঠিক পরের সময়ের। ফলে স্বাভাবিকভাবেই দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধ ভালোই উঠে এসেছে। ধীরেসুস্থে， প্রক্রিয়া মেনেই সমাধান করা হয়েছে রহস্যের। বুদ্ধিদীপ্তভাবেই কাহিনী সাজিয়েছেন বালড্যাচি। আর্চার ও লেফটেন্যান্ট শ দুটো চরিত্রই ভালো লেগেছে। কিন্তু মাঝখানে আবার একটু ধীরগতির হয়ে গিয়েছিল। ঘুরেফিরে একই ব্যাপার-ই এসেছে। কিন্তু তাই বলে সাসপেন্স কম ছিল না কিন্তু। বেশ ভালো একটা মার্ডার মিস্ট্রি বলা চলে।সিরিজের পরবর্তী বই গ্যাম্বলিং ম্যান বের হবে এই মাসেই। অপেক্ষায় থাকলাম। 。。。more

Kevin Reeder ，

An old time murder novelArcher is an extra con who continues to make himself circumstantially guilt。 How can get out of being charged for two murders。 A real old time page turner

Zan ，

I wanted to like Archer， but his character seemed to oscillate between “not too bright” and genius。 I also don’t care for plots that wait until the end of the story to have the BIG REVEAL where everything is explained all at once as an afterthought， tying up loose ends。 Not a typical Baldacci story。

Jonathan ，

Great character and plot work as usual。 Having a historical setting was awesome， and a nice change from David Baldacci's usual novels。 Great character and plot work as usual。 Having a historical setting was awesome， and a nice change from David Baldacci's usual novels。 。。。more

Lesley ，

Rating - 3。4Genre Historical thrillerTime - 1949Location - Paco， U，S。A。Since I love historical novels， and have enjoyed the few Baldcacci novels that I have read， I figured that I would probably like this book。 I did。 His books are pure escapism， with lots of action and twists that keep you guessing， and this is no exception。The attitude of the males toward the females of that time was very annoying， but historically accurate。 I also found that the authors detailed discription of the clothing th Rating - 3。4Genre Historical thrillerTime - 1949Location - Paco， U，S。A。Since I love historical novels， and have enjoyed the few Baldcacci novels that I have read， I figured that I would probably like this book。 I did。 His books are pure escapism， with lots of action and twists that keep you guessing， and this is no exception。The attitude of the males toward the females of that time was very annoying， but historically accurate。 I also found that the authors detailed discription of the clothing that the charactors wore would pull me out of the story。 Every change of outfit from day to day would be described。The hero is Aloysius Archer， a young man who served honourably in WWII， and then was jailed for a crime he did not commit。 When he is released from prison， he is sent out west to the small town of Paco to serve out his parole。Here he is caught up in several murders， mayhem， other ex convicts， and is involved with two beautiful young women。 I believe this is the first book in a series。 。。。more

Liz Mcrae ，

Audio

Nicholas Lefevre ，

Aloysius Archer is Baldacci's newest character and Baldacci seems to like him。 The second Archer novel is already set for release。 This is a departure for Baldacci who sets this novel in the immediate post-war years。 Archer was an infantryman in Italy and Germany during WWII。 Shortly after his return he is convicted and imprisoned despite his innocence。 Granted early release and lacking living family， he is directed to a modest sized town to serve his parole。Not surprisingly， this being a Baldac Aloysius Archer is Baldacci's newest character and Baldacci seems to like him。 The second Archer novel is already set for release。 This is a departure for Baldacci who sets this novel in the immediate post-war years。 Archer was an infantryman in Italy and Germany during WWII。 Shortly after his return he is convicted and imprisoned despite his innocence。 Granted early release and lacking living family， he is directed to a modest sized town to serve his parole。Not surprisingly， this being a Baldacci novel， intrigue follows as he gets hired to collect on a debt owing within a web of interconnected townspeople。 Babes lose their garters。 Bodies fall。 Cops investigate。 Suspicion falls on Archer。 Baldacci delivers his usual wonderfully complex plotting。 Baldacci keeps it all believable。No doubt I will read Archer #2。 I've already asked my library to order it when it comes out。 。。。more

John Doyle ，

I'm glad that I read this book！ I've always liked David Baldacci， but I did not expect this historic book！ Great Detective book！ I'm glad that I read this book！ I've always liked David Baldacci， but I did not expect this historic book！ Great Detective book！ 。。。more

Ann Bredemeier ，

I did not enjoy this Baldacci book nearly as much as his others but it was still good

GW ，

One Good Deed I almost didn't finish this。 It was set in the 1940s and had a very unrealistic feel to it; a little like an old 1940s or 1950s era movie。 It would have been a much better book if it had been more realistic。 One Good Deed I almost didn't finish this。 It was set in the 1940s and had a very unrealistic feel to it; a little like an old 1940s or 1950s era movie。 It would have been a much better book if it had been more realistic。 。。。more

Carol Lavery ，

Always love his books， and this one is no exception。 Can’t wait for the next one！

Pat Kahn ，

Before this book I would have said that I never read a book by Baldacci that I didn't like。 This one I didn't like。 Much different that his other characters。 Set in 1949 I'm guessing in the south somewhere very dry。 Speech very stilted， I can't imagine people speaking like that even in 1949。 I didn't finish。 Read about 1/3 and skimmed the rest。 Looked like maybe an interesting ending but too many pages before that and I have too many other good books to read。 Before this book I would have said that I never read a book by Baldacci that I didn't like。 This one I didn't like。 Much different that his other characters。 Set in 1949 I'm guessing in the south somewhere very dry。 Speech very stilted， I can't imagine people speaking like that even in 1949。 I didn't finish。 Read about 1/3 and skimmed the rest。 Looked like maybe an interesting ending but too many pages before that and I have too many other good books to read。 。。。more

Karen L48 ，

I FINISHED IT。 NOT ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOK。 BUT， I FINISHED IT。

Amber Anthony ，

Although the era of this book is beautifully plotted and so true to the times， this was not a potboiler。 Perhaps if it had been written by a woman， the subtext to the two strong women in the book would have been front and center as the ending showed it should have been。

Kay Cammack ，

A throw back to the crime novels of the 1950’sAn unexpected new hero from of my favorite authors。 Gritty and takes you back to the era of old black and white smoky movies filled with moody music and great plots。 Highly recommend it。 Looking forward to the next one！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=One Good Deed

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=One Good Deed&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,One Good Deed&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0