No Good Deed

by Katherine Kovacic

Rena and Tom have been planning this trip for just the two of them, retired, setting out into remote bush country to enjoy nature's dramatic beauty--and each other's company. When Tom dies unexpectedly just before they are to depart, Rena almost cancels, but there's nothing left at home but painful memories. She hits the road in her kitted-out truck, vowing to follow the itinerary she and Tom had mapped, hoping the trip will at least distract her from her devastating loss. 

Not far from her first planned stop, Rena notices a fire burning some distance off the highway. Being a good citizen, she ventures off road, and is horrified to find a vehicle consumed by flames, with what's left of the driver still inside. When she learns that the victim is a fellow geologist--a less-than-reputable character whom she hadn't seen in 20 years--Rena begins an unofficial and unwelcome investigation fraught with deceit, diamond theft, and murder. Had her old colleague found a new pipeline for the rare and valuable pink diamond, and been killed for it? And if Rena doesn't mind her own business, will she be next?

Genres: Mystery, Australia, Crime

336 pages, Paperback

Expected publication March 31, 2026

Reviews

[Deblina Das · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katherine Kovacic’s No Good Deed turned out to be surprisingly good. The protagonist, Rena Novak, is a retired geologist who has taken to the Gray Nomad life post her husband's death. Despite suffering from a form of PTSD, Rena takes an active interest in her surroundings and the people around her. She makes new friends and keeps in touch with old ones, and with their help solves a murder mystery and unearths a stash of stolen diamonds.


This precis of the plot makes it sound simple, which probably it is. No earth-shattering twists and turns - may be a tad boring for the seekers of fast pace and quick thrills. But the book comes with its own poise and keeps things pretty realistic. I have not read many thrillers about jewel thefts which made it a new experience for me, and while it was not a life-changing one, it was definitely an enjoyable one.


Things I absolutely love about the book:


This book has an all-Australian soul. Again a first for me in a long time, since the popular thrillers are mostly set in the UK or the US. The Outback is a presence in itself, one that dwarfs and defies human endeavours. Rena’s journey takes us on a tour of some of Australia’s natural wonders. I looked up a lot of them on Google, saving pointers for any possible trip in the future.


The Australian English used in the book delighted me. I am always on the lookout for new words and new ways of saying things, and No Good Deed gave me plenty of them. 


Rena is a powerful FMC. She is getting on in years, but is still a healthy and active woman. She isn’t detached from society in the way older people are expected to be. She cares, and cares deeply. She is definitely not going to “go gentle into that good night”. I am very much into media that promote senior citizens living a robust life, and Rena is one of those gangsta grannies who doesn’t take well to a sedentary existence.


Kovacic shows a powerful female friendship in the Rena-Aitch bond. The age difference doesn’t seem to disbalance the relationship into a mentor-mentee sort of thing, and that is refreshing.


Not your run-of-the-mill thriller, then. No Good Deed is a solid work sure of itself. I detected no attempt on the author's part to resort to commonly employed tricks to snare the reader's attention. Kovacic seems to have a plan in place and nothing detracts from the intended line of development. That's some strong writing coming out of an era when most of the popular thrillers seem to blend into one after a point of time.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and the introduction to Katherine Kovacic.

[Emelia (emeliaisreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: No Good Deed by Katherine Kovacic
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Thriller
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: March 31, 2026
336 pages

💪 Strong Female Main
📍 Set in Australian Outback
💼 Corporate Corruption
💎 Resource Exploitation
⭐️ 3.5/5

While vacationing in Australia, Rena Fisher comes upon a burning vehicle on the side of the road with a body inside. Her attempt to discover the driver's identity quickly leads her to a local conflict, where a mining company is clearly trying to exploit the small town for its resources.

I literally adore Rena; she's older, independent, and has an overall "takes no shit" attitude. No matter how many people dismissed her for her age and gender, she kept digging relentlessly, even though she didn't personally care for the victim. I loved how Rena took the investigation entirely into her own hands, and there were even several exciting twists.

The story moved at a slower pace which made it feel more like a classic mystery than a thriller, but, overall, No Good Deed was a very entertaining read.

Thank you so much Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy!

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was amazed at how good this book actually was, largely due to the main character, but also because of the magnificent Australian setting.

Rena Novak is a retired geologist who should have been setting out on a grand road trip with her husband when he dies suddenly. Rena decides to continue the trip on her own which is a bit surprising until you get to know the woman herself. She is healthy and active, strong minded and experienced in travelling in the bush. And in her current state of mind she prefers to be alone.

The action begins when Rena finds a burning car in the bush and recognises the dead driver as another geologist. From there the author covers a range of topics including diamond theft, mining, indigenous culture, caring for the land, geology and more. Let's just say there is never time for the reader to get bored!

If the author were to choose to write another book about Rena Novak I would be first in the queue to read it. Five stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Alexis Hiltbrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely AMAZING! I was hooked from the first chapter and literally did not stop until I was done it was so good!! The FMC is hilarious, she’s strong, tough, independent, smart. Just everything a woman can aspire to be. And she was also hilarious at times. The twist and turns were so shocking I was not expecting the major twist at all!! I loved all of the characters in their own way as well but Rena (FMC) is definitely my favorite. She is heard headed in the best way and she makes sure she gets what she wants and leaves no question unanswered!!

Rena and her husband planned to retire and take a trip together before he had passed. But Rena decided to take the trip herself as that is what he wanted. She ends up putting her nose in places it probably shouldn’t be and gets caught up in a bit of a mess, but that doesn’t stop Rena because like I said, she leaves no question unanswered!!

[Vivi Widodo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rena, a widow, has just lost her husband to cancer. Both of them were supposedly going to do the round Australia trip together, so now Rena is doing it alone because she knows that's what Tom wants her to do.
During her drive, she notices a fire burning some distance off the highway. Shockingly, she finds a charred corpse in a burned car.
Her stop at Fitzroy Crossing pulls her deeper into what the community is facing at the moment: a mining company that will put an anchor on their land.
I really love the author's previous book, "Seven Sisters"; however, this one is too slow-burn for my liking. There's a murder mystery within the story, but I didn't feel the suspense.
If you love slow-burn murder mysteries in an outback setting, especially about geologists, then you'll definitely enjoy this one.

[Hannelore Cheney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC.
Rena is on a trip she was supposed to take with her husband, but unfortunately he passed away. She's heartbroken, but determined to honor her husband by making the trek. A pall of smoke stops her and when she checks it out, she finds a burning car with a body in it.
This event upends her plans and pits her against unseen enemies.
She's a tough woman, though; she knows the terrain intimately and realizes this is all about
diamonds and shadowy mining companies.
The Australian Outback is fascinating to read about, especially the geology. Had I been in her shoes, though, I would have brought along a large dog for company and protection ... but obviously she's a tough cookie and can handle herself!

[Jess Capó · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others. In terms of pacing, the first 40% felt like it was going a bit slow and focused a lot on geology. Although some geological aspects were important, it didn’t feel necessary to go as deep as we did. At the 60% mark everything felt like it picked up pacing and by 75% the story was so fast-paced. The ending, however, was not my favorite with the character simply going overboard but I thought the twist of him being alive was great.

[Jemma Roe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two people take a road trip, come across a burning vechile and realise they know the driver inside. This book was full of Suspense, tension, and twists. Throughly enjoyed this read, kept me interested throughout the book. I read this book in one sitting as I kept wanting to turn the pages and put the information together to what had happened/ happening next

[JAY · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 for me! I’m not usually big into diamond theft/mining theme but this was a pretty good read. I was hooked from the beginning and thoroughly enjoyed the FMC! The ending did kind of fall short for me as I had a feeling that’s how it would end, but still a decent read!


Thank you NetGalley and Katherine Kovacic for giving me this ARC 🫶🏽

[Amanda Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into, because at this point, most thrillers all follow the same common thread. I’m very glad that Kovacic flipped the script on that. I enjoyed the friendship between Rena and Aitch and loved Rena’s strong female main character energy.

Overall a solid read and I’m looking forward to reading more from the author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Angelynn23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, I was hooked from start to finish. It was interesting and suspenseful.

With so much thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

[J R · Rating 5 out of 5]

great crime thriller about illicit diamonds, investigating the death of a former enemy/rival, and coping with grief. would recommend this one. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.