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Megan Scott/Michael Elliott #4
Dark Deeds
“Where evil lurks, no one is safe.”
The suspicious fire that destroyed the shed exposes a surprise corpse—not what ghostwriter Megan Scott and investigative reporter Michael Elliott expected when they reserved a cabin at their friends’ lakeside resort in rural Ontario.
Fear overshadows their visit like a looming storm. Their friends are receiving anonymous threatening letters. An elderly resident is reported missing. Locals are wary. They aren’t used to outsiders snooping around town, asking questions.
When Michael makes a connection to a cold case, evidence points to an ex-convict looking for revenge. He’s had reconstructive surgery. He could be anyone.
Terror blankets the town as the body count mounts. The killer is playing dangerous mind games with everyone—especially with Megan. If she doesn’t find him first, she could well become his next victim.
The suspicious fire that destroyed the shed exposes a surprise corpse—not what ghostwriter Megan Scott and investigative reporter Michael Elliott expected when they reserved a cabin at their friends’ lakeside resort in rural Ontario.
Fear overshadows their visit like a looming storm. Their friends are receiving anonymous threatening letters. An elderly resident is reported missing. Locals are wary. They aren’t used to outsiders snooping around town, asking questions.
When Michael makes a connection to a cold case, evidence points to an ex-convict looking for revenge. He’s had reconstructive surgery. He could be anyone.
Terror blankets the town as the body count mounts. The killer is playing dangerous mind games with everyone—especially with Megan. If she doesn’t find him first, she could well become his next victim.
240 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2016
12 people are currently reading
1842 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Nikolai
15 books575 followersSandra Nikolai is the author of the Megan Scott/Michael Elliott Mystery series featuring a sharp-eyed ghostwriter and a daring investigative reporter who face life-threatening situations as they track down criminals. The series is available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook formats. Sandra also writes the Amber McNeil Mystery series featuring a psychic consultant who works in the cold case unit of a police force.
Visit Sandra's website at www.sandranikolai.com to join her mailing list and receive the first three chapters of False Impressions and Fatal Whispers, plus short story Timely Escape free! Follow Sandra on Instagram @sandranikolaiauthor or connect on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SandraNikola...
Visit Sandra's website at www.sandranikolai.com to join her mailing list and receive the first three chapters of False Impressions and Fatal Whispers, plus short story Timely Escape free! Follow Sandra on Instagram @sandranikolaiauthor or connect on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SandraNikola...
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 1, 2023
I'm the author, so I won't review my own book. Instead I'll offer an excerpt from it:
This morning's leftover breakfast sausages and scrambled eggs infused the air with a stench that made me queasy. A stack of dishes filled the kitchen sink. Pots and pans lingered on the stovetop. Something had definitely disturbed Jessica's routine.
Michael and I stared at the letter and envelope that she'd placed before us, its contents in a clear plastic bag. Pieces of newspaper had been cut out and pasted on a white sheet of paper. The message read: "Get out of town now, you murderers, before it's too late!"
Sitting at the table across from Michael and me, Jessica dabbed at the silent tears that rolled down her face. "It's exactly like the other one."
🎧 Available in audio! 🎧
Narrated by Kelli Tager!
Apple audiobooks: https://apple.co/3QL1PA2Audiobooks.com: https://bit.ly/42bwMBR
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3XtqVGd
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3NkLK1a
Chirp: https://bit.ly/3CQfTlN
Google Play: https://bit.ly/3GIjZOe
Hoopla: https://bit.ly/3oYx6FK
Scribd: https://bit.ly/3VlSC3c
This morning's leftover breakfast sausages and scrambled eggs infused the air with a stench that made me queasy. A stack of dishes filled the kitchen sink. Pots and pans lingered on the stovetop. Something had definitely disturbed Jessica's routine.
Michael and I stared at the letter and envelope that she'd placed before us, its contents in a clear plastic bag. Pieces of newspaper had been cut out and pasted on a white sheet of paper. The message read: "Get out of town now, you murderers, before it's too late!"
Sitting at the table across from Michael and me, Jessica dabbed at the silent tears that rolled down her face. "It's exactly like the other one."
🎧 Available in audio! 🎧
Narrated by Kelli Tager!
Apple audiobooks: https://apple.co/3QL1PA2Audiobooks.com: https://bit.ly/42bwMBR
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3XtqVGd
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3NkLK1a
Chirp: https://bit.ly/3CQfTlN
Google Play: https://bit.ly/3GIjZOe
Hoopla: https://bit.ly/3oYx6FK
Scribd: https://bit.ly/3VlSC3c
November 25, 2016
Another Feather in this Author's Cap
If you like reading a solid mystery where the clues pile up in random order then fall into place with strategic precision, you'll want to check out this novel. Sandra Nikolai's latest mystery featuring Megan Scott and Michael Elliott builds with tension until it becomes impossible to stop reading. A story that satisfies these criteria earns my five-star rating.
If you like reading a solid mystery where the clues pile up in random order then fall into place with strategic precision, you'll want to check out this novel. Sandra Nikolai's latest mystery featuring Megan Scott and Michael Elliott builds with tension until it becomes impossible to stop reading. A story that satisfies these criteria earns my five-star rating.
September 20, 2022
They Just Get Better
Book four starts with Megan and Michael visiting friends that have started a quaint bed and breakfast/cabin resort. When they arrive their friends have fire trucks and a fire blazing in their large storage outbuilding. When the fire's put out their disaster is worsened by the discovery of a burned corpse. The cops are understaffed and moving too slow for their friends so of course Megan and Michael take the case. I do recommend this series to readers that enjoy both the cozy mystery and thriller genre. I did figure parts of this out a bit early but other twists and turns were thrown in that made me second guess. It was another really fun read!
Parents- PG13 - alcohol use
Language- some but not overly excessive and no f-bombs
Violence- nothing overly graphic
Sexual Content- Really it's kept pretty clean- no explicit bedroom scenes, attraction/desire and some kissing but nothing hot and heavy
Narrator- 4⭐ really did a great job with the voice differentiation and was fun to listen to. I did prefer listening at 1.3x speed.
—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Book four starts with Megan and Michael visiting friends that have started a quaint bed and breakfast/cabin resort. When they arrive their friends have fire trucks and a fire blazing in their large storage outbuilding. When the fire's put out their disaster is worsened by the discovery of a burned corpse. The cops are understaffed and moving too slow for their friends so of course Megan and Michael take the case. I do recommend this series to readers that enjoy both the cozy mystery and thriller genre. I did figure parts of this out a bit early but other twists and turns were thrown in that made me second guess. It was another really fun read!
Parents- PG13 - alcohol use
Language- some but not overly excessive and no f-bombs
Violence- nothing overly graphic
Sexual Content- Really it's kept pretty clean- no explicit bedroom scenes, attraction/desire and some kissing but nothing hot and heavy
Narrator- 4⭐ really did a great job with the voice differentiation and was fun to listen to. I did prefer listening at 1.3x speed.
—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
January 30, 2018
The team of Micheal and Megan, investigative reporter and ghostwriter respectively, are on a Nick and Nora snoop again. They are invited to friends' resort and are quickly wrapped up in fires, treasure hunting from a long ago heist, kidnapping, and murders. This book reads more like a cozy; I quickly guessed who the killer was but it was a quick and fun read. I have two points that rang a bit off for me: When the child is missing, Megan initiates a calm conversation before inquiring if Jessica has been seen... The 'kidnapping, the missing child, was so underplayed throughout this section that I wanted to scream " a CHILD IS MISSING!! " The ease of Michael gaining information from his newspaper office is a bit disconcerting.
July 3, 2022
Received as an audio review from Story Origin, this is an honest review. Narrated wonderfully by Keli Tager, Dark Deeds is once of those stories that sucks you right in as it starts with the action right away as what was suppose to be a vacation for Megan and Michael goes awry with a body found in a freezer on their friends' cabin resort. Confusion and fear tear through the town, whose residents aren't happy about their newcomers and the dead man being a local neighbor to the resort owners doesn't help either side on friendly relations. Answers comes in a case no one believes would be to have a link and a killer fighting to their secrets safe... no matter what the cost his to be. A worthy read to claim your time, highly recommended.
July 3, 2023
The fourth installment can be read as standalone as each current mystery is solved within the story.
Megan and Michael try for some relaxing vacation time, but by now, these two should know better than to leave their condo! People are murdered wherever they go. Old secrets and a desire for revenge put Megan's friends and their new B&B business in jeopardy.
There are theatening notes, a fire, dead bodies, a kidnapping, and a town full of not exactly helpful residents who want all outsiders to leave. In this case, I had my suspicions about who the killer was early on, but it was entertaining to see Megan and Michael find the clues in order to prove it.
Kelli Tager made listening to the story an enjoyable experience.
Megan and Michael try for some relaxing vacation time, but by now, these two should know better than to leave their condo! People are murdered wherever they go. Old secrets and a desire for revenge put Megan's friends and their new B&B business in jeopardy.
There are theatening notes, a fire, dead bodies, a kidnapping, and a town full of not exactly helpful residents who want all outsiders to leave. In this case, I had my suspicions about who the killer was early on, but it was entertaining to see Megan and Michael find the clues in order to prove it.
Kelli Tager made listening to the story an enjoyable experience.
May 10, 2021
Great cozy mystery. While this is part of a series, it’s enjoyable without reading prior books. In this book, ghost writer, Meghan, and her bf, investigative reporter, Michael, are taking a break from city life to visit friends who have just opened a bed & breakfast. Life is never boring for the M&M duo…they arrive to the scene of a fire on the property…then a body is discovered. Can Michael & Meghan solve this mystery before their friends are arrested? Then a toddler is kidnapped!! I figured out the identity of the killer but it still is an exciting book. Now to go back to book 1!
I was given this review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I was given this review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
August 13, 2022
Megan and Michael are in it again. When they go on a vacation it’s no vacation! Their friends shed burns down there’s a body inside their daughter goes missing they keep getting strange letters telling them to leave town and there’s a murderer running around. This was a quick fun read. I really enjoy Sandra‘s books and I’ll go it has a cozy mystery field to them there’s a lot to love about it. I do believe they should’ve made a bigger deal about the baby being missing, but to eat your own. I was please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own. #StoryOrigin, #Mystery, #DarkDeeds
July 20, 2025
Seemed fun, bodies are cropping up in unexpected places and it’s set in a gossip-y small town. Unfortunately, that’s where the fun stops as it’s not just well-executed. Was too slow-paced for me, and all the ‘telling’ made it dull.
I was stoked to try this, thought I’d found a new mystery series, but I don’t think this writing style is for me. No hate, it wasn’t bad at all, just wasn’t riveting.
3 stars.
Audio:
Decent overall sound quality and good narration, mostly. 4 stars.
I was stoked to try this, thought I’d found a new mystery series, but I don’t think this writing style is for me. No hate, it wasn’t bad at all, just wasn’t riveting.
3 stars.
Audio:
Decent overall sound quality and good narration, mostly. 4 stars.
July 7, 2022
I experienced this book in its audio form from Story Origin.
While I loved this murder mystery, I felt the narrator could have made this story so much more exciting. She could have brought more tension and angst to the Story. A child was kidnapped. People were murdered. Buildings were burnt. But I wasn't feeling it.
5 stars for the story. 3 stars for the narrator.
While I loved this murder mystery, I felt the narrator could have made this story so much more exciting. She could have brought more tension and angst to the Story. A child was kidnapped. People were murdered. Buildings were burnt. But I wasn't feeling it.
5 stars for the story. 3 stars for the narrator.
April 24, 2025
I really liked this book. Well developed characters and plot. My favorite character was Jeremy. Small twist at the end. Engaging murder mystery along with an old mystery of a robbery. The writing had a nice flow that kept my attention.
I received a free audiobook copy from StoryOrigin and this is my honest review.
I received a free audiobook copy from StoryOrigin and this is my honest review.
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July 5, 2022This is a fast-paced Canadian murder mystery. Michael, is a investigative reporter and Megan Scott, his assistant/girlfriend and ghost writer, get caught up in a murder mystery when visiting their friend's lakeside resort.
Loved
Loved
September 10, 2022
This is book 4 in the Megan Scott/Michael Elliott series. It is a fantastic mystery, just as the others are. Everyone of them is very well written, brilliantly narrated and full of suspense. I am currently binge-listening the whole series, something I can definitely recommend.
February 25, 2020
too much repetition re past stories. Very little relationship or character development. Okay storyline but did not keep my attention
May 29, 2021
audiobook:I was given this book for free to review honestly. I totally enjoyed this book.I felt like I was playing catch up to come in on book 4.Kelli Tager was a fine narrator.
February 23, 2017
My Review: 4/5
This is the fourth book in the Michael/Megan crime series. Even though it is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. This is a good thing since I haven't read any of the previous books. However, after reading Dark Deeds I will now be reading the other three (False Impressions, Fatal Whispers, and Icy Silence).
Michael is an investigative reporter and his assistant/girlfriend, Megan, is a ghost-writer. Together they dive deep into the mystery of a fire and dead body happening in a small town in Canada at their friend's resort. The chemistry and dynamic between Michael and Megan works. I loved both of their characters. Michael is the one that is willing to take risks, while Megan is often the voice of reason. I loved how they often knew what the other was thinking. These insights often led them to clues in solving the case.
While this book is categorized as a Mystery/Thriller, I found it to be relatively light-hearted, and not as dark as most thrillers I read. This is a good thing! In spite of the easiness of the story, it was still a mystery and I kept analyzing every character in trying to figure out who did it. It was a very fast, easy read and one that I finished in two days.
If you love mysteries, yet want a change of pace from the typical violent, dark reads, I definitely recommend this book!
***A very special thank you to the author for a copy of her book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Also, my apologies to her for taking so long to read it!
This is the fourth book in the Michael/Megan crime series. Even though it is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. This is a good thing since I haven't read any of the previous books. However, after reading Dark Deeds I will now be reading the other three (False Impressions, Fatal Whispers, and Icy Silence).
Michael is an investigative reporter and his assistant/girlfriend, Megan, is a ghost-writer. Together they dive deep into the mystery of a fire and dead body happening in a small town in Canada at their friend's resort. The chemistry and dynamic between Michael and Megan works. I loved both of their characters. Michael is the one that is willing to take risks, while Megan is often the voice of reason. I loved how they often knew what the other was thinking. These insights often led them to clues in solving the case.
While this book is categorized as a Mystery/Thriller, I found it to be relatively light-hearted, and not as dark as most thrillers I read. This is a good thing! In spite of the easiness of the story, it was still a mystery and I kept analyzing every character in trying to figure out who did it. It was a very fast, easy read and one that I finished in two days.
If you love mysteries, yet want a change of pace from the typical violent, dark reads, I definitely recommend this book!
***A very special thank you to the author for a copy of her book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Also, my apologies to her for taking so long to read it!
February 4, 2017
Just finished Dark Deeds by Sandra Nikolai. This Canadian series featuring a ghostwriter and an investigative reporter is extremely well-plotted and punctuated with shocks so that Dark Deeds really delivers great twists and turns. The couple heads to small town Ontario where friends have opened a B&B. They arrive amid a fire and the action takes off from there. From other B&B guests, to the handyman, to local townsfolk, Nikolai channels Agatha Christie and makes every character a suspect.
May 14, 2021
I like this duo of Megan and Michael. Even though they're not actually detectives, Nikolai manages to weave a credible mystery for these characters to solve. And Kelli Tager performs these and all the characters very well.
I suspected the outcome before the reveal, but it was fun getting there anyway. Thankfully, the story ended quite satisfactorily with no loose ends.
Note: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I suspected the outcome before the reveal, but it was fun getting there anyway. Thankfully, the story ended quite satisfactorily with no loose ends.
Note: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews