One is Evil

by Jeff Buick

A wealthy and influential woman whose life is about to be torn apart has only one hope – a disgraced homicide cop. Bobby Greco, set up by dirty cops and thrown off the Orlando force, takes a job investigating insurance fraud. His involvement in a high profile case means no one around him is safe – not even his ex-wife and kids.

Bobby uncovers a secret that threatens someone at the top of the American political system, and as they scramble to protect the country from the fallout, the real endgame becomes clear. Dangerous military technology is at risk of getting into the wrong hands.From the halls of power in Washington DC to the frozen wastelands of Siberia, the chase is on – and the clock is ticking.

This is Book One in the Bobby Greco thriller series, stay tuned for more wild adventures in Bobby's life.

367 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2019

About the author

Want some authentic crime fiction novels – look no further.

Jeff Buick writes fast paced fiction filled with twists you won’t see coming. Lethal people (the bad guys of course) lurk in Jeff’s Boston crime series, but Curtis Westcott and his team of detectives are ready for any murder mystery that comes at them. The Westcott series is action packed suspense, perfect for readers who love Michael Connelly books, especially the Bosch series. 'A Killing Game', the first in the series, won the 2021 International Thriller Writers “Best original ebook”, and is a can’t-put-it-down suspense thriller. 'The Vulture Fund', the 3rd book in the Westcott series, was an ITW finalist.

The Bobby Greco series features a disgraced Orlando Homicide cop who tackles a very twisted bad guy in the series opener, 'One is Evil'. More to come on this series soon, with Bobby matching wits with some devious criminal minds.

Jeff's stand-alone novel, 'The Krubera Conspiracy', was released in 2023 and is a globe-trotting mix of thriller and suspense.

Keep an eye out for 'The Reluctant Truth', a multi-generational novel that touches on the close ties between fathers and sons. Set in current day with flashbacks to WWII, this one might make you laugh on one page and cry on the next.

Reviews

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com

‘One is Evil’ is the latest release from American thriller author, Jeff Buick. The book is written in the third person and the past tense with fairly short even chapters. The cover is attractive and the title makes sense once the plot develops. In the early chapters, there are four different threads which can sometimes throw me a bit but in this case, everything fitted together relatively smoothly.

We quickly meet successful, wealthy, well-connected people mixing in the upper echelons of American society. Ryan Chamberlain, CEO of Synergy, a company awarded a Pentagon contract to develop a stealth weapon, is happily married to Alexis, a scientist in her own right, and their two children. We also meet our main protagonist, homicide cop, Bobby Greco, who is framed by dishonest colleagues and drummed out of the police service. Their worlds meet when Bobby, now employed by an insurance company, is tasked to look into the circumstances of a death before a large life policy claim is honoured. Little by little, he burrows away to get to the truth but murder is only part of the tale with military secrets, espionage and a highly embarrassing political scandal all on the agenda.

All the main characters are well-defined and Bobby in particular, is likeable and quickly gains the reader’s sympathy. He has a good relationship with his ex-wife and as the story unfolds, a hint of a new romantic attachment is in the offing. There are several peripheral players in this drama but there is no need for the reader to be distracted, as the story moves on at pace.

As with many a tale or dramatisation, our hero tends to over-extend himself on the flimsiest of pretexts, when in reality, other agencies or specialist personnel would be deployed for specialist missions. However, it made for a fast-paced, exciting read.

There are detailed descriptive passages relating to company security and clinical information and whilst I know little about the former, I congratulate the author on his meticulous attention to detail when it came to the autopsy report and DNA data. As to whether readers are interested in such minutiae, I’m not sure but being a fan of thorough research, I was extremely impressed.

If you’re an action thriller devotee, then this book is for you. It’s slightly James Bond-esque with a touch of Mission Impossible thrown in. There is no gratuitous violence or over-reliance on sex scenes; it’s pure escapism from start to finish, with good inevitably triumphing over evil. There were a couple of loose ends which paves the way for certain characters to return in a sequel and I certainly hope that Bobby Greco has another adventure soon. Whilst the plot is pretty far-fetched, it is an ideal read for a cold winter’s day in front of a warm fire. I have no hesitation in awarding five stars.

[Judy Sheluk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cross between a police procedural and thriller, Buick's nailed the nail-biter with clever prose and mostly believable, if not always likeable characters. That said, you will be required to suspend your disbelief at the door. Then again, isn't that what mysteries are made of?

[Julie Haiselden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently reviewed this book on behalf of Whispering Stories and awarded 5 stars.

https://whisperingstories.com/one-is-...

[Jefrois · Rating 1 out of 5]

OPINION:

CONTRIVED, PREDICTABLE, IMPROBABLE, SLOW, TORTUOUS, BORING, AND DRAGGY.

.
Book contains lots and lots and lots and lots and lots lots and lots and lots and lots and lots lots and lots and lots and lots and lots lots and lots and lots and lots and lots lots and lots and lots and lots and lots lots and lots and lots and lots and lots….

…of “sipping,” sipped,” and “sips,” and etc.

A WHOLE bunch of annoying, gdmnd, “SIPPED” and “sipping,” and “SIPS!”

This book has THE MOST SIPPING AND SIPS I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!

EXTREMELY IRRITATING!!!!

Also, there are several “blows to the head” and unconsciousness.

This in itself — in real life — would constitute a medical emergency and hospitalization.

ALSO, I was a private eye for 40 years and never knew a cop or a private eye or insurance investigator named, “Bobby.” I do NOT like this character. He is a Nobody; a Nothing, to me.

TO ME, BOOK STINKS.

PLEASE MAKE IT BE OVER SOON !!!!

PLEASE MAKE IT STOP !!!

“…He slipped the Glock from his shoulder holster, released all three safeties and checked the clip—twelve .38 caliber bullets were tucked neatly into the tight space. He snapped the clip back in….”

What?

WHAT?

WHAT ??

WHAT ??
WHAT WHAT WHAT ????????

WHAT BLLSHT !

GLOCK DOES NOT EVEN MAKE A .38 CALIBER PISTOL!!!

IT HAS NO SAFETY (ok, ok there’s some bllsht about the trigger being or containing a “safety,” but you can’t “release” the safety the way it is apparently meant here.)

IT — the Glock — ALWAYS USES A MAGAZINE, AND NEVER A “CLIP.”

I give up.

I quit reading.

I no longer care “what happens next” in what I consider to be the made up, bllsht, fake world of this “book.”
.

.

[GW · Rating 3 out of 5]

One is Evil -

Painfully stupid in parts but entertaining enough to keep me reading (just barely). I wanted to throw in the towel several times but stayed with it.
An example: the mom, who is in hiding from the "bad guys" after nearly being killed (along with her two daughters), feels the need to call in the daughter's absence at school, which of course gives the "bad guys" the ability to track her location. Really? Really??? Would you worry about an unreported school absence if you had narrowly escaped a murder attempt?
Yes there were some good parts in this book, but there were also many really lame and unrealistic parts! If I had it to do over, knowing what I know now, would I read the book? Absolutely not! But I did finish it so I'll begrudgingly give it 3 stars.

[Fran Germinaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing plot full of twists and turns. Many stories within a story that all come together. An ex-homicide detective, a secret stealth weapon, the President with illegitimate twin daughters all come together in a fitting ending.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy mystery

The flow of actions is marvelous. The deep description of places and events is realistic.

A prestigious family has a shadow that seeks to consume them. Then the detective agencies reveal it true face brick by brick.

[Brian O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story

All in all a well crafted story with believable characters. It flowed well, had a good plot and credible ending.

[Wendy Free · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

Another book that I found suspenseful and kept you wondering what was going to happen. I recommend it if you are like to figure out the outcome!

[Jennifer hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good v evil

A typical American story of love, loss, evil and good triumphing against evil. A good but predictable storyline all good.

[suzi janecke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great no , incredibly awesome

Not my usual kind of book to read, but this hooked me from the beginning. Extremely well put together. Recommended highly

[Marie Toole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting thriller

Enjoyed the fast paced action all the way to the end.
Loved each character, especially Bobby Greco.
Looking forward to reading another book with Greco in it.

[Sandra Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

great writing and characters

This book flowed well the characters were very real and the story line quite believable. Will read more by this author.

[Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

One is Evil is a mix of mystery, procedural, crime drama, international intrigue, and political thriller. Jeff Buick knows his stuff when it comes to creating an atmosphere, a sense of dread, and he utilizes that with this introduction to Bobby Greco. This one does have a sinister tone through most of the story along with a steadily rising tension that leads to an edge of your seat sequence of action scenes. Buick also has a knack for well-timed wit to break the tension when needed.
Our main character is, of course, Bobby Greco, but we don’t meet him at first. Once we do, it’s hard not to like this ex police detective. He’s a bit jaded, rightfully so, but he’s also come to grips with life as he knows it, and he’s finding his way back up after being knocked down. We’re also treated to a handful of secondary characters who pop in and out throughout the story as it gains steam. Some of them are as likable as Bobby, and some, not so much. When it comes to characters, I have to say that Buick does give us some well-drawn, colorful characters. Case in point: Pat. You just can not help but love Pat. He’s an absolute hoot and just loads of fun to read.
All of that should’ve come together for an exciting read, and I suppose it is exciting if not predictable at times. It’s also farfetched at best. The more I read, the more outrageous this story became. Yes, this is fiction, and it’s a combination of several mystery and thriller tropes, so I should and do expect a certain amount of suspension of disbelief to be required. However, this one takes suspension of disbelief to a whole new level. There are just too many things here that I couldn’t swallow, too many things that would have to happen in perfect order for any of this to be remotely possible – and that’s just bad guys’ story. When you factor in the one thing that started Bobby down the road to danger and intrigue, and another character’s part in it all, a character who just so happens to have all the right skills and contacts to move things along, it’s just too much.
We also have the ever-growing ties to people in high places. Bobby actually mentions the whole six degrees of separation thing at one point in the story, and that seems to be a theme here. And that would be okay except with each new revelation, this story becomes more and more convoluted. And that just leads back to my problem with stretching the believability scale.
Nevertheless, this fast-paced story did hold my interest. I liked Bobby, and convoluted or not, believable or not, I wanted to see how it would all play out. The problem is this case is so outlandish, so completely over the top, I can’t imagine what the focus of the next Bobby Greco thriller would be.

[Ciclochick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book by a new (to you) author and then known you absolutely have to read every single word he's written? Buick is that author. Technically, I suppose, I've read two, but the first was a novella, a prequel to the Bobby Greco series. It was a real appetite whetter, and I dived straight into One is Evil. Boy, oh boy. Heart-stopping, gripping, real edge-of-your-seat stuff—with bells on.

Extremely well crafted and written: an absolutely cracking plot, credible characters (good and bad), ones you really feel invested in.

Bobby, now an ex-homicide detective working for an agency investigating fraud insurance, feels a bit of tingle when he's asked to check out an insurance claim by an extraordinarily wealthy widow. Ex, he may be, but, you can take a detective out of detecting, but you can't take detecting out of a detective. Something isn't right, not right at all. His investigation takes him into the deadly world of arms' dealers and to the unforgiving Russian landscape.

This is a really classy thriller and brilliantly rounded up. No sloppy, quick tying-up of ends or far-fetched ones: sensibly and credibly brought to a conclusion, and whilst there were no loose threads, I did love that the door was left very, very slightly ajar for a sequel.

An absolute gem.

[Magz Biegun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read! I could not put the book down. I actually met Jeff (the author) in person, and he gave me this book to read. He is phenomenal and so is his writing. I was hooked right from the beginning. A major plot twists happens at the beginning of the book, and then I couldn’t put the book down - I found myself too focused on the book and not wanting to do other things. It kept me guessing throughout the entire book as to what was going to happen next. I’m generally a reader or romance so this book brought me into the realm of being open minded to new authors!

Honestly, a really really great read!

Bobby in this book is my favourite character!

I just purchased Jeff Buick’s other book “The Killing Game” and I can’t wait to dive into it.

[Joe Laratta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what a thriller should be. One is Evil has lots of action, an intriguing and plausible story with lots of interesting plot twists, most of which I didn't see coming. The good guys (and gals) are really likeable, the bad guys (and gals) are rotton. Bobby Greco is a promising character and I'm intrigued to see how Jeff develops this character in future stories. But I also enjoyed the supporting characters, especially a very cool Canadian who stole some scenes. While I didn't think the book started slowly, once it got going it really kicked into high gear and I had a hard time putting it down. Highly recommended!

[Robyn Monteiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say enough good things about this book - it was a game changer. I had stepped away from mysteries as they all seemed to blend into each other and follow the same formula. Jeff Buick has broken away from the predictable and tiresome same old, and raised the bar for this genre. I was hesitant at first, but really enjoyed this book. I had no idea what was coming next, and although I tried to predict the end was seriously surprised. Best book I've read in a long time. Nice to have a new author to read, especially one who doesn't play by the rules and writes at the level Jeff Buick does. Bravo!

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book love all his books .Suspense from beginning to end.