No Good Deed

by Manda Scott

In a freezing Glasgow tenement a Special Branch undercover operation has gone disastrously wrong. A nine-year-old boy and Orla McLeod, who was spearheading the case, are the only ones left alive. Orla's a damaged woman, she knows about violence, so she's not going to let anyone else take care of Jamie.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Scotland, Crime, Adult, Suspense

480 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2001

About the author

Manda Scott is an award-winning novelist, host of the international chart-topping Accidental Gods podcast and co-creator of the Thrutopia Masterclass.

Best known for the Boudica: Dreaming series, her previous novels have been short-listed for the Orange Prize, the Edgar, Wilbur Smith and Saltire Awards and won the McIllvanney Prize.

Her latest novel ANY HUMAN POWER is a 'seismic' Mytho-Political thriller which lays out a Thrutopian road map to a flourishing future we’d be proud to leave to the generations that come after us.

Welding the power of intergenerational connection to combat the sting of death and the vicious vengeance of a dying establishment, it opens the doors to a new way of being.

Dream Deeply. Rise up Strong. Change is Coming!

'Instantly immersive and compelling, rich and strange, human and humane, and most of all inspiring ... an extraordinary story.’
Lee Child

"One of our best, most challenging writers is back..." Ian Rankin

"If you don't believe a world where our democracy improves as fast as our devices is possible... Manda Scott will change your mind with this visionary novel." Audrey Tang, Digital Minister of Taiwan

"A light to guide us through a difficult time: Descrying the thin possible path between static social decay and populist rage is the defining problem of our time. Without lights like Manda Scott and this blessed book, we would surely fail." Glen Weil, co-author of Plurality.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Likely, I will forget most of this book's story and characters within a few months; whilst reading it, however, I was pulled in by these characters and their attempts to piece together the MO and identity of their criminal adversary. I picked this out of a long line-up of crime books for a good police procedural, and that is what I received.

What makes Scott's book stand out from the ever-growing horde of crime fiction is her take on the consequences of the conjectures that her coppers are forced to lean on during their investigation. Early on in the investigation, the police make an assumption--that their opponent is receiving his information through a high-level leak--that occupies their efforts for weeks, during which time the man they are after continues to outwit them and kill his opposers. Given what the police know, this assumption is valid, and the plot, likewise, aims for a genre standard that deepens the mystery. Then the police learn that the baddie is, in fact, someone who personally knows one of their number, and they realize that all of their assumptions were way off base. I could see someone calling this device a twist; me, I see a well-crafted exploration of human fallacy.

I have since looked into Manda Scott's repertoire and discovered that she has a lengthy historical fiction series, set in 60 AD, about a warrior-queen of a tribe in the British Isles before the arrival of Roman soldiers. Sounds awesome.

[LJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

NO GOOD DEED – Ok
Manda Scott – 4th book
Glasgow Police DI Orla McLeod is involved in a shootout in a dismal flat where she has been living undercover. Her cover is blown, her partner is killed, and she is saved from certain death by 9-year-old Jamie, whose mother also dies in the flat. The target of the operation is Tord Svensen, a violent criminal whose true identity is unknown--to everyone but Jamie, who has seen his face.

There were things about this book I loved – Orla’s relationship with Jamie—and things I really disliked. I felt as though I’d entered the series in the middle, but then realized it’s not yet part of a series. I also felt as though I was expected to know the backstory behind the characters, but wasn’t really given that information until well into the story. While the writing had elements of lyrical, the plotting felt muddy. I know others loved it, but it didn’t work for me.

[Kirsty Darbyshire]

There are two distinct categories of good book. There's the page turner that keeps you reading faster and faster, flipping the pages into the night with ever increasing enthusiasm to find out what happens. Then there's the books that you want to savour and you turn the pages slower and slower, you want to know the conclusion but you don't want to miss a step of the journey, every page is magical and you need to feel it every minute you can. And what's more, you trust the author to get you there, you know you won't end up feeling let down. This book is the second type and the first book this year (2001) that I've finished thinking that it was the best book I've read this year.

I was a little disappointed when I heard that Manda Scott's fourth book wouldn't feature Kellen Stewart who was the star of her first three books. I'd got to like her and I look forward to meeting her again. If she has any friends left to get killed of course ;-)

Orla McLeod who took the centre role in No Good Deed was as good a replacement for Kellen as I could have asked for. Not a picture of perfect womanhood but a flawed and tough product of a life lived too close to violent death. Together with her colleagues from the police and a nine year old boy who's seen more than a nine year old should have seen she plays out this fabulous story in both the dives of Glasgow's East End and the mountainous countryside of the West Scots coast.

Now I hope Scott writes more standalone novels too...

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so sad that Manda Scott has apparently given up writing mysteries in favor of a lengthy series of historical novels about Boudicca. I very much enjoyed her veterinary series, and finally got around to this stand-alone which was, if anything, even better.

Orla MacLeod and Luke, one of her colleagues in a four-person special police unit, are undercover in the Glasgow slums on the track of a drug lord. I don't want to spoil any of the suspense, but Orla does end up with custody of a small boy who has seen far too much and may be in danger. She takes him to the Highlands, where her widowed mother lives. Both Orla and her mother were disfigured, and Orla's father and brother killed, in Northern Ireland years ago. The reader begins to suspect that a man whose trial precipitated the killing is now out of prison and possibly looking for Orla and her mother. This is one of those books where you begin to suspect just about everybody -- there's even some possibility of police corruption -- and those are not usually my favorite, but this one is so well done that it brought me into the same mindset for a while. The Highland and Glasgow settings are evocative and the protagonists very quickly grow to be people you care about a lot. Highly recommended, and please, Ms. Scott, come back to writing mysteries!

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed her previous series w/ the Kellen Stewart character and thought I'd give this one a try. It's a darker and grittier mystery than her previous work and there was definitely a psychological edge to this one. I liked it.

[Baxter Clare Trautman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Val McDermid summed up this thriller as "dark, taut, and edgy". Nuff said. If you like your mysteries like that, you'll love this one.

[Abhijit Gupta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sometimes you look at the back cover of the book, read the awesome reviews, decide to read it and then end up feeling disappointed. This is exactly what happened with this book.

There are some 200 pages of the main character just trying to connect with a kid, in some snow laden parts of a country - whose relevance to the storyline is debatable. The plot could have been much better constructed and it seems like you are just thrown into the middle of some messed up operation. Too much emotional tones for a crime novel. Oh and the character development of Jamie is pretty much zero. Any real suspense in this novel, is, perhaps only in the last chapter. That, it was nominated for Edgar Awards, is a little shocking for me.

And for the love of God, what happened to Luke????

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I persevered through this gritty offering but felt rather bewildered through large swatches of the story line. Like I was missing a whole 'nother book containing the back story, possibly several other books. I really liked some of the characters but had no idea why they cared about other characters or even exactly what the heck crime they were trying to solve while Orla was undercover. There some good stuff here but my main take away was: just baffling.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the story, the settings, the atmosphere but became a bit lax in concentration towards the end.
Characterisations became confused by smithed identities....or did they - a second read of the last 50 plus pages would perhaps help........not rushing though. All a bit abstract, too much so to be truly engaged.

[Steven Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read other books by the same author and couldn’t put them down. Though I enjoyed the book and the story line it was easy to put down. Will read others as this was her first book and want to see how her writing progresses.

[Moirad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping page turner which doesn't spoon feed the reader - some concentration required. Child who has to be protected is heartrending, and the twists which lead back into Northern Ireland's Troubles are well integrated.

[Gretchen Pascolini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a pretty quick read and towards the middle was enough to be a page turner.

[Marsha Valance · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my 10 best first mysteries read in 2002.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: Orla McLeod and a nine-year-old boy are the only ones left alive after a Special Branch operation she spearheaded went wrong.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read

[Laurey Stolk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the best crime novels I’ve ever read with a heroine who would terrify me if we met face to face but who I was deeply interested in protecting from harm.

[Alan Porter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow.....and very repetitive...

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a comfortable read, this thriller involves so many suspect practices by Glasgow undercover police, and downright stupid ones occasionally, that it is best to suspend disbelief and read it as complete invention. Once that is done, the gritty unpleasantness of the first crisis-ridden chapter is such that we want to keep reading to see how the characters get out of this situation. Certainly we don't need much more convincing that being a drug-addled prostitute is not a nice way of life. The sheer brutality of the criminals when they capture, torture and kill an undercover officer seems overdone - why would they bother? And the female detective, Orla McLeod, shouldn't need this as an incentive to arrest the drug lords; that is what she is being paid for, after all.

The saving of the whole story is the silent nine-year-old boy Jamie rescued from the criminals' flat by Orla - once he has rescued her. Jamie can't trust anyone but gradually begins to trust the crew of detectives who look after him (not Social Services?) and goes into hiding in the snowy Highlands where he learns to talk a little and absorbs lessons about stalking and tracking. The complete contrast with his early life makes him a very sympathetic character as he begins to blossom.

A tangent involving faking computer records and a master criminal's seizing a hacker and forcing her to hack for him is much less convincing and comes across as padding the story. Perhaps the author couldn't think of another way that the detectives and Jamie would be found.

Some of the writing is excellent and brings scenes and people vividly to life. This book is often compared to Ian Rankin's Rebus series and is a good fit for grittiness but Rankin is a whole lot more realistic about policing.

[W. Tinkanesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Manda Scott's writing style. It is a thread that captivates me through each book, from one book to another. 'No Good Deed' is a stark, gritty and dark drama, that the, almost poetic, writing style softens. Undercover cop stories are not necessarily what I look for, but I was curious. The more I was reading this one, the more intrigued I felt. The characters were the right mix of complex psychology you actually meet in daily life. They were likable, believable, totally imperfect, and can inspire respect.
Orla MacLeod is the central character, who has to make choices of various sorts, while taking on the responsibility of nine-year-old Jamie, a child who has seen more than a child should see and whose life as a consequence is in danger.
I am so glad I gave 'No Good Deed' a second chance (I wasn't into it when it was first published), as this time it gave me food for thought, something I always look for in a book.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost put this book down forever after reading the first 10 pages or so since I was completely confused about both what was happening and why I should care. The author just jumped right in to the middle of an undercover police operation and it was a bit hard to follow - an undercover male detective was tortured and killed, and his partner was held captive in an apartment trying to convince a young boy to free her; the boy is the only one who can identify the bad guy and must be protected. I am really glad that I continued reading. All was eventually explained and the author has an interesting writing style that is part eloquence and part taut thriller where the reader sometimes needs to read between the lines. The story was sometimes set in the seedy underbelly of Glasgow and sometimess in a beautifully remote mountain location. I think I probably enjoyed the way this author writes more than the story itself, and the story turned out to be pretty good.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like there was a prequel to this in which you learned about the backstory. I felt like I was lacking knowledge while reading this book. It seemed unfinished, like it was only a partial manuscript that was published. I was confused by some things that were happening and therefore I did not like this book. Hmm, looking at reviews it is possibly the fourth book in a series. It makes sense as to why I was lacking knowledge. Still, I didn't like the book that much even besides the fact I was confused. I will probably not read any other Manda Scott books.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second read (at least;, I'm sure I've re-read it before) and this, my introduction to Manda Scott, very much another of those novels I could never let go. Such wonderful writing, such insight into the way people behave, and a cracking ending.

Genuinely, ever-windingly tense, near-unputdownable and astonishingly vivid in the power of its characterisation. 'Remarkable thriller' indeed. I have already ordered the three other titles listed in the frontispiece.

[Amy Rhodes · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my never-ending search for yet another Scottish mystery, I found this recommended by Denise Mina. Very similar in some ways; Scott manages to blend some serious violence with deep, credible, caring. The cops in this book have some major stuff to deal with but it doesn't stop any of them from taking great care of a special nine-year-old boy at the center of the story. And again, quality writing far above average. (pretty much a given with the Scots; though no idea why).

[Random · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but hard going at times because of the dialetic. Worth it, though. Definitely a non-traditional heroine, and some very interesting supporting characters. I'd love to see this as a film, but can't imagine the casting.

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gritty but good. A tad hard to follow at times, but still interesting. Graphic as well, but overall a good book.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

RATING: 2.5

[Barbara Elsborg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked it. Fast moving, exciting, violent, lots of twists and turns. Wish I'd written it. Sigh...

[John Forristal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure how I even got this book. Must have been a freebie. It was OK just a little hard to follow. Won't be seeking out others.

[Hester · Rating 1 out of 5]

too supernatural