No Good Deed

Mark Taylor #1

by M.P. McDonald

ASIN B003PPDB8K moved to the most recent edition here

Mark Taylor discovers first hand that no good deed goes unpunished when the old camera he found during a freelance job in an Afghanistan bazaar gives him more than great photos. It triggers dreams of disasters. Tragedies that happen exactly as he envisions them. He learns that not only can he see the future, he can change it. Then the unthinkable happened and everyone ignored his frantic warnings. Thousands die. Suddenly, the Feds are pounding on his door and the name they have for Taylor isn't urban hero. It's enemy combatant. And, it means they can do anything they want to him. Anything at all.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Paranormal, Fantasy, Ebooks

349 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2010

About the author

M.P. McDonald makes a living from taking your breath away... then giving it back via a tube or two. She lives in a frozen land full of ice, snow, and abominable snowmen. On the days that she's not taking her car ice-skating, she sits huddled over a chilly computer, tapping out the story of a camera that can see the future. She hopes it can see summer approaching, too.

Like M.P. McDonald's Facebook page and learn about upcoming books:
https://www.facebook.com/MPMcDonaldAu...

Reviews

[K.C. May · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start by saying I enjoyed this story, and I'm glad I read it. The author does a phenomenal job hooking the reader in the beginning and propelling her through the first half of the story. Compared to the delicious and intense conflict in the first half of the book, however, the middle sagged a bit. I continued to read to see how much more the author could torment this poor character. Most of his actions made sense, given what he'd been through.

The book could use a solid edit. Missing words and incorrect verb tenses sometimes snagged my inner editor. I noticed several habits common among new authors (excessive nodding, turning, shrugging, hands running through hair, etc.), but despite those minor problems, it's a good read, and I recommend it. 3 stars = I liked it, and I did.

[Eddie Snipes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is a man who becomes privy to information that could have stopped a terrorist attack, but he falls under the suspicion of being part of the plot.

Pros:
Mary McDonald does an excellent job of hooking the reader from the very beginning. The first 2/3s of this book was a real page turner. She does an excellent job of building believability in a speculative type plot that would have normally been hard to accept. The characters in the story have a hard time accepting the facts, but the reader pushes all reason aside and gets sucked into the story and wants to shake sense into the other skeptical characters.

She does a great job of developing the characters, creating empathy, and keeping the tension going throughout the book. As a reader, you will feel the character’s emotions and struggles. Excellent writing and delivery of the payload of the story.

Cons:
Language. I’ve seen worse language, so I would rate this book on the middle of the scale. If you can take a certain amount of profanity, you might take on this book. I have read some books that completely ruined a story with excessive profanity. This book hit the borderline of my tolerance. Anymore, and I would have tossed it.

Sex. There was one sex scene about 2/3s the way through this book. Fortunately, she passed over the gory details once they made it to the physical act, but it was still more than necessary. Perhaps I’m just a fuddy ol’ coot, but in my opinion, sex derails a book. People who like sex scenes pick up sleazy romance novels and erotica. Readers of those genres expect sleaze, and even desire it. People like me, who don’t have any desire for sexual novels, don’t appreciate the thrill of sex in a novel. The story is chugging along, tension is building, pages are turning as the reader digs for answers raised by the plot, and then, out of the blue, two people are wallowing in fits of passion. What happened to the story? Oh, I have to wade through the sewage until I pick up on the trail again. It doesn’t add to the story. Romantic tension does well, even in non-romance novels, but when I’m forced into becoming a peeping-Tom, I lose focus on the story at hand. Personally, I don’t see the point. If it turns the focus away from the storyline, it shouldn’t be there.

Sagging Middle. At one point in the story, the plot crept along at a slow enough pace where I looked to see how many pages were left before the end. This was about 2/3 the way through. After wading through about 25 pages of setting up the climax, the story took off again and at a rapid pace.
Typos. This book has a number of typos throughout the story. Usually, these are in the form of a missing word, missing spaces between sentences, or the wrong form of a word. They are few enough so it wasn’t a complete distraction, but each one did cause me to stop for a moment to decipher what was being said.

Conclusion
I feel a little sheepish about spending most of this review dwelling on the negative. But that’s the nature of critiquing. It takes more time to explain what is lacking (completely a personal opinion) than it does to say what is right. Overall, No Good Deed is a well written story. Mary McDonald is an excellent storyteller, and makes the story come alive. I expect to see her name rising up through the ranks as more people discover her work.

[Scott Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Taylor buys a camera that shows him the future. Unfortunately for him, nobody believes him. His warnings pertaining to 9/11 are misconstrued as an indication of his involvement in the plot and he is taken into custody as an enemy combatant by the US government.

Great plot and fabulous characters combined with brutally descriptive scenes of the worst side of humanity result in a must read novel. Just make sure you buy it when you're going to have some free time. You're not going to want to put this one down.

[Martin Pingree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an extremely interesting and thought provoking read. I enjoyed it from start to finish. No spoiler but imagine if you were arrested as a terrorist ! Highly recommend it.

[Una Tiers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tremendous hook in a very dark story. Parts about people forgetting about him were not credible.

[Almney King · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars! No Good Deed reminds me a bit of Stephen King. Not in the writing style, but in the nature of the story. An American photographer, Mark Taylor, discovers an old camera on the streets of Afghanistan. He soon discovers that it possess the power to show him the future, horrid events that relate to tragedy and death. Accused of having relations to Al-Queda and the 9/11 terrorist attack, he is taken into custody by the CIA with know one who belives in him about his ability to tell the future. The story itself is engaging, medium paced, but gruesome and suspenseful in certain parts. The characters are interesting to a degree but not completely deep or provoking. I think the author spent a little too much time on Mark's incarceration when he should have been out getting into trouble or saving the day with his mysterious, future-telling device. All in all, the story was different and left me wanting to read the sequel.

[Marleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

All along this story, I had the feeling that the author was in the most contradictory and divergent state of minds. One minute this story is well written and it had some gravitas and you think it’s going somewhere, then suddenly it’s maudlin and cheesy, and full of typos to boot.
I didn’t like the idea of an innocent man being tortured and interrogated for more than a year in such a meaningless story. Then it turns out that his torturers (CIA men) turn out to be wussies? This was so bizarre.
Needless to say I’m disappointed in this book. It started out promising, but it lacked in so many ways. The premise of a man photographing pending disasters is one thing, but the way the author penned this story out, it didn’t convince me.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been searching for something different to read & wasn't having a whole lot of luck until "No Good Deed". It was a free book on Book Bub & the concept was interesting. Interesting enough that I started it right away. I was hooked by page 3 & I stayed up far too late trying to finish it. The only reason I didn't finish it earlier was because I had to work. My hubby is mowing while I'm taking a few minutes to send off this review. There is nothing wrong w/ this book; the plot: awesome & unique, the characters: you can't help but feel Mark Taylor's pain (both physical & emotional). This is book one of a continuing series & I just bought book two. I better finish up outside first though, because if it's at all like the last one, I'll be deep into it by sunset!

[Mahoghani 23 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Taylor (MT) was a good guy but certain circumstances changed his way of life. A special camera he purchased at a bazaar in Afghanistan causes him to see people in deadly situations. In an attempt to save them, he places himself on the radar of the police and federal agencies. He arrested because of his attempt to stop the 9-11 bombing and tortured beyond humanly possible.

This book takes you inside interrogation techniques that are meant to torment people into spilling their guts but at the same time, if the person is innocent, what inner turmoil do these techniques do to them?

[Tahlia Newland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was amazing, shocking, moving, sensitive, thought provoking and a wonderful ending. It's not the sort of book I usually read but I had a sense that it might be something special and it is. Have you ever thought about people who might be wrongly accused of terrorism in the US? If mot this will make you think about and feel for them. I will forever look at people returning to the world after incarceration of any kind with more compassion.

[Larry · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started out showing little promise of not being a waste of time, and did not fail to deliver on that promise.

[Lise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Taylor tried to do the right thing: a vision of a catastrophic event had him frantically following every avenue to contact the authorities to prevent it from happening. Both his failure to fend off the attack and his prior knowledge of the calamity led to his incarceration as the government deemed him to be an enemy of the state.

Burying myself in this novel almost a quarter of a century after the real-life events in the story made for some interesting reading. Historical aspects aside, the plot was intriguing though the torture scenes were uncomfortable and felt interminable. The book had a dichotomy to it - before and after Mark's arrest and the two didn't mesh as well as they were intended.

Even as I write this review, I'm still at sea regarding whether or not I liked the story. It was inventive, well-written, and masterfully researched, yet Mark didn't reach me as a character. I was ready for his nightmare to be over (for both our sakes). I would cautiously go on another adventure with Mark.

Trigger warnings: graphic mass casualties, torture, fade-to-black sex scene(s), profanity.

[Julie Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read that impressed me with such intriguing details. When I purchased this book I thought it was going to be good but turned out to be very different than I thought and happily better than expected. Kudos to the author.

[E.A. Briginshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story that moves along at a good pace. Some of the torture scenes bothered me which made me want to skip over them, but they were well written.

[Scott Shjefte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read Kindle book using Alexa audio asset. A book describing how evil the U. S. Government has become. We no longer are a just system if we ever were. purchased this edition on March 30, 2024, from Amazon for free.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was highly recommended on one of the "What Are You Reading on Your Kindle" informal polls, so I tried out the free sample on my Kindle, enjoyed it, then bought the full book. For 99 cents, this is an excellent value: I certainly received as much - and probably more - value and entertainment out of this book than most of the "major publisher" authors, and you will, also.

The author does an excellent job of getting you into the head of the characters, where you quickly can relate to the main character. I think I had just about every range of emotion possible while reading this book, and I distinctly remember at 62% of the way through the Kindle version feeling a little depressed because Mark was depressed, then around the 80% mark feeling elation because Mark was elated; this was a consistent happening throughout the book. To me, anytime the author can literally grab you and make you feel as if you are playing the role of the main character is a good thing.

The author also makes you sit back and think about what is going on in the world of our anti-terrorism policies. Prior to reading this book, I had one set of preconceived notions of what is acceptable or not for those labeled as enemy combatants; about a third of the way through I found myself rethinking my own idea of what is the right thing to do. From the plot lines, getting into the head of the character, and the overall writing style I found I didn't want to put this book down - I'm still thinking about it 24 hours after finishing it.

[Alice Yeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No good deed goes unpunished." "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." Mark Taylor learns the truth of both these adages when he tries to warn the government about the 9/11 attacks. His suspect knowledge comes from a magical camera, one that shows him future tragedies and forces him to dream about the circumstances in detail. In his attempts to prevent a major disaster, he unknowingly lands himself with enemy combatant status and faces seemingly endless interrogations to force a confession that he cannot make.

Initially expecting a story focusing on Mark and his fantastical camera, I was surprised when the premise turned out to be little more than an accessory, one that could easily replaced with precognition or some such skill. Instead, the novel spun around a political message as several chapters were devoted to the injustices Mark faced as he was held without trial. The subject of altruism was also explored as the main character was forced into the position of many a superhero: to help or help not?

The pacing in this story was generally breakneck, though it did slow during Mark's interment and plateaued in the immediate aftermath. While thrill-seekers may be a bit miffed by the apparent lull, these scenes do provide critical character development and allow Mark's later internal conflicts to become one's own. As abhorrent as the gross injustices were, they were as riveting as they were infuriating.

No Good Deed was written in a very straightforward manner, with little unnecessary embellishment; as a plot-based tale, it does well to stick to relevant information without waxing poetic. The dialogue in particular was comfortable. By the end of the story, Mark had developed a distinctive voice; I could all but hear it every time he spoke. With that said, there was a period towards the end of the novel in which some of the phrasing and word choices became a bit repetitive, and I found several issues with quotation marks and a handful of grammatical errors. Thankfully, the fascinating plot dulled the sting of these minor annoyances.

What did bother me was the underdevelopment of Mark's struggle to start using the camera again. It was verbally addressed, but in some ways, I'd been hoping to see more of it. The shift in his relationship with one of the other characters was also unexpected; after the initial difficulty, the ease with which he adjusted to the transition was unnerving, as was the hasty resolution of his broken relationship with his father. This may not bother those who are more focused on the book's climax and are eager to see the conclusion of the story. Personally, I just felt that the final 30% was rushed, and portions of it were somewhat forced.

No Good Deed is a timely tale about imprisonment, ethics, and forgiveness. I'd recommend it to any seeking a thriller with a culturally relevant message.

Hide and Read
(Review copy provided by the author)

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book shortly after it came out because the cover was catchy and it sounded like something I would enjoy plus a few friends had proclaimed it to be really good. I have a love/hate relationship with thrillers. They can sometimes be overly predictable and formulaic. I liked the idea of the camera, something a little different.

This book did not disappoint in the least. It was fast-paced and energetic, yet I never felt we were being given too much information or stalling in the least. The writing - and editing - was absolutely fabulous.

This is a difficult book to review without giving away spoilers. Maybe vague, but it was very timely and while it was, to a point, a typical thriller, but was a very atypical storyline from what I expected. The camera angle (heh) was interesting as was the premise of what happened to Mark over the course a year.

I will admit that I winced a few times while reading this book and I found myself finding parts of it really hard to read, I think given the subject matter, it was difficult.

Having said all of that, I was completely captivated while reading this book, first by the camera, then by Mark's ordeal and then by what happened next.

I would recommend this book to those that enjoy thrillers and especially for those that are new to kindle and looking for a book to get lost in for a while. An excellent read!

[Mike Grattan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although there are some problems with this book, I'm giving it four stars. Why, you ask? Primarily to recognize the storytelling and writing skills of the author. Although there were some typos and grammatical errors, especially in the latter 1/3 of the book, McDonald spins a good story with interesting characters and themes. My emotions traversed the entire spectrum while reading this book, and that rarely happens when reading most "best seller" fiction.

Yes, there were some problems with the book; primarily with editing. Additionally, as a plot device, the magic camera just doesn't seem to fit within the overall context of the story. If the author had introduced the reader to the material in a way that gives the reader "permission" to suspend his disbelief then perhaps we could move forward with such a plot device. As an example, see F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack series, which plays off the supernatural plot devices from previous books such as The Keep.

Perhaps a prequel is in order. We, as the audience, need to understand where the camera came from and how it works...and we needed to understand that before it was placed into the plot of a modern-day thriller. If the title of the book had been "No Good Deed: The Adventures of Mark Taylor, Former Warehouse 13 Agent" then perhaps the camera would be more believable as a plot device.

[Theresa Stillwagon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will admit it took me a while to start reading this book, but when I started I had a hard time putting it down. I enjoyed the story for the most part.
But I did have a problem with the scenes when Mark was being interrogated by the CIA. It was a bit uncomfortable to read. Mark was under interrogation for being an enemy combatant, even though he was completely innocent. And the techniques he was forced to face for at least a year weren't easy to read.
He held up well here during the year in custody, but I found him a bit like a female in other areas. In some ways, he reacted like a woman to me and he acted a bit younger than his age. Not so much I disliked him however.
And I like the ending, but I thought he forgave the head interrogator (who he's now working with) a bit too easily.
But other than those few things, I truly enjoyed the story. I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series. If you like an action packed story with a little romance and a bit of paranormal in it, I'd say read No Good Deed.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am liking this series a lot. Very different but interesting. A clever idea behind it. I do like Mark, our "hero" a great deal, too.
This one was mostly taken up with his being arrested and interrogated over his prior predictions. It did go on a bit but I guess you needed to wade through it to know all that happened to him during these times. I hoped for more prediction stories but then there are further books so I'm sure they'll cover more.
I marked this down a star due to some silly editing errors that got my back up. LOTS of missing little words like a or of or the....
Tighten was used and not tightened and fill and not filled and she spelt lightning wrong again as she did in Genesis as lightening. That made me grit my teeth in aggravation !! Another huge ouch was using you're and not your. Basic errors but distracting ones nonetheless. Here's hoping that the elusive 5 stars will come along in book 3 !

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this ebook, No Good Deed" from the author M.P. McDonald.Imagine suddenly being taken from you everyday life, being thrown into a cell and interrogated-mercilessly-for almost a year. Mark Taylor, a Chicago photographer, finds himself in this helpless position. All because he was trying to do a good deed-a good deed that could have saved thousands of lives. A good deed that was misinterpreted and he was held as a suspect, questioned about the very incident he was trying to prevent.

Mary McDonald immediately holds us captive along with Mark, we feel his hopelessness, his pain and frustrations. I could not put this book down.Thank you for an amazing read!

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, interesting characters, fascinating concept. Warning: the descriptions of the interrogation techniques used on suspected terrorists are not for the faint of heart. While these techniques seem outrageous in the context of the story, where they're used on an innocent man, I can only wonder what terrorist acts have been avoided due to the efforts of individuals like the members of the interrogation teams.

[Joni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Remember the tv show back in the 90's about a guy who gets the paper the day before & he tries to fix all the bad stuff?? This book is kind of like that, but it is a camera and a dream. He gets into a sticky situation and has a hard time getting out of it. It kept my attention, however I the end was a little too cheesy for me.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine trying to do a good deed, only to have it backfire, throwing you into your worst nightmare. Mary McDonald takes Mark Taylor to hell and back. The worst part is, it could be YOU! This book is hard to put down.

[Keri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a Kindle freebie.

Quick read, and enjoyable. There was lots of action and it was exactly what I needed to hold my attention during a sick day. The overall premise was a little far-fetched, but it was written well enough that it became plausible.

[Susan Kiernan-Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent page turner!

Good start to what sounds like a great series--which I'll definitely be on board for. Exciting, well paced, characters that feel original and complex--and that you can really root for. Love the paranormal tinge. Just enough to be believable. Loved it.

[Laurie percell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

[Jan Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read

I thought the book was a little far fetched for me, but it was still good, and I did enjoy it

[Carol Hurtig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much about the torture when he was held captive and not enough after he was released.