Another carefully crafted and simply riveting mystery. No Good Deed is about human trafficking. The story has enough twists and turns to keep you engrossed and wanting more. A deliciously dark tale of mystery and pasts as they collide.

A must-read!

No Good Deed is the second book in Swain’s Beth Daniels and Jon Lancaster series, pairing Daniels, a by-the-book FBI Agent with a former Navy SEAL and former police detective Lancaster both on an investigation basis and on a romantic basis. This is an action packed thriller focusing on thwarting a human trafficking ring which ties in with Lancaster’s near-childhood abduction.

Although coincidences like the reappearance of Lancaster’s long Lost convict brother are too coincidental and Lancaster’s endless resources through a secret organization dedicated to saving trafficked children seems too good to be true, the action is intense enough to accept those discrepancies and not to harbor on them.

Part of the storyline throughout this series is that Lancaster’s shoot-from-the-hip Wild West ways don’t fly with the buttoned-down FBI and Daniels constantly has to tread carefully lest her work with Lancaster costs Daniels her career.

There is also a lot of high tech hijinks through the use of Daniel’s niece Nikki as a computer consultant and some other things that may make you think twice about information you expose over the net.

All in all, a fun exciting read where the good guys and the bad guys are clearly delineated.

This was a great fast paced thriller. Lancaster and Daniels make a great team and I love their banter. I look forward to more in the series.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another fun mystery read from the author. A fast but entertaining book. A good series continues. And I will be looking forward the next book in this series.

I haven't read the first book in the series but i didn't feel like missing much.
A fast-paced, well written and intriguing story that made me read it in one sitting and on the edge all the time.
I liked all the characters and each one brought something new to the story and another layer to mix and match them perfectly. There are many turns and twists, some predictable and some that i didn't see them coming my way and that it's why i loved this story so much because it makes you second guess so much but at the end delivers the perfect amount of feelings and sensations in a great mystery-crime thriller.


thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for my copy.

The second book in the Lancaster & Daniels series by James Swain. Jon Lancaster specializes in missing persons investigations. He is a ex-SEAL and ex-cop who volunteers with Team Adam in addition to working private jobs. Beth Daniels is a FBI agent who works missing persons investigations.

In <i>No Good Deed</i>, Lancaster and Daniels work an investigation to find missing women. Lancaster and Daniels have some personal issues with one another, but they have to put their personal lives on the back burner and work together to find the women. The investigation involves gangs and human-trafficking.

The characters are stereotypical, but I still found it an entertaining read. Lancaster is especially annoying since he seems to know everything and be perfect in every way. His only flaw is a medical condition that makes him appear out of shape. Of course, he's not out of shape, he's the most fit and toughest guy around.

This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. I do recommend reading the first book, <i>The King Tides</i> to better understand Lancaster and Daniels characters and relationship. Personally, I found this book to be slightly more entertaining than the first one. In both, the actions and events taking place are a bit unbelievable, but they still make for quick and entertaining reads. Action-packed and exciting.

I received a free advance digital copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

No Good Deed is the second book in the Lancaster and Daniels series, however, it works perfectly well on its own. Just like the first, this is an all-action, high-stakes thriller that had me hook, line and sinker right from the very beginning. Once again ex-Navy Seal and former police detective Jon Lancaster teams up with FBI Special Agent Beth Daniels when it is discovered that women are going missing without a trace from the Tampa, Florida area. These kidnappings have been happening for a while and the police investigation has so far not found anything worthwhile to look into. However, things take a turn for the worse when the team realise that Jon's estranged brother and recently released prisoner, Logan, is somehow involved.

This is a compulsively gripping tale that highlights the very reality of human trafficking, but Swain manages to offset the heavy subject matter with the fun dynamic between Jon and Beth which is often spiky and banter-ish. They are chalk and cheese in terms of their way of working but both are determined to solve the case. There are plenty of twists and turns throughout that caught me off guard despite me reading a lot in this genre and there was an emotional and relatable side to each of the characters. It's a highly entertaining and multifaceted read. If you like police procedural's that cover very real subject matters you will thoroughly enjoy this just as I did. Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for an ARC.

This was a fun, fast-paced, and exciting thriller! The second in the Lancaster & Daniels series, this one was even a notch higher than the first. I love the irreverence of Jon Lancaster - his shrewd and sometimes devious approach - all for good. His drive to take down the bad guys is deep-seated for personal reasons. He’s not averse to using unorthodox ways to get even with the bad guys, even if it ticks Beth Daniels off no end. James Swain has created a character we root for. In this storyline Lancaster gives up a vacation to invest his time in solving a human trafficking case. With a blend of smarts, technology, and experience, we race through the pages alongside Lancaster and Daniels with some curveballs thrown in between, resulting in a satisfied denouement for at least one of them. With a case that triggers deep personal memories, the author catapults this series into a serious Hollywood and/or Netflix contender! I’m hooked and definitely looking forward to the next book in the series - so when is that going to happen? :-) If you’re looking for an absorbing, fast-moving, and "take down the bad guys” thriller, this is a highly recommended read! Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a mixed bag. I've read other James Swain novels, and I enjoyed them more than this one. Here are the pluses:

No Good Deed has a strong plot. There are plenty of false leads as Jon Lancaster (a private detective who specializes in missing person cases) picks up the trail of kidnappers who've abducted a series of women who don't fit a tidy demographic profile.

Lancaster is a strong lead character, and he is well-defined. One thing that bothered me, as it did in the first book of the series (The King Tides) is that his sidekick (or is he hers?), Beth Daniels (an FBI agent who also works kidnap cases), is not well-sketched at all. Her character is all over the place, with no consistent personality traits -- unless you consider flaky capriciousness and a lack of self-control a consistent pattern.

Now, having read the second book in the series, I don't think ANY of the female characters have any depth. They all seem to be caricatures of real women and girls. Another minor flaw is that I ran into a few too many cliches (of the "no stone unturned" variety) and some clumsy writing that could easily have been smoothed out in editing.

The thing that bugged me the most, though, is that Swain created two secondary characters who showed up repeatedly, and named one of them J.T. and the other one T.J. Come on, man -- if you had to call them both by initials, you had 24 other letters to play with! Those guys were so hard to keep straight.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance readers copy.

Excellent mystery-procedural with an old fashion renegade hero as main character. Very well written story with plenty of action, and the characters are very believable.

i found this book to be very entertaining, the story held your interest and the fast pace was enjoyable.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of No Good Deed, the second novel to feature former Navy SEAL and retired police detective Jon Lancaster and FBI Special Agent Beth Daniels.

When Skye Tanner is kidnapped and her grandmother, Elsie, killed Jon Lancaster, now a missing persons specialist, turns up in Tampa to help the police investigation. He is not alone as Beth Daniels is already there, leading a team investigating a spate of kidnappings with Skye being the latest victim. When Jon realises his estranged brother, Logan, is involved it gets personal.

I thoroughly enjoyed No Good Deed, which despite the subject matter, is a fun read that I read in one sitting. It has a bit of everything with twists, action and some interpersonal strife. The plot, which is told from several points of view but mostly Jon’s, grabs the reader from the start and never lets go. There is always something going on, whether a new development, Jon’s lateral thinking or verbal fireworks, making for an entertaining read. It has a light tone to leaven the dark subject matter.

Much of the fun in the novel comes from the spiky relationship between Jon and Beth. They dated a few times but then she ghosted him, not returning his calls. They share a determination to solve their cases, to the exclusion of their own lives but that’s where the similarities end. She is driven, intense and by the book. He is driven, laidback and more elastic on the rulebook thing. His ingenuity in getting round the rules to advance the case is the foundation of the novel, her ability to dislike this but use it provides the fireworks.

No Good Deed is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, The King Tides, so I was very much looking forward to this follow up. Unfortunately the first book was a lot better. I am still glad I read this book and do not regret reading it but it was a letdown after the first book. I still really enjoy Jon Lancaster but Beth Daniels, who I had concerns about in the last book, is far more present in this book and that’s not a good thing. I really do not understand where the author is going with her. He named the series Lancaster & Daniels but every chance he gets he makes her absolutely unlikeable and proves it by having everyone who meets her dislike her. It just defies explanation to have such an unlikeable main character and have the good character be the only one to like her. At one point Beth makes Jon go into a dangerous situation unarmed and then without waning him just leaves him without backup. Obviously not ok and Jon is made but it’s never discussed between them which is annoying. The author gives her way too many passes for being awful. I think maybe the author thought he was making a good cop/bad cop thing but it does not work. The book is so much better when it’s just Jon acting alone.

In this story they are working together to save victims of a human trafficking scheme. Like the last book this plot is certainly unbelievable, although maybe less out there than the last book, but it’s also less graphic as to the nature of the crimes which I appreciated. Unlike the last book there is no gripping narrative. There are victims but we don’t know them. In the last book there was a great real victim to want protected and helped. That urgency was missing in this book.

There is too much talking and not enough action which is the real downfall of this book, aside from Daniels. There is also a lot of time wasted describing unnecessary things. Why does Jon keep going to the hotel business center to print things out? Why not just email or text it? It’s redundant to hear about it and maybe the author is that much behind the times. He also has Uber call instead of an update on the phone so it’s certainly possible that the author needs a lesson on modern devices.

I will still be interested to read the next book in the series but I really hope it’s a better one than this book. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ex-Navy SEAL and ex-detective Jon Lancaster is back. Older women are missing near Tampa, Florida and when an older woman is killed and her granddaughter kidnapped, the police are sure the granddaughter was the target. Jon believes the woman was the target. Jon works as an agent with “Team Adam” to facilitate the rescue and return of missing victims. FBI Agent Beth Daniels is on the case and although Jon had hoped that things were developing between them, he has not heard from Beth since then…until now. Jon is involved in Beth’s case and he can be a help or a real PITA. As they continue their search for the missing women, Jon’s brother has been released from prison. Could his brother be involved in the kidnappings? Why would someone target older women, women who were unafraid to report and give witness when they saw crimes committed? A very interesting mystery with two strong main characters, Jon & Beth, and help from Beth’s young niece Nicki. I would have liked more expanded information, in the ending, as to the missing women. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

An exciting follow-up to the first Lancaster and Daniels thriller, No Good Deed sees Jon and Beth fighting the bad guys again, though the FBI powers-that-be have some issues with Jon's style. Jon is the unlikely looking ex-Navy SEAL/ex-cop who works as a private detective and volunteers for Team Adam. While the first book provided Beth's motivation for her career, this one sheds light on Jon's, and it's clear that they are a good pair. This is highly recommended as a great book for a exciting summer read.

Ex-Navy SEAL and cop Jon Lancaster reunites with FBI Agent Beth Daniels in this fast=paced thriller.
The personal and professional clash when Jon's ex-con brother is involved in a kidnapping case which rapidly descends into modern slavery in the Florida sunshine.
Compelling and page turning. Brilliantly written and with characters to care about.
Lee Child has some competition from James Swain.
Recommended.

A murder mystery with kidnapping, human trafficking, ,drugs and gangs. A PI ,with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, whose brother is a recently released ex-con and caught -up in the gang , must try to find the missing women before they are sold or killed. The FBI and local law enforcement are not working together with further complicates the finding and recovery of the victims. The characters emotions and actions seem very real. could not put this one down.

An FBI special agent that is a by the rules type has trouble following her own belief system why Jon Lancaster, ex SEAL and ex cop now working for Team Adam tests her at every turn. But with Lancaster what matters is the victims are safe and that the bad guys get theirs. Those two theories don't always work together. When this book is over the relationship, or whatever you want to call it, between these two may have reached a point of no return.

When human traffickers have abducted fourteen victims and murdered at least two more the way these two handle it don't jive. What Lancaster do to achieve the ultimate goal of saving these victims, and how will it affect the relationship between he and Agent Daniel's?

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jon Lancaster is an ex-Navy SEAL and ex-cop who volunteers with Team Adam, a special arm of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children comprising former law enforcement and ex-military personnel. They assist in missing kid cases when law enforcement falter. An elderly woman was murdered in her home and her granddaughter is missing. Three days after her disappearance, the police and most of the volunteers have given up on ever finding the missing girl.

But not Jon Lancaster. Culling from his past experience in law enforcement, Jon knows that if a missing person wasn’t found in three days, chances of finding them alive were pretty slim. So Jon decides to take it upon himself to look into the case and starts investigating.

Meanwhile, the FBI is called to investigate the disappearance of several women who have gone missing in the past. They all have one thing in common: they are either middle-aged or elderly. Secondly, they have testified and helped put away some bad people behind bars. FBI agent Beth Daniels is assigned to handle this case.

Jon and Beth have had history but with time running out, they have to set their differences aside to try and find the missing women and reunite them with their families. And put these bad people away for good.

No Good Deed is an action-packed thriller, taut writing, excellently crafted, fast-paced with twists and turns that will make you turn the pages. Overall, a fun and entertaining read.

Thank you to James Swain, NetGalley, and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#NoGoodDeed is a follow up to King Tides and returns with familiar characters, Jon Lancaster and Beth Daniels. The narrative delves a bit deeper into Jon’s past, revealing the drive behind his long standing career in law enforcement and Team Adam. The plot is tense at times and plays out much as an action-movie of the same genre would. While there isn’t anything particular that isolates this novel from many others of its kind, James Swain’s prose is insightful and amusing. The added element of wit and satire he has added to his main character truly entertains. 4 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC