I loved reading every part of this book it was such an interesting story that has a pretty perfect ending where the underdogs come out on top and everyone else got their just deserves. I have to commend the author on one an amazing setting from the first page it all felt so real like I was right there in 1949 and second on some great characters. Archer is a man you will instantly love and I, myself, can not wait to read more in this series to see what other adventures he gets himself mixed up in. I also hope that in future books we also get to see more of Detective Shaw and his straight-forward ways. I highly recommend this book to all readers especially mystery fans.

This book was really well written but it just didn't really do it for me. I thought that it moved a bit too slow. From the description, I was hoping for a bit more of an intense suspense book and instead I got a slow building mystery. I also had a hard time connecting with the time period even though it wasn't set that far back ago. That said, I do think it is a good storyline, and Baldacci is a really good writer. I'm sure that a lot of others will really enjoy this book, but it just wasn't for me.

Classic Baldacci with an historical twist. Historical readers will want to give this new thriller a try by one of the American masters of the thriller genre.

ONE GOOD DEED by David Baldacci ~ This historical crime fiction has a well-paced storyline with a great kicker in the wrap-up. Strongly recommended.

In One Good Deed, acclaimed author David Baldacci introduces readers to Aloysius Archer, a man with no home, no roots, and a mysterious, complicated past, who finds himself fighting against the odds to maintain his hard-won freedom.

Archer served during World War II and carries the memories of those harrowing days with him. He managed to survive when so many of his fellow soldiers did not, picking up skills that he must now rely upon in order to secure his survival yet again. Baldacci holds back the details about how Archer came to be wrongly convicted and imprisoned as readers puzzle over whether Archer is truly an honorable, principled man, an anti-hero, or a combination of both. He arrives in the small, evolving town of Poca City with a few bucks in his pocket, the clothes on his back, a past he doesn't want to discuss, and no prospects for the future.

Archer quickly finds his way to a place he is not supposed to frequent, The Cat's Meow, sidles up to the bar, and orders himself a shot of bourbon. Sitting next to him is a late-fifties-something, slick-haired banker type in a white three-piece suit and Panama hat. Sitting next to him is a beautiful young woman half his age. Hank Pittleman is known as the richest and most powerful man in Poca City, and he offers Decker the chance to earn one hundred dollars. All he has to do is what other men before him have failed to accomplish: either collect the five thousand dollars, plus interest, that Lucas Tuttle owes Pittleman, or take possession of Tuttle's 1947 Cadillac Series 62 dark green sedan. Pittleman gives Archer an advance with which Archer buys a new suit, settles into the local hotel, and assures Ernestine that he has already secured employment. But, of course, earning the rest of the money is not going to be simple.

Since he has never been to Poca City before, Archer is unaware of the long, complicated history between Pittleman and Tuttle, or the extent of Pittleman's business interests, influence in the region, or associates with their own agendas and loyalties. He soon learns that Jackie, Pittleman's young mistress, is Jackie Tuttle, the daughter of none other than Lucas Tuttle, from whom he is expected to collect payment. In short order, he finds out that Tuttle has an agenda all his own, and imposes a very specific condition under which he will agree to repay the debt. It falls to Archer to attempt to convince Jackie to comply with Tuttle's demand. But, of course, she has no intention of complying.

When a murder takes place in the same hotel where Archer is staying, and he discovers the body, he makes a quick decision about how to respond. His choice could seal his fate. However, the homicide detective assigned to the case, Lieutenant Irving Shaw with the state police, senses there is more to Archer and his past than is readily apparent. For one thing, Archer has good investigative instincts. His military background and insistence that he did not commit the crime for which he served time convince Shaw to enlist Archer's assistance with solving the murder. Their relationship is not without its complications, especially when Shaw learns that Archer has not been completely forthcoming with him. But the two men forge a partnership that requires Archer to dig deeper into the web of business dealings, resentments, grudge matches, and complicated relationships that knit the citizens of Poca City together -- and tore them apart long before Archer's arrival.

One Good Deed is already a number one New York Times bestseller. Deservedly so. It's a stylish, fast-paced mystery in which Baldacci exquisitely invokes post-World War II -- a hopeful, exciting time in America. Fresh from victory, the country's soldiers returned home to their families and jobs. It was a time of technological development, industrialization, and the growth of many U.S. cities. Poca City is on the cusp of development that will bring posterity to an area that suffers from a lack of water. And Baldacci's supporting characters are plotting and clamoring to profit from that development. With his deft prose, Baldacci describes the settings, as well as the clothing, mannerisms, the manner in which his characters speak, and popular culture, drawing readers into that time and place. For instance, Ernestine and Archer share a love of books and reading, and discuss popular literature; meetings occur in the local cafe where the staff know everyone and everyone's business, as does the hotel clerk stationed at the front desk.

In his signature style, Baldacci injects unpredictable, shocking plot twists and revelations that compel the story forward at an unrelenting pace. Baldacci's web of connections between the characters, their tangled dealings with each other, and double-crosses are nothing short of ingenious, and with each revelation it is clear that Baldacci might have still more surprises in store.

One Good Deed is an exciting and promising start to yet another series from an author who seems to never lack inspiration and is clearly at the top of his game. Archer is a thoroughly intriguing and endearing character, and Baldacci can be counted on to take Archer on more entertaining and engrossing adventures in future installments. Hopefully, he'll do so soon.