Reviews

No Good Deed by Ewan Lawrie

bookmarkonthewall's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious slow-paced

3.0

𝙈𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨.. This books is the second book of the Moffat series which follows a dark and murderous anti-hero, Alisdair Moffat’s journey in the Americas from New York to St Louis in search for adventure. The year is 1861 where the country is on the brink of the American Civil War. Moffat murders and assumes the identity of Mr Anson Northrup, which leads him to be embroiled in the scheme of the Underground Railroad to free African-American slaves and rob silver bullion from the New Orleans Mint. 

With many twists and turns travelling along the Mississippi riverboats, we encounter a vast collection of unique characters, some familiar from the first book, Gibbous House, and others new and intriguing in their own way. 

This is an intelligent and well researched novel which at the centre of the story lies the historical backdrop of slavery during the early to mid-19th century and the struggles of the Underground Railroad network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved African-Americans to escape into free states and Canada. There is an overall gothic and macabre setting for this book but Lawrie scatters humour frequently throughout which seems so unexpected at times, which makes feel somewhat ironic and even darker. 

I’m not sure I liked any of the characters in the book though I’m sure many readers would find Moffat a charming rogue. However the book does not explore the characters in detail but instead focusses on the comings and goings of many characters that turn out not to be who they say they are.

While this is a standalone book, as it is part of a series there are references to Gibbous House, the first book, and characters from the first book, which makes me wonder if I would have gotten to know Moffat better and his wicked ways from reading that first. 

This is an entertaining read which deals with an interesting period of time in America’s history and on the topic of slavery. Anyone who is looking for a historical read which unravels a complex plot filled with dark humour will enjoy this one. I would probably recommend checking out Gibbous House first though especially if you are someone who likes to start a series from the beginning.