Past Deeds - A Review

Past Deeds

by

Carolyn Arnold

Past Deeds is a well-written police procedural featuring the Behavior Analyst Unit of the FBI - easily compared to the BAU team featured on the CBS drama Criminal Minds. Sadly, both for the reader and the BAU team, Zach (the counterpart to Spencer Reid from the TV series) has departed the team for other tasks. Kelly is the new member of the team - but she is no replacement for Zach. Though an experienced Florida homicide detective, she will need to find her voice among the talented and experienced members of the BAU.

A murder in Arlington VA has caught the attention of the BAU - the team quickly discovers that the murder is not one, but four, with connections from California to Baltimore MD. Half of the team will go each direction in order to put together the pieces of the puzzle that will point to their unknown suspect (the unsub). The team finally regroups to trap the unsub in the midst of a final crime.

I enjoyed the plot and rhythm of the novel, but the awkward switches the author makes between first-person narrative and a third-person observer is sometimes difficult to understand. Given that the team split, the change in writing style might be needed at times; but at other times the book continues with a third-person perspective, though the reader might be better served by a return to the first-person narrative

For the reader who was a fan of Criminal Minds (which has already aired its final episode even as I read Past Deeds), this series might fill a hole in their desired entertainment needs. This book is the eighth in the series from this author, but I never felt lost having read none of the earlier books.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.