BOOK REVIEW

FIRST DO NO EVIL by Carey Baldwin #1

www.careybaldwin.com

BOOK BLURB

Blood Secrets, Book 1

There’s a killer lurking in Dr. Skylar Novak’s family tree: the gene for breast cancer. That's why her brilliant brother invented the Bella vaccine. But even if the miracle drug protects her from the cancer that took her mother's life, it can't save Sky from the flesh and bone evil stalking her in secret. 

When the killer strikes, detective Daniel Benson finds himself in the wrong place at the right time. The bold detective manages to save Sky's life…just in time for her to return the favor. Survival leads to seduction, and Danny risks everything—his career, even his life, to keep Sky safe. But will the buried sins they uncover cost him her heart?

Danny’s strong arms may hold her close, but only Sky can stop the terror that's coming next… 

Product Warnings

Contents include: One heart-melting hero—good luck getting this delicious detective out of your head. One reluctant heroine—wielding a Glock was never on her to-do list. One crazed villain—an entire flock of baa baa black sheep won't be enough to put you to sleep. And a lifesaving vaccine with one deadly side effect—murder.

REVIEW

Copy received from author as a gift. My thanks is this review.

First Do No Evil was a huge surprise to me. Not because I was expecting anything I wouldn’t like, but because this is Carey Baldwin’s debut novel, and it was good, very good. She’s a ‘mild-mannered physician’ – her words, not mine, still practicing full time. Carey is also a former clinical psychologist, so writing about psychopaths comes naturally – again, her words, not mine. J She’s also a hopeless romantic. Et voilà, we have ourselves a medical/romantic suspense thriller.

From the very beginning you are introduced to the two main characters. Danny Benson, a detective, and Skylar Novak, a physician, who happen to meet outside Jolene’s coffee shop. Danny flirts and Sky parts with the information that she’s newly engaged and meeting her fiancée, Edmond, and brother, Garth. Darn. Such is life. Once inside, all hell breaks loose. This story truly starts off with a resounding bang (pun intended), and hits you between the eyes with a hostage situation followed by casualties and a death.

Danny is a widowed and single father to an ‘acting out’ teenager. Skylar is a physician who happens to run a clinic for those in dire straits. Skylar hasn’t only lost her mother to breast cancer, her father to murder, she’s now lost someone else inside this very coffee shop. I won’t say who. The strange thing about the murder that’s just taken place is that it’s exactly fifteen years to the day her father was murdered, and it also happens to be Halloween. Coincidence or not? This is what they try and figure out throughout the book, and whilst this is happening another two murders take place. Who is hiding what, and who is trying to cover it up? One thing you will know is who the killer is almost from the beginning. Here’s the thing, most people don’t like knowing these things until the very end, but I don’t have that problem. And the reason I don’t have this problem, is for the simple fact that it made things that much more interesting. That is, knowing who it is - like a secret only you know, you want to tell others in the hope of saving their life and you can’t. I found myself wanting to shake certain people and yell at them… he’s right there, in front of your face!

Sky’s brother, Garth, is also a physician. One who has developed a vaccine called Bella (named after his adopted mother Isabella), which will help prevent a form of breast cancer for those who have the bad gene. He’s desperate that Sky take it, something she refuses to do as she’d rather give it to someone more needing than herself and those less fortunate who can’t afford it. Garth is one very disturbed character, but then you will find out that he isn’t the only one.

This book delivers on everything from thrills to suspense and the ever important love not excluding life’s little trials and tribulations. It’s very well written, the story flows from one scene to the next. I really like this author’s writing style. Although she dealt her cards early on, believe me, it just keeps on going – right to the very end. Every scene is descriptive and realistic making it believable. Super stuff. The only issue I had, which is tiny, are some (not all) of the medical words. Although there are more than enough times they fit and have a place in the story, there were a few times they didn’t. I would have simply liked to have read 'spine' instead of the medical term for it (just an example). Just bear in mind that this does not affect the story in the least, just my personal preference. When I enjoy a book this much, I don't want to have to stop to look up a word. I'm probably just being silly, so don't mind me!

You would never say that this is Carey’s debut, because to me it felt like she’s been writing romantic suspense for years. I thoroughly enjoyed First Do No Evil. I will definitely read more of Carey Baldwin’s future works, and you should too! 

RATING: 4 STARS