First Do No Evil by Carey Baldwin – a Review

Sky’s engaged; she’s committed to marrying Edmond.  Normally, I’d want anyone sniffing around to be respectful and move it along/let it go.  But this is Detective Danny Ben-swoooooooooooooon! Hellloooo…Convictions???  Where did you go?!  All responsibility goes to Carey Baldwin for writing such an irresistible character in First Do No Evil.

A simultaneous and serendipitous Halloween morning in Flagstaff, AZ brought Danny and Sky to their favorite diner for breakfast.  She was meeting her fiancé, Edmond and brother, Garth; Danny was off-duty and hungry.  He orders strawberry milk!  Insignificant detail, I know, but just tooooo cute!  I should also inform you that Danny is a widower; just IN CASE Sky and Danny end up…oh…just keep reading!!! 😉  

There was action from the beginning!  Detective Benson’s flirtations are so persistent, his charm was a like weapon; making my pulse pound and cheeks sore from attempting to deny a smile!  I couldn’t resist his advances.  I fell.  I fell hard. 

“…This Edwin—“

“Edmond”

“Proposed just last week, and you’re not sporting ice, checking out your left hand until you’re blind?  You sure you’re a girl?”

“Not very PC, are you?”

Shrugging, he pushed his sleeve back and checked his watch.  “It’s oh-seven-hundred, why didn’t you and Edmond come together?  No ring.  No Edmond.  I think maybe you’re shining me on.”

“The ring is a bit ostentatious for the office is all.”

“I’d insist you wear the ring,” His gaze wandered from her mouth to her eyes.  “If you were mine.”

Oh, my I’ve swooooooooooooned…

In comes a hockey-masked man, setting off Danny’s instincts to defend all present, but it turns out to be a kid.  Yikes — Danny almost brought out his gun.  Double yikes – he left it at home.  “Stupid.  He should’ve had his pistol.  He was sworn to protect, and any jackfool can tell you trouble always happens when you’re least prepared.”  Enter jackfool.  Sporting a fake beard, the man demands money from the cash register.  Utilizing gentle persuasion from hostage negotiation training, Danny devises a plan without a weapon.  Things turn from nightmarish to harrowing soon thereafter. 

Dr. Skylar Novak lost her father during a home invasion 15 years ago on the same holiday.  Coincidence much?  Who could possibly think that?  Danny manages to outmaneuver the assailant, but not without injury or loss; Edmond dies…right on Sky’s lap.  Instead of allowing her past fears to paralyze her, Sky goes into survival mode and executes her ER-rotation medical training.  It was a thing of beauty.  Ms. Baldwin’s personal medical expertise/experience thrilled with riveting scenes that were mesmerizing and I followed eagerly.  Who needs Doug Ross?  Well…everyone needs George Clooney! 😀 

A few months following the tragedy, Danny shows up to Sky’s clinic to discuss the details (thank goodness for stalwart detectives!).  We begin to learn that sky’s beloved Edmond might not have been so forthright with his dealings.  A posthumous malpractice lawsuit lands in Sky’s lap (enough already!).  Aside from that distressing news, Danny’s instincts are telling him the robbery might have masked the real motive:  Could Edmond have been a contract hit?  Sky, trusting her own instinct to have faith in Danny, tells him the details of her father’s murder and the pieces begin to stack.  Perhaps Sky was the target?  Moreover, why is Sky’s brother, Garth, a well-respected physician, so against re-opening the investigation?

Even though we meet the murderer fairly early on, it still managed to elicit a distraught Darth Vader “Noooooo!” from me.  The suspicions were so subtle, so “I’m going to hell for even considering this!”…you have an enormous future ahead of you, Ms. Baldwin!  I’ve only read one mystery book before (by the acclaimed Elizabeth Lowell), but Ms. Baldwin does the genre proud and follows the path gracefully.  The wit she imbues (LOL’s throughout; especially when lightening a mood!), the depravity of the murderer’s mind (seriously psychopathic), the challenges she sets for characters to confront and defeat…hands-down fantastic!!! 

I was so attached to First Do No Evil; I despaired reaching its conclusion.  Is there a sequel??  Fans demand MORE!  The secondary cast of characters (Danny’s daughter, Katie; Nevaeh; Scotty) are not only wonderful; they have key parts in solving the mystery.  Danny delivers swoon (just wait till you read THAT!) and Sky is reborn (gone is the scared victim). 

A bit of insight provided at the end of the book revealed Ms. Baldwin’s stunning accomplishments (practicing physician and former clinical psychologist).  Be sure to add riveting author to your resume!  BRAVO.

To quote a good friend of mine, “I’d read your grocery list”, Ms. Baldwin!     

Reviewed by Carmen

Copy provided by Author