Customer Reviews

No Good Deed (Berkley True Crime)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

David Stevens was a normal, average nice guy, leading a relatively innocuous life in his new home in California. The 38-year-old single man called himself a "California virgin," since he hadn't been with anyone since his move from Nebraska. And yet, a couple of days before Christmas, his body was found in his burning convertible along a road near La Jolla, outside San Diego. He'd been shot twice in the head.

The police had virtually nothing to go on -- who in hell, or on earth, would want this poor man dead? The only hint came in two sets of handprints on the mirror above the victim's bed. One set belonged to David; the other set was a tiny pair of hands. Some time before he died, police theorized, he lost his "California virgin" status, but the female prints were not on file. Whatever happened that night, it seemed, the unfortunate man paid for it with his life.

The San Diego PD was stumped. Days turned to weeks, to months, to years... then they finally got the break that justice demanded, which led them to an infernal pair of killers. The story of the investigation of the Stevens case has been featured on A & E's Cold Case Files and is the subject of No Good Deed by author Tom Basinski, himself an experienced homicide detective. I read this book, and it impressed me on two levels: one, the prose and structure of the story kept me flipping pages at a clip; two, the dogged, dreary, and often thankless investigative work by the homicide squad led to a resolution in a case that, by all accounts, should have remained cold. I'd recommend the book for anyone who enjoys true crime, especially the police procedurals.

If you like a mystery, true crime, or both, NO GOOD DEED is the book for you. Former homicide detective Tom Basinski recounts, in a sometimes chilling manner, the long, tedious, frustrating investigation into the murder of 38-year old David Stevens, a guy who "didn't have an enemy in the world." (Until he was found burned up in his car with two bullet holes in his head.)

The case took three years for San Diego cops to solve, with many twists and turns along the way. Every time a glimmer of hope appeared toward solving the case, it disappeared just as rapidly. Once the arrests were made things really got interesting.

Right after the preliminary hearing, one of the homicide defendants attempted to contract for the murder of the co-defendant's defense attorney.

The book is a good police and court procedural work too. Basinski educates the reader on the vagaries of the criminal justice system and the realities of prosecuting a senseless murder. While it sometimes appears the cops are spinning their wheels, working on leads that go nowhere, that is exactly how some murder investigations go. The problems will be as frustrating to the reader as they were to the homicide cops. Basinski's wry cop sense of humor might even provoke a smile or two.

The presence of a private investigator/investigative reporter with an overactive ego add extra drama to this gripping story.

Christmas is coming. Do a good deed, and buy NO GOOD DEED.

The story in itself is interesting, but not landmark. But what really hurts this book, is the writer. It reads as if written on some teenage boy's blog. Along with unneccessary commentary, Basinski includes constant comparisons to the O.J. Simpson trial. This opinion is not supported by actual research, by like so much of the book-mere commentary of the author. From page 191,
"Maybe, in a burst of optimism, the defense attorneys might hope for a second-degree murder verdict based on Ron Barker's uncontrolled rage. Stranger things have happened. Remember a guy named O.J. Simpson?"
Granted, many people joke about O.J. Simpson's innocence. However such jokes seem grossly out of place and read as unprofessional in such a book.
It is if the whole book was written by free-association after doing the research. The author will switch from narrative writing to what one can only assume are his thoughts on what the person he is observing is thinking. Considering he supposedly interviewed many of these people, such liscense should not be allowed.
There are also annoying little quips interjected throughout the text. After a defense lawyer's questioning where he asks for a dismissal for his client due to the fact that she was not involved with the cause of death, Basinski writes, "Yes, Mr. Stevens. I'm sorry to inform you your son's death was caused by two bullet wounds to the head and a gallon of gasoline." It's more a statement than the intended witty quip.
There are many better books out there to spend your money on. I would recommend almost any other one.

Ex-Cop Tom Basinki's writing in No Good Deed is the non-fiction equal to Michael Connelly's fictional cop procedure books. Basinski and Connelly are the best pros around. If you want to know how real cops work No Good Deed tells it like it is. If you want phony story or cute fictional devices go someplace else. If you are a budding mystery writer No Good Deed is a great primer.

That has got to be one of the worst books I have read in a long time. It actually took me forever to read because it was so boring. I almost put it down and gave up many times, but hate the fact that I wasted money on this. It would have been much better with more history on all of the players in this crime.

Do not buy this book if you are looking for something you cannot put down.

I'm a fan of true crime and although this is a very gruesome case, I found it interesting to follow. . .but it was very poorly written and edited, reads more like a first draft. The inserted legal explanations--which interrupted the narrative--drove me nuts (most people who read these books are familiar with the terminology; if an author feels a need to insert the info, put a glossary in the back). This book could have been written so much better and it was irritating to shuffle through the choppy, repetitive sentences and poor grammar. I also wish the author had taken the time to research the two criminals' backgrounds more, to include--as Ann Rule does. That would have made the book so much better.

This isn't a flashy story like so many we see in the media, but one of diligence. The murder of David Stevens was puzzling to the police and devastating to the Stevens family, as he had no dark side, no enemies, nothing that would cause him to be murdered so brutally. The only evidence was a set of palm prints on a mirror. The detectives had theories about what happened to David, and ran down every lead, but the only progress they made was ruling out suspects. The Stevens family felt the murder wasn't a priority, it wasn't solved in a timely manner, and they weren't being kept informed. They soon got caught up in a private detective's fantasy-world hypotheses and went public in their criticism of the police. After three years and nothing new happening, a call came in from a woman who claimed to have information on the murder. The story picks up, and we find out the strange and sad tale of David's last hours. If Ny Nourn had not come forward (for whatever her reasons were), the case may never have been solved, although I believe her involvement was more than what she testified to.

I truly cannot finish this book. I have tried and tried, but just cannot. I even picked it up again after I saw a story of the crime on MSNBC. But the book is so badly written.........

I watched the trial, had a hard time believing people could be that evil. This book delves into the inhumanity that men have for others. A great read, will worth the time, a witness to human brokenness.

This book is quite well-written. I didn't see it on TV, but picked it up at a bookstore.

Told from a pro-police point of view, the book covers all angles. The only way to improve it would be to have gotten more insight from the families of the victim and killers.

The last few chapters giving the author's experience interviewing some of the key players was a good read.