NO BAD DEED

A gripping, twist-filled, page-turning, brilliantly plotted debut thriller in the tradition of Lisa Gardner and Harlan Coben.

Driving home at night along a remote Northern California road, Cassie Larkin spots a man and woman arguing and then witnesses the woman being brutally attacked. After calling the police, Cassie does the one thing they warn her against -- she gets out of the car. Coming between them, Cassie is injured and the attacker flees but not before issuing a threat: he'll let Cassie live if she lets his victim die. Cassie isn't about to let anyone die. But within days of saving the woman, Cassie's husband disappears into thin air on Halloween while treat-or-treating with their young daughter, and their son is seriously hurt on the football field. Even worse, the police suspect her son in the disappearance of his father while Cassie fears her husband has fled their marriage and is having an affair with his student.

As Cassie struggles to find her husband and protect her children, she discovers the roadside encounter wasn't the random event she thought. It's linked to a choice someone made decades earlier. Now, Cassie is being forced to make her own terrible choice -- save her husband, or save her children.

NO BAD DEED is a keeps you guessing, edge of your seat thriller that pulls you in right away and never lets go. Cassie is an unrelenting badass who will stop at nothing to save her family. And the author is a gifted writer who strikes a great balance between tension, character development, humor and masterful plotting.

A graduate of UC Berkeley's English literature program, Heather Chavez has worked as a newspaper reporter and editor. She lives in Santa Rosa, CA with her husband and children. This is her first book.