No Good Time: A Nick Donahue Adventure

by Cathi Stoler

Everyone at The New London Arts Museum is panic-stricken. The Artemisia Gentileschi painting borrowed from a New York gallery for a blockbuster show opening in days has been switched for a forgery. And, Curator, Lady Gabriella Peake Jones, in charge of the exhibit, is the prime suspect. At a loss, Gabi asks her friends and neighbors, Nick Donahue and Marina DiPietro to find the original painting and uncover the culprits, a group of ruthless thieves running a long con. With as many suspects as there are galleries in the museum, getting it wrong isn’t a gamble Nick can afford to take.

270 pages, Paperback

Published July 22, 2025

About the author

Cathi Stoler's publishing credentials include her new mystery/suspense series, NICK OF TIME, and OUT OF TIME, in The Nick Donahue Adventures as well as BAR NONE, LAST CALL, STRAIGHT UP, and WITH A TWIST, in the Murder On The Rocks Mystery Series featuring The Corner Lounge Owner, Jude Dillane. She has also written the three-part mystery series TELLING LIES, KEEPING SECRETS, and THE HARD WAY, which features P.I. Helen McCorkendale and magazine editor, Laurel Imperiole,

Awards include the 2015 Short Mystery Fiction Society’s Derringer Award for Best Short Story for the “Kaluki Kings of Queens”. Her Murder On The Rocks novels have earned Finalist spots in The Silver Falchion Awards and the Chanticleer Clue Book Awards. As an active member of the mystery community, she’s a board member of the New York/Tri-State chapter of Sisters in Crime, and a member of Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers.

Cathi lives in New York City with her husband Paul. You can visit her at www.cathistoler.com or follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Reviews

[Roz Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 3 in the Nick Donahue Adventure series. This is the first one I have read and it works well as a standalone although there are references to past adventures.

I liked the concept that Nick makes a living from Blackjack and his partner Marina is the private investigator, yet it is Nick that takes the leading role to crack the case.

I liked Nick's family and the side story of them enjoying all the sights of London, including the food, shops and theatre shows.

The story itself had lots of twists and turns and I started to suspect everyone! The book starts with a cliffhanger and we get to see how Nick ended up in an awful predicament. I really liked that it comes full circle and the ending was satisfying. I will go back and check out the others books in the series.

I recommend this if you enjoy a whodunit with lots of possibilities.

Huge thanks to the author, and Novel Tours for providing a copy of the book to review.

[Melanie Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an intriguing story the author gave us in this book. I immediately added books 1 & 2 of this series to my kindle because he author alludes to some of the hi jinx our pair (Nick and Marina) found themselves got up in previously. When I grab a book that feels like it will be a con book, I always think Leverage and that becomes the story to which all other con related stuff is compared. This one measured up very nice. The plot was intricate full of lots of twists and lots of red herrings. At one point in the book, I like our mystery solving duo, felt it impossible to trust almost anyone. The con became even more involved the more I read tying an art forgery to a challenge Nick's family was facing. The addition of Nick's family added to the story and gave first time readers to this story a little more background on him. Both of his parents are very formidable on their own right.
Let me back up, before we get to the art theft, we get a rather terrifying encounter between Nick and some furry menaces. Then we go back to learn how he got to that point which is actually near the end of the con. I thought the use of the furry menaces was a bit on the nose since Nick had previously used them against one of the players in the con. It made things come full circle a bit which was fun.
One last point I want to bring up is Nick and Marina do not follow traditional roles. I suspected before starting the story that he would be the investigator and she would be his partner or helper. Instead he is more like a sneaky sidekick to her insightful investigator.
If I had one complaint, it is that there are a lot of characters especially tied to the two museums and sometimes it was tough to keep track of who each person and their role was. So many were involved in this long con that it amazed me to think about. The payoff was large but when split so many ways, was the con worth it. Perhaps if the con was part of a much bigger con with more money and more shady players. That is the closest I am coming to adding a spoiler to this review.
This was a good book, probably 4.25 stars and I am glad I read it when I wasn't so sure on page 1.
Thanks to NetGalley and Level Best Books | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC..

[Ayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Good Time by Cathi Stoler

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to Level Best Books, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

No Good Time is absolutely amazing! It excellently combines mystery/suspense with a wonderful art history element. All of this works to make No Good Time a memorable and entertaining read!

An Artemisia Gentileschi painting borrowed from a New York gallery for an opening coming up in just a few days has been discovered to be fake. It is discovered quickly that it was actually switched for a forgery. Everyone at The New London Arts Museum is shocked and unsure of how to proceed. Lady Gabriella Peake Jones, who is in charge of the exhibit, is the prime suspect. Feeling overwhelmed, Gabi asks her close friends and neighbors, Nick Donahue and Marina DiPietro, to solve this mystery by finding the original painting and revealing who the culprit is. What ensues is a multitude of drama, lots of potential suspects, and the discovery of a group of thieves running a long con. Nick and Marina need to solve this mystery as soon as possible, find who actually did it, and locate the missing Gentileschi painting as soon as possible before things escalate even further.

No Good Time is a delightfully entertaining read! The art history, the mystery, the many suspects, as well as the look into the art world as a whole is very interesting. Nick and Marina are a fantastic team and it’s super fun to try to solve the mystery as the plot continues on. The twists and turns throughout ensure that the reader is kept on the edge of their seat until the very end. A well written story with a great plot, fantastic mystery, and multi-faceted characters that work to further broaden the story!

[Kelly Hollingworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Nick Donahue Adventures series. I have not read the first two but was able to read and enjoy this as a standalone book. Set in London and frequenting the luxurious settings of Fortnum and Mason and The Ivy, New Yorker and professional blackjack player Nick Donahue is good at reading people well as reading cards. He and his partner Marina DiPietro become embroiled in the world of art dealing where there is a fine line between a forgery and the genuine article. They are tasked with trying to find a stolen painting which has been switched with a forgery. With death, deceit and darkness throughout I enjoyed the concept, the pace and the one liner quips at the end of each short, sharp chapter. I also learnt a new word ‘boondoggle’ which I looked up. If you have never heard of it either look it up too. At the same time look up this book and the series. You will not be disappointed.

[Mally Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glamorous London settings, a rollicking plot, and a fascinating cast of characters collide in this fast-paced tale of art forgery, theft, and murder. Or to be more specific ... There's panic at The New London Arts Museum with the discovery that the centerpiece of its upcoming blockbuster show has been switched for a forgery. And, of course, things go from bad to worse when one of the museum’s staff is found murdered. I loved learning something about art forgery, museum operations, and the high-stakes world of extreme wealth. I also loved spending time again with the main characters in this series, professional gambler Nick Donahue and P.I Marina DiPietro. This was a quick read, because No Good Time is easy to dive into and almost impossible to put down.

[Nadine-Sue Sargent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a slow-burn, suspenseful crime story. I don't know a lot about art but that's ok. There's a mix of art fraud along with various other deceptions that keep you guessing about the characters.

Nick is exceptionally well connected which works out well for his family and friends as a lot of people get swept up in the crime that he's trying to solve. It's not immediately clear why certain people are targeted so you are kept on edge throughout. It starts showing you our protagonist in danger which did stick in my mind as we were then shown the build up to that. It explained it well and offered up a good surprise or two when things were revealed.

[Lisa reads alot Hamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read for me as I had trouble putting it down. I don’t really know much about art but I found this book fascinating the way the story was based around art forgery with insights into the workings of a museum and those who work there.
I hadn’t read a Nick Donahue book before but I loved the dynamic between him and Marina so much I downloaded the first 2 books to read, Nick is not your usually idea of an investigator and with the twists within this story I found it to be a really good read.

Thank you @novel.tours for having me on this tour

@cathistolerauthor
#NoGoodTime #bookstagram

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

No good time is the third book in the Nick Donahue series.

A painting is borrowed from a New York gallery but is suspected to be a fake. This story will take plenty of twists and turns while Nick and Marina solve the mystery.

This is a fun and entertaining mystery with endearing characters.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an unbiased review.

[Catherine Siemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art forgery, con artists, and the London art scene -- what could possibly be more fun? Cathi Stoler's latest would make a great caper film, but until someone's smart enough to option it, you can read this quick-paced adventure right now!

[Mahnoor Lasania · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a slow-burn, suspenseful crime story. I don't know a lot about art but that's ok. There's a mix of art fraud along with various other deceptions that keep you guessing about the characters.