Payback, not a cozy but a mystery short on car chases and explosions,
long on memorable characters and situations—a little romance, a little
dismemberment—a soft-boiled police procedural.
What I liked best about this mystery was that it had everything I
expect in a suspenseful page-turner (good plotting, multiple threads,
engaging characters) yet was original and quirky enough to make it all
feel fresh and alive. The setting was novel -- I don't recall seeing
anything like this picture of mountain/village life so well drawn
before… Reviewed by author Rosalie Maggio
Payback in a new series written by Mar Preston who has three previous
mystery suspense novels set in the Santa Monica Police Department.
Payback is set in a fictional town called Sierra Mountain Village,
Preston says, somewhat like the place where she lives in California.
In Payback the village residents relish the excitement of the grisly
murder of a local politician, which provides endless speculation and
gossip until the thrill becomes fear and dread of what is going to
happen next. Human nature is drawn here with an acid pen, both
villains and the town residents. Other reviewers have called this a
page turner and I would agree. Reviewed by Avid Reader