Buy on Amazon

Payback

By: R.A. Van Vleet
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Publication Date: June 18, 2024
ISBN: 979-8-891321-22-9
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: August 11, 2024

R.A. Van Vleet opens the floodgates of murder, mystery and intrigue in his latest thrilling crime novel, Payback.

Ian Martin’s wealthy client, Betty Huntington, has hired Martin’s Investigation, Security, and Bond Enforcement Agency. She suspects her husband Harold is up to something nefarious—cheating, to be precise. Megan is one of Ian’s top agents and is on a stakeout. Her assignment is to capture incriminating evidence from a distance with her camera to confirm Betty Huntington’s suspicions. However, Harold is a slippery character and discovers Megan is filming him canoodling with a particularly sultry blonde much younger than him. When Megan realizes Harold has discovered her, she takes flight from the stakeout immediately. Harold will deal with Megan later. For now, he needs to cover his tracks. To avoid his wealthy wife finding out the details of his wandering ways, he resorts to deadly measures to prevent her from finding out what he’s been up to.

Betty Huntington isn’t Ian’s only client. Ian’s friend, Detective Michael Ryan, is the latest connection to his business practices. It seems Police Officer Carl Castello, formerly married to Kari Singleton, is still angry about the divorce he was forced into accepting. Kari is a defense attorney and has worked with Ian and his team on several cases. When one of her clients suddenly goes missing, Ian exposes the murder of what initially seems unrelated, until more bodies and victims begin to surface along with too many coincidences tied to them. Time is running out for Ian and his team to expose the identity behind the multiple murders.

I wasn’t familiar with author R.A. Van Vleet before reading Payback, but I have to say, this was an exciting read. Van Vleet strikes a match to his pen from the onset and burns an engaging trail of mystery, intrigue, and who-done-it, throughout. There is no predictability in terms of obvious conclusions. Rather, the strategic planting of seeds and introduction of characters easily draws the reader’s attention to continue the journey. It’s a very interactive read which is tantamount to the perfect crime thriller. The dialogue is rich and credible. There are enough characters to entice a vast audience to pick one as their favorite as they will surely relate to the chosen character. The tandem style between the two distinct plots between the covers of Payback and Van Vleet’s artful way of weaving them together is great. He knows exactly how to tie everything up into a neat bow at the proverbial end and has done so with fantastic flair. Great read, Mr. Van Vleet—you have inspired me to go back and read your previous titles.

Quill says: Payback checks all the boxes of a compelling and engaging crime thriller.

For more information on Payback, please visit the publisher's website at: atmospherepress.com/books/payback-by-r-a-van-vleet/