Payback Ain't Enough

Payback #3

by Wahida Clark

The inimitable Wahida Clark delivers the next installment of her bestselling high-octane urban drama series, Payback—filled with the glamour, sex, and danger that fans of the series can’t get enough of and that new readers will rush to.

Picking up where the suspenseful ending of Payback With Ya Life left off, we’re plunged back into the hip-hop drama, where the men are hot and dangerous, the women know their shoes from their Choos, and will stop at nothing to get what they want. In a game of power and intrigue where the stakes are high and the rewards are dazzling, the losers are gonna discover there’s always a price to pay.

Genres: Fiction, Urban, Drama, Audiobook

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2012

About the author

Wahida Clark was born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey. She decided to start writing fiction while incarcerated at a women's federal camp in Lexington, KY. Her style is street, raw, and she has an imagination that's in overdrive. When you read her novels they are so real you are convinced of one of three things: that you are inside the book, you know the characters, or you just have to meet them.
Her first novel, Thugs And The Women Who Love Them and the sequel, Every Thug Needs A Lady appeared on the Essence Best Sellers List.

Reviews

[Diane Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love! well written and a good series to get into...(paperback!)

[Trish]

When I dove into the shelves of a Goodreader who commented on one of my reviews, I noticed she’d read a lot but hardly had a five star read, even on her Favorites Shelf. Wahida Clark was a strong feature and Payback Ain’t Enough was one in a series that rated highest. Decided I would check it out to see what made it a stand out.

Wahida Clark is a one-woman storm best known for her Thug series which she began to write while serving a ten year sentence in federal prison for mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. Her stories are romance on steroids, sometimes called Urban Lit, where the women are well-packaged and smart and the men are ripped and dangerous. Clark herself is a natural-born storyteller who can distinguish for us the many voices she packs into her neighborhoods, and she manages to get many twists and turns into a relationship before payday.

These are mean, double-crossing streets and so far as I know could be a fair representation of Detroit, where this series is set. No one ever seems to get tired of trying to get one over on the other guy, though there was a female character, Janay of Georgia, that was looking to leave the set:

"Even though I was thrilled at the possibility of getting out of prison, I wasn't saying to myself, 'Hooray! I am so looking forward to getting back into the dope game.' I was tired of the shit."

Janay got dragged back in when her father put her in charge of his stable while he served a sentence. Family is complicated in this book, and life-threatening.

There was one so-called nice guy, called Six-Nine, who attended a funeral and was described:

"Yo, there go Six-Nine. Niggas behind the wall got mad respect for him. I saw his flicks several times. That nigga gettin’ lots of clean money; see, he was smart. Once he got his big score, he invested it. Dude got stocks, bonds and shit. He’s just too nice and trusting. Like Robin Hood on his side of town. He makes sure everybody eats. At least that’s what they say."

Later we learn that Six-Nine runs an international counterfeiting organization duplicating credit cards and cash. “He once made a million dollars disappear from a dirty politician’s bank account with no paper trail.” Must be where he gets his Robin Hood cred.

Anyway, it’s pretty exhausting. I got to page 50 before I started skimming. Wahida Clark has her own publishing company now and two years ago had some twelve titles in publication. She is most famous for the Thug series and the Payback series, individual titles of which have spent time of the New York Times bestseller list. Her work has been optioned for TV and film and her franchise is doing brilliantly.

An interview with Jet Magazine in 2012 tells us Clark was working on a play at that time. That would be a fundamentally different experience for writer and audience, changing her work for the better, I think. Her audience will be sitting there in front of her for a couple hours. That brings qualitatively different demands than a novel.

In 2015 Clark was interviewed by Vice Magazine’s Seth Ferranti. The final question and answer seemed refreshingly direct and is reprinted here:

Do you ever think that street lit romanticizes or even glamorizes crime?


We try our best to follow personal principles and literary principles that demand that good triumphs over evil all of the time. However, the demand today is for junk food—both physically and mentally.

My husband taught me that it was easier to write books for money than to write books to educate. So of course we took the road for money, in hopes that it would put us in the position to educate. It's a constant grind and hustle. If you are not constantly pushing your business it will remain stagnate. And of course, content is King. Or, in my case, Queen.

Clark is impressive. She is Vice President of Prodigal Sons & Daughters Redirection Services to help young ex-offenders to find a new way in a changed society, and provides aid and direction to those with substance abuse problems.

[Charlene (Char)🍁☕️📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Payback Ain’t Enough! When everyone is aiming for the top there is nothing no one will do or no line anyone will cross. New vendettas are being made while old ones are being settled. Everyone has a motive and everyone has a hit list. This book was good and the narrative made it easy to follow the audible book! I truly enjoyed it now on to book 4.

[Me'Tova Hollingsworth - Bethley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this page turner just as much as I did the other books in the Payback series. The ending was surprising, and I know Briggen was just as surprised as we were at the end. Shan and his other women really showed him. He seriously thought he was getting over. What a ladies man! LOL! I can't wait for "Thugs". That teaser has me ready to see what is going to happen with Trae and Tasha. I'm a fan of both the Payback and Thug series, and I was very pleased with Wahida's work. I was a little confused when Sharia and Briggen got together at the end. That was a cliff-hanger to add to all the other surprises in this book, but hopefully there will be another book that covers that relationship. Overall, I must admit that once again the Queen of Thug Lit has done her thang! Bravo Wahida!

[Zarinah · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book took me by surprise because it was not what I expected. this was my 1st book by Wahida and it was exciting, dangerous, crazy, wild, street, violent, and a page turner.
In the first few chapters I was a lot lost because it was book 3 and I had not read book 1 or 2. but I was doing an audio book so I just let it play and soon realized it did not matter because this book had enough new drama and everyone was introduced with enough info for me not to be confused.
I was not sure I would be into a prison story but the story moved from jail to the street quickly and the plot unraveled all in the hood. as the reviews stated there are lots of points of views and characters more than i ever read in a book before. at least 10 different characters if not more but hearing the audiobook was soooooo much better because there are sound effects, voice changes, music, and it makes the book feel like a movie. I was talking to myself, laughing, and gasping. women run the streets and I loved it! it was a little gruesome at times but the added extremes added to the books excitement. very well written.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good and Not so Good...

This book wasn't as good as the last 2, but it was still a good read. Things got a little confusing toward the end, some things that happened, sort of just happened without any explanation or relevance. I wish the ending were more clear, like the very last page tells you what Shan did and who she ended up with, but Wahida never explained how they even got there.

It was good, but a little all over the place, with an uncleAr ending.

[Tynika Reads 🌺 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should’ve known that Nick was somehow involved in Shan’s plot to leave Briggen. It was crazy. However I know it’s not the end of Briggen or Dark’s crazy ass. I love the book, however I felt like the storyline dragged out longer than it needed to. I can’t wait to read the final part of this series.

[Charlene Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow I am speechless. This book was not what I was expecting. Shan is pregnant again by Briggen and her perfect world comes tumbling down after Briggen's lies are brought to light. There are many appearances from the other two books in the series and if you are not familiar with them then you may get a little confused. This book was all about the chicks getting their payback. Once Briggen's lies come out Shan transforms into a new person and not for the better because we all know she's not very street smart. This was a good read, all of the character's were connected in some way. Nick's reappearance definitely stirred things up. There were also a few unanswered questions, so I hope if there is another installment all the unnecessary scenes are left out. But it was good to see Shan actually put herself first again. And that Dark was a reckless somebody, willing to kill whoever to get to the top. I would definitely recommend this book. It's not my favorite in the series, but still a good read. And the ending was a complete surprise! Love Wahida!

[India Jones-Tanner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Payback Ain't Enough is the third book in the series. The first two books were page turners, this one, not so much. There was drama unfolding all around, but it seemed so detached from the storyline. (I'm still trying to figure out what was suppose to be happening in this book.)

First, the book had too many characters. (Shan, Briggen, Dark, Mia, Nick, Cisco, Sharia, Janay, and the list goes on and on) It was hard to determined who the main focus of this book was going to focus on.

Next, the plot was all over the place and Wahida didn't bring it together at the end of the book. (Another book, ugh) There were some interesting bangs towards the end of the book though.

Finally, it just wasn't a good, written book. There is nothing about this book that I want to remember. Read at your own risk.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My final rating on this is a 3.5 because this one really fell short for me and I hate to say that because I am a huge fan of this author. This installment of the series seemed rushed and was confusing sometimes, however it did have its good points to let you know Ms. Clark did in fact write it but at time you were not really sure. I guess it will be another installment but I'm not sure because there seem to be closure in the ending but alot of unanswered questions.

[☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ ѕℓιм ☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dang this book had so many surprises like dang I didn't even see it coming. I wonder if ol' boy got shot. But I know I'll find out in part 4. But dang they got Briggen good I was rooting for him and Shan but oh well they said everything green on the other side is not what it seems I think something's gone happened in part 4 can't wait to listen lol.

[Shan Shan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Too many characters to keep up with but Wahida did her thing once again. Can't wait for the next one.

[Charmaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author. There were a lot of characters I got confused a little but it was a good read. I will read more from this Author

[Ms Hudson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Glad it’s still over!!!

The book could have been good but I didn’t like the main characters. I know Briggen cheated on Shan but she was a snake. And very unlikable in this book. No heroes here.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Wahida Clark. The style of writing she has keeps me engaged and on edge waiting for the next page to reveal more.
I get drawn in completely with the small sections of each person's story.
This book was a good follow up in the series and came with many surprises.

[Chanda Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am left in suspense because I don't know what is happening next. I need more, I need to know if Shane is going to be free to live her life without looking over her shoulders.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Payback Ain't Enough

I love reading this book I could not put it down until it was finished, I can't wait to see what happens next.!!

[Anglela Fleshman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the entire series of this book from beginning to end I was all ears. I truck drive so I love to listen to a good read.

[Latedia Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read it worth reading a lot of unexpected moments in the book

[Linda Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was on fire!!! On to Part 4!!

[Sheryl Boyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wahida always delivers a page turner. There is always payback and revenge in the drug game. On to the next book to see how it's delivered and played out.

[Ashley Terrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

My college campus closed for winter break , so I had to check the book back out again ....
There's a difference between survival and greed.

[Skai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow lol, I didn't see half the stuff that happened in this book coming to my eyes got all big listening to this book on audible on my kindle fire. Am I like dang why-why? I definitely couldn't stop listening to this book shoot I finish this book in three days or was in two lmao I can't remember since I was all into it and got all hot when family kept interrupting me from listening to what happened next. I can't wait until I start on part 4 because I need to know what happened to Dark and that's kind of messed up what they did to Briggen I liked that dude. But karma is a mother I just think he got what was coming to him because he was treating all his whores dirty and talking shit and that fool isn't seen any of it coming. Espically the situation with Nick and Crystal lmao that's all I'm going to say lmao.

[Taiyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was awesome I just can't believe shan was acting so pyshco like that and the fact of that lil stunt she pulled in the end it was like a slap in the face on her and briggen part but especially hers! I didn't even think she was that smart but I guess she a bad REDBONE as she like too call her self! I just feel loke her and briggen didnt act as if they were married with one child and one on the way really! Wahida definately did her thing in this book but here she is finna let another man raise her kids in another country! And that boy DARK that nigga was straight crazy, he needa be put in a straight jacket somewhere and MIA a fool, idk what made her think that Briggen really cared about her!

[Shanae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really a let down. After reading the first two books in the series my expectation where a little high I guess. There were so many characters. Why would she put shokkah in this book. That was random.During the book, it seemed as though the author forgot Shan was pregnant and would mention it every once in a while. Also, I was really confused about how Nick had anything to do with this. How did he get out of Jail? How did Dark get out of Jail? Why would Shan ask if Mia could go with her to Canada if they hated each other. Who hired Dark to kill Forever? Left confused and stuck with a lot of unanswered questions. I am a big Wahida Clark fan but this book was def my least favorite.

[Dez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series was really good....but Im still trying to figure out why Shan set Briggen up at the end? I guess it was because she felt that he lied to her about still being in the drug game? And for her to run away with her babies and Nick?! Didnt see that coming at all.....then there were some lose ends that were never tied , like what happened to the whole HIV thing? Lets not forget that everyone was sleeping with everyone in the first and second books....didnt Nick sleep with Brianna, who slept with Shadee? What about Janay ? Shadee was HER man and he had that "bug"....im just saying, there were alot of loose ends that were never tied. So with that being said, I give the SERIES 5 stars but for this last book I give 3 stars.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read quite a few of Wahida Clarks books. I think I may have missed one or two of this series. This was a page turner for me. Even though I wasn't fully familiar with all the characters (or it's been so long since I've read one),it's easy to catch up/on. None of the characters is particularly likeable. But, I don't think that's important or, even what the author wants.When telling a story, especially this type of story that's not always integral. I am hoping there is another with the same group of characters.It would be nice to know what happened to Briggen, Dark, Shan and Nick etc...

[Vi Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first Payback novel many years ago. I actually think I enjoyed this one even more. It is truly a "page turner" in my opinion. The narrator does an excellent job performing the various voices (and there are many). The plot is action driven from the first paragraph to the last. Wahida has definitely earned my respect and admiration with this title.

I'm curious enough to continue this series now to see if Shon and Briggin's kids are going to end up furthering their parent's legacy in the game.

[KayBee's Bookshelf · Rating 2 out of 5]

"one confusing series"

Pros
Got me thru the work day
Dark
Nicole Small

Cons
Rough transitions between scenes
Lacked character development
Story lacked clarity which led to an ending that didn’t make sense
Characters drama and treachery almost became too confusing to keep up with
Series didn’t make sense to me

Characters or character observations that stood out
Shanae- confused, naïve, weak unlikeable, unbelievable character.
Her level of being completely of unaware was hard to believe.
The “bosses” (Janae, Briggen, Nick) did not come across as bosses.

[Gwen K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series. It was a page turner from beginning 2 end. There were so many unexpected twists. The only thing I didn't like is, there were just SOOOOO many characters that several times I had 2 go back 2 remember how they were connected 2 the main characters. Overall, another great work from one of my favorite authors.