Payoff

Simon Fisk #2

by Douglas Corleone

When movie studio mogul Edgar Trenton's teenage daughter, Olivia, is kidnapped during a violent home invasion in Calabasas, California, former U.S. Marshal Simon Fisk is called upon to ensure a smooth ransom exchange. But once it becomes clear that the kidnappers never intended to return Olivia to her parents, Simon must follow a lethal trail that will lead him from the powdery white sand beaches of the Cayman Islands through the wild jungles of Costa Rica, and into some of the darkest and deadliest cities of South America. Payoff is another satisfying thrill ride from Douglas Corleone, the author of GOOD AS GONE, and as Booklist said in a starred review, "Once the story kicks into high gear, which is pretty much on the top of page two, it doesn't let up, period."

Genres: Suspense, Thriller, Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 19, 2014

About the author

Douglas Corleone is the highly acclaimed and award-winning author of contemporary thrillers. His debut novel, ONE MAN'S PARADISE, introducing hotshot defense attorney Kevin Corvelli was a finalist for the 2010 Shamus Award for Best First Novel and winner of the 2009 Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award. Corleone's other novels in the Kevin Corvelli series include NIGHT ON FIRE and LAST LAWYER STANDING.

Douglas Corleone's highly acclaimed international thriller, GOOD AS GONE, featuring former U.S. Marshal Simon Fisk, was hailed by the Huffington Post as a "heart-wrenching, adrenaline-producing adventure that...leaves the reader gasping for breath." The second book in the series, PAYOFF is due out in August 2014.

Recently Douglas Corleone was selected by the Estate of Robert Ludlum, internationally bestselling author and creator of the Jason Bourne series, to continue Ludlum's series of thrillers featuring ex-Navy SEAL and former covert government agent Paul Janson. ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE JANSON EQUATION will hit stores early in 2015.

A former New York City criminal defense attorney, Douglas Corleone now resides in the Hawaiian Islands with his family, where he is currently at work on his next novel.

Reviews

[Dotty Morefield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Douglas Corleone has done it again. PAYOFF brings back the troubled hero of GOOD AS GONE - former U.S. Marshal Simon Fisk in a fast paced adventure that travels from Beverly Hills to Venezuela -- stopping at some of Central and South America's most dangerous cities and dealing with a collection of unforgettable characters -- both good and evil. Simon is called in when the teenage daughter of a Hollywood CEO is kidnapped in a violent home invasion. Although the ransom instruction are followed to the letter, the teenager is not returned and it becomes clear there is much more at stake here than money. Following slim leads and constant threats, Simon vows to find and return Olivia Trenton to her parents. One warning -- don't start this book after dinner -- you'll lose a lot of sleep because you won't be able to put it down

[Jay Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exciting and intriguing story that takes the reader from Hollywood all over the seamy side of Central America and eventually back to California. It is engrossing every step of the way, drawing the reader in from the very beginning. Whether it is a cartel boss or a Cardinal the characters are well-defined and come across as very real. Despite the building suspense, the author finds time to introduce side interactions that contribute to the value of the story. I couldn't wait to finish the book to see how things were resolved, then I immediately wanted to read it again just to see if I had missed anything. You won't go wrong buying this book. It's a keeper.

[Nancy McFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Douglas Corleone returns with another suspenseful thriller featuring ex-US Marshall Simon Fisk. Fisk is called in to help with a ransom exchange when the daughter of a movie tycoon is kidnapped. The only reason Fisk even agrees to help is because he owes the father a huge favor. It soon becomes apparent that the kidnappers have no intention of returning the teenager so Fisk must figure out who took her and why. Payoff is an action packed thriller and Simon Fisk is one of the coolest, new heroes to come along in a long time.

[gert · Rating 4 out of 5]

love this series. want more. right now.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the ease of reading Corleone's writing style. This was another fast-paced thriller!

[Stephanie Grohol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good book in the series and I look forward to the next book Gone Cold.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read, but not much of a surprise. I figured out what happened in the first 4 chapters. Good read nonetheless.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read, bizarre case of kidnapping, didn't appreciate the constant use of "Christ".

[Willa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second novel in a series after "Good as Gone," which introduced former U.S. Marshal Simon Fisk. After the abduction of his daughter and the death by suicide of his wife, Fisk quit the U.S. Marshals to become a private contractor, working to recover children who have been abducted by a parent. He prefers not to take on "stranger abductions" because they hit too close to home. However, h also can't help seeing every kidnapping case through the eyes of his own past, and ends up taking cases that he would prefer not to work.

In this novel, the daughter of a movie studio mogul is taken from her home in a violent home invasion and Fisk is hired to recover her. The trail leads to the Cayman Islands and from their to Central and South America. I liked this book, although I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I enjoyed Good as Gone. There was quite a bit of violence, and one torture scene which I skimmed over; a lot of the book was set in South American cities, with a lot of history that I wasn't really interested in. But all in all, a great installment in this series, and very well written.

NetGalley provided this book to me in return for an honest review.

[Heather Kremer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading, but not so good at writing reviews. Payoff is a superb book. A follow up to Corleone's "Good As Gone" which I couldn't put down. Likewise with Payoff. If you are a Doug Corleone fan and have read this book, you weren't let down. If you haven't read his books, it's time to start. Simon Fisk tracks kidnapped children, that is all too common in this day. His intent is to only take cases that pertain to kidnapping within the immediate family, however he is forced to expand his abilities to others. Both Good As Gone & Payoff hit too close to home for Simon, who had a daughter kidnapped (and has never been found), and led to his wife's suicide. Both books take you beyond the US in searches for these children. Not only will they hold your attention, but gave me an education. I highly recommend these books as well as his Keven Corvelli attorney books. If I haven't said enough, Doug has written the next Janson series book for the late Robert Ludlum. The "Janson Equation" is scheduled to be released in 2015. It will be the best in the Janson series.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in the Simon Fisk series which debuted with “Good as Gone” last year. Our hero is former U.S. Marshal Simon Fisk who now works as a private contractor to try to locate kidnapped children. After movie studio mogul Edgar Trenton’s teenage daughter is kidnapped during a violent home invasion, Fisk is hired to deal with the ransom exchange. It soon becomes obvious that the kidnappers are not going to return the girl and Fisk must track them through many dangerous South American cities to try to return her to her parents. This is a tremendous thriller with many surprises.

[dennis barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Payoff Douglas corleone

Another excellent story featuring Simon Risk.!! An ex US Marshall, turned private investigator, investigating a abduction of a daughter of an affluent Hollywood producer. Non stop action, a great mystery worthy of hopefully many more adventures!!! Enjoyed tremendously!!!

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read, and at the end the reasoning seemed a bit far-fetched to me. I have to be vague here. They went through all that because of this?! It was OK to do all that, but not OK to do this?

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Good; Continuing character: Simon Fisk; When a teen is kidnapped and not returned even after a multi-million ransom is paid, Fisk goes searching in some very dangerous places to try and bring her back alive

[Tom Madden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book with global action.

[Frank Carll · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Nick Stika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoy the Simon Fisk series.