The Big Payoff

Anna Peters #1

by Janice Law

Set at the time of the North Sea oil boom, The Big Payoff marks the debut of Anna Peters, the witty, cynical character Booklist called "among the most complex, fully drawn female leads in crime fiction" and whom the New York Times lauded for her "sweetly unscrupulous deals".In The Big Payoff, Peters is employed in the research department of New World Oil Company, a position that suits this now reformed blackmailer. Happy with her lover, Harry, Anna has abandoned the seductive intellectual and psychological game of blackmail for the straight and narrow.But mysterious deaths among New World's British contacts convince Anna that something is wrong in the executive suite. Worse, she is soon blackmailed by a British secret service agent who's following the same trail.Anna reluctantly bugs her boss's phone and copies company files, but when her British contact turns up dead, Anna finds that sheand Harryare in mortal danger. Her old skills come in handy as she tries to keep ahead of ruthless killers, first in Washington, D.C. and then in the north of Scotland.The Big Payoff has been issued in British, Danish and Japanese editions and was a selection of the Detective Book Club. It was an Edgar Award nominee.Look for more of Janice Law's Anna Peters mysteries to become available in the near future.

Genres: Mystery

179 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1975

About the author

Janice Law (b. 1941) is an acclaimed author of mystery fiction. The Watergate scandal inspired her to write her first novel, The Big Payoff (1977), which introduced Anna Peters, a street-smart young woman who blackmails her boss, a corrupt oil executive. The novel was a success, winning an Edgar nomination, and Law went on to write eight more in the series, including Death Under Par (1980) and Cross-Check (1997).

After Death Under Par, Law set aside the character for several years to write historical mysteries The Countess (1989) and All the King’s Ladies (1986). After concluding the Peters series, she wrote three stand-alone suspense novels: The Night Bus (2000), The Lost Diaries of Iris Weed (2002), and Voices (2003). Since then, Law has focused on writing short stories, many of which appear in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Fires of London (2012) is her most recent novel. She lives and writes in Connecticut.

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Sigh* I have to say that I was disappointed with The Big Payoff, the 1st Anna Peters book, by Janice Law. A couple of years back I'd read Under Orion, the 3rd book in the series and while it wasn't perfect, I enjoyed it. The Payoff introduces Anna Peters.

Anna, it seems had previously made considerable cash blackmailing people. But she had given up that life, found a man she loved and begun a career as an executive assistant for T William Harrison (AKA T. Bill) at New World Oil. Anna begins to suspect some of T. Bill's dealings. The company is involved in bidding for oil drilling rights in the North Sea, with other companies. She discovers that scientists working for the British competitor have been killed in mysterious circumstances.

Anna believes that T Bill is working with folks (maybe the Saudis) to remove the competition. She reports her concerns to the British embassy and then finds herself involved in industrial espionage on their behalf. She's not happy with their dealings with her as they are quite threatening, holding her past life over her head to force her spy on T. Bill.

Everything blows up all at once. Her handler is killed, her boss now threatens to either kill Anna or have her arrested. Fast thinking she ends up sort of working for T. Bill and heads off to deliver stolen documents on his behalf to deadly mysterious folks in Scotland... How will it all end up for Anna?

I like Anna and I do like a good spy story and I liked the industrial espionage aspect. That's a nice different touch. It just seemed that at times there were great leaps of logic and jumping from one fire into the next. But then again, I think most spy stories have that premise. As I mentioned when I discussed the 3rd book, it wasn't perfect but it was entertaining. I like Janice Law's historical mystery series featuring Francis Bacon (the English painter) and I think I'll continue with the Anna Peters' series. I do want to see what predicament she'll get involved with next. (2.5 stars)

[Glen U · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was first published 40 years ago and I read it probably 35 years ago for the first time. I enjoyed it then and I enjoyed it as much, if not more this time. It is a marvelously written book with a compelling story line, engaging characters, tightly written prose, and it is not "dated" even though four decades have passed since its debut. The protagonist is a young woman who could be a role model for the present generation of women (warning: she does have a distinctly larcenous bent to her). She is strong, independent, and self sufficient. While her moral compass is slightly askew, she is still a compassionate person. This book is not a timeless classic, by any means, but it is a very well written piece that I may read again in another 35 years time.

[Jamie Trecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my Mom's second best book. It's a kick-ass thriller about ne'er do-wells, a secretary and oil companies. Does it sound as if it is "ripped from today's headlines?!" Well, consider that it was written in 1975, was a best-seller then, and today reads as fresh as it did over 30 years ago. The lead character, one Anna Peters, was one of the first modern female thriller characters. Don't take my word for it: Mom won an Edgar (the Mystery Writers of America's version of the Oscar) for her. More? Well, Alvin Toffler, the writer of "Future Shock," and Newt Gingrich's pal, took two pages out of that book to trash my Mum, which is as good an endorsement as you will ever get. Go read it.