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The Repo
Ex-DEA agent Jack Merchant and "repo woman" Sarah Ballard court death on the high seas in a new mystery with enough kinks and twists to keep readers guessing to the last page.
359 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 28, 2020
This was a difficult book to get into, but I am glad I stuck with it as it got much better by the middle of the book and the ending was quite good. Ex-DEA agent helps his friend repossess a boat and discovers that the owners are on the run from people wanting to do them in. Exciting finish saves this one.
August 19, 2012
Disgraced ex-DEA Agent Jack Merchant is scratching out a living in early retirement and living aboard his boat, the Lila. Moored in Boston Harbor he's a ripe target for the low-lifes from nearby Charlestown he used to put away, and to make matters worse, the repo man has showed up for the Lila. Except the repo man is actually a woman, and not just a woman, but a woman from Jack's past, named Sarah Ballard. Sarah's got a deal for him: Help her track down a rich couple - the Baylors - who took off on their boat leaving behind missed payments and the shadow of a possible embezzlement scheme. Do it in a week, and Jack can keep his floating home.
Jack and Sarah make a good team, but while they're making headway in chasing down the missing couple, it soon becomes apparent that they aren't the only people looking for the Baylors, and there is much more going on here than meets the eye. Enemies from Jack's past are in the mix, and worse, a previously unseen player with extremely deep pockets, a nasty psychopathic streak and a deadly hitman on his payroll wants something as well; something for which he's willing to kill.
This is the first book in Bill Eidson's series about Jack Merchant and Sarah Ballard, and I devoured it. The characters are well-drawn, the dialog and descriptions tight and compelling, and the story moves along at a steady clip with only a few detours into forgivable cliche. There is definitely a little familiar ground and structure in "The Repo", but it is easy to look past in the face of engaging and sympathetic protagonists, nifty plot twists, and chilling villains. An excellent, fun read for the beach - recommended.
Jack and Sarah make a good team, but while they're making headway in chasing down the missing couple, it soon becomes apparent that they aren't the only people looking for the Baylors, and there is much more going on here than meets the eye. Enemies from Jack's past are in the mix, and worse, a previously unseen player with extremely deep pockets, a nasty psychopathic streak and a deadly hitman on his payroll wants something as well; something for which he's willing to kill.
This is the first book in Bill Eidson's series about Jack Merchant and Sarah Ballard, and I devoured it. The characters are well-drawn, the dialog and descriptions tight and compelling, and the story moves along at a steady clip with only a few detours into forgivable cliche. There is definitely a little familiar ground and structure in "The Repo", but it is easy to look past in the face of engaging and sympathetic protagonists, nifty plot twists, and chilling villains. An excellent, fun read for the beach - recommended.
November 20, 2015
Before you consider this one...In my humble opinion, the Goodreads synopsis doesn't really capture the essence of what this story is about.
Jack Merchant is an ex-DEA agent who has hit financial straits on his payments for a watercraft. Sarah Ballard is an old friend, but also happens to the be the repo agent who has to put the hammer down on him. Given their relationship and his DEA skills, she offers him an alternative...He can help her track down another couple who have skipped town with a ton of outstanding $ due on their boat. And if they are successful, he can keep his. As they both investigate the couple's disappearance, things start to get thick, involving, among other things, some of their past demons.
(It's been awhile since I actually read it, so forgive me if I got a detail or two wrong there...But that's the general gist.)
I feel like the villains are overdone a bit, and some of the past-present connections are contrived. And there's at least one instance where the protags kind of get lucky along the way. But it gets an A for suspense nonetheless, and on that alone, I give it three stars.
Jack Merchant is an ex-DEA agent who has hit financial straits on his payments for a watercraft. Sarah Ballard is an old friend, but also happens to the be the repo agent who has to put the hammer down on him. Given their relationship and his DEA skills, she offers him an alternative...He can help her track down another couple who have skipped town with a ton of outstanding $ due on their boat. And if they are successful, he can keep his. As they both investigate the couple's disappearance, things start to get thick, involving, among other things, some of their past demons.
(It's been awhile since I actually read it, so forgive me if I got a detail or two wrong there...But that's the general gist.)
I feel like the villains are overdone a bit, and some of the past-present connections are contrived. And there's at least one instance where the protags kind of get lucky along the way. But it gets an A for suspense nonetheless, and on that alone, I give it three stars.
April 29, 2019
A lot of action and hard to keep all the players straight. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it. Ex-DEA agent help repo company (owned by a woman) repossess a boat in Boston. Many, many layers plus romance.
September 28, 2024
This author is new to me (as so many seem to be these days) but this is a very good crime thriller, seen from the POVs of their very different people, loaded with action, and sizzling with tension. Jack Merchant is an ex-DEA agent, now living on his 4-foot sloop in South Boston and trying to start up a new career as a photographer. He was basically run out of the agency when another agent -- a loose cannon type -- got killed in a shootout. (The deeper details of his career are going to play a large part in the story.) But he’s having trouble making the mortgage payments on his boat, and that bring him into contact with Sarah Ballard, an old flame he hasn’t seen in five years and who now runs the boat repossession agency she inherited from her father. (The “Repowoman,” as everyone insists on calling her.)
Sarah is holding the paper on his overdue debt, but she has a complicated repo on her plate right now and she needs some help, and she trusts Jack, so she offers to hie him for sufficient pay to keep him afloat or another few months. Jack doesn't have a lot of options, so he;’s in. But they aren’t going to end up in bed by the third chapter because Sarah has had a couple of harrowing experiences with men since they last saw each other and she tells him straight out that she needs a friend, not a love.
And there’s Thomas, a black, middle-aged ex-CIA black ops guy who has gone private, covering up the sometimes fatal sexual escapades of a very wealthy venture capitalist and Internet guru. He’s a complete mystery to the reader at first, but be patient.
So, Jack and Sarah spend the first half of the book tracking down the whereabouts of a young semi-wealthy couple with a sloop not unlike Jack’s, who seem to be on the run -- but the two investigators can’t imagine why that would be the case. This part of the story is basically a police procedural as we watch them plying their skills, and it’s quite fascinating. And then, . . . something happens. And suddenly the story goes off in a very different and much scarier direction. You’re going to want to put aside a few hours of quiet time for the last half-dozen chapters.
The narrative is extremely well put together and precisely paced. The dialogue is nicely handled and go a long way to painting the characters’ inner selves. And it’s obvious the author has a deep understanding of blue-water sailing and the world of marinas and trying to make a living on the water on the New England coast. Highly recommended. And there’s a sequel.
Sarah is holding the paper on his overdue debt, but she has a complicated repo on her plate right now and she needs some help, and she trusts Jack, so she offers to hie him for sufficient pay to keep him afloat or another few months. Jack doesn't have a lot of options, so he;’s in. But they aren’t going to end up in bed by the third chapter because Sarah has had a couple of harrowing experiences with men since they last saw each other and she tells him straight out that she needs a friend, not a love.
And there’s Thomas, a black, middle-aged ex-CIA black ops guy who has gone private, covering up the sometimes fatal sexual escapades of a very wealthy venture capitalist and Internet guru. He’s a complete mystery to the reader at first, but be patient.
So, Jack and Sarah spend the first half of the book tracking down the whereabouts of a young semi-wealthy couple with a sloop not unlike Jack’s, who seem to be on the run -- but the two investigators can’t imagine why that would be the case. This part of the story is basically a police procedural as we watch them plying their skills, and it’s quite fascinating. And then, . . . something happens. And suddenly the story goes off in a very different and much scarier direction. You’re going to want to put aside a few hours of quiet time for the last half-dozen chapters.
The narrative is extremely well put together and precisely paced. The dialogue is nicely handled and go a long way to painting the characters’ inner selves. And it’s obvious the author has a deep understanding of blue-water sailing and the world of marinas and trying to make a living on the water on the New England coast. Highly recommended. And there’s a sequel.
October 5, 2024
Great Premise
I really enjoyed the character Sarah and her background story. The initial plot setup was intriguing. But I thought the second half of the book didn’t live up to the potential of the first half.
I really enjoyed the character Sarah and her background story. The initial plot setup was intriguing. But I thought the second half of the book didn’t live up to the potential of the first half.
October 31, 2023
Good story, well paced
This is a good guys against bad guys tale. There is an interesting plot to bring everyone together, and it even seems plausible.
This is a good guys against bad guys tale. There is an interesting plot to bring everyone together, and it even seems plausible.
July 5, 2025
It's been awhile since I finished this one but it was a good read.
October 24, 2014
An ex-DEA agent teams up with a repo-woman to retrieve a luxury boat, and finds himself in the middle of a complex web of murder, embezzlement, and corporate greed. Why does the corporation who hires them want to be present personally when the couple who took off with the boat? Why does the couple set up a conflicting trail to avoid detection? Why do bodies keep turning up? This was a very good crime thriller, and apparently one in a series following these two repo agents. Will definitely read another of these books.
August 11, 2015
#1 in the Jack Merchant & Sarah Ballard series. This two book series is an obscure gem.
Jack Merchant & Sarah Ballard agree to track down the Baylors and their missing yacht. Sarah's business is marine repossessions and Jack, working for Sarah to pay his boat bills, is ex-DEA who is now living on a sailboat close to being repossessed. Twists abound with both Baylors' employers involved, as well as enemies from Jack's DEA past.
Jack Merchant & Sarah Ballard agree to track down the Baylors and their missing yacht. Sarah's business is marine repossessions and Jack, working for Sarah to pay his boat bills, is ex-DEA who is now living on a sailboat close to being repossessed. Twists abound with both Baylors' employers involved, as well as enemies from Jack's DEA past.
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December 8, 2012too many bodies, too much shooting, too, too stupid
January 27, 2016
Characters are all too damaged & the book is too violent to really enjoy...
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews