Payback

by Leslie Hachtel

Several surprises await Beth Abbott when she returns to her small town. As a detective, she expects very little in the way of interesting crime. But victims of a female serial killer change that. And then, there's Tom. Another detective with the local force, he wants to capture not only the perpetrator but also Beth's heart.

Genres: Crime

369 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2016

About the author

Leslie Hachtel was born in Ohio, raised in New York and has lived all over the country. Her various jobs, including licensed veterinary technician, caterer, horseback riding instructor for the disabled and advertising media buyer have given her a wealth of experiences.
However, it has been writing that has consistently been her passion.

Leslie lives in Florida with a fabulously supportive engineer husband and her writing buddy, Josie, a doodle.

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway, thanks to the author, Leslie Hachtel and Goodreads for the opportunity. This was a good mystery that was leading me down one suspect path early on, but keep me thinking it could possibly be another, which it turned out to be. I loved the romance aspect too with Beth, one of the lead detectives. I thought the ending was abrupt, but maybe that was to entice us. Assuming this might become a series!

[✴ Cindy ✴]

Snooze fest.

[GrnEyed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a few of Leslie Hachtel’s books and always thoroughly enjoy them. Up until this point all I have ever read are the historical romances that Hachtel writes. This book is a complete departure from those books. Although there is romance in this book there is also a much darker theme in this book.

The main characters are Beth Abbott and Tom Brady. Both of the characters are detectives that grew up in the same small town. Beth has returned for her father who is not doing well following an accident. There is a lot of animosity, anger, and bitterness directed towards her father because of the type of man he was when Beth was a child.

Beth ends up joining with the local police department and gets partnered with Tom Brady. Tom remembers Beth from high school and cannot get over how much she has changed. Their partnership becomes more than just solving crimes; it becomes something much more personal. When they are not following their desires, they find themselves trying to solve a series of murders that appear to be connected to a single perpetrator. I appreciated how, although some might consider the pace of the investigation a bit slow, it wasn’t rushed too quickly. On the other hand, I do feel the ending, or resolution, was extremely rushed. I wish things would have gone a bit longer when it came to solving the murders.

This story offers the reader an insight into strained family dynamics, returning to a childhood home/town, workplace romance, as well as everything required to solve murders committed by a serial killer. Beth and Tom are both extremely likeable characters and seeing how their romance develops is fun. I will admit that by a certain point in the story, I had an inkling as to who the serial killer was but then ended up changing my mind. There are some rather dark elements and descriptions in this book due to the serial killings. Overall this is an enjoyable read with a mixture of themes to keep the reader engaged.

[Susan Bissell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is one story that will keep you up at night, and it will make you look over your shoulder when you go out at night, especially if you are over 60. Someone is killing women over 60, the press it calling the Grandma Killer. There are no connections between these older women but their age. Why is the serial killer going after older women, this killer must hate his/her mother. BUT is the serial killer a man or a woman? The local Chief of Police won't call in an FBI profiler to help the local police figure out who is killing these older women. Beth, the main character, has just moved back to her small hometown from Chicago to be near her abusive alcoholic father who is dying in a nursing home from a car accident when the killings start. She and her partner, Detective Tom Brady, (a local football hero from high school she had a crush on) are on the case but the killer does the killing at random with no set pattern or time, so far hasn't left any clues or DNA behind. Now the count is up to seven and still no clues as to whom this serial killer is. Pressure is mounting as the town's Mayor, and the local college Dean, are growing impatience, they want the killer caught now that count is up to seven older women murdered, they want Beth and Tom to figure out who it is and solve this case TODAY! In the meantime, Beth and Tom fall passionately in love, they begin planning a wedding while they are looking for the killer, but will they find the killer before he/she murders again? Hopefully, they solve these murders before another older woman is murdered, if only the killer would slip up and leave a clue for Beth and Tom to go on, they can only hope as the pressure is on for them to catch this serial killer so this sleepy town can go back to normal.

[Barbara Leuthe · Rating 4 out of 5]

good storyline,but with knowing who the killer was from the beginning it lost the suspense aspect.Beth and Tom as a team were a good combo.The coming back home and starting over added to the story but the story just ended wish it was dragged out longer for more suspense.I received this book free as part of goodreads giveaways

[Patricia Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. There is a serial killer, killing women over 60, viciously! Most of the cops are useless, all except for Tom and Beth. They actually try to figure it all out, while building a nice relationship. Hoping there is another book coming because I would love to read more about them.

[Susan Wisnewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non stop action

Could not put this book down. Beth returns to her childhood home and finds even more horror than when she left. Hooking up with sexy Tom, the duo try to solve the grandma murders. I loved the nonstop action, the intriguing story, and the steamy encounters. Bravo!

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from good reads and I very much enjoyed reading it. Great story line...

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A serial killer that only targets women over 60, dubbed the grandma killer...how could you not be intrigued by this plot. I am not big on romance novels, but I absolutely love murder mystery novels and this one was definitely great in that department. I would highly recommend this book to mystery readers, even if like me, you don't care much for romance.