What do you think?
Rate this book
Mina Deerling Thriller #1
The Payout
A distressed young woman falls under the spell of a homicidal maniac and becomes his partner in murder in this disturbing psychological thriller.
Pondering suicide sitting on a Malibu dock one night after running away from home, doe-eyed young Mina Deerling meets smooth-talking Gage Catton, who is trying to load his wife’s body wrapped in a blanket onto his boat. When Catton finds out to his shock that his wife is still alive in the blanket, he talks the distraught Mina into helping him finish her off with his knife. Together they put out to sea and, miles from shore, toss his wife’s body overboard with an anchor bound to it.
Mina learns that Catton faked his death a year ago and was trying to collect his half of the life insurance payout from his wife when he discovered she had double-crossed him and absconded with all of the money for herself.
Now Catton wants that money, and he’ll do anything to get it, including using Mina to help him achieve his goal in a psychopathic relationship that forces Mina to confront the horrors that lurk in the darkest corners of her mind in a nerve-racking voyage of self-discovery.
Pondering suicide sitting on a Malibu dock one night after running away from home, doe-eyed young Mina Deerling meets smooth-talking Gage Catton, who is trying to load his wife’s body wrapped in a blanket onto his boat. When Catton finds out to his shock that his wife is still alive in the blanket, he talks the distraught Mina into helping him finish her off with his knife. Together they put out to sea and, miles from shore, toss his wife’s body overboard with an anchor bound to it.
Mina learns that Catton faked his death a year ago and was trying to collect his half of the life insurance payout from his wife when he discovered she had double-crossed him and absconded with all of the money for herself.
Now Catton wants that money, and he’ll do anything to get it, including using Mina to help him achieve his goal in a psychopathic relationship that forces Mina to confront the horrors that lurk in the darkest corners of her mind in a nerve-racking voyage of self-discovery.
392 pages, ebook
First published October 12, 2018
About the author
Bryan Cassiday
69 books213 followersAward-winning author Bryan Cassiday writes thrillers and horror fiction. His novel Horde (Zombie Apocalypse: The Chad Halverson Series Book 6) won the 2022 Independent Press Award and the 2021 American Fiction Award for Best Horror novel. His novel Electric Green Mambas was a Finalist in the Reader Views Award for Thrillers 2021-22. His short story "Boxed" was published in the anthology Shadows and Teeth Volume Two, which won both the 2017 International Book Award for best adult horror fiction anthology and the Florida Association of Publishers and Authors President's Award gold medal for best adult horror fiction anthology 2017.
"A bracing page-turner with an unconventional hero."--Kirkus Reviews on Bryan's thriller Murder LLC
His thrillers include the psychological thriller The Payout and the Ethan Carr thriller Force of Impact, which Kirkus Reviews called "A fast-paced detective novel enhanced by exceptional characters and a striking ending."
Praise for Bryan Cassiday's Thriller Bolt
“From the very start, Bryan Cassiday spins what appears to be a typical Southern Californian private investigation novel in Bolt, but quickly takes off in a direction that speaks to our current troubled times. Well-plotted and crisply written, with great characterization, this is one to look for.”--Brendan DuBois, coauthor with James Patterson of The Cornwalls Are Gone.
"Noir suspense at its best! Private eyes, hit men, globe-trotting, and characters you don't know whether you can trust or not. Fans of James Ellroy, Dennis Lehane, and Fredrick Forsyth will love Bolt!"--Matthew Farrell, best-selling author of What Have You Done
Praise for Bryan Cassiday's Zombie Books
"The plot engages from the beginning and holds the reader's interest until the last page."--The Booklife Prize on Horde
"Cassiday blends thoughtful suspense and pulse-pounding terror to deliver a novel with both bite and creeping dread."--David Dunwoody, author of Empire and The Harvest Cycle
"Written with the epic scope of World War Z and infused with the gritty spook works derring-do of a Robert Ludlum spy thriller, Sanctuary in Steel is full of zombie mayhem through and through."--Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Flesh Eaters and Inheritance
"Sanctuary in Steel made me feel like I did the first time I watched Romero. Fresh, exciting and engaging like any outbreak story should be."--Iain McKinnon, author of Domain of the Dead
"A bracing page-turner with an unconventional hero."--Kirkus Reviews on Bryan's thriller Murder LLC
His thrillers include the psychological thriller The Payout and the Ethan Carr thriller Force of Impact, which Kirkus Reviews called "A fast-paced detective novel enhanced by exceptional characters and a striking ending."
Praise for Bryan Cassiday's Thriller Bolt
“From the very start, Bryan Cassiday spins what appears to be a typical Southern Californian private investigation novel in Bolt, but quickly takes off in a direction that speaks to our current troubled times. Well-plotted and crisply written, with great characterization, this is one to look for.”--Brendan DuBois, coauthor with James Patterson of The Cornwalls Are Gone.
"Noir suspense at its best! Private eyes, hit men, globe-trotting, and characters you don't know whether you can trust or not. Fans of James Ellroy, Dennis Lehane, and Fredrick Forsyth will love Bolt!"--Matthew Farrell, best-selling author of What Have You Done
Praise for Bryan Cassiday's Zombie Books
"The plot engages from the beginning and holds the reader's interest until the last page."--The Booklife Prize on Horde
"Cassiday blends thoughtful suspense and pulse-pounding terror to deliver a novel with both bite and creeping dread."--David Dunwoody, author of Empire and The Harvest Cycle
"Written with the epic scope of World War Z and infused with the gritty spook works derring-do of a Robert Ludlum spy thriller, Sanctuary in Steel is full of zombie mayhem through and through."--Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Flesh Eaters and Inheritance
"Sanctuary in Steel made me feel like I did the first time I watched Romero. Fresh, exciting and engaging like any outbreak story should be."--Iain McKinnon, author of Domain of the Dead
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 19, 2018
I received a free ebook through Goodreads Giveaways. A thriller, The Payout, left me a little less than thrilled. Gabe Catton has the perfect scheme to make himself rich--fake his death, collect the insurance money and ride life out on easy street. When his wife double-crosses him and takes the money, he does the next logical thing and decides to kill his wife and steal the money back. Mina, in the wrong place at the wrong time, unwillingly gets caught up in his twisted game.
I wanted to like it more; I admire people who have a desire to write and put themselves out there, but there were things I just couldn't get past. There were timeline issues, minor...but distracting. There were logic issues, “They’re not gonna catch us,” said Catton. “I’m smarter than them. I’ll always have a step or two on them.” Well, this guy, Catton? Pretty despicable, and definitely not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Was he really supposed to be? Was I reading a satire/thriller? I don't know, there is not a lot of character development; we don't ever really get into anyone's head and ultimately the characters were pretty flat and I'm left wondering if all the bad moves and totally illogical ideas were serious or the author's quirky sense of humor playing out on the pages.
I wish there had been a little more editing. There were some redundancies that could have been fixed. I only needed to read a couple of less than brilliant moves/ideas/thoughts once. A few unusual words showed up over and over again. No one ever drank, took a sip, chugged, or gulped a drink--they only "pulled". And then there were a few other words--glommed, tenebrous, hinky, debouched--really didn't fit with otherwise fairly plain text. Sometimes simple is best.
Overall, there is a story there and it kept me interested, and maybe I'm glad he didn't develop Catton better...haha. Not quite 3 stars, but rounding up.
I wanted to like it more; I admire people who have a desire to write and put themselves out there, but there were things I just couldn't get past. There were timeline issues, minor...but distracting. There were logic issues, “They’re not gonna catch us,” said Catton. “I’m smarter than them. I’ll always have a step or two on them.” Well, this guy, Catton? Pretty despicable, and definitely not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Was he really supposed to be? Was I reading a satire/thriller? I don't know, there is not a lot of character development; we don't ever really get into anyone's head and ultimately the characters were pretty flat and I'm left wondering if all the bad moves and totally illogical ideas were serious or the author's quirky sense of humor playing out on the pages.
I wish there had been a little more editing. There were some redundancies that could have been fixed. I only needed to read a couple of less than brilliant moves/ideas/thoughts once. A few unusual words showed up over and over again. No one ever drank, took a sip, chugged, or gulped a drink--they only "pulled". And then there were a few other words--glommed, tenebrous, hinky, debouched--really didn't fit with otherwise fairly plain text. Sometimes simple is best.
Overall, there is a story there and it kept me interested, and maybe I'm glad he didn't develop Catton better...haha. Not quite 3 stars, but rounding up.
July 2, 2019
Disappointed
I won this book for Kindle on a Goodreads give away. The premise seemed interesting but was poorly executed. The story was too choppy. The reason why it was unnecessarily long was that it kept repeating the same elements of the plot. Ending was a surprise, but there wasn’t any suspense with it because the repetition became too much and wore down any sense of shock.
I won this book for Kindle on a Goodreads give away. The premise seemed interesting but was poorly executed. The story was too choppy. The reason why it was unnecessarily long was that it kept repeating the same elements of the plot. Ending was a surprise, but there wasn’t any suspense with it because the repetition became too much and wore down any sense of shock.
January 3, 2019
I won this thru Goodreads.
1. I saw the movie. It did not win an award.
2., 3., 4., etc. Repeat the above.
This seems to be a slightly different take on an established theme.
5. Hire a proofreader/editor.
1. I saw the movie. It did not win an award.
2., 3., 4., etc. Repeat the above.
This seems to be a slightly different take on an established theme.
5. Hire a proofreader/editor.
June 7, 2019
I tried to continue to read this book, but life is too short, so I'm sticking a pin in it. The writing was horrendous and the storyline was just bad.
July 15, 2019
Yikes, I just could not finish this book! Everything is repeated over and over. The storyline and the characters are absolutely absurd.
I received this book from Goodreads for a honest opinion.
I received this book from Goodreads for a honest opinion.
July 21, 2019
I received a free copy of this book. Could not get into this one so I put it down for a few months. Tried again but still no go. Good premise but poorly executed. Donated to local library.
July 19, 2019
Won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Not a fan of this author’s writing style. The ending was a bit abrupt and confusing as well. Only after I read a preview of his follow-up book did I find (a bit) of clarity.
November 4, 2019
I won this ebook through a Goodreads Giveaway back in the spring. I was hesitant to read it due to the overwhelming negative reviews on here but I gave it a shot. Long story short (pun intended) it was meh and I’d give it 2.5 stars. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it.
May 25, 2019
Surprise ending
The characters were mostly unlikable. I liked one but as the story unfolded I changed my mind. The ending had some elements I anticipated but surprises as well.
The characters were mostly unlikable. I liked one but as the story unfolded I changed my mind. The ending had some elements I anticipated but surprises as well.
December 13, 2025
has to be his worst one yet, and that's saying a lot for the absolute talentless writing he churns out. probably ai.
Did Not Finish
February 24, 2019I received a copy of this book from the author through a Goodreads giveaway. This does not affect my rating or opinions.
DNF at 17%.
The narrative style just doesn't work for me: short, choppy, repetitive sentences, constant POV changes where each character seems to fixate on the same 2-3 things (trust/betrayal for Catton, depression/power for Mina, justice/food for Dunleavy); there's also a painstaking play-by-play of basically every move the characters make, as well as casual misogyny and some fat-shaming. I really don't relate to any of the characters, let alone like them, and although the premise could be intriguing the execution could be better.
DNF at 17%.
The narrative style just doesn't work for me: short, choppy, repetitive sentences, constant POV changes where each character seems to fixate on the same 2-3 things (trust/betrayal for Catton, depression/power for Mina, justice/food for Dunleavy); there's also a painstaking play-by-play of basically every move the characters make, as well as casual misogyny and some fat-shaming. I really don't relate to any of the characters, let alone like them, and although the premise could be intriguing the execution could be better.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews