Payback: A Novel

Lorenzo Carcaterra

Aug 2020 · Tank Rizzo Book 2 · Sold by Ballantine Books

About this ebook

Payback is personal for a former NYPD detective taking on a corrupt cop and a dirty accounting firm in this adrenaline-laced thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Sleepers and Tin Badges.

“Carcaterra’s keen eye and deft style bring New York City to stunning life. A brilliant thriller by one of the all-time greats.”—Jeffery Deaver, #1 internationally bestselling author

If there’s one kind of person Tank Rizzo hates most in this world, it’s a dirty cop. Criminals are at least honest about being dishonest; dirty cops are a disgrace to the badge they carry. Detective Eddie Kenwood is one such disgrace. He’s got the highest signed-confession rate in the NYPD and a distinguished career built on putting men behind bars—whether they’re guilty or not doesn’t matter much to him. When Tank’s partner, Pearl, tells him about an old family friend Kenwood put in jail for a murder he didn’t commit, Tank and Pearl vow to take Kenwood down.

Also in need of a takedown: the money-laundering accounting firm where Tank’s brother used to work—before he mysteriously died, leaving Tank the sole guardian of his nephew, Chris. Chris smells a rat, and enlists Tank’s help to bring the men who had his father killed to justice.

Working two big cases means getting out the big guns, and Tank assembles his A-team. With help from a retired mobster, a professional boxer, a Chelsea psychic, a dog named Gus, and the U.S. Attorney—not to mention his and Pearl’s own quick wits and Chris’s burgeoning skills as a computer whiz—Tank gears up to take on his most dangerous and personal cases to date.

Ratings and reviews

Second book in the Tank Rizzo series. Rizzo comes face to face with his past demons and present justice and payback. This is an excellent read, I found the capacity for violence a bit outrageous at times and wonder if this will be the focus of the next book (if there is one). All the friends and family have a place in this one and yet the pieces shuffle and change direction. Add this to your TBR list.

Contrived guilt and unlikely fight scenes make it difficult to suspend disbelief

About the author

Lorenzo Carcaterra is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Safe Place, Sleepers, Apaches, Gangster, Street Boys, Paradise City, Chasers, Midnight Angels, The Wolf, and Tin Badges. He is a former writer/producer for Law & Order and has written for National Geographic Traveler, The New York Times Magazine, and Maxim. He lives in New York City and is at work on his next novel.