3 out of 4 stars
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Terrorism and national security are some of the hottest topics in current political news and Tempe Brown utilizes these talking points to fuel her political thriller The Payback Game: Sixteen Days of Terror. Sabyl Martin is the owner of a limousine company located in Washington DC. As well as having many important political clients, Sabyl often contracts with the government to provide car service for major events. Due to her line of work, Sabyl inadvertently becomes enmeshed with a terrorist organization responsible for the assassinations of multiple chief political officers. All the while, Sabyl is dealing with her ex-fiancé’s attempt to rekindle their relationship and the looming possibility that her physical health is in serious decline. Brown’s chilling tale has many present day implications.
The author wonderfully sets the scene for the events of the story to unfold. The geographic descriptions provide clear images of life in Washington D.C.; likewise, the character descriptions of professionals working in the area seemed realistic. It is easy to believe that Sabyl is an elite business woman having dealings with the White House; the same goes for her ex-fiancé, Scott, a secret service agent. Furthermore, the secondary characters are given personality to help carry the story along.
Though the story’s premise and the basis for the characters appear exciting, the execution of the narrative was rather dull and anticlimactic. The plot lacked any real surprises and the outcomes were predictable and banal. Further, many of the characters have moderately developed personalities, but they fail to excite the reader because they are incredibly elementary; the good guys are good and the bad guys are bad. The main “good guys” all lack any type of personal or ethical flaw; similarly, the bad guys are fundamentally bad and we are given no character insight to humanize them in anyway. The one dimensional bad guys weren’t as bothersome because they were terrorists and it is understandably hard to humanize a terrorist; but the lack of any imperfection in the protagonists only hindered the already unimaginative story.
The events in the novel suffered from many of the same setbacks found in the characterization. Although the circumstances surrounding the characters are frightening, nothing bad really happens. The best possible outcomes of all the terrible situations explored in the plot prevail. The happy endings made the book feel idealistic and impractical, especially given the focus on terrorism.
Tempe Brown showcases quality writing and an interesting premise in this novel. However, the one dimensional characters coupled with the predictable and easily managed events in this story are hugely disappointing; therefore, I rate The Payback Game: Sixteen Days of Terror 3 out of 4 stars. I would have considered giving this book a higher rating if the plot had not been so predictable. I recommend this book to those who enjoy light political thrillers and books with strong female leads.
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The Payback Game
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