The Payback by Simon Kernick

The first book of 2012 is yet another Simon Kernick crime thriller. This time it's his most recent (excluding Siege, due to be released on the 18th) but, unfortunately, not his best.

So, what's the basic plot? Well, this is best written from the blurb: "Dennis Milne is a former cop and part-time assassin. He kills the bad guys - people who, in his opinion, deserve to die. Now he's in Manila, waiting for his next target: a young woman who's made some deadly enemies.

DI Tina Boyd is in Manila hunting down the man responsible for the death of her lover. She knows he's dangerous. She knows he's ruthless. But she's termined to bring him to justice - even if it kills her.

Two cops with pasts that haunt them - and a present that could see them both dead."

Featuring two of my favourite characters, Tina Boyd and Dennis Milne, The Payback is well written but doesn't quite pack the punch that novels like Severed and Relentless do. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I did. Especially the fact that it brought two characters together along with some others who have been featured in previous novels. The plot in this book is one which would be best understood if the reader has read all or most of Simon Kernick's previous books but could only really be described as predictable (unlike previous releases) and, at times, a bit slow.

There are, like all of his books, plenty of action points and violence, but, additionally, there are also points where you just want the character to stop talking and start doing. A little bit too much waiting around.

Enough complaining, what was good about the book? Firstly, it had Tina Boyd, a character I always enjoy reading about. Secondly, it was set abroad instead of London and the surrounding areas. This added a new "feeling" to the story with different characters and locations. It also killed off a character featured in previous stories who, when they've been read about, you've wanted to die. Vicious creatures who know only violence.

So, what are my final views on The Payback? Well, despite being well written and researched, it could have been a bit more lively as the most lively part, in my opinion, began around 50 pages from the end. I'm hoping that this is just a one-off and Mr. Kernick was just having a moment. Blame the cuts, or something like that.

Sadly, this gets a rating of just 3.5/5.