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Buying Time

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 111 ratings · 38 reviews

Waverly Shaw is a down-on-his-luck lawyer who stumbles upon a potentially lucrative business just when he's about to hit rock bottom. In his new line of work as a viatical broker,Waverly comes to the rescue of people in desperate need of cash. There's a catch, however, his clients must be terminally ill and willing to sign over rights to their life insurance policies befor...more

Paperback, 370 pages

Published November 1st 2009 by Goldman House Publishing

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Feb 12, 2010 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, legal, thriller, suspense

A blurb taken from my full review from my blog review:[return][return]Buying Time is the fourth novel by Pamela Samuels Young, and is a fantastic legal thriller filled with an intriguing plot replete with clever twists and turns involving Live Now, a viatical company. Buying Time is filled with power-hungry people willing to go beyond poor choices to corruption fueled by greed and to some extent extenuating circumstances. While I found all of the characters to be disagreeable at best, their offe...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-trade, own

I was asked if I would be interested in reading this book as part of a blog tour and I happily agreed. This is the first thriller that I've read that has been written by a woman also. I'm so very glad that I was asked if I wanted to participate because I thought that this book was AWESOME SAUCE!

Buying Time is an extremely fast paced read as well as being a page turner. Once I started reading this work of art I was fully sucked into the story. I did think that as the book was progressing there we...more

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Oct 25, 2010 April rated it 4 of 5 stars

Settling in with Buying Time, I was completely unsure what to expect. This is my first work by Pamela Samuels Young and all I knew was that the synopsis sounded very interesting and intriguing. Once I began reading, I was completely thrown into the story and before I knew it was nearly half finished with the book. Yes, it was that engrossing. Pamela Samuels Young writes with such an intensity that the characters quickly come to life and the storyline simply flows from the pages.

Buying Time deal...more

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Jul 15, 2010 Theresa rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Adults

Shelves: african-american, adult, fiction, review-copy, thriller

I normally don't read thrillers by women, because those that I have read in the past have been, ummm... substandard. Maybe it's just been the books that I've chosen in the past, but they have seemed to lack what most male authors bring to the storyline - something that grips me, makes my heart pound and holds my interest. So, I sat down with this book with that attitude, and was quickly surprised and pleased. This is one gripping story that I couldn't put down.

The characters were wonderful, well...more

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Jan 23, 2010 Nardsbaby Reader rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club-reads, 2010-reads

Ruthlessly Brilliant

Waverly Sloan is robbing Peter in order to ply his wife, Deidra, with the lifestyle that she's accustomed to. What Waverly doesn't realize is his life is quickly spiraling out of control. On the brink of disbarment and bankruptcy, Vincent, a guy he met at a conference, introduces him to Live Now, a company that invests in dying people. While it sounds too good to be true, it's the best offer that Waverly has and losing Deidra is not an option.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela...more

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Sep 07, 2010 SenoraG rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, review-book, 2010, favorites, highly-recommended, mystery-thriller

Buying Time is absolutely one of the best legal thriller books I have ever read! This was my first book by Pamela Samuels Young and for sure will not be my last.

Buying Time took hold of me from page one and with each chapter only held me tighter and tighter wanting more. This book has a little bit of everything, murders, dirty lawyers, corruption, romance, outstanding characters that you love or not love or want to kick in the pants.

I have to say my favorite characters was by far Dre. I always...more

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Nov 27, 2009 Adrienna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: authors-on-blogtalkradio, author-request-read, dream4more-reviews, literary-club-read

Pamela Samuels-Young is known as the John Grisham story-writer with a female twist! Not only is she a best-selling author, but an attorney. She writes legal thrillers.

This is the first book I have read by this author, her latest book, Buying Time. She is able to write and intertwine several characters in a suspense-mystery thriller. I was linked to Waverly Sloan, although he was disbarred from law practice, selling viatical settlements through an insurance policy as a broker (illegally) to make...more

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Jul 24, 2010 Darlyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Superb! Buying Time is definitely a fast pace read and it's a page turner. I was fully absorbed in the story even though at first I thought lots of it kind of cliff hanging and left you wondering but turn out it makes sense in the end. It has two sides of stories which I keep asking myself; what's the link? One is planning on murder while another is guilty but both of them are quite victims of themselves by being framed. The characters are quite unexceptionable and disagreeable from the start. H...more

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Jan 18, 2010 William Bentrim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young

Angela Evans is an assistant U. S. Attorney who loses an associate to suspected murder while on assignment. She sets out on a quest to find his killer and on that quest finds love, separation, danger and redemption.

Pamela Samuels Young is flat out brilliant. This is an excellent story and as a debut novel, it is outstanding. The characters are clearly portrayed and practically anyone will find a character they know. Waverly Sloan is well portrayed as a basical...more

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Jan 24, 2010 OOSA rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: january-reads-of-the-month

Get Rich Quick

Waverly Sloan is a down-on-his-luck attorney. Disbarred, his life is spiraling out of control. He has a high maintenance wife that he really can't afford to support, a brother addicted to drugs always looking for a handout, and a wealthy father-in-law constantly breathing down his neck. Waverly needs an income and quick. Luckily, Vincent, a guy he met at a legal conference, told him about a way to make money brokering deals, to which he'll receive a hefty broker's fee. Rather morbi...more

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Oct 09, 2010 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Mar 27, 2011 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a really good book. I was skeptical because it was written by an attorney. Lawyers tend to be long winded and uninteresting but this book kept me interested. Even though I predicted a lot of what was going on, I still read on because Ms. Samuels Young was a strong writer. I liked her phasing. I thought Waverly was hilariously stupid. His wife was the quintessential gold digger. Her father was a snob. Ericksson was predictable but I loved what happened to him. Becker, my favorite charact...more

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May 08, 2010 Patty rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a delightful book. Well, as delightful as a suspense/murder mystery can be. You start out meeting Sloan Waverly, a lawyer about to get disbarred with a social climbing, greedy wife. He finds himself a new career in a questionable aspect of the insurance agency. Now he is rolling in money; his wife is happy, his father in law wants in and his clients are dying in very suspicious ways.

The plot is well developed and the ancillary characters are interesting and important to the story. They...more

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Aug 07, 2010 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: thrill-mysteries-scifi, 2010

It is an understatement to say that I enjoyed Buying Time. Loved the straight forward and direct style in Buying Time and I could not find any flaws to tempt me to lay the book down. I felt that I would really like to sit down with my favorite character in this book and have a long talk! Angela, a black woman Assistant United States Attorney working in Los Angeles in what I presume was the Criminal Division. It was easy for me relate to the Los Angeles setting (I had worked in the same federal b...more

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Jun 16, 2010 Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: worth-every-minute, legal-thrillers

With one deft move, and a fantastic book, Pamela Samuels Young has snuck onto my favorite authors list. Impossible, you say? Pick up a copy of Buying Time and then I defy you to not be thrilled by this roller coaster ride of law, greed and murder.

One of my favorite genres has long been legal themed books, particularly those with a mystery and thriller aspect to them. I suppose it's no surprise, given that my day job involves the law, but I eat these books up and can be particularly harsh on them...more With one deft move, and a fantastic book, Pamela Samuels Young has snuck onto my favorite authors list. Impossible, you say? Pick up a copy of Buying Time and then I defy you to not be thrilled by this roller coaster ride of law, greed and murder.

One of my favorite genres has long been legal themed books, particularly those with a mystery and thriller aspect to them. I suppose it's no surprise, given that my day job involves the law, but I eat these books up and can be particularly harsh on them given that I have more than the general layperson's knowledge about the system.

Buying Time did not disappoint in the slightest. From the first pages the reader is quickly drawn into the intertwined stories of a soon to be disbarred attorney with a materialistic wife, a federal prosecutor reluctantly engaged to a willful judge, a drug dealer on the road to rehabilitation and a powerful attorney with sights on becoming U.S. Attorney General with a dying wife and a deep secret. At the root of the individual stories is the viatical insurance business, a deadly connection.

This was my first book by Ms. Samuels Young and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style. The book is peppered with legal references but without being preachy or educational, those references are kept interesting and are not textbook dry in the least. Each chapter was relatively short, most around five pages, and kept the story moving quickly and the pace at sometimes breakneck speed. The characters were real and easily identifiable, even if they sometimes were not likable. And their actions were realistic ones, not ones made simply for plot purposes, a huge gripe of mine. Most importantly, the story was a terrific one, with a few twists thrown here and there and no loose ends left hanging at the end.

Buying Time was a book I simply could not put down and I guarantee you won't be able to either. It's a book that will leave you anxiously flipping pages long into the night.

I will anxiously await the next book by Pamela Samuels Young and I hope that a Hollywood producer or executive is smart enough to pick up this book and option it for a movie.

While Buying Time does deal with corruption and murder, there is not an excessive amount of violence. There is some slight language and sexual situations but only the most sensitive reader to those situations may find objection.

I would highly recommend Buying Time without reservation to any reader looking for a captivating mystery/thriller - - you will not be disappointed.

(less)

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Jan 22, 2012 Nakeshia rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the second title that I have read from author Pamela Samuels Young. Compared to the first one that I read (Murder on the Downlow), this one started kinda slow. But once it picked up, it really picked up! I had never heard of the viatical industry before reading this novel, so I googled it and was amazed to discover that this is a real business. There were several storylines in the book and they all flowed together. I liked the fact that I was unable to predict the ending. I would recomme...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Jennifer Walker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Buying Time is a fun and engaging legal thriller, enticing the reader to turn the page again and again to find out just who is behind the killings and how every piece of the puzzle fits together. She keeps the secret well right up until the end, when it finally comes clear in the denouement. The sad thing is that all of the characters are despicable, unlikeable people—even the good guys have personality traits that leave much to be desired. However, those who like legal thrillers should find som...more

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Oct 11, 2010 the little reader rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010

Buying Time brought three characters with their separate stories together, converging into one legal thriller wrought with corruption, deceit, murder and more. this was one of those un-put-down-able books that was a great way to mix up my reading habits and i would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a good thriller/suspense novel.

do you know what a viatical settlement is? i didn’t prior to reading this, so let me do a quick explanation first. apparently, there are brokers that purcha...more Buying Time brought three characters with their separate stories together, converging into one legal thriller wrought with corruption, deceit, murder and more. this was one of those un-put-down-able books that was a great way to mix up my reading habits and i would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a good thriller/suspense novel.

do you know what a viatical settlement is? i didn’t prior to reading this, so let me do a quick explanation first. apparently, there are brokers that purchase life insurance policies from individuals (usually those with terminal illnesses such as cancer) at a percentage of the face value. they pay the individual in cash, in exchange for being named the sole beneficiary of that policy. investors are willing to put up the cash for the return on their investment once the individual dies. at first it sounds a bit morbid, but in actuality, it can be a very meaningful thing for terminally ill patients. it allows them to do things they might not have afforded, such as experimental procedures that their insurance won’t cover, or to spend the last months of their life traveling. but, on the flip side of that coin is the potential for questionable and unethical actions, which is exactly what Buying Time is about…

Angela is a moderately successful attorney working on what could be her breakthrough case following an organization called Live Now that deals in viatical settlements. the organization is under scrutiny for their questionable tactics, but she soon realizes that the issues run much deeper. though Angela is dedicated and fierce in her professional life, her personal life is a constant source of headaches. her engagement to a judge seemed like a good idea at the time, since her biological clock is ticking, but as he becomes more and more controlling and condescending, she isn’t so sure of herself. then, when she meets the sensitive, thoughtful and good looking Dre at the gym, she finds herself caught up in a tangle in both her personal and professional life.

Lawrence Erickson is on the up and up with his career, shooting for the coveted U.S. Attorney General position, but his wife, at home with terminal cancer, is becoming a problem. she is the ruthless sort, clearly unhappy in the marriage and is threatening to expose something that could ruin his career. as he tries to placate her and hold her out until she kicks the bucket, he finds himself sucked into a web of political scandal and cover ups of enormous proportions.

Waverly has made a few wrong turns in life, but has the best intentions. supporting his gold-digging wife (and impressing his in-laws) proves to be more difficult than he’d anticipated and he finds himself cutting corners, and ultimately disbarred from the legal profession. when he gets offered the opportunity to sell viatical settlements for Live Now, he thinks things might finally be looking up. but, when his clients start dying sooner then they should and he finds himself under suspicion, he realizes that the downward spiral of his life has only just begun.

one thing i really appreciated about reading Buying Time was the presentation of viatical settlements in its strengths and weaknesses. this is an actual thing that can be a blessing to the patients. in addition, Young also explores domestic abuse in a very tangible way. although a tad graphic at times, i didn’t find it over-dramatic or excessive in its representation and appreciated the varying levels of human corruption. the depth and variety of characters that Young presented was extremely well done and although i can’t say that i liked many of the characters, their flaws were all well drawn. by far, my favorite was Angela, the strong and stubborn woman of the bunch. Waverly was irritatingly naive and played an annoying, yet convincing victim and Erickson was so easy to hate, the epitome of a deplorable politician.

my only qualms about the book were in its over-simplification of the nature of relationships. the marriages seemed borderline cookie cutter types, with enough predictability to bug me a bit. but, otherwise, it was an excellent book that i couldn’t put down. if you like a good thriller, this is a book not to be missed.(less)

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Aug 11, 2010 Cheryl "Mash" rated it 5 of 5 stars

Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young
Published by Goldman House Publishing
ISBN 9780981562711
At the request of Pump Up Your Book, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
Synopsis (back of book): Every life has a price. Waverly Sloan is a down-on-his-luck lawyer. But just when he's about to hit rock bottom, he stumbles upon a business with the potential too solve all his problems.
In Waverly's new line of work, he comes to the aid of people in desperate need of cash. But there's...more Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young
Published by Goldman House Publishing
ISBN 9780981562711
At the request of Pump Up Your Book, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
Synopsis (back of book): Every life has a price. Waverly Sloan is a down-on-his-luck lawyer. But just when he's about to hit rock bottom, he stumbles upon a business with the potential too solve all his problems.
In Waverly's new line of work, he comes to the aid of people in desperate need of cash. But there's a catch, His clients must be terminally ill and willing to sign over rights to their life insurance policies before they can collect a dime. Waverly then finds investors eager to advance them thousands of dollars-including a hefty broker's fee for himself-in exchange for a significant return on their investment once the clients take their last breath.
The stakes get higher when Waverly brokers the policy of the cancer-stricken wife of Lawrence Erickson, a high-powered lawyer who's bucking to become the next U.S. Attorney General, When Waveerly's clients start dying sooner than they should, both Waverly's clients start dying sooner than they should, both Waverly and Erickson-who has some skeletons of his own to hide-are unwittingly drawn into a perilous web of greed, blackmail and murder.
My Thoughts and Opinion: There is so much to say about this book and all positive. When I read a book for a review, I have a little checklist in the back of my mind that I use to critique a book. First, the description, Buying Time is a legal thriller, however, it was not bogged down with a lot of legal terminology where the reader needs to have a prerequisite of being a 4th year law student to understand. The legal jargon was worked into the story line so that it was easily understandable. Now to my check list. Did I get pulled into the plot and when? Check, on page 1 of the Prologue. Were the characters brought to life and relatable? Check. Was it, as I call it, "a one more chapter" read? Check. The chapters were short with chapters alternating with the different characters and ending with a mini cliff hanger that this reader had to read on until I got to the next chapter of this character. Was it a page turner? Check, all 414 pages. Was I able to conjure up vivid imagery due to the author's writing style for characters and scenes? Check. Was I so engrossed into the story that I didn't realize what was going on around me? Check. Did I enjoy it? Can I honestly recommend this book? Check and Check. A nonstop fast paced legal thriller that must be read!!
My Rating: 5(less)

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Jul 06, 2012 Ms.Toni rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ms-toni-s-stamp-of-approval

The only guarantees in life are death and taxes, so why not get paid? Recently disbarred with few options and even less time to decide, Waverly Sloan makes a career change and joins the viatical industry. Waverly’s job is to find terminally ill people with life insurance policies and offer to buy their policies for upfront cash, to which he receives a percentage. Sounds crazy, but to someone dying and in need of money, it works. Waverly quickly reaps the benefits from his new job and the money i...more

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Oct 05, 2011 Karena rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just finished this book tonight, and my thoughts are was that it was a good read. But, I still think that Murder on the Down Low was a better book in my opinion. With Buying Time, the whole Viatical Insurance business went over my head somewhat, I tried my hardest to understand it. The mystery building within the story was interesting, it was amazing to read about the things people would do to inquire more money even if that meant murdering people. But I really enjoyed the characters of Angela...more
I just finished this book tonight, and my thoughts are was that it was a good read. But, I still think that Murder on the Down Low was a better book in my opinion. With Buying Time, the whole Viatical Insurance business went over my head somewhat, I tried my hardest to understand it. The mystery building within the story was interesting, it was amazing to read about the things people would do to inquire more money even if that meant murdering people. But I really enjoyed the characters of Angela and Dre, if the author were to make a sequel I would hope that she would pair these two together again. Dre was a flawed character throughout the book, Angela was an achiever, career-oriented person who's future was already set. However upon meeting and dating Dre, I liked how her elevated status was brought down because she got caught up. I liked reading about how her flaws were being fleshed out. Which is a weird description and nothing I like seeing in the real world, but since its literature its okay. And as far as Dre is concerned, oh yes, I need a Dre in my life sans his checkered past, but I liked Dre because he was street-smart despite his bad choices, he knew what he was doing was wrong, but for him it was never meant to be permanent. He did it with the goal of stopping after he reached enough for him to live off of. I appreciated as a woman how protective he was of Angela even if he wasn't upfront about his past with her in the beginning, she had some skeletons in her past, and alot of things that kept her hindered including a maniacal fiance'. But Dre was that stand up kind of guy, and not to mention that his analytical skills were off the hook, I loved how he could break things down to its simplest forms. I would love for the author to utilize Dre's street smarts into a detective career if she makes a sequel.
Speaking of the author I got to meet Pamela Samuels Young last month on a book retreat in Savannah, GA and she auto-graphed my book. She's a nice person.(less)

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Nov 28, 2009 Dream 4 More Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: btr-interview, legal-thriller

Pamela Samuels-Young is a brilliant writer with legal thriller. Buying Time is a book about fraudulent viatical insurance policies sold to the terminally-ill. Who is the innocent victims? Why are deaths happening that are accidental instead of health-related? You need to read the book to find the answers and more.

She will be on our BTR showcase: www.blogtalkradio.com/Adrienna-Turner on November 28, 2009 at 10 p.m. to hear about the book!

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Jun 11, 2012 Tanya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Excellent read!!! My heart was pounding and I couldn't seem to put it down. I never thought of myself as a murder mystery thriller reader, but I'm looking forward to reading Young's other books!!! Although some of the language was distrubing, its diction made the plot real--simply captivating.

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Oct 26, 2012 Penny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Now I already told you to read Murder On The Down Low. Do I have to remind you that this Sistah can really write? Well, what are you waiting for? I read this one in 48 hours. A legal thriller that will grab you and keep you from page one all the way to the bitter end.

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Aug 09, 2010 Clare rated it 4 of 5 stars

Buying Time is a thriller with wonderfully human characters, tight editing, and a thrilling plot that makes it impossible to put down. For anyone sick of subpar thrillers with wooden characters, Buying Time will remind you why you like the genre.

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Sep 27, 2011 Norwood Holland added it

Currently reading buying time. I've read two other legal thrillers by Pamela Samuels Young. Fifty pages in, so far so good.Buying Time

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Oct 31, 2010 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Perfectly sexy blend of mystery, current topics and flawed characters. Pamela Samuels Young guest posts at Peaceful Reader.

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Oct 04, 2010 Mystee rated it 3 of 5 stars

http://amomentwithmystee.blogspot.com...

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Apr 18, 2012 Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great premise, tight plotting, wonderful storytelling. A great read.

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Apr 15, 2012 Paula Penebaker rated it 4 of 5 stars

This mystery has lots of interesting plot twists. I enjoyed it!

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About Pamela Samuels Young

Pamela Samuels-Young is the author of the legal thrillers In Firm Pursuit, a Romantic Times magazine "Top Pick," and Every Reasonable Doubt, a USA Book News Best Books of 2006 finalist in the mystery, suspense, thriller category. Her short story, Setup , is featured in the Sisters in Crime anthology, LAndmarked for Murder. A former television news writer, Pamela works as an employment attorney for...more

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