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The Payback Game
A decorated New York City detective in the prime of his life suddenly dies of a heart attack. Or so it seems.
But a star columnist for the Daily News isn’t buying it. No way, no how. Using information supplied by a street snitch, the investigative reporter believes that the cop was killed by a hitman who used a shot of potassium chloride to simulate a heart attack.
When the reporter starts nosing around, he himself is killed by an assassin who disappears without a trace.
Months later, when the dead reporter’s murder goes stone cold, a retired legendary columnist hires rogue private investigator, Frank Boff, to hunt down the killer.
Boff and his sidekick, boxer Danny Cullen, team up once again, and this time they find themselves up against a ruthless biker gang, bent cops, and a criminal mastermind who’ll stop at nothing to launch a multi-million dollar criminal operation in Brooklyn.
Lied to, shot at, and constantly under threat, Boff and Cullen cut through layers of deceit and misdirection to zero in on the mastermind with one intention only: to seek and destroy.
But a star columnist for the Daily News isn’t buying it. No way, no how. Using information supplied by a street snitch, the investigative reporter believes that the cop was killed by a hitman who used a shot of potassium chloride to simulate a heart attack.
When the reporter starts nosing around, he himself is killed by an assassin who disappears without a trace.
Months later, when the dead reporter’s murder goes stone cold, a retired legendary columnist hires rogue private investigator, Frank Boff, to hunt down the killer.
Boff and his sidekick, boxer Danny Cullen, team up once again, and this time they find themselves up against a ruthless biker gang, bent cops, and a criminal mastermind who’ll stop at nothing to launch a multi-million dollar criminal operation in Brooklyn.
Lied to, shot at, and constantly under threat, Boff and Cullen cut through layers of deceit and misdirection to zero in on the mastermind with one intention only: to seek and destroy.
452 pages, Paperback
First published February 26, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 10, 2018
Brooklyn, NY. Detective Patrick Maloney (42, 71st Precinct Brooklyn PD) had walked his beat for many yrs.
Rashid (snitch) was following both Detective Maloney, & the person that was tailing him.
They both went into a rundown apartment complex.
Only 1 came out & hailed/jumped into a cab & took off.
West Greenwich Village (Hudson St.). Nicky Doyle (40+, Daily News investigative reporter) made sure he gave “Blind Joe” Woolley (beggar) a big tip.
Malik (Pakistani newsstand clerk) sold Nicky a copy of the Daily News which had his front-page story in it.
Greenwich Village (Morton St.). Just as he put his keys in his apartment door BANG! BANG! BANG!
That was the last story he ever wrote.
Nino Biaggi’s Gym (Crown Heights, Nostrand Ave). Frank Boff (husband/father, defense lawyer, PI, former DEA), was watching his younger son Steven Boff (brother) & Danny “Dan” Cullen Jr. (super middleweight WCB, Frank’s sidekick) & a whole bunch of others workout.
Manhattan, NY. Bailey’s Corner Pub (York Ave/85th St.). Frank & Danny met with Mike Cassidy (75+, Uncle, retired Daily News reporter) & Hannah Riley (20+, granddaughter, Brooklyn Eagle crime/court reporter, NYU, Columbia U; journalism).
He wanted to hire the 2 of them to find out who murdered his BMF Nicky.
The agreed to the terms & a retainer check of $5 g’s was given to Frank.
At breakfast Frank told his family members: Jenny Boff (wife/mother, Catholic), Sharon Boff (daughter/sister, UCLA), & Steven about his new case.
Hannah met with DS Victoria Damiano (77th. Precinct, lesbian).
Prospect Park Bandshell. Frank, Danny, Mike & Hannah met with Detective Eddie Galvani (71st Precinct Brooklyn PD).
Sunny’s Bar (Red Hook). Frank went to interview Jan Roszak (55+, longshoremen Union official, former roughneck).
Rashid (informant) called Hannah & told her Derrick (20+, snitch) would meet with her at the
B & Q station (Ave J, Midwood). What information did he give Frank & Hannah?
Bailey’s Corner Pub (85th/York). Why were Frank & Mike meeting with Earl Monroe Bassett (A/A, 40+, nonprofit Dreams Come True CEO)?
IKEA parking lot. Rashid was meeting with Frank, Hannah & Danny.
5B tenement building. Frank, Hannah & Danny were going to pay Daphne (ho, porn star) & Derrick a visit.
They wouldn’t get anything out of them ever again.
Each 1 had been found with a needle stuck in their arms.
Field Marshal Johnson & General Hagen were in jail awaiting trial.
Criminal Court Building. A daily grind with court cases.
All rise. Judge Clyde Powell; Judge James “Jim” Tingle (A/A, the King); Judge Milton Harbor; Judge Herb Abrams; Judge Carol Woldanski; Judge Sloan; Judge Richards & Judge Young are presiding.
What were Larry Gormley (A/A, attorney), Alice Mary, Thelma, & Al demanding?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written crime thriller book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great crime thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Lisaatmanybooks; Endless String publisher; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
Rashid (snitch) was following both Detective Maloney, & the person that was tailing him.
They both went into a rundown apartment complex.
Only 1 came out & hailed/jumped into a cab & took off.
West Greenwich Village (Hudson St.). Nicky Doyle (40+, Daily News investigative reporter) made sure he gave “Blind Joe” Woolley (beggar) a big tip.
Malik (Pakistani newsstand clerk) sold Nicky a copy of the Daily News which had his front-page story in it.
Greenwich Village (Morton St.). Just as he put his keys in his apartment door BANG! BANG! BANG!
That was the last story he ever wrote.
Nino Biaggi’s Gym (Crown Heights, Nostrand Ave). Frank Boff (husband/father, defense lawyer, PI, former DEA), was watching his younger son Steven Boff (brother) & Danny “Dan” Cullen Jr. (super middleweight WCB, Frank’s sidekick) & a whole bunch of others workout.
Manhattan, NY. Bailey’s Corner Pub (York Ave/85th St.). Frank & Danny met with Mike Cassidy (75+, Uncle, retired Daily News reporter) & Hannah Riley (20+, granddaughter, Brooklyn Eagle crime/court reporter, NYU, Columbia U; journalism).
He wanted to hire the 2 of them to find out who murdered his BMF Nicky.
The agreed to the terms & a retainer check of $5 g’s was given to Frank.
At breakfast Frank told his family members: Jenny Boff (wife/mother, Catholic), Sharon Boff (daughter/sister, UCLA), & Steven about his new case.
Hannah met with DS Victoria Damiano (77th. Precinct, lesbian).
Prospect Park Bandshell. Frank, Danny, Mike & Hannah met with Detective Eddie Galvani (71st Precinct Brooklyn PD).
Sunny’s Bar (Red Hook). Frank went to interview Jan Roszak (55+, longshoremen Union official, former roughneck).
Rashid (informant) called Hannah & told her Derrick (20+, snitch) would meet with her at the
B & Q station (Ave J, Midwood). What information did he give Frank & Hannah?
Bailey’s Corner Pub (85th/York). Why were Frank & Mike meeting with Earl Monroe Bassett (A/A, 40+, nonprofit Dreams Come True CEO)?
IKEA parking lot. Rashid was meeting with Frank, Hannah & Danny.
5B tenement building. Frank, Hannah & Danny were going to pay Daphne (ho, porn star) & Derrick a visit.
They wouldn’t get anything out of them ever again.
Each 1 had been found with a needle stuck in their arms.
Field Marshal Johnson & General Hagen were in jail awaiting trial.
Criminal Court Building. A daily grind with court cases.
All rise. Judge Clyde Powell; Judge James “Jim” Tingle (A/A, the King); Judge Milton Harbor; Judge Herb Abrams; Judge Carol Woldanski; Judge Sloan; Judge Richards & Judge Young are presiding.
What were Larry Gormley (A/A, attorney), Alice Mary, Thelma, & Al demanding?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written crime thriller book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great crime thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Lisaatmanybooks; Endless String publisher; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
June 16, 2018
This is the 1st time I've read this author. Different way of writing and an incredible amount of characters. Once I got the hang of it, I really enjoyed reading this fast paced thriller. Two men are murdered, finding the link between them, breaking down the intricate facts is a DEA agent turned PI. He has plenty of friends and contacts to help him. There's murder, drugs, embezzlement, Hell's Angels,a dirty cop, boxers and much more. All the twists and turns keep your interest in this intriguing tale. Read it in one day, only stopped for lunch, it's just that good!
You won't be disappointed.
You won't be disappointed.
February 25, 2018
Intriguing
The story has a lot of twists and turns it hard to put down. The main character was devious with a good heat.
The story has a lot of twists and turns it hard to put down. The main character was devious with a good heat.
February 28, 2018
New York cop dies of apparentc heart attack...two weeks later, an investigative reporter is murdered. the case turns coid and Frank Boff takes the case...
October 5, 2020
Just want to say a thoroughly enjoyable read and recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery
July 19, 2014
There's an old expression that's used a lot. It goes: "Paybacks are hell." For readers of Nathan Gottlieb's series featuring private investigator Frank Boff, The Payback Game is the fourth book in the series and is probably the best of the four.
If you've read any of the other books in the series, you know that Boff is a former DEA agent who became a private investigator and took on clients from the "other side" of where he was during his years as a drug agent. Nowadays, Frank Boff was working for the defense of the criminals he used to woek endlessly to get off the streets. The reason he was working the other side was because he got fed up with the politics and corruption of the agency he used to work for.
But recently, Boff started working cases "pro bono" because of the insistence of his wife, who worried endlessly that Frank's work for the "bad guys" was going to keep him out of heaven. So, in order to keep the peace at home, Boff took on cases to make up for the work not approved of by his family.
Early on in his career as a private operator, Frank lived and worked in Las Vegas. But his family ties caused him to move his family back to the streets of New York, where his mother still ran a "candy store" in the Bronx and protected herself with a shotgun behind the counter.
I've really enjoyed reading this whole series and have done reviews for all of them, which I've posted on the Amazon.com website. The earlier books revolved around the boxing game and featured a number of characters who were either boxers or trainers or other people who worked in the boxing business. The author's career for many years was as a sportswriter for the largest newspaper in New Jersey and he did a lot of writing about boxing, so his "back stories" were based on his own experiences in that business.
There's still a connection to boxing in The Payback Game. A couple of Frank Boff's friends from the boxing days is working with him on his cases and the interplay between these characters works really well and everyone seems to fit right in with the storyline. In fact, Frank's own son is making an attempt to get into the boxing game himself and the father-son relationship which was very strained in the earlier books seems to be on the mend in this story.
Among many reasons why this series has been so enjoyable to read, what stands out as the primary page-turning motivator is that everything moves the characters and the stories to a logical conclusion. And it does so in a way that just draws the reader right into the middle of a terrific series of events that make up these beautifully crafted stories. The Payback Game, like all of the other Frank Boff tales, is one of those rare series of books that makes the reader almost sad when he realizes that the book is coming to a conclusion. However, the other side of this coin is the fact that the reader just knows that these books will be read again. And again. And again.
So go ahead and get started reading Nathan Gottlieb's Frank Boff stories. It's not necessary to read them in order. For me, though, I did read them in sequence and as the character evolved, so, too, did I. Think about that. As for me, I'm eagerly awaiting number five.
If you've read any of the other books in the series, you know that Boff is a former DEA agent who became a private investigator and took on clients from the "other side" of where he was during his years as a drug agent. Nowadays, Frank Boff was working for the defense of the criminals he used to woek endlessly to get off the streets. The reason he was working the other side was because he got fed up with the politics and corruption of the agency he used to work for.
But recently, Boff started working cases "pro bono" because of the insistence of his wife, who worried endlessly that Frank's work for the "bad guys" was going to keep him out of heaven. So, in order to keep the peace at home, Boff took on cases to make up for the work not approved of by his family.
Early on in his career as a private operator, Frank lived and worked in Las Vegas. But his family ties caused him to move his family back to the streets of New York, where his mother still ran a "candy store" in the Bronx and protected herself with a shotgun behind the counter.
I've really enjoyed reading this whole series and have done reviews for all of them, which I've posted on the Amazon.com website. The earlier books revolved around the boxing game and featured a number of characters who were either boxers or trainers or other people who worked in the boxing business. The author's career for many years was as a sportswriter for the largest newspaper in New Jersey and he did a lot of writing about boxing, so his "back stories" were based on his own experiences in that business.
There's still a connection to boxing in The Payback Game. A couple of Frank Boff's friends from the boxing days is working with him on his cases and the interplay between these characters works really well and everyone seems to fit right in with the storyline. In fact, Frank's own son is making an attempt to get into the boxing game himself and the father-son relationship which was very strained in the earlier books seems to be on the mend in this story.
Among many reasons why this series has been so enjoyable to read, what stands out as the primary page-turning motivator is that everything moves the characters and the stories to a logical conclusion. And it does so in a way that just draws the reader right into the middle of a terrific series of events that make up these beautifully crafted stories. The Payback Game, like all of the other Frank Boff tales, is one of those rare series of books that makes the reader almost sad when he realizes that the book is coming to a conclusion. However, the other side of this coin is the fact that the reader just knows that these books will be read again. And again. And again.
So go ahead and get started reading Nathan Gottlieb's Frank Boff stories. It's not necessary to read them in order. For me, though, I did read them in sequence and as the character evolved, so, too, did I. Think about that. As for me, I'm eagerly awaiting number five.
March 28, 2014
This was a very good book. I would recommend this book to any one who wants a very good read. I look forward to reading more of this authors work.
April 5, 2015
Set in Brooklyn, a well written thriller. A relaxed 'hero'and a great supporting cast on the hunt to bring down killers and drug dealers. A different ending to most, almost believable.
June 8, 2015
very well crafted plot and complex characters. really good and complicated.
January 22, 2016
Gave up
The style is interesting but the language is too rough for me, especially coming out of the mouth of a lady. I stopped and deleted the book.
The style is interesting but the language is too rough for me, especially coming out of the mouth of a lady. I stopped and deleted the book.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews