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The Michael Wolfe Saga #3

A Matter of Payback

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From the Amazon Best Selling Author of A Lone Wolf, comes the third installment in The Michael Wolfe Saga.A young bride’s life is snuffed out on December 2nd of 2001 in Haifa, Israel, when a Palestinian suicide bomber destroys a bus. One hundred and ninety-three souls are lost on March 11, 2004, when a coordinated bomb attack occurs on the Cercanías commuter train system in Madrid, Spain, a Scottish SAS Sargent Major’s fiancée is among the dead. What do these two events have in common?

An Iranian terrorist who goes by the name, Mohammad Al-Qaedi.

Fast forward twenty years, black ops operators Michael Wolfe and Ian McGill join forces for a clandestine mission inside Iran. They come back burned-out and both yearning for retirement from careers that have taken everything but their lives. During this mission, they uncover the identity of the person responsible for the deaths of their loved ones twenty years earlier.

Now Britain’s House of Parliament and Big Ben are targeted by Al-Qaedi, the President of the United States sends Wolfe to London in an effort to assist MI6. He prevents the massive bombing and, in the process, eliminates the terrorist’s source of weapons and funding.

The Iranian extremist vows vengeance.

“Filled with well-crafted characters and a roller-coaster ride of international intrigue, A Matter of Payback is an unrelenting story of revenge and reprisal.” Heather Burch, International Best-Selling Author

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 15, 2022

261 people are currently reading
76 people want to read

About the author

J.C. Fields

26 books80 followers
J.C. Fields is a multi-award-winning and Amazon best-selling author. His Sean Kruger Series and The Michael Wolfe Saga have been awarded numerous gold, silver and bronze medals in the Reader's Favorite International Book Awards contest. In March of 2020, his book, A Lone Wolf became a #1 Best Selling Audiobook. The second book in the series, The Last Insurgent, gained Amazon's #1 New Release status in January 2021.

As one of the featured authors on the highly successful YouTube podcast, Fear From the Heartland, hosted by Paul J. McSorley, he offers a variety of original short stories penned specifically for its listeners.

He lives with his wife, Connie, in Southwest Missouri.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
Profile Image for Katie Mettner.
Author 110 books1,668 followers
October 14, 2022
A Matter of Payback will grab you from the first page and carry you through this international suspense novel. Michael Wolfe has retired as a Marine sharpshooter but is still working for the Israelis as a black op. Unfortunately, his wife ends up a victim of an Iranian terrorist. Michael won’t let that stand and spends decades trying to find the guy and bring him to justice. This is a twisted, winding road for Michael and his former colleague, who has joined him in the hunt for Al-Qaedi.
The cat-and-mouse game between Michael and the terrorist goes on for years, always teasing and taunting the reader with near misses.

A Matter of Payback is the third novel in the Michael Wolfe series, but it’s the first one I’ve read, and I had no problem following it. If you love tense international thrillers that will keep your mind spinning and your heart racing, then you want to read A Matter of Payback and all of the Michael Wolfe books!
Profile Image for Susan Keene.
Author 30 books56 followers
June 27, 2022
A Matter of Payback
By JC Fields
The book is third in The Michael Wolfe series. Wolfe is a man’s-man. If you like political thrillers, this series is for you. There is plenty of action as Wolfe chases the mastermind of a group of terrorists around the country and tries to thwart their evil deeds of death and destruction. I highly recommend this series. Give it a try, you won’t be sorry, or bored.

1 review
May 5, 2022
Great story of intrigue and suspense.

If you enjoy undercover action and suspense, this series is for you. I hope there are real heroes like this out there taking care of our country.
Profile Image for FRANKLIN E. COHEN.
50 reviews
May 14, 2023
Great adventure for all

Lest I forget, this is the latest book in the series that I've read and it was good...one of the best.
Author 40 books24 followers
May 30, 2022
A Matter of Payback is the third book in the Michael Wolfe Saga, by J. C. Fields. The book starts with a bang, literally, as a Palestinian suicide bomber blows up a bus, killing the wife of Michael Wolfe, an American sniper on loan to the Mossad. Michael wants vengeance, and he pursues the Iranian mastermind for years, nearly killing him at least twice, until he finally retires to a cabin built by his grandfather in Missouri.

A few years after the first bombing another bombing takes place, this one killing a friend and the fiancée of Ian McGill, a Scottish sergeant-major.

Next (and this is all in the first couple of chapters), FBI agent Sean Kruger, the protagonist of the author’s Sean Kruger series makes an appearance, tasked with finding out who killed five former American military officers. It is quickly revealed that all the officers were very, very corrupt, responsible for the deaths of scores of American soldiers during Operation Desert Storm, and at least one was killed by Michael Wolfe. Sean Kruger, approving of Michael’s clandestine actions, keeps this information to himself.

The scene is now set for the major action of the book. Michael and Ian McGill, now a former British secret agent, are brought back into service to once again track down and eliminate the loathsome Iranian mastermind.

What follows is a taut, action-packed narrative, full of tension, filled with twists and turns. The characters are well-drawn and sympathetic. The bad guys are very bad, indeed, and the book ends on a satisfying note. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Linda Watkins.
Author 18 books368 followers
July 6, 2022
The year is 2001 and Michael Wolfe, retired marine sharpshooter, is working in black ops for the Israelis in Haifa. His wife, Sara, plans to travel alone by bus to visit her parents. At the same time, Mohammad Al-Qaedi, an Iranian terrorist of some note, is planning a suicide bomb attack. Unfortunately for all involved, he picks the same bus that Sara has just boarded to commit this atrocity. Michael watches in horror as the bus explodes, his last glimpse of his wife being her face in the window, etched in terror.

Thus begins a decades long game of cat and mouse between Michael and the wily terrorist. Enter a former colleague of Michael’s who also has a history with Al-Qaedi and you have a multi-faceted saga spanning years. The action moves from the Middle East to the hinterlands of Missouri, to the stately town of London, and back again. Twists and turns abound as Michael and the terrorist cross paths, narrowly missing each other time and time again.

A Matter of Payback is the third novel in author, J.C. Fields’ Michael Wolfe Saga, but can be easily read as a standalone. It is a taut, tense thriller full of international intrigue and political machinations. Peopled by complex, fascinating characters, the novel moves at a fast pace and this reader had a hard time putting it down. Highly recommended for lovers of international intrigue, books about terrorism, and political thrillers.
203 reviews6 followers
August 14, 2023
Retire? Wolfe? We shall see.

J.C.Fields does a good job on a thriller. Starting with Sean Kruger, hexpand ed his cast of characters to Michael Wolfe and, most recently, Dakota Storm. His supporting characters populate all three series.As wel, and,.truthfully, that's where I have my one complaint. The one thing that detracts - for me, at least - from uninterrupted enjoyment.

He get lazy introducing characters from earlier books. While obviously not a problem for those reading any book in any series of his for the first time, read what seems.to be a cut and paste description of a character more than once is - in my estimation - lazy writing. I consider myself a voracious reader, and there are other authorship I read who maintain a cast of characters for many books in a series but who take the time to find new ways to describe them in subsequent volumes.The

Beyond my quibble, though, it's a a good solid read and I look.forward to what I expect will be.more.I'm the series.
Profile Image for M.S. Spencer.
Author 21 books237 followers
August 7, 2022
This is the third and final installment of J. C. Fields’ Michael Wolfe saga. Wolfe is a semi-retired (he keeps trying to retire!) US Marine sniper. Together with his wife, Nadia, a former Mossad agent, he executes the kind of jobs for the US president that no one else can.

Wolfe is my kind of hero: highly skilled, super competent, tough, fair, and not too verbose. There’s something very cool and very satisfying about a sniper who can make incredibly precise shots. Fields has assembled an inspiring cast of characters that carry out their assignments seamlessly and efficiently. My only reservation is that they work too well together—the villains don’t have a chance!

I am a huge fan of thrillers, especially involving international espionage, and Fields has produced an excellent story. I happened to pick up Book 3, but I would recommend starting at the beginning in order to appreciate how the relationships have matured under the stress of highly dangerous missions.
Profile Image for Jacqueline.
625 reviews18 followers
May 26, 2022
I have thoroughly enjoyed every book that J.C. Fields has written. I was disappointed when he didn't continue to write about Sean Kruger, a character that I came to really like a lot, but I have come to enjoy the adventures of Michael Wolfe just as much and this book doesn't disappoint one bit. I love that Sean Kruger and Michael Wolfe inhabit the same worlds, and both work for the same national security advisor and rely on the same technology whizz, J.R. Diminsky. It seems, at the end of this book that it's the end of this particular world, which is very disappointing, if true. I hope, J.C. Fields has plans to carry on writing exciting, suspenseful thrillers, even if he's finished with the characters in these two series. I am a fan
Profile Image for Alain Kraussman Hall.
103 reviews4 followers
August 29, 2025
Another good plot but…

The spelling, grammatical, and incorrect words that have peppered the first two books in this series, along with all 9 books in the Sean Kruger series, continue with this one. While they don’t detract overall from the story, they are an irritant, like having a small stone in one’s shoe.
Otherwise, the characters of Michael, Nadia, Joseph, Ian, and JR are compelling and entertaining, while giving the reader a glimpse into the workings of various government agencies. I’m looking forward to the last book in this series to see how the characters’ storylines are resolved.
50 reviews
October 18, 2023
Confusing at the beginning

This book offers the same intrigue, violence and twists as the others in the Wolfe saga. I was extremely confused for the first part of the book because I couldn’t make the timeline to work. If I’d gone back and checked the dates in the previous books I’d have understood we were getting backstory. Unlike the others this book contains bothersome editorial failures and continuity issues
Profile Image for Lroper24.
8 reviews
November 10, 2025
A Clandestine Sniper/CIA Operative Thriller!

For those familiar with the Thrilling Michael Wolfe Adventures, this 3rd edition ties up a lot of missing pieces & background stories which serve to enrich the reading pleasures. Joint operations with Mossad, SAS British forces team with USA to track down a Muslim Terrorist who has eluded capture for more than 20 yrs. An exciting read that doesn’t disappoint!
7,778 reviews50 followers
July 3, 2022

Michael Wolfe was a sniper, was to retire after his wife was killed.
Now an Iranian owes him, a payback.
He is one of the most corrupt politician living on an island.
Taking in millions in kickbacks, even though he donates to charities.
An excellent plot, you can easily follow with Michael, who he is and what
he does. A winner for the author. intriguing and interesting.
Profile Image for Pierre Borlase.
75 reviews1 follower
May 22, 2023
The Wolfe pack

Great storyline, great intrigue, action with a dash of humor and a tot of romance. Thank you, JC Fields you have a great ensemble. Combining some of your other characters in the same book. Impressive writing makes for a jug lemonade reading. I just love lemonade and reading together. 😁
5 reviews
June 5, 2025
A cracking read

I have just read, back to back, the 3 books in this series.I have enjoyed every word of them. Wolfe is not the superman character that sums up the hero in most of these types of stories. He is a very believable character. The books are not overlong and drawn out. I would recommend them to anybody who enjoys a good action story.
89 reviews
February 3, 2026
Meh

Took quite a few chapters to get interested in this book. Much of the action appeared contrived. I almost gave up and deleted the book. I rarely give up on a book. The last half seemed more plausible. J.C. Fields probably needed a break from the two prior high octane books. He is forgiven. Will read the fourth with hopes of continued interest.
217 reviews
May 25, 2022
The Hunt for a Murderer Terrorist

The hatred and religious furry has him on the international trial to kill the men he despises. He hires ill equipped people to help him.
However they outsmart him until he is captured.
428 reviews4 followers
July 8, 2022
A good action book.

There is a lot of action and with very good characters. The story has a good flow from chapter to chapter. The story flow has a great improvement from the second book. This is an enjoyable book to read.
Profile Image for Richard Cowart.
622 reviews
September 16, 2022
Michael, Nadia, and Ian are being targeted by a terrorist who is known for using massive explosives. In a tug of war between England and the USA the president comes down on the side of Michael and Ian and refuses extradition. Many twists and turns great reading.
5 reviews
July 1, 2023
A great read

I really liked the characters. They seemed very real. This was a real page turner that kept me awake more than once. I'm looking foreword to more Wolf and other Fields works.
514 reviews11 followers
May 7, 2025
Loved it!

I can’t get enough of Michael and Nadia! Absolutely love this series and was so excited to see there is another episode. The characters are great and the plot is always very intriguing. Hope the Michael Wolfe series keeps going!
355 reviews11 followers
July 3, 2022
Excellent book

I just love these type of books. This book did not disappoint. I don't give spoilers in my review's but the characters are good, plot excellent and very well written.
710 reviews4 followers
July 26, 2022
Another nail biting episode

Wolfe and company get into the thick of it again. Well written can never guess what will happen next. Do the food guys win?
9 reviews
March 13, 2023
Great read....lots of action

This is another exciting adventure with a believable cast of characters. Michael Wolfe is at his best. A great read
1,741 reviews12 followers
March 24, 2023
Stop Them

Michael and crew team up to stop a terrorist that liked to blow things up. J. C. Fields is an excellent writer of thrillers.
524 reviews8 followers
June 1, 2023
Excellent read

Really worth ur time and money. Love the series, and so will you . know there are sequels coming, looking forward to them.
137 reviews1 follower
June 5, 2023
Fantastic Three Books!

Great author. Great characters. Great interesting exciting stores.

Now going to read the eight book series! Have six of them ready!
1,083 reviews4 followers
January 17, 2024
A non-stop thriller from start to finish.
169 reviews1 follower
December 29, 2025
Great Read

I throughly enjoyed this book. It had a good story line and kept me interested throughout the entire story. I recommend reading this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews

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