This latest installment by the author Tin Badges is sure to win Lorenzon Carcaterra new fans!

Tank Rizzo hates dirty cops, and Detective Eddie Kenwood is one such disgrace to the badge. He’s got the highest signed-confession rate in the NYPD and a distinguished career built on putting men behind bars—whether they’re guilty or not doesn’t matter much to him. When Tank’s partner, Pearl, tells him about an old family friend Kenwood put in jail for a murder he didn’t commit, Tank and Pearl vow to take Kenwood down.

Also in need of a takedown: the money-laundering accounting firm where Tank’s brother used to work—before he mysteriously died, leaving Tank the sole guardian of his nephew, Chris. Chris smells a rat, and enlists Tank’s help to bring the men who had his father killed to justice.

Working two big cases means getting out the big guns, and Tank assembles his A-team. With help from a retired mobster, a professional boxer, a Chelsea psychic, a dog named Gus, and the U.S. Attorney—not to mention his and Pearl’s own quick wits and Chris’s skills as a computer whiz—Tank gears up to take on his most dangerous and personal cases to date. Highly recommended for all fans of crime fiction.

Another great book by Lorenzo Carcaterra! I really love this series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I really like the book series. I love how it shows how people from all types of background can work together towards a common goal. Now there may be some violence in there :) but they are all working towards the great good. The story did a great job of picking up from where the last book left off but gave enough background throughout the book so if someone picked the books out of order would know what was going on.

I was given this book by NetGalley for my honest opinion.

The gang is back! This is the second book by Lorenzo Carcaterra I have read. Both have the same cast of characters, and they are a diverse and interesting group. The group is lead by two ex-cops who were shot off the job. They take on the bad folks trying to damage society. In this one there are two groups they are involved with, a big business and was a man in prison for a murder he didn't commit?

Very entertaining, and set in NYC. Looking forward to more!

The book is a sequel to Tin Badges, about Tank and Pearl, two retired police detectives who work cold cases for the New York City Police Department. This book is a bit of a departure from the first book in that they work two cases that are technically not cold cases. One case is personal to Tank and the other is personal to Pearl. Like the first book in the series, the author's writing style is engaging making this a fast read.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook  page.

Tank and Pearl are former NYPD officers, now retired on disability, but still determined to keep active. Tank has a crew that includes not just wheelchair-bound Pearl, but an assortment of misfits, psychics, pickpockets, and hard cases. His girlfriend's father Carmine is and old style retired but still tough as nails mob boss, who now sits around his Italian restaurant in the East Village. Tank and company are do-goodness, but they operate on the edges, way on the edges, and the police chief sends them cases often that can't be sorted out using the system. Here, Tank Ames on two cases, one a wrongful conviction and one hitting close to home with his brother's murderers in his sights. Once the story gets going, the action us fast and furious..

I received a pre-release copy from NetGalley. I have read many of the author’s books and have really liked them. This book is about a pair of retired police officers who along with a few of their friends help solve special cases. The plot was very good and the characters are interesting. This book was an easy read and tough to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

I absolutely love this series! We learn more about Tank’s past. He and his team take on two cases, one involving the death of his brother and the other involves taking down a very dirty cop. I just love the characters and the love, friendship and loyalty they enjoy.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This novel is a kind of follow up to Tin Badges by the same author.
The lead character, Tank, is now caring for his nephew Chris. Chris came to live with Tank after his parents, , Tanks brother and sister in law, die in a horrific car accident. Now Chris has compiled evidence which he believes suggests the accident was not an accident...but murder.
So Tank, Chris and his merry band of characters, including an ex mob boss and a current leader of a group of pickpockets among others set out to solve the crime with the blessing of the police.
Although there are deaths...and some crime....this is what I would call a feel good kind of book. It is not complex to read, not over long, the characters are interesting, the plot is mostly believable...and it all turns out pretty well.
I enjoyed it. and I recommend it.

I really like #tinbadges but I loved #payback featuring Tank, Pearl, Chris, Connie and the rest of the team. As a pair of ex-cops retired due to injury Tank and Pearl have been working for the police chief on special cases. This time it’s extremely personal and everyone is involved. The plot speeds along at an appropriate pace and most goes as planned. I feel that this volume really cements the relationship between Tank and his nephew, Chris and even elicited some tears on my part. I can’t wait for the next installment and look forward to being part of the team again. Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for this ARC ebook to read in exchange for an honest review.

A gritty immersive and propulsive tale of achieving justice ... without actually letting the law get in the way. Tommy "Tank" Rizzo is a former NYPD detective who technically is "off the job' but frequently investigates cold cases or pitches in when the the department is stretched too thin. Brought in, almost off the books by his long time friend, Chief of Detectives Ray Connors., Tank has assembled his own "crew" ... a cast of colorful and diverse characters and unlikely bedfellows ... to aid in his investigation. Most important is his old partner, Frank "Pearl" Monroe, although confined to a wheelchair due to an on the job injury ...., he remains indispensable due to his intuitive acumen. Included are: Carmine Tramonti ... a retired mobster and owner of the restaurant, Tramonti's ... who brings old school moxey to the table ; Connie Tramonti ... co-owner of the restaurant, sharp and beautiful and Tank's lifelong girlfriend ; Bruno Madison ... former heavyweight boxer and part-time bartender ; Alexandra Morrasa ... owner and operator of a psychic parlor and of Romanian descent ... the "eyes and ears of the city" ... and along with her comes her "gypsy" friends and relatives (Alban and his crew of cut-throats) ; and rounding out is a new addition to the crew ... Chris ... the fifteen-year-old nephew, who Tank now assumes guardianship since the mysterious death of his brother Jack and his wife in a suspicious car accident. ... Chris brings his amazing computer skills to the table.; rounding out the team is U.S. Attorney Dee Dee Jacobs and Federal Agent, Bobby Gregson . Tank tackles two cases at the same time .... Pearl wants them to investigate the injustice of his family friend rotting in jail for the last twenty years for a crime he did not commit. This will entail them going agains the dangerous and dirty cop, Eddie Kenwood. Eddie excels at railroading suspects into signing a confession, regardless if they are truly guilty. Randy Jenkins was a perfect target... having multiple priors and knowing the victim, They must find out who killed Rachel in order to bring Eddie and his corruption to an end. The second investigation involves retribution for his estranged brother Jack. Chris, with his unparalleled aptitude for the computer has unearthed data that points to a dirty accounting firm ... not only cooking the books , but skimming profits. He suspects his father knew of this and was intent on whistle-blowing. Tanks' crew was not afraid to work outside the law... they were prepared to be as ruthless as their adversaries.
Carcaterra is a masterful storyteller and spins a complex , twisted narrative that unfolds into an escalating and satisfying denouement.. Hopefully we will be presented with the further cinematic tales of Tank and his crew. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. ( at readersremains.com )

Having read the first book in the series, I was eager to see how the author would continue the tale of the retired detectives and their crew. In this installment they work on two cold cases simultaneously. One involves a crooked cop and the other is much more personal—finding/punishing those responsible for the death of Chris’ parents. Working outside the law is no problem for Tin Badge retired cops Tank and Pearl who call on friends of all types to make sure justice is served.

Carcaterra's detective and cohorts continue the search for his brother and sister in law's killer via their signature vigilante style.

Payback is the continuing story of Tank and Pearl (ex-cops), Chris (Tank’s nephew), Connie (Tank’s girlfriend), Carmine (Tank’s friend), and many more.

Two cases are being solved; one is to find out who killed Chris’ parents. The other is an old case to find the real killer of Rachel and to free the man who was wrongfully charged with her murder and spent twenty years in prison. Throw in a dirty cop and attempts to take him down and the book becomes a real page-turner.

Street justice is a theme throughout, which means there’s a lot of meting out punishment.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Payback. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Tin Badges, I was eager to dive into Payback. I read through it quickly, but in the end it was a let down. The varied cast of Tank Rizzo’s crew is a strength as they deliver their own brand of (sometimes extralegal) justice. It was one of my favorite things in the first Tank Rizzo book. In Payback, however, too much time is given outside of any action to explaining the characters and their relationships. Nothing really happens until halfway through the book. When the action does start, there’s not a lot of suspense. The team is so capable that it never feels like anyone we care about is truly in danger.. We want the good guys to win, of course, but not at the expense of some suspense. Payback didn’t really work for me because there was way too much touchy feely perfection in the relationships in the otherwise very appealing assortment of characters. Describing all that perfection took up way too much of the book.
I’m hoping for a third book in the series that will strike a better balance between plot action and setting up the surrounding characters..

This book lived up to the hype. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Highly recommend it. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.

Revenge can be fun, or at least the reader can take some satisfaction in seeing it played out. Lorenzo Carcaterra lets it play out to the max in Payback. It's an interesting read, but when all is done you might think of the extremes the "good guys" had to go to for their result. They worked with mobsters and gangsters, who were suddenly respectable when their interests merged. That's not really how we want the law to work, but it did make for an enjoyable read.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Review of uncorrected eBook file

Injured in the line of duty and now retired, New York Police Department Detective Tommy Rizzo, better known as Tank, works either cold or unsolved cases for Chief of Detectives Ray Connors. Tank has a small team of associates, including his now wheelchair-bound partner, Frank “Pearl” Monroe, a retired mobster, a professional boxer, and a psychic. Also on the team: the United States Attorney, an agent from the FBI, his nephew, Chris, and a dog named Gus. Their investigation? The death of Chris’s parents in an automobile accident.

Computer wunderkind Chris has discovered the accounting firm where his father [Tank’s brother] worked is involved in money-laundering . . . and is responsible for the death of his parents. And, as if that weren’t enough for Tank to be investigating, Pearl wants to free Randy Jenkins, an unjustly-imprisoned family friend.

Detective Eddie Kenwood’s signed-confession rate may be the highest in the department, and he may have built his career on putting men in prison, but he doesn’t mind railroading a suspect into signing a confession, even if he knows that suspect is innocent. The incarceration of Randy Jenkins is just such a case, and Tank is determined to free the innocent man, find those responsible for his brother’s death, and bring Eddie Kenwood to justice. Has he finally taken on more than he can handle? And will bringing down the corrupt cop force him to reveal his deepest secret?

Second in the series [following “Tin Badges”], this absorbing tale is as gritty as it is fast-paced. Short chapters help ramp up the tension, but there’s suspense built into the situations Tank and company find themselves in as they investigate the accounting firm and look for a way to prove Kenwood’s crimes in order to free an innocent man and find justice for those wrongly convicted because of the man's corrupt actions.

Anchored by a strong sense of place, the narrative brings realistic, nuanced characters to the telling of the tale. There is no shortage of action here . . . the unfolding story races along at breakneck speed. The complex, twisting plot pulls readers in from the first page; unexpected revelations keep those pages turning as readers root for Tank and his crew.

The intriguing story wraps up nicely with the turning of the final page and readers are sure to find themselves ready to jump right into a new adventure with the honest, justice-seeking Tank.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine / Ballantine Books and NetGalley
#Payback #NetGalley

This is a remarkably well written procedural about Tank and Pearl, a pair of Tin Badges (retired NYPD members who were injured seriously and unable to continue active duty). Tank is also guardian of his 15 year old nephew whose parents died in an automobile accident. The boy is a crime junkie and computer guru who has determined it wasn’t an accident and that his parents were murdered. Pearl has an acquaintance who has spent twenty years in Attica after confessing to a first degree murder he did not commit. They and their team take on both cases. The characters are colorful, the action is non stop and the plot more than sufficiently twisted. It takes the reader into New York city’s underground in a fast reading novel that they will stay up late to finish. Thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine for an ARC for an honest review.

Lorenzo Carcaterra is an author to watch! Payback is a superb book that will keep you turning pages until the end!