Deadbeat, by superior author Adam Hamdy, is a must-read novel. What happens when an ordinary guy has personal, financial, and legal trouble? Read Deadbeat and find out. Peyton is a regular guy except when he receives a thought-provoking offer- Kill somebody and get paid a lot of money. He listens to the offer, and the moral and ethical battle commences. If Peyton accepts the offer, does that make him a bad guy? Or just somebody without another avenue of escape.
The tension is never-ending, as the internal conflict threatens to spin out of control. Add a cast of shady characters and a healthy dose of desperation, and you will quickly see why Deadbeat is one of my favorites.

DEADBEAT
Adam Hamdy

I was sent this book, and I accepted it based on the synopsis. I did not look into my previous experience with Hamdy. Had I, I would’ve declined it. I have read a few books co-written by Hamdy, a couple of books in a James Patterson series. A series that I gave up on.

It’s not the writing, although I did struggle with parts of it. It’s not just the characters, although they were rough around the edges. It has more to do with the content of the storyline.

It is much more of an action-adventure story than I typically enjoy. And several parts of the story are just unbelievable and completely farfetched. So much so that it took away from whatever enjoyment I was able to experience with the material.

The roles Hamdy gives to women in his stories have a lot to do with how they supplement the men in his stories. They are simply there to accentuate or highlight the men’s personalities and are not well-formed characters that would withstand on their own.

This is unfortunate, but not original to Hamdy.

Not for me and I will do a better job of avoiding Hamdy’s material in the future.

Thanks for the opportunity!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy!

DEADBEAT…⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Atria Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wild ride by Adam Hamdy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Peyton Collard was a good man once, but his life changed after a horrific car accident. Now he's divorced, drunk, and severely damaged, Peyton is offered a life-changing sum of money to kill an evil man. But as he goes on a vigilante journey that leaves a trail of bodies across California, Peyton wonders about the identity of his anonymous patron. Soon, his questions become an obsession, and he embarks on a tense and potentially deadly investigation to discover the truth about the murders he’s committed.

This is like an action movie where you have to suspend some disbelief, but you are totally in for the ride, wherever it takes you. This book is written in the first person, which made it even better. You feel like Peyton is talking to you, asking you to understand him, and to put yourself in his shoes. And you do think about where that line is on what you would do if you were desperate. Peyton was trying so hard to be a good dad to his daughter, Skye, and he just kept making bad decisions. And drinking and running his mouth, which of course, go hand in hand. It's gritty, raw, with that dark humor that I love. It has short chapters and I kept telling myself just one more because I didn't want to put it down. Grab some popcorn and enjoy!

Peyton once was a good man, married with a daughter. Then after life changing accident, he is divorced, drunk, and damaged. When he’s offered money to kill an evil man, his life becomes a vigilante journey leaving bodies behind.

Toeing the line of black and white, good and evil, this story gives you tons of action and excitement, but also makes you question your like of the main character. He does some crappy things, but you also really feel for him, especially as all is revealed. It’s not just an action book; while it keeps you entertained, it has back history, emotion, and a man trying to fight his demons. I loved the ending and how it all wrapped up nicely.

“Far away death was easy. Up close like this was hard.”

Deadbeat comes out 12/3.

Adam Hamdy's "The Other Side of Night" was a delightful surprise and I was excited to see what he came up with next but while there are a few interesting themes here, most of the book is repetitive and annoying.

Peyton Collard, our deadbeat protagonist is not likeable at all thanks to his never-ending self-pity and excuses for poor choices and bad behaviour. I understand the author's point about class division and how far we'd all go to protect our loved ones and yes, Peyton's partly a victim of circumstance but he mostly refuses to take accountability for his actions and continues to make questionable choices.

Best of all was Jim Steadman who I thought was a well-written character.

Thanks to Netgalley & Atria Books for the e-copy!

*3.5 stars rounded up. As readers, I think we like to be able to relate in some way to the protagonist of a novel. That is so impossible to do with Peyton Collard who is telling this story. His life is in a downward spiral and he admits he's a deadbeat, which he defines as 'someone who's burned their soul until the light within has gone out.' He's made one bad decision after another in his life. He's an alcoholic and a druggie, served jail time for vehicular manslaughter while drunk. His wife has divorced him and he's an embarrassment to his teenaged daughter.

Now he's been offered a great deal of money if he will just do one little thing--a hit job. Peyton wants to be a good guy but man, he could sure use the money...to pay what he owes his wife for child support, to send his daughter to med school, to create a better life for himself. What if the person he's to kill is bad--does that make it alright?

Everything keeps racketing up until the pretty exciting ending. What's your moral judgment about went on in the book? Food for thought. It's a pretty creative plot.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new thriller via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Holy smokes this was good!!! I couldn’t put this down and kept turning the pages because I had to know. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

“Deadbeat,” by Adam Hamdy, Atria Books, 368 pages, Dec. 3, 2024.

Peyton Collard was a good man once, but his life changed after a horrific car accident. Now he is an alcoholic and drug user.

After getting arrested again while on parole, he is facing a 10-year prison term. But he is bonded out before trial. He doesn’t know who posted his bond. When he gets home, he finds that someone left $1,000 in his mailbox. He then finds a message, offering him $100,000 if he kills Walter Glaze, a drug dealer who is suspected of multiple murders.

That’s how Collard becomes a hit man for an anonymous patron. He justifies it by saying his is securing the future for his daughter, Skye, 13. But as he goes on a spree that leaves a trail of bodies across California, Peyton wonders about the identity of his anonymous patron.

Soon, his questions become an obsession, and he tries to discover the truth about the murders he’s committed. Meanwhile, he becomes a suspect in Glaze’s murder and some other men are after him for money.

While I really enjoyed Adam Hamdy’s last novel, “The Other Side of Night,” about a man regretting losing contact with his son, as I read “Deadbeat” I kept thinking what a terrible person Collard is. Although the characters aren’t likable, the plot is engrossing. The ending is good and ties up the loose ends.

I rate it out four of five stars.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Deadbeat by Adam Hamdy is a dark, twisted, and thoroughly engaging thriller. Peyton Collard, a broken man struggling after a devastating car accident, takes a morally complex path when offered money to become a hitman. The story grips you as Peyton’s vigilante mission unfolds, leaving a trail of bodies and unanswered questions about his mysterious employer.
The narrative is fast-paced and filled with tension, keeping you hooked as Peyton’s obsession drives him toward uncovering the truth. With its morally gray protagonist and suspenseful twists, Deadbeat is an entertaining read for thriller fans who enjoy thought-provoking, high-stakes stories.

3.5 rounded up. Peyton is going through a hard time that continues to get worse. He was once arrested after a drunk driving accident that took someone’s life and he never recovered after that. His family divorced him, he is drunk all the time, and continues to mess up. One day after another dumb mistake, he’s bailed out of jail by an anonymous patron. When he gets home, he finds money and an audio link, notifying him that if he kills a few targets for them, he will receive money he has never dreamed of. Is he willing to risk it all to support his family?

This was an interesting read. At times it would keep my interest and other times, I considered it might not be for me. I think the first half was a bit slower than the second, which picked up my interest with more action and twists. Additionally, it’s hard to root for Peyton. He’s not super likable and I don’t think I could justify what he did for money - I hope to never be that desperate. I did enjoy the twist a lot and riding alongside as he figured out who he was working for. Did not see it coming!

Deadbeat by Adam Hamdy was a thrilling and entertaining story.
This is an extremely well written story with an intricate plot and skillfully drawn characters. it's a real page turner with twists and turns that seem to spin out of control. The ending was explosive and totally unexpected.
It grabbed me from the first page and kept me guessing.

This book wasn’t for me. The main character, Peyton, is deeply flawed and pitiful, and while I’m supposed to dislike him, I couldn’t get past how frustrating he was to follow. The plot was interesting but also over the top at times, and the story spent too much time in Peyton’s head, which made it drag—especially since I just wanted to get to the point.

This story was so boring that I kept zoning out while reading. I know you're supposed to hate the main character, but I felt like the worst thing about him was how pitiful he was. I also immediately hated his ex wife's new boyfriend, he was condescending and annoying.

This was definitely out of my norm but the cover caught my eye when I was sent the widget so I figured I’d give it a try. Not sure how to describe it other than gritty and dark but if the author meant to keep my hating the MMC choices, then he did a great job because I kept thinking to myself “but why?”
Peyton’s life is a disaster. He had a good life and career until he made a choice to drive drunk one night and killed someone. He gets bailed but now he’s a less than stellar father, he drinks too much to numb his pain and his car has been repossessed. One day he gets an offer that will turn all his bad luck around, or so he thinks, but it is to do the unthinkable. He’s asked to take out a bad guy in exchange for a lot of money. He doesn’t know who the person is that wants him to commit the crime, but he knows that the money will go a long way towards making his life and the life of his daughter better. But at what cost? Peyton starts to investigate who his mysterious benefactor is so he can figure out why they want these certain people unalived and the story behind it is very over the top but still very entertaining. I listened to this every chance I got because I had to see what would happen next.
It’s written as a novel but the MMC describes it as his true life story which made you definitely have to suspend belief for a while, but it was worth the journey.
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my thoughts.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @atriabooks for this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a lot of existentialism and internalizing by the main character. It was a morally intricate battle between Peyton, the MC, and his mind. This type of storytelling made for a very layered storyline.

Not only did you have the general plot, but you had veer offs of internal conflicts as well as flashbacks adding to the intricacy of the story. It’s a slightly unreliable narrator vibe but I still wanted things to work out for Peyton. While he’s working out what’s right and what’s wrong, he directs the same questioning to you the reader, which really makes you think, would I do that too???

While I enjoyed the layers of the plot, it was very slow starting and I kind of felt like, “just get to the climax already.” The internal back and forth constantly driving the story was a tinge frustrating and a little overdrawn out for me personally.

If you’re looking for a brooding, crime action movie-vibe book, this is it. Overall, a good psychological crime story with an absolute worth it ending (like mouth open reaction ending), that just took a little time to get going for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

A propulsive implausible alcohol and narcotic fueled rush of murder and revenge. Peyton was once an engineer who was married and doting on his daughter. Now. though, he's living and drinking on the edge after spending time in prison until one night he comes home and finds cash in his mailbox. Cash and the promise of more if he kills a man who he is told deserves it. Of course he does it (seriously?) but then things spiral and he finds himself trapped-chased by bad guys who know he has cash and by the escalating offers from his anonymous employer. Will you like him? Probably not. Will you feel for him? Hamdy does make the reader have some sympathy. Just about everything Peyton does involves a bad decision. And alcohol. This is so over the top that I almost put it down more than once but I wanted to know what would happen. And there's a surprise. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. No spoilers from me.

What price should we pay to restore a series of catastrophic and deliberate heinous crimes… How does a
person know when life has traveled beyond moral depravity and there is no atonement possible…. When
the man responsible is given a chance to live a good life and he can do it without hurting anyone else.
This is a good book from start to, finish with great characters and great backdrops, and I will be pondering
the realities for awhile.
I highly recommend this book.
My thanks to Atria Books for the download of this book for review purposes.

Without treading too deep into the morass of chart performance and economic viability, most fans and non-fans will probably agree that PEARL JAM is best known for songs like JEREMY and BETTER MAN. Penned by a San Diego teeny bopper, BETTER MAN eventually came off the 1990s Seattle grunge pioneering band's third studio album, VITALOGY. Anyone not living behind the moon in 1994 will remember the Thanksgiving release's cover, songs, and the sound that defined a whole decade. Much like this diddy, DEADBEAT explores its protagonists HOFFA-like drive to do what he's gotta do. Unlike the disappeared Teamsters honcho who just wanted to get the unions back, the eponymous DEABEAT's gotta do what he's gotta do to become a better man and provide a better life for the one person who matters most. Even if it kills him or others in the process. And there are plenty in line from cops to robot dogs, bruisers, barflies, and bikers. With bundles of cash, booze and bullets to muddy the waters, DEADBEAT runs rough-shod through the city with shockingly singular purpose and pitiless consequences for failure. Welcome to Los Angeles.

Eschewing the elvish dialect, though somewhat paraphrasing the couplet of 'One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,' DEADBEAT argues that someone who's burned their soul until the light inside has blown out, someone who's lost the glue to the greatness that binds us all is, well, a DEABEAT. Enter Payton Collard, a seven year denizen of the City of Angels, a seasoned drunk and a man who's always longed for a decent father. Fading in with a worse hangover than John McClane in DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE, Peyton Collard, or DEADBEAT, comes to after darkness had washed over the dude. Swimming in the beer glass of self-pity, all the dude ever wanted was to not be at the bottom, have a better life for his daughter and himself. This is difficult since stupidity is his BFF and that faux-Persian rug is stained to hell and back by his own handiwork. Facing a hard ten after a seemingly manufactured REPO MAN incident that stinks to high heaven, and no cash to solve all his problems, Peyton is onto a new track; DEABEAT with a gun. Cash does what cash does. Especially when it comes bundled in neat packages in the mail box and easy to understand instructions. BULLET TO THE HEAD--a decision tree from hell for Peyton Collard, a devil's two pronged fork in the road.

The biggest obstacle for Peyton is not the (criminal justice) system or other imagined or real injustices, it's his constant drive and nagging want to do rise up and getting his life together. A rotting desire of getting back to how things used to be. His character flaws and weaknesses are his biggest enemy, every time he looks deep into the bottle, looking for a way out and to dull the pain of bottom of the barrel living. Moreover, Peyton sees dead people, not in THE SIXTH SENSE way but more like AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, which is not surprising when he killed the metaphorical Norse goddess of Love and death while participating in the cherished Texan past time of drunk driving. He's an emo Paul Kersey if he could blackmail himself into believing that he is a vigilante with a cause celebre and perhaps an insidious DEATH WISH. After all, assassin or vigilante sounds so much better than serial killer. Kind of like the Denzel flick JOHN Q., DEADBEAT is a modern day DEXTER, just without the police cover or the code. Since all Peyton wants to do is provide for his daughter so she has money and power to be a winner, not a DEADBEAT like her father, the narrative keeps asking whether everyone has a price. In specific, what would it take for the reader to do something to transform his/her life, would you kill, if it results in money for good. Good money for a gray deed to kill a bad person? DEADBEAT is a literary misogi challenge that takes its leitmotif from SPEED, querying in pop-quiz fashion, often and with equal vigor: "What do you DO, what do you DO?"

Akin to THE COUCH TRIP of modern day SoCal, Adam Hamdy goes deep into human suffering and understands the intricacies of DEADBEATism, living on the ragged edge of America, that line where the streets paved in gold take on the sheen of concrete and dusty asphalt. Doctor Hamdy is in the house. This in effect makes DEADBEAT an 'oof' kinda novel, one that imbues the just-exited-the-buffet feeling and every extra step is a fight, longing to sit back in a comfy chair with a nip of Jagermeister and let it digest. Ruminating on THE MATRIX's premise of what woulda happened if Peyton hadn't taken that pill, DEADBEAT reminds that it can be hard to distinguish memory from dream, desperation is the barroom buddy of stupidity, everyone has their price, regrets aren't excuses, that money greases America's wheels, and hindsight is the fool's curse. Scattered homage to BREAKING BAD, CLASS OF 1984, and FORREST GUMP, DEADBEAT dazzles with entertaining quips like malice aforethought, 'on wings of evil', mission fuel, bottle happy, the billboard life, K-hole, and poverty premium. If you didn't buy into THE OTHER SIDE OF NIGHT, buy into Hamdy and DEADBEAT--it's a phenomenal neo crime noir that absolutely rocks. DEADBEAT is electric, ruthless, observantly keen, and decidedly real--A treasure of a novel that relates to the pain of being human, destitute, and running wild in a big city.

DNF at 20%

The book got off to an interesting start with the character's voice in the prologue, but unfortunately the movement of the plot has really stalled out. I'm this far into the book and haven't even reached what the back cover teased as the plot.

Perhaps readers who better appreciate gritty noir thrillers will enjoy this more than I did.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: December 03, 2024
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

This was an first read by our author for me and I am ready for more to come out from them. This was very twisty and kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Twist after twist and an ending I didn’t expect coming. Our author gives us a very flawed unlikable but likable character—Peyton, as well as very well fleshed out and complex characters. Our main character is divorced, struggling with addiction and broke and we watch what he will do for $$. The way our author wrote this book was as if there was an action packed and filled movie playing in your head and I loved it so much. Give me more of this kind of writing. I don’t want to give much out because this book just needs to be read! If you love grippy and fast paced thrillers that take you on an emotional rollercoaster with a load of tension, this book is for you. Put this on your TBR right away.

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as Atria Books

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Fast Paced, Tension, Crime Thriller, Action Packed, Redemption