Dark, tragic and unsettling, Deadbeat is a soul-searching tale of love, loss, and living with the consequences of your actions. A tense and anguishing story that makes you contemplate good vs. evil and reflect on how far you’d go to take care of your family. Adam Hamdy has delivered another thought-provoking and devastatingly powerful novel that will linger in your mind long after you’ve finished reading.

Peyton Collard’s life was shattered after a drunk driving car accident left a young woman dead, leaving him broken, estranged from his wife and daughter, and drowning in alcohol. After his latest transgression, an anonymous benefactor bails him out and makes Peyton a lucrative offer he is unable to refuse… life changing money if he agrees to kill specific malevolent individuals. As Peyton sets out on a violent spree across California, he starts to question the motives of the unseen figure pulling the strings and wonders about the true identities of those he’s executed. Now finding himself investigating the very murders he committed, he is determined to unmask the identity of the person behind the contracts and the dark reasons behind the killings he’s committed.

The pages of Deadbeat are filled with desperation, violence and regret. But they are also packed with hope, sacrifice and determination. Which is why it’s so hard to determine if Peyton is likeable or loathsome. He does some absolutely abhorrent and morally corrupt things, but his motivation can be seen as pure and in the name of seeking redemption. In the end, it’s up to the reader to make up their own mind on where Peyton stands with them. But there’s no middle ground. Either you will be understanding of his ends-justify-the-means approach and find him worthy of your support, or you will gleefully root for him to rot in prison for the rest of his days.

That there’s even a choice to make given the Peyton’s actions speaks to the brilliance of Adam Hamdy’s storytelling. He finds humanity in the darkest corners of even the most hopeless of souls. Using his brilliant and flowing prose to suck you into a debate about virtue vs. vileness. Requiring reflective contemplation that may not have a satisfying conclusion in the end. Regardless, you will be entertained while reading this powerful story and its impact won’t end for quite some time, as the angel and devil in your head will continue the conversation for many days after putting the book down.

This was a good book, though I found that there were sections that went on longer than I thought necessary, brought the pace of the story to a standstill, but still I would recommend as it is a good book. Peyton Collard is having a rough moment in life, he's broke, behind on child support, has a serious drinking problem when he gets a package in the mail with cash, all he has to do? Kill someone and he'll receive the balance of the money promised. The name of the person he's to kill is provided, he does some searching online to find out more and goes off and does the deed, the next day he gets a bigger package of money which he's able to use to pay his ex-wife child support. But a group of men show up and beat him up and steal his money (getting beat up is a frequent event for Peyton). Not long after, he gets another package with another name and a promise of even more money once done, so of course he does and he gets even more money, he's caught onto the fellows breaking in and stealing his money and starts to avoid his house. He eventually moves into a rental in a more desirable part of LA, but guess what?? The bad guys show up again, Peyton has hid the money is a safe place and they can't find it, though they threaten him with all kinds of a beat down if he doesn't give them a bunch of money by a certain date. Peyton begins to think maybe he's being setup and starts to investigate who is giving him the money and instructions. The book gets real interesting at that point, Peyton had done something really bad when he was really drunk and it still pains him. That something ties into why he's being paid to do the killings, a very good ending. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Atria for the ARC.

Fast paced and twisty! Peyton Collard had it all once upon a time. He had a beautiful wife, Toni, a beloved daughter, Skye, and a respected job as a military engineer. But through a series of unfortunate events, Peyton found himself divorced and imprisoned. Struggling to find his way in the world after prison and fighting a serious alcohol problem, Peyton is offered enough money to change his life by an anonymous benefactor. To earn this money, he only has to kill an evil man. Can he do it? Is it worth it? He could greatly improve his circumstances and also provide for his ex wife and daughter. He could regain some respectability. But who is this anonymous person asking him to commit this heinous crime? Clearly this book presents a huge moral dilemna. I haven’t felt this conflicted since reading The Chain by Adrian McKinty. The chapters are short and riveting and the suspense builds until the explosive ending. Don’t miss out on Hamdy’s thrilling new novel! Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on December 3, 2024

Damn. I'm so conflicted. The whole time I was reading this I was asking if anything happy was going to happen. Then the twists and bang ending came along because it's Adam Hamdy and that's what he does. I'm still conflicted. This book is one of those books about the morally gray tough choices that we don't ever want to have to think about. Would you kill an innocent person to save your kid? Dive into this book to reason out if you would....

A single dad, a need for money, and an offer he can't refuse! Deadbeat was gripping from the very beginning and kept me turning the pages. I wanted to know how things were going to play out as the tension and danger mounted in this thriller of a book!

Peyton Collard is considered a Deadbeat by many who know him. He has a drinking problem, is divorced, behind on child support, and has had a run in with the law. He has been offered a large sum of money to kill an evil man....

I enjoyed the questions which this book brought up such as what makes a good man become a deadbeat? What will one man be willing to do for those he loves? Does doing a bad thing make you a bad man or a man who had nothing left to lose? Not to mention the one glaring question going through Peyton's mind, who hired him and why? Now, that is the question!

This book proved to be a fast and thrilling ride. I wanted to see what was going to happen next. There is more at play in this book than meets the eye and I wanted to get to the bottom of it along with Peyton.

I enjoyed the mystery in this book as well as the mounting tension, dread, and danger. As this book and Peyton begin to spiral out of control, I enjoyed the twists, turns, and revelations. If you are familiar with Los Angeles, you might enjoy the places and streets mentioned as I did. Plus, I enjoyed Peyton's internal struggles which mirrored my own. Was he a good man doing bad things or was he a bad man doing bad things but with good intentions???????

The ending did come out of left field and was shocking while providing some aha moments as well. I never saw that coming – hats off to anyone who does! I’m a little conflicted about my thoughts on the ending but not enough that it affected my enjoyment of this book.

I absolutely loved this book! It was a gripping page turner I read in two days. I'll definitely be reading more books this author puts out!

Every twist, every revelation had me gasping for breath. This is not just a thriller; it’s a raw, visceral experience that leaves a lasting impact. I absolutely loved every second of it!

I'm sorry, but I flat out did not enjoy this book. The style is a thicket of overworked metaphors. The incompetent and beyond unsympathetic protagonist's interior monologue is a relentless repetition of the exact same thought process -- inducing me toward lightly skimming over whole pages. The plotting veered from an unconvincing recycling of very cliched tropes and implausible action to an outright ludicrous finale and a morally dubious denouement.

There was a gem of a fun idea here, and a suitably scuzzy milieu. But it was a hard slog to get through, and there was no real reward at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Deadbeat.

I read the author's previous book, The Other Side of Night, which I didn't love, but did like parts of.

Deadbeat is about Peyton Collard, how used to be a good man, had a good job, wife, and daughter. Then he screwed it all up after a terrible accident and an innocent life was lost.

Now, a barely functioning alcoholic living a shattered life, his fortune seems to change when he's offered a ridiculous amount of money to kill a bad man.

As Peyton weighs the pros and cons of perpetuating this heinous deed, he finds himself falling headlong into a conspiracy that started long ago.

And it will soon be too late to turn back.

I didn't like Peyton, but I don't think you're supposed to.

He's barely struggling to get by, unable to pay child support, he's weak, he's a loser, and always turns to booze. Yep, he's a deadbeat.

Yet, as the narrative progresses, I still didn't like Peyton. I didn't dislike him but I wouldn't want to hang out with him in real life.

I wasn't a fan of the constant internal monologuing as he tries to rationalize committing murder.

I know the point is to be in Peyton's head but his thoughts are repetitive and boring and slowed the pacing of the story a lot.

I guessed who the anonymous patron was from the get-go (it's not hard) but not the reason for it, which I thought was a good twist.

But that ending...it's too corny, too cheesy, too pat.

I thought the ending was more difficult to suspend disbelief for, even after everything Peyton went through.

I was instantly hooked by the totally unique premise and had no idea where the story would go next. I also loved how conflicted I felt about the main character throughout the story. Sometimes I felt like he was a piece of shit and other times I truly felt sorry for him. The ending seemed a bit farfetched compared to the rest of the story, but overall a really fresh, interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of Deadbeat.

I read a lot of books and often feel like I am reading the same couple plots over and over again, but that was absolutely not the case here! I was instantly hooked by the totally unique premise and had no idea where the story would go next. I also loved how conflicted I felt about the main character throughout the story. Sometimes I felt like he was a piece of shit and other times I truly felt sorry for him. The ending seemed a bit farfetched compared to the rest of the story, but overall a really fresh, interesting read.

4 stars!