3.5
Deadbeat
ByPublisher Description
A “standout work of smart, tough crime fiction” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) about a desperate single father as he searches for the anonymous employer who hired him as a hitman.
Peyton Collard was a good man once, but his life changed after a horrific car accident. 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 investigation to discover the truth about the murders he’s committed in this “superb, white-knuckle thriller” (Booklist).
Peyton Collard was a good man once, but his life changed after a horrific car accident. 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 investigation to discover the truth about the murders he’s committed in this “superb, white-knuckle thriller” (Booklist).
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesDeadbeat Reviews
3.5
“Deadbeat delivers a gripping story about how far one man is willing to go for his child. The plot is compelling, showing a father pushed into desperate circumstances and the lengths he’ll go to when he feels he has nothing left to lose. Along the way, the novel offers a dark look at how guilt and regret can pull someone deeper into bad decisions, creating a spiral that’s difficult to escape.
The book also tries to expand beyond the thriller plot, asking readers “what would you do?” and bringing in broader sociological comparisons about how individuals are judged for violence while larger systems sometimes justify harm when it serves economic interests. While I can see what Hamdy was aiming for, I personally didn’t care much for that broader scope and would have preferred the story to stay focused on the tense, personal narrative.
Overall, Deadbeat is still an engaging thriller with a strong premise and emotional core, even if the larger commentary didn’t fully land for me.”
About Adam Hamdy
Adam Hamdy is a bestselling British author and screenwriter who works with studios and production companies on both sides of the Atlantic. He’s currently adapting his novel Black 13 for Ringside Studios, and is developing his original screenplay, The Fear in Their Eyes with December Films.
Other books by Adam Hamdy
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