"Pace, pace, pace is what Kernick does best, and this utterly gripping thriller brings together his great renegade cops Dennis Milne and Tina Boyd for the first time. Revenge is the name of the game here in a filthy Manila." -- Henry Sutton DAILY MIRROR 20110218 "Simon Kernick has been quietly writing some of most compulsively readable thrillers of recent years. Described by his fans as the British Harlan Coben, his fast moving novels take in murderous cops, paedophile rings, kidnappings and even a one night stand that results in a severed head, all ensconced in very real suburban setting. Benefitting from compulsive research and time spent working closely with the higher echelons of Scotland Yard, they are also never less than totally believable. His latest novel, The Payback, brings together two of his most popular protagonists: feisty police officer Tina Boyd (the most exciting crime fiction heroine since Steig Larsson's Lisbeth Salander) and Dennis Milne, a boy in blue turned hit man with a conscience. Set predominantly in the seedy underbelly of Bangkok amongst the nefarious ex-pats who reside there, The Payback wraps up all of the loose ends from previous works. It's perhaps not the best Kernick book to begin with - for maximum enjoyment we implore you to start at the beginning with A Good Day To Die. I discovered him a little over a year ago and shot through his entire back catalogue in a little over a week. While some thrillers could be likened to literary fast food, The Payback is more of a Gordon Ramsay fois gras: it delights, excites and stimulates, and the only reason you consume it so quickly is because it's so damn good." GQ "Here's the nitty-gritty. This is a masterpiece of thriller writing that proves Kernick is a world class operator. His latest surefire hit moves at breakneck speed from London to Hong Kong and the Philippines. It should have a health warning on the cover as you may well forget to eat, sleep, or even breathe as it sucks you into its addictive grip." Peterborough Evening Telegraph 20110227 "This is Kernick on customary abrasive form, and it defies the reader to put it down before that last page is read." Good Book Guide, April 2011
