Tank Rizzo and his team of misfits are back in book #2 of this series.  This book could easily be read as a stand alone, but the first book, Tin Badges, is a 5 star read too.  Lorenzo Carcaterra has rolled his extensive background in journalism focusing on police work into a really great story of.....you guessed it.....PAYBACK.
Tank Rizzo and his former NYPD partner, Pearl, may be retired on disability but that does not mean they have stopped insuring the bad guys get what they deserve.  Sometimes, the police need a little help.  That's where Tank's crew steps in.  
Two story lines run concurrent through PAYBACK.  An investigation into Detective Eddie Kenwood.  He has a track record for confessions that seems just a little too good to be true.  Some of his convictions are now being overturned when new evidence clears the defendants.   The next story is too close to home to be comfortable.  Tank's brother and SIL died in a car accident that shows signs of being intentional.  Tank's crew includes his 15yr old nephew and Tank will keep his promise to his nephew.
This could easily become a television series along the lines of Leverage.  I'd certainly watch it.

Tank Rizzo hates dirty cops, so he sets out to take a top cop down., because he is dirty. on the side he is also taking down the dirty accounting firm where his brother worked..before he died...2 hard jobs, but Tank Rizzo is teh man

I somehow missed that this is the second in a series, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story. Anytime I can find a gritty detective series to follow, I'm happy, and this one fills the bill. The characters are all well developed and I was as interested in the secondary characters as Tank and Pearl. I also like that the characters aren't afraid to skirt the rules a bit to see justice done. I think that adds some grit to the characters and for me, it even makes them more likable. It shows they're human. The story has good pacing, it's exciting, and it held my interest all the way through. As I said, this is my first read in this series, but it won't be my last. I'll certainly be checking out the first book while I'm waiting for whatever comes next.

I didn't read the first but this was a well paced and fun thriller that kept me engrossed. Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion

I actually did read the first book in this series, Tin Badges, so it was nice to have the background, although I don’t necessarily think you need it. If you start with this book you can pull most everything together without reading book one. This book starts where book one left off, with our reluctant hero Tank now having taken on the responsibly of being guardian to his 15 year old nephew after the untimely death of both of his parents. Book one introduces Chris, the nephew’s, theory that his parents death was an arranged homicide, and we pick up there as Tank and his unlikely team start digging into the meat and bones of just who could have wanted Chris’s parents dead. While this investigation starts to get underway, Pearl comes to Tank requesting his help investigating a possible false imprisonment after the cop tied to the arrest is found to be linked to a series of wrongful charges. So Tank sets about to correct two wrongs. The characters are always a fun part of this story, even if some things seem a little far fetched. There is more heart in this novel perhaps than book one, although this one was also a little cornier to me. If you liked book one, you should also like this one. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a high octane page turner with a very clever plot.  
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a well-written, fast=paced action thriller. This is the second book I've read by Lorenzo Carcaterra and it won't be the last. The story of continuing characters of retired cops (due to injury) Tank and Pearl along with Tank's teenage nephew Chris kept me reading late into the night. This was a good, fast read with lots of intrigue but not much mystery - no sudden reveals, just Tank and Pearl (along with assorted gang and mob associates) taking down the bad guys. And there's a new puppy!   Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for the preview copy of Payback. This is an excellent police procedural novel with a strong story line and wonderful characters.  This was my first experience with this author and I will be sure to be on the lookout for more.

RATING 3.5 STARS

Bad accountants and dirty cops

It's personal for Tank Rizzo. That is the catalyst of this crime thriller. With the death of his brother and his brother's wife, he now has his nephew Chris to take care of. Chris has reason to believe that his parents were murdered. He brings his case to his Uncle Tank who takes it personally.

There are two stories going on. One with his family and another with a bad cop that pinned a murder on a innocent man who is serving time. The two cases collide in a personal way that brings it all together. It is action packed with compelling twists. Rizzo has a good team that looks after his back and they go after the bad guy. It keeps the family together. A family that defends each other stays together!

A special thank you to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

I haven’t  read any books by Carcaterra, but I will certainly be looking to in the future. Payback is #2 in the Tank Rizzo series. It can be read as a stand-alone, but I will probably go back to read the first book in the series - Tin Badges.

Tank is a former NYPD detective, who along with his nephew, Chris, his best friend and partner, Pearl, also a former cop; and a team of others decide to take on two cases – a dirty cop and a dirty accounting firm that may have killed his brother.

Will Tank and his team succeed?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Was hooked from the first few paragraphs!

This is the second Tank Rizzo book I've read and the best so far. Tank and his former partner, Pearl, are both retired cops on disability from a shooting. That doesn't mean they are simply rocking away their lives on the front porch. They work on cases that the Chief of Police throws their way on occasion. This time around, Tank and his crew get waist-deep into two dangerous cases - one involving a dirty cop who has made numerous arrests of innocent people and the second involving an investment firm that has been skimming money from their investors and also were directly involved in the murders of Tank's brother and sister-in-law. These are all dangerous people but Tank and Pearl have some dangerous allies of their own. 
It is nice that the characters here are ex-cops. That way they can do things that cops on the job could not do and that is what makes this book so much fun. Tank and Pearl get the job done, with the help of their motley team, and in so doing draw the reader in deeper and deeper. I will definitely read more from this author.

I’m a big fan of Lorenzo Carcaterra’s writing and have read most of his books from Sleepers to Tin Badges.  I never pass up a chance to check out his work, so when I was offered an opportunity to read an advance copy of Payback, the sequel to Tin Badges, I jumped on it.
	Picking up where Tin Badges left off, Payback revolves around Tank Rizzo, a retired NYPD cop adjusting to his new life, taking care of his nephew Chris after his mother and father were tragically killed in a car crash.  Chris has been certain that his parents were killed and his skills on the computer have brought up some pretty damning facts about the accounting agency his father worked in that could prove his theory.  After reviewing his findings, Tank decides to take it up with his team.  
You see, Tank is a Tin Badge, a former NYPD cop who is brought in to tackle cases the NYPD has neither the time nor the manpower to handle.  Tank’s team is as diverse as they come – former cops, former crime bosses, computer hackers and the like.  After learning that his brother was about to turn FBI informant, Tank is certain Chris is right about his parents’ death…but he’ll need the FBI’s help to prove it.  
But that’s not the only case the crew is about to work.  Tank’s former partner, Pearl, has a score to settle of his own.  An old family friend has been rotting away in jail for a crime he didn’t commit.  The cop that put him there is a dirty detective that Tank and Pearl have come across a number of times during their career and Pearl wants to take him down by proving he faked the evidence in this case.  
Now, Tank’s team is good, but they are about to take on two very personal cases, one that could reveal some very dark secrets in Tank’s past and threaten to tear apart the team Tank worked so hard to put together.  Can Tank and his team solve the cases without losing their integrity…or their lives?
Lorenzo Carcaterra has a knack for creating likeable characters with flaws…characters that are relatable to the reader thanks to the flaws that make them seem real to them.  He also creates bad guys you can’t help but hate as they have not one single redeeming quality that could make you sympathetic to their cause.  The descriptiveness of the locales in the book bring me back to my days growing up in New York City and will appeal to all New Yorkers who read this book.  The action is awesome and the drama palpable.  
That being said, I find a great deal of the action in this book to be farfetched.  Sure, I can believe there will be shootouts and fist fights and the occasional knife attack – it’s New York City after all.  But the idea that Tank can pretty much get away with all sorts of these things without ever getting arrested is beyond me.  Is Carcaterra implying that the NYPD is so corrupt as to turn a blind eye on blatant killings in an effort to solve open cases and put away dirty cops?  
Not to say that Payback is not an enjoyable, edge of your seat, fun to read novel.  A great action thriller, yes, but a bit too over the top to be believable.

Tank Rizzo and his friend and former partner Pearl are retired NYPD police officers, both injured in the line of duty and 'shot off' the force--Pearl's injuries in fact have left him wheelchair bound. But both continue to work with the NYPD and in this outing, they are looking into Detective First Grade Eddie Kenwood, a gold star detective who has an extraordinarily-high rate of conviction through confessions, some of which have been overturned of late due to evidence proving the wrong man was sent to prison. 

In his personal life, Tank's fifteen-year-old nephew Chris has come to live with him after both his parents were killed in an automobile accident. Chris refuses to believe it was an accident and has used his computer skills to dig up some evidence to support his claim, enough to convince Tank to start looking at the investment firm where his brother worked.

Both investigations rile up some people who don't mind using violence to make their problems go away but thankfully Tank and Pearl have a motley crew of misfits who back them up when the going gets rough.

The author's bio says that he is a former writer/producer for the tv show Law & Order and this story does read like a cop show tv script with plenty of action, violence and gore, though interesting characters and friendships/relationships raise it a step above that. This has been an entertaining series thus far and I look forward to reading more. 

I received an arc of this new crime novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

This story is about a filthy cop who is out to be the best at arrests and not caring if the people he puts behind bars are guilty or not. Detective Eddie Kenwood is about to get his 'payback' from Tommy 'Tank' Rizzo and his partner Frank 'Pearl' Monroe. When this story takes place, all the above-mentioned cops are now retired either by years served or by medical reasons. Tank's brother, Jack, and his wife died in a car accident, Their son Chris is now living with Tank, and he has investigated on his own and has a good reason to believe his parents were murdered by the accounting firm where his father worked. Curtis, Strassman, and Randolph are shady, to put it mildly. They are skimming money off of their clients. Tank and his group of retired cops, and some unsavory characters are out to do two things: Free a man whom Kenwood put in prison and prove the accounting firm are murderers. Not an easy task since Tank has a past he doesn't want to be revealed that could ruin him. Can they get all this done and stay alive themselves? Enjoy PAYBACK and see for yourself! I was totally drawn into the story. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

After being shot in the line of duty, two ex-cops, Tank and Pearl, are still solving crimes.  They are working on two cases.  One is to prove Tank’s brother was killed in a car accident by the firm he worked for, and the other is trying to release a man from prison after a bad cop put him there.  The cast of characters solving the crimes are wonderful; ex mob men, the FBI, district attorney, Tank’s nephew and his girlfriend, and others who want justice for both victims.    Fast paced action, characters who are loyal and trust each other, and enough twists and turns that will keep the reader engaged.  Loved this book.

Payback by Lorenzo Carcaterra, I enjoy this series and this next book really delivered for me! Tank and his crew are back and they are ready to get personal, with enemies mounting on all sides and dangerous secrets coming out in the open can everyone stay safe?

Payback begins with Detective Eddie Kenwood coercing a murder confession out of a young black man.  

We then cut to Tommy "Tank" Rizzo watching his nephew Chris shoot hoops, and a tiny infodump about how Tank and his partner Frank "Pearl" Monroe were shot off the job and how Chris came to live with Tank - more specifically,  how Tank's brother and sister in law (Chris' parents) were killed in an auto accident.

This is about the extent of how character development goes throughout the book. As this is book two in the series, perhaps we get to know the characters better in book one. Alas, I've not read it.

Tank and Pearl, ex-cops that they are, get thrown cases by the Chief of Detectives from time to time when the official NYPD detectives are overloaded. In this book, however, the focus is on determining if Tank's brother - as his nephew insists - was murdered in that car accident, versus it being a real accident, and to find out is the company is laundering money for bad guys locally and from around the world. The secondary focus is on Tank and Pearl collecting evidence about Eddie Kenwood and more specifically,  getting the young man who confessed at the beginning of the book out of prison.

Tank and Pearl run an investigative service, but there isn't a ton of investigating of the main case done on the page - probably because it's accounting, and pulling up spreadsheets and putting numbers all over the page would slow things down, as it's difficult to put tension into that.

The better parts of the book are when Tank and Pearl actually go back into the field to get informants and cons to talk about Kenwood so they can build a case. Those parts are gritty and seem much more realistic (and are certainly much more interesting) than the primary case.

There are a number of murders, some tough guy talks by fixers from the accounting firm, a few scenes with Tank and his girlfriend, who is the daughter of a local mob boss with whom Tank is friendly, and who Tank brings in to help with the accounting firm parts, and an entirely unbelievable talk with the DA about blanket immunity for a group of Romanians up to and including murder if they have to be brought in to the accounting firm case.

Minus the group talks about the accounting firm, the book is a quick read, and fans of the genre will forgive the things like the DA's immunity agreement, because those things make the story more interesting. Putting Tank's brother's death to rest by finding answers, but I think the two cases in this book would have been fine in a book devoted just to each.

Overall, a three star out of five read for me. Your mileage may vary.

Thanks to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for the review copy.

Payback is an entertaining and well written suspense book.  Great plot and character development.  Suspense fans will not be disappointed.  I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me this ARC. This is kind of a cross between a police procedural and a private detective story in that the protagonist, Tank,  and his partner, Pearl,  are retired NYPD cops. There are two intertwined cases. First, Pearl asks for Tank’s help in overturning an inmate’s murder charge. Concurrently, they are looking into the deaths of Tank’s brother Jack and his wife.. Jack worked for an accounting firm with questionable ethics. They left Chris, their teenaged son, who ended up as Tank’s ward. There’s a lot of graphically described fighting involved in trying to solve these two mysteries. I don’t often read macho lit, but this was well written with interesting characters.

*Many thanks to Ballentine, Lorenzo Carcaterra and NetGalley for extending an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review"

Payback is my first Lorenzo Carcaterra novel and will not be my last. There are two facets to this book which I love - The backdrop of Greenwich Village, which is my hometown, and my longtime obsession with the Mafia. And of course, my love of all things Italian. 

"Tank" Rizzo is a former Cop, who along with his partner, Pearl was involved in a shootout several years prior. Both were given early retirement and Pearl was paralyzed from the waist down. When Payback opens, it starts off with "bad cop" Eddie Kenwood, forcing a guilty plea from an innocent person. 20 years into the future, the mystery begins when we are introduced to Tank and his 15yo nephew, Chris. Chris has just been orphaned as his parents are killed in a car accident, that is deemed mysterious. He is somewhat of a sleuth and has figured out that all is not what it seems. He asks Tank and Pearl for their help in figuring out what happened to his parents.

There are many wonderful characters in this book. From the retired Mafioso, his beautiful daughter, The confidential informants all over the city, the knife gang....It all comes together seamlessly to solve a mystery. Or in this book, two. Yes, there are two plots happening here. The first one being a dirty accounting firm, the second being the bad cop Eddie Kenwood and trying to take him down. I absolutely loved the backdrop of the city and the fast pace of the book. 

I would definitely suggest reading Tin Badges before reading this book. While this one is not a sequel, it might help to know the characters. Also, it was hard to understand the relationship between Connie and Tank without reading the first book. There didn't seem to be any connection there or any affection at all. They didn't spend any time with each other and barely spoke fondly of each other. 

I would give this book 4 stars. The writing is superb, the characters multi-layered and complex and the story line well thought out.