Payback
By Elizabeth Rose Quinn
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
Paperback & eBook, 287 Pages
May 5, 2026 by Thomas & Mercer
Summary
For seven inmates, their luxury weekend prison sentence comes with concierge service—and complimentary homicide.
Welcome to Pay to Stay, Los Angeles’s premier minimum-security facility where the privileged serve time Friday to Monday only.
But this New Year’s weekend, seven inmates—including a driven campaign manager, a disgraced nurse, a party girl, and one mysterious male transfer—discover their abusive guard dead, wrapped in an ironic “Community Payback” vest. Now they must solve his murder before their cushy arrangement becomes a permanent stay in maximum security.
As a storm rages outside and the power fails, alliances shift within. With police knocking at their door and an emotional support iguana named Nacho as their witness, these inmates hustle to collect evidence and plan a killer party—all while dodging suspicion. Because someone in this concrete block is a murderer. And everyone is a suspect. But as New Year’s Eve approaches and bodies pile up, these unlikely allies discover that in Pay to Stay, some debts can only be paid in blood.
My Review
PAYBACK is a story of murder and mayhem among inmates who serve their time over the weekend with one exception when a maximum security inmate is also transferred there for the weekend. Things definitely don't go as planned, even for the villains. Murder mystery fans will most enjoy all the twists and turns in this story where no one is quite whom they seem.
Read this if you like:
- Murder mystery
- An interesting set of characters
- Surprising twists
- Lots of humor
- A bit of Hollywood
What I most liked about this story were the unique twists. I thought for sure I had the villain pegged (even though overly obvious) until he's the one that's murdered. Then it was a puzzle as to who the actual murderer was and why. I thought the premise was very unique and the story kept me engaged. The humor was such a good counter to the situation, especially as they try to investigate. I liked both Cami and Russell the most. They're also the most consistently sane and normal of the characters, making them the most relatable as well. The other characters were all a little crazy. I also liked how the author weaved through some facts and views on the prison system. It didn't feel forced but more like something to make readers think.
In the end, was it what I wished for? Overall, this was an entertaining, engaging read. Definitely worth grabbing for some laughs along with a few chills.
Content: Some swearing (including a few f-words), murder and some additional violence (some a bit gruesome but not overly detailed).
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Megan Beatie Communications, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Have you read any thrillers this year that you'd recommend?
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