Peyton Collard, used to be a good man; but a car accident sent him down the wrong path and now he’s a deadbeat. When he’s offered a life-changing sum of money to kill a man, Peyton must decide if being a vigilante is can redeem him. But as the requests keep coming, Peyton starts to wonder who exactly his patron is and what is their end goal. As he investigates who his patron is, Peyton finds himself in a web that he might not escape from.
Peyton is such a complex and frustrating character. The way he continuously makes poor life choices was hard for me to swollen but certainly lends itself to his addict characterization. It felt like every step forward he took set him three steps back. There were a few points where you needed to suspend belief and while the short chapters kept me entertained, there were some lulls in the writing that could have been edited out.
A gritty thriller, I did enjoy the story overall. There were a few pacing issues and some repetition that brought the story down in my opinion. But ultimately it was an enjoyable dark mystery filled with regret and the tough choices we make. If you like seedy mysteries and morally grey characters, you’ll enjoy this book!
Deadbeat comes out December 3, 2024. Thank you to Atria for my advanced copy in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
