Kickback [Paperback]

P. M. Terrell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2002

Sheila Carpenter's dream job for a prestigious computer consulting firm spirals out of control when she's instructed to cover up illegal activities. Now she's the only one who knows a truth so devastating that it could bring down an entire industry. With three people already dead, she's in a race to gather evidence while her own life hangs in the balance.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A joy! Great story, wonderful writing, a protagonist who could be yourself or your daughter or sister, red herrings galore. -- Lelia Taylor, Creatures and Crooks

Fun to read, hard to put down novel comparable to Mary Higgins Clark and John Grisham novels. Well worth reading! -- Michelle Connell

Joy to read... great story, wonderful writing... a protagonist who could be yourself, your daughter or sister, red herrings galore. -- Lelia Taylor, Creatures and Crooks

Page turning novel with a likable female protagonist...this book gets a green light--go for it! -- Leanne Freiberg, Scream TV

Starts with a bang and never lets up...fast-paced, complex...keeps the reader guessing until the end! -- Deborah Hern, Romance Readers Connection

The perfect paperback to toss in the suitcase or beach bag as you head out for vacation. -- Paula Price, Price & Sons Good Ole Books

This debut novel has everything...a great book & an exciting read! -- Narayan Radhakrishnan, RebeccasReads.com

Well written, intelligent and fast-paced fun! Give it 5 minutes, and you'll never look back. -- Kristine High

From the Publisher

By the time Sheila Carpenter graduated from Vanderbilt University, she'd already established a reputation as a computer whiz kid. So it was no surprise when she was hired by one of the most prestigious computer-consulting firms in the country and transferred to its headquarters in Washington, DC. But soon Sheila's dream job spirals out of control when she's instructed to write a program designed to cover up illegal activities. Now she's the only one who knows a truth so devasting that it could bring down an entire industry. With three people already dead, she's in a race to gather evidence while her own life hangs in the balance.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 318 pages
• Publisher: Palari Publishing (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972818618
• ISBN-13: 978-0972818612
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,545,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wham, Bam - Thank You, Ma'am!, September 13, 2005

By 

E. Dian Moore (Moundsville, WV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kickback (Paperback)

Sheila Carpenter is a computer whiz kid. In a hurry to take advantage of her accomplishments, her employer Douglas Murray and Associates signs Sheila to work as a programmer for a trucking company. By page 20, our heroine learns that she has been hired to hide a kickback scheme. And shortly after, her associates start turning up dead.

Where does a young woman, eager to please, but not eager to break the law, turn for help? She befriends a young lawyer, Matt, from the law firm that she has also been contracted to help setting up a computer system. And she contacts, the FBI.

Soon, Sheila doesn't know whether to trust Matt or not. And the FBI doesn't seem like they are eager to help either. Her aunt is kidnaps, in her mentor is killed by a trucker in front of her eyes. Desperate to do what is right, stay alive, and save her aunt, Sheila devises a plan to blow the lid off the kickback scheme, using her computer skills.

Author Patricia McClelland Terrell (p.m. terrell) is a computer industry professional and has been since 1976. She's also the daughter of a former FBI Special Agent and a longtime resident of the Washington, D.C. area. Her considerable experience and family background adds credibility and depth to this story. Fast-paced, filled with suspense, Kickback starts with a bang and doesn't let up until the very last page.

This inside look at how kickback schemes can work, the realistic character of Sheila, the FBI, the setting, and computereze, educates as well as entertains. This début suspense thriller hits all the right spots and doesn't disappoint. Instead, it leaves a yearning for more that the author has recognized and will fill with the soon-to-be released sequel-Ricochet: The Adventure Continues.

Terrell is also the author of the China Conspiracy, another suspenseful thriller featuring a gutsy heroine familiar with the workings of a computer.

Kickback has it all, including action, great dialogue, characters to root for, and bad guys to hate. Seasoned with an insider's look at the trucking industry, the computer industry, and the FBI, Kickback pulls no punches.

Welcome to the world of suspense writers, Ms. Terrell. You've earned it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars She keeps us guessing and wanting to know more., August 20, 2002

By 

Leanne Freiberg/ScreamTV critic (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kickback (Paperback)

"Kickback" by P.M. Terrell opens with an excellent exposition drawing the reader into wondering why a women is hanging upside-down in her overturned car with dangerous men just seconds from reaching her.

We soon find out Sheila Carpenter is a newly graduated computer programmer who must take down an entire law firm, a consulting firm, and the trucking industry, for giving illegal payments (thus the name "kickback") to companies who would award them contracts.

She unwittingly involves herself in writing a computer program for these illegal activities. Or are they illegal? She really isn't sure; even when her supervisor asks her to create hidden menus that only she can access. And is it illegal, she wonders, when asked to void original invoices, to erase them without a trace so there is no audit trail? Did she take basic accounting classes?

But, okay, she's a country girl just out of Vanderbilt University on her first real job in a big city (Washington, D.C.). She's vulnerable, maybe a little naive to the business world. I'll give her that. It doesn't take Sheila long, however, to turn revenge savvy using her computer skills to set up a sting to get the bad guys. There is also a side-story romantic interest for Sheila. Should she trust him? The reader is kept guessing until the end.

In addition, other large industries, including the FBI, itself, might be involved. There is even a hint of (whisper here) mob involvement. All this while trying to save her only living relative's home from being demolished and warning a best friend that her newly found truck-driving boyfriend may be connected to her ordeal. My goodness, Ms. Carpenter has gotten herself into a pickle!

Author P.M. Terrell has written a mostly page turning novel with a likable female protagonist. By "mostly" I mean the first two-thirds of the book are fast-paced and she keeps the reader wanting to know more. The last third of the book is relatively consistent with small problems coming only in plot workability and conflict toward the end. (i.e., my attention was somewhat drawn from the suspense wondering how much time the real players in a corrupt operation would spend on one programer. Attempts to explain this later in the book fall short.)

In the end, however, I was impressed by Ms. Terrell's writing style. She writes fluently with crisp sentence structure and excellent dialogue. And most importantly, like any really good author, she keeps us guessing and wanting to know more. She writes so well, in fact, that I'm looking forward to reading Ms. Terrell's next book The China Connection, with hopes that the plot is deeper with far more at stake than one person bringing down kickbackers. This book gets a green light. Go for it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rising star!, October 18, 2002

By 

Marc J. (Manassas, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kickback (Paperback)

Look out John Grisham - hang on Patsy Cornwell!!! You have company. P. M. Terrell has written a marvelous first book that demands more.

A page turner that keeps you involved and never confused with esoteric terms.

Ms. Terrell is an author to watch!