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Paying the Piper (Leisure Fiction)
 
 
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Paying the Piper (Leisure Fiction) [Mass Market Paperback]

Simon Wood (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)


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Book Description

Leisure Fiction November 2007
The Piper is the Bay Area’s infamous child kidnapper. When the Piper selected crime reporter, Scott Fleetwood, to report on his latest child kidnapping, Scott thought he had the world in his grasp, but he held nothing. Scott had been duped by a wannabe. By the time the FBI exposed the hoaxer, time had run out, leaving the real Piper only one course of action—to kill the child. With a murder added to his résumé, the Piper vanished leaving Scott to take blame from the public and the investigating FBI agent, Tom Sheils. But now, eight years later, the Piper’s back, with very specific targets in mind—Scott’s young children. Scott can have his children back as long as he can pay the ransom. The hard part is that ransom isn’t measured in dollars, but in blood.

Some debts can’t be repaid...

Praise for Paying the Piper:

“Wood keeps the pages flying, even as his plot gets more and more complex, accelerating nicely toward an elegant climax.”
— Publishers Weekly

"Revenge fuels Wood's fast-paced thriller and the good guys deliver a winning finale.”
— Oakland Tribune

"If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as Simon Wood, to write the wondrus books he has written ans especially to have written his new one, Paying the Piper. I'm seriously jealous of his talent and I hate to admit that but dammit, he writes like a dark demented angel. He is the real deal, already knocking on the door of the A-list. He's that good....a ferocious raw artist."
— Ken Bruen, author of Jack Taylor series

"Tense, fast-paced, and near impossible to put down."
— Sean Chercover, author of Trigger City

"Simon Wood might not be a household name right now, but if his books continue at this pace he might soon be.”
— Reviewing The Evidence

“Hard to believe this is Wood’s sophomore effort. Delightfully twisty and an amazing climax.”
— Book Bitch

“Simon Wood continues to excite readers with his second thriller's suspenseful twists and turns.”
— Fresh Fiction

“An action-packed thriller that never slows down.”
— Midwest Book Review

“Simon Wood knows how to create tension, he knows how to build three-dimensional characters, and he’s proven he can tie everything together in a high octane climax.”
— Book Browser

“Highly Recommended.”
— Fear Zone

“This is a finely crafted thriller.”
— Bookgasm
--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After an eight-year hiatus, the elusive serial kidnapper dubbed the Piper is once again commanding headlines in San Francisco after abducting Sammy, one of newspaper reporter Scott Fleetwood's young sons. However, where the Piper's previous crimes had been motivated by money—kids returned unharmed in exchange for millions in ransom—this one appears to be personal: the Piper holds Fleetwood responsible for botching his last kidnapping, costing the Piper a cool two million and forcing him to resort to murder. The victim in that case was the only child of wealthy real estate mogul Charles Rooker, who has now stepped forward to fund the Piper's ransom demand for Sammy, while helping Fleetwood and the FBI nail his son's killer. Before Sammy can come home, however, the Piper has more grueling maneuvers than a demented drill sergeant to put these characters through. Wood, in his sophomore effort (following Accidents Waiting to Happen), keeps the pages flying even as his plot gets more and more complex, accelerating nicely toward an elegant climax. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Author

Simon Wood is an ex-racecar driver, a licensed pilot and an occasional private investigator. He shares his world with his American wife, Julie. A longhaired dachshund and five cats dominate their lives. He's had over 150 stories and articles published. His short fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines anthologies, such as Seattle Noir, Thriller 2 and Woman's World. He's a frequent contributor to Writer's Digest. He's the Anthony Award winning author of Working Stiffs, Accidents Waiting to Happen, Paying the Piper and We All Fall Down. As Simon Janus, he's the author of The Scrubs and Road Rash. His latest thriller, Terminated, is out in mass paperback with a new short story collection, Asking for Trouble, out later in the year. Curious people can learn more at simonwood.net.

Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 386 pages
  • Publisher: Leisure Books (November 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0843959800
  • ISBN-13: 978-0843959802
  • Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,558,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

37 Reviews
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 (30)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful and intense!, April 16, 2009
By 
GinRobi (Timmins, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Paying the Piper (Leisure Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)
Eight years ago, a kidnapper dubbed the "Piper" began kidnapping children. Once the ransoms were paid, the children were returned, unharmed. During the last kidnapping, the Piper contacted Scott Fleetwood, a reporter with the San Fransisco Independent. Only, the man Scott was talking to wasn't the real Piper. To teach the public, Scott, and the FBI a lesson, the real Piper murdered Nicholas Rooker and left the body in a park. Not a day goes by that Scott doesn't think about Nicholas Rooker. And now the unthinkable has happened... Scott's own son, Sammy, has been kidnapped right in front of the school. It's the Piper - and it's payback time.

A ransom is demanded, and Scott and his wife Jane, don't have the funds. But Charles Rooker, Nicholas's father, pops up at the most unexpected time and saves the day, putting up the ransom; he swears he harbors no ill will toward Scott and his family; he wants the Piper caught, once and for all.

And now the Piper has Scott running in circles and through hoops - for Scott has a lot to answer for. Scott has to do what the Piper wants him to do or the Piper will hurt Sammy. And if things couldn't get any worse, in the middle of the night, their other son, Peter, is taken right from his own bed, with Jane unable to stop it. And a new ransom is demanded; Charles Rooker swoops in once again. He doesn't care about the money - he wants the Piper caught. And now the Piper has made a new demand: Scott is given a deadline - he has to find the Piper.

But FBI Agent Tom Sheils is on the case. He still holds contempt towards Scott, but regardless, he's determined to take down the Piper and bring the boys home. But he knows that Scott is keeping secrets, and he's determined to get to the bottom of it. The question is: will Scott and Sheils figure it out - before it's too late?

**Incredible suspense, the tension is palpable. There's no putting this book down. Just when you think you're starting to get a handle on what's going on, who's involved, a twist occurs that blows your theory out of the water, time and time again.

The characters are complex and full of emotion, especially guilt. The main character, Scott, feels it daily; not one day has gone by in eight years that he doesn't think of what happened to Nicholas Rooker. All the main men characters feel some form of guilt, and because the FBI had been made fools of, Sheils still harbors anger toward Scott, making for some very, very tense scenes.

On the back cover of the book, there's a quote from Book Browser: "Simon Wood knows how to create tension, he knows how to build three-dimensional characters, and he has proven he can tie everything together in a high-octane climax." I couldn't agree more. An excellent novel and highly recommended!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars action-packed thriller, October 30, 2007
This review is from: Paying the Piper (Leisure Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)
Eight years ago the Piper kidnapped preadolescent Nicholas Rooker demanding two million dollars in ransom from his wealthy father, a successful bay area realtor. The serial abductor began calling San Francisco Independent reporter Scott Fleetwood leaving clues for the cops to track. However, by the time the police realized that the caller was a fake, the Piper changed is MO of retuning the kids unharmed once remittance occurred; this time he killed Nicholas.

In the present, after a hiatus the Piper abducts one of Scott's children, Sammy. He feels Scott owes him more than just the money he lost; he blames the reporter for his killing Nicholas, the first time he committed murder. Nicholas' father Charles Rooker puts up the ransom money hoping that this time the FBI, led by Agent Shiels, captures his son's killer. The cat and mouse game has just begun on the streets of San Francisco with the Piper warning Scott to play by his rules because of ACCIDENTS WAITING TO HAPPEN.

Although an action-packed thriller that never slows down even when the cast climbs the hills, the story line belongs to the four male protagonists who make up a macabre square with each feeling strong degrees of guilt over what happened to Nicholas. Fascinatingly the Piper regrets having had to murder Nicholas although he holds Scott culpable; Scott feels the same way and to a degree so does Charles and even Shiels. PAYING THE PIPER is a terrific thriller as the quartet knows that they all fall down on this one.

Harriet Klausner

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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Kidnapping with a twist, October 18, 2007
By 
J. E. Crocker (Manhattan, KS United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Paying the Piper (Leisure Fiction) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is a wonderful book about a kidnapping with lots of twists, all believable. It took me 2 days with interruptions to get it read. I had to find the truth & the WHOLE story behind the kidnappings.
If you like thrillers that also have mystery, this is a good book for you. I liked Simon's book Accidents Waiting to Happen; I loved Paying the Piper. By the way, it would also make a great suspenseful movie.
The main characters are well drawn. You will find yourself empathizing with the father of the kidnapped children. You will come to understand what motivates several of the other main characters in the book - both the good and the bad. The cast of characteres includes the newspaper reporter, the kidnapper, the FBI guy, the local police, the parents of previous kidnap victims, a private eye, the children, and others. I highly recommend Paying the Piper.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
winch house, ransom drop
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Nicholas Rooker, Mike Redfern, Brian Givens, Agent Sheils, Scott Fleetwood, Alex Hammond, Charles Rooker, Bay Area, Ryan Rodgers, San Francisco, Sammy Fleetwood, Crown Vic, Annabel Cho, South Van Ness, Douglas Ritchie, John Friedkin, Tom Sheils, Chloe Rodgers, Barry Gordon, Jesus Christ, Linda Cho, George Moran, David Cho, Glen Park, Jane Fleetwood
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