Homepage Payback Excerpt Hawke Bio Hawke Tales Prettybyrde Chronicles Musical Excerpts


There are scores to settle and hard lessons to learn.... Claudia Lopez waits for her husband at Newark International Airport, unaware that he's gone into hiding in the wake of a botched drug deal. Now, eight hours after completing the long flight from Bolivia with their infant daughter, she's stranded in the bustling arrivals building, wondering what to do next. At first, Margot Fortune, the elegant and sympathetic woman who offers her a ride to Manhattan, appears to be her salvation.
Claudia will discover that appearances can be deceiving. Her world will be turned upside-down when, adrift in an unforgiving city, she's threatened with the kidnapping of her baby if she fails to pay back her husband's drug debt. As Claudia desperately searches for a way out of her nightmare, Margot leads her on a harrowing tour of the Big Apple's dark underbelly and into the shadowy world of high-priced prostitution, drugs and violence.



REVIEWS

“Hawke’s writing style is superb, narrating the most bizarre scenarios with breathtaking detail and sensitive realism.” The Clifton Journal – Melissa Erin Monahan

 “THE PAYBACK is as much a deep character study as it is an action thriller.  Fans of a fast-paced suspense thriller will receive plenty of positive PAYBACK from Hilary Hawke's exhilarating novel.”  The Best Reviews – Harriet Klausner 

“Entertaining…vivid…well-written.” John Byrne, Former Senior Editor, Business Week, author of Jack: Straight from the Gut

“Author, Hillary Hawke holds nothing back as she takes the reader on a horrifying journey.” Word Museum – D.L.Bolk

Hawke’s prose rolls and rollicks culminating at times in pronounced crescendos.  Her clean and direct prose shows that she can clearly write. The voices of the principal characters are most natural offering insight into the story of the characters.” - Book Pleasures, Thebestreviews, Amazon, book ideas, blether - Norm Goldman

“This is great and very sexy!  The characters are well-defined.  This would make a great feature!”   - Yvette Freeman, ER star

 “If you like strong women and lots of action, The Payback will grab you and never let go.  This novel is as good as anything coming out of the big publishing houses nowadays, and in some places better!  This author can write!”  Domhan Books

"The writing is good… and the story fast paced enough to hold interest throughout.”      Writers Digest

 “The Payback by Hilary Hawke is a fast paced thrill-packed ride on the literary roller coaster of life.  From beginning to end I applaud Hilary Hawke.  The Payback is a riveting read.”  - Cloudy Mountain Books

 “The Payback is a staggering tale that grabs your attention immediately and keeps it until the very end.  Ms. Hawke’s storytelling impressed this reviewer.” - Themestream

"Hilary Hawke did a terrific job telling the story of Claudia. The Payback is well written with an interesting plot."  - Inscriptions Magazine

“Easily read, fast-paced with colorful subjects.  The description of NYC was vivid and full of detail.” - Books Under Review



Order The Payback at these stores



Amazon Borders
booksamillion Barnes and Noble