Helpful Score: 2
Boring is my first word for this one. It starts out giving you a prison collasping and of course an inmate getting away, from there you get into so many characters you have to make a list of who they are and the relationships and how they're connected, etc. Then the 'incident' of kidnapping and abuse of a couple of the main characters is just repeated over and over and over, and there are pages and pages of just 'explaining' everything under the sun, along with pages of just 'thinking' and then explaining that! The chapters are too long, by half way it was just boring!
The ending was fantastic. It put me on the edge of my seat. Strong characters, and great story.
HELL TO PAY is the eagerly awaited third installment in Wendy Corsi Staub's trilogy that began with LIVE TO TELL and continued in SCARED TO DEATH. The storylines of the preceding volumes are very complex, though Staub leads readers deftly through each of them; it is worth noting that reading the first two books will provide those new to the series with a wealth of information that is pertinent to the current offering. The narrative, though, stands on its own, with Staub's trademark twists, turns, surprises and thrills carrying the day.
The novel concerns, in part, a unification of a sort for the Walsh and Cavalon families, which heretofore had only a shared tragedy in common. Lucy Walsh and Jeremy Cavalon both narrowly escaped death after childhood encounters with a serial killer; they are married and awaiting the birth of their first child as the book opens, after experiencing two tragic miscarriages. Their lives are not without stress; Jeremy's grandmother dies unexpectedly in what is erroneously believed to be an accidental fall, an event that coincides with the couple being suddenly and unceremoniously evicted from their apartment. They move into her vacated home in New York, a change that will give them the opportunity to save money to purchase a place of their own.
Jeremy, however, has a history of mental instability --- one that is understandable yet frightening. He appears to have conquered his demons, yet there is always the chance that they will manifest themselves once again. And while the move puts Lucy closer in proximity to her beloved but somewhat aimless brother Ryan, something is going on with him that he will not share with his sister. He is being especially secretive about Phoenix, his new girlfriend, who is just as secretive about herself. But what Lucy and Jeremy do not realize is that they are being observed and orchestrated by someone who is patiently waiting to complete a project that was initiated years before.
Some money here, a plate of cookies there, and things begin changing for Lucy and Jeremy in ways they never would have hoped or expected. Things become very, very dark for the couple; not everyone (maybe nobody) around them is who they seem to be. And before the last page is turned, they could well lose everything they have, and the chance to have everything they have ever wanted.
A warning: Do not become too emotionally invested in any particular character you meet here. Not all of them make it to the end, and at least one of those who do may leave you disappointed. However, you will not be disappointed in HELL TO PAY. Staub relies upon subtle clues and even more subtle misdirection to guide her readers down some wrong and right turns, speeding things up and slowing things down as necessary. In case you have a faint heart, sometimes the suspense becomes excruciating. Staub can take something as ordinary as an apartment building airshaft and compel a reader to think of it in an entirely different way.
The novel concerns, in part, a unification of a sort for the Walsh and Cavalon families, which heretofore had only a shared tragedy in common. Lucy Walsh and Jeremy Cavalon both narrowly escaped death after childhood encounters with a serial killer; they are married and awaiting the birth of their first child as the book opens, after experiencing two tragic miscarriages. Their lives are not without stress; Jeremy's grandmother dies unexpectedly in what is erroneously believed to be an accidental fall, an event that coincides with the couple being suddenly and unceremoniously evicted from their apartment. They move into her vacated home in New York, a change that will give them the opportunity to save money to purchase a place of their own.
Jeremy, however, has a history of mental instability --- one that is understandable yet frightening. He appears to have conquered his demons, yet there is always the chance that they will manifest themselves once again. And while the move puts Lucy closer in proximity to her beloved but somewhat aimless brother Ryan, something is going on with him that he will not share with his sister. He is being especially secretive about Phoenix, his new girlfriend, who is just as secretive about herself. But what Lucy and Jeremy do not realize is that they are being observed and orchestrated by someone who is patiently waiting to complete a project that was initiated years before.
Some money here, a plate of cookies there, and things begin changing for Lucy and Jeremy in ways they never would have hoped or expected. Things become very, very dark for the couple; not everyone (maybe nobody) around them is who they seem to be. And before the last page is turned, they could well lose everything they have, and the chance to have everything they have ever wanted.
A warning: Do not become too emotionally invested in any particular character you meet here. Not all of them make it to the end, and at least one of those who do may leave you disappointed. However, you will not be disappointed in HELL TO PAY. Staub relies upon subtle clues and even more subtle misdirection to guide her readers down some wrong and right turns, speeding things up and slowing things down as necessary. In case you have a faint heart, sometimes the suspense becomes excruciating. Staub can take something as ordinary as an apartment building airshaft and compel a reader to think of it in an entirely different way.
Hell to Pay is the third book in the Live to Tell Trilogy. If you have not already started reading this Trilogy, I would suggest having all three books and read them back to back. I read them years in a row and I forgot details.
1. Live to Tell
2. Scared to Death
3. Hell to Pay
The Third book is about Jeremy and Lucy Cavalon. Tis the season of joy but sorrow still hangs over the Cavalon and Walsh families. Tragedy follows Jeremy everywhere. Will Lucy be able to carry this child and be happy with Jeremy? Will Jeremy ever be able to put his past behind him?
I found the book at the beginning interesting and wanted to read it. Around chapter 9-10-11, I started skipping ahead over thoughts.
1. Live to Tell
2. Scared to Death
3. Hell to Pay
The Third book is about Jeremy and Lucy Cavalon. Tis the season of joy but sorrow still hangs over the Cavalon and Walsh families. Tragedy follows Jeremy everywhere. Will Lucy be able to carry this child and be happy with Jeremy? Will Jeremy ever be able to put his past behind him?
I found the book at the beginning interesting and wanted to read it. Around chapter 9-10-11, I started skipping ahead over thoughts.
This book was decent enough, but not great. I really like Staub's books and had read the first two books in this "Live to Tell" saga, both of which were really good. This last book, though,was not as good as the first two. You find out in the first few pages that it is a woman that's been in jail that is coming after the main characters, Jeremy and Lucy, and if you've read the prior two books, that narrows the ID of her down to very few people. I figured out who it was very early on and then had to read on through pages and pages to see how it would all end. Yes, she kills a few people along the way, but you know exactly how the story will end way before the end comes. Kind of a disappointment, but will definitely read more by Staub in the future.
Lucy and Jeremy Cavalon are in love, married and expecting a baby. After two miscarriages, this time they are afraid to get their hopes up, but they are being extremely careful. Unfortunately, they don't have a lot of money and when their landlord evicts them for no reason, they don't have anywhere to go. It's sad, yet fortunate, that Jeremy's grandmother recently passed away. She slipped in the tub and drowned. Now, her apartment is vacant, and it will be somewhere Jeremy and Lucy can stay for awhile rent free until they get back on their feet.
Unknown to Jeremy and Lucy, someone is watching them. Jeremy's grandmother's death may have looked accidental, but it wasn't. Someone from their past, whom they believe to be dead, is set on members of the Walsh and Cavalon families to pay for their sins. Lucy Walsh was kidnapped when she was a child but eventually was freed. Jeremy was also kidnapped but was taken from his loving foster home and sent overseas. He spent his childhood years with a pedophile.
Both with a haunted and tragic past, their love for one another and the hope of their new baby gives them hope for the future. But someone is determined that Jeremy will perish and convinced that the child is the new messiah. Anyone that gets in the way will meet a tragic fate. Action-packed, emotional and suspenseful, HELL TO PAY is an adrenaline pumping read.
Unknown to Jeremy and Lucy, someone is watching them. Jeremy's grandmother's death may have looked accidental, but it wasn't. Someone from their past, whom they believe to be dead, is set on members of the Walsh and Cavalon families to pay for their sins. Lucy Walsh was kidnapped when she was a child but eventually was freed. Jeremy was also kidnapped but was taken from his loving foster home and sent overseas. He spent his childhood years with a pedophile.
Both with a haunted and tragic past, their love for one another and the hope of their new baby gives them hope for the future. But someone is determined that Jeremy will perish and convinced that the child is the new messiah. Anyone that gets in the way will meet a tragic fate. Action-packed, emotional and suspenseful, HELL TO PAY is an adrenaline pumping read.
