Heather’s Bookshelf: The Debt Collector
Author: Steven Max Russo
Released: 04/01/24
Genre: Adult Thriller
“But she was also a little off. You could see it in her eyes. She was crazy. Had an edge to her, hard and sharp. There was an alpha dog, a predator, hiding behind that sweet, pretty smile.”
“The Debt Collector” introduces Abigail Barnes, a 20-something, pretty and petite young woman who has recently relocated to Hackensack, New Jersey and is looking for work. Her looks are deceiving as her chosen profession is that of a collector for bookies- and she’s pretty good at what she does.
A chance meeting with Hector, a landscaper who makes some poor decisions, leads to an unexpected friendship. Hector introduces Abby to his cousin, Raffie, who gives her a job. Unfortunately, her mark ends up dead.
The murder becomes politicized when a big shot company has second thoughts about expanding into town. Hopeful to wrap up the investigation quickly, the cops turn to Ronnie “Slacks” Falcone, a mobster to help find the killer.
Abigail’s suspect number one and finds herself being chased by pretty much everyone including the mob and the police. Unable to outrun everyone, she finds her only hope is to find the true killer before they find her. Will she be able to do so or will her luck run out?
Trigger Warning: violence, murder, assault, reference to attempted rape, discriminatory/racist language, adult language
Overall, I enjoyed this story. The main protagonist of Abigail (or Abby, or Gabby…) was an interesting one. Tough, smart, and with a bit of a death wish, she’s intriguing. You want her to succeed and hope for her to come out on top especially being surrounded by some questionable individuals with their own motivations. I also really liked Hector as a character. There’s an element of innocence in him that rivals many of the other ancillary characters. He makes bad decisions sometimes, but his heart is in the right place and his loyalty to Abigail is endearing. I do wish some of the other “bad guy” characters were a bit more developed. They were a bit one note and didn’t show different sides to them or give an indication of motivation besides greed. The pacing was also a bit off. The first and last thirds of the book were fast paced and I especially liked how the restaurant scene unfolded. However, the middle third dragged on a bit and didn’t really add to the suspense of the story or character development. The ending did wrap everything up nicely, feeling final but also leaving things a bit open in the case of a sequel.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A crime-based thriller with a strong female protagonist but some pacing issues and one-note villains
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Steven Max Russo
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