Rating: 2.2/5

The marketing blurb supporting Celia Walden's latest book described it as her first thriller. That description is somewhat misleading. "Payday" is largely devoid of anything particularly thrilling and is more of a (domestic) drama that focusses heavily on feminist issues and attitudes.

I found this hard going, but I hate giving up on a book without seeing it through to the end, so I stuck with it. Ultimately, that perseverance was rewarded, as the final third of the novel is far more engaging than events prior to that point.

Unfortunately, the pace of the narrative is too far off the mark for too long. Although the writing is intelligent and there are good and valid observations being made by the writer, it too often feels like the same ground is being retrodden and very similar themes being unnecessarily reiterated: Yes, I got that Jamie Lawrence was a nasty piece of work, who deserved everything that came his way. - I didn't need it underlining time and time again. And I understood the points being made about the challenges and prejudices that women have to overcome in the workplace and life in general. - I didn't need to be repeatedly told - then reminded - before being told again. The author clearly had certain messages that she wanted to communicate in this book and I have no issue with that, but if done to excess, it not only disrupts the flow and balance of the novel as a whole, but it can also become counterproductive and undermine the argument you are trying to get across.

The latter sections of the novel are markedly better. The pace of the narrative is much improved and the tone is more balanced. Consequently, the protagonists become more engaging and you are actually able to empathise with them. Sadly, for me, this was a case of too little, too late and I wish the approach taken in these later stages had been more evident throughout.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Alex is a single mother on maternity leave from a job she loves, when she is called into the office & fired for misconduct for something that wasn't her fault but the fault of her boss, Jamie. When Nicole overhears some of the young women from the office talking about a sexual predator , she knows they're talking about Jamie, after all he harassed her for months. Jill was one of the original partners who gave Jamie his job but he's now trying to maneuver her out of the door. When the three women get talking at an office party, they realise that Jamie needs to pay for what he's done - but when Jamie dies they wonder which one of them went too far.

The three main female characters encapsulate the issues women face in the workplace; scapegoating, sexual harassment, & ageism. With chapters written from each viewpoint, the first two thirds of the book were thrilling reading, I literally couldn't put it down. I felt that the final third was a bit of a disappointment though, I was expecting a bit more ruthlessness to be honest, & for that reason although the book is well written, I rate it 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4).

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Little, Brown Book Group UK/Sphere, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I enjoyed this book, it's well written and fast-paced. Some of the characters and plot are a bit extreme. It would be a good beach read.

Payday is a fiercely intelligent, character-driven feminist thriller that follows three women as they attempt to bring the misogynistic partner of their firm to justice and asks the question: how far would you go to settle the score? Late at a drunken office party, three women employees exchange secrets. Jill, Nicole and Alex all work for prominent property development company BWL, and although before this evening they had not talked to each other about seemingly charming yet extremely problematic star broker Jamie Lawrence before, they all know about or have been subjected to his behaviour. They exchange words in hushed voices about the co-partner and golden boy of the firm. About what he does to women, and they all agree something must be done. Jill, in her 60s, is the company founder, current owner and senior partner; she learns that despite her altruistically mentoring Jamie he has been cruelly mocking her behind her back. Nicole, in her early 40s, is the Special Projects Manager and Jamie's colleague who has been sexually harassed by him despite being married with a family. Alex, in her 20s, is Jamie’s former Personal Assistant.

She's a struggling single mother with a young infant and had been fired after being made the scapegoat to cover up corner-cutting and the inadequate work Jamie had completed. Although they barely know each other, now they have a common cause. If the system is against you, you have to take justice into your own hands. It's time these women took him down a peg or two. The next day, though, feelings change. After all, these situations are complicated, easily misinterpreted. Could there be another side to the stories these women have told? Were their stories quite as black and white as they claimed? When their plan spirals out of all control, they realise things are far more complicated than they first thought. As they stand to lose everything - their careers, their relationships and their integrity - they begin to doubt themselves and each other. After all, there are two sides to every story. Should they have trusted each other? Or is one of them harbouring a secret darker than any of them could have imagined? Unfortunately, when 46-year-old Jamie is found impaled the women discover themselves at the centre of a police investigation where their stories and motives are brought into question.

They're calling Jamie 'the victim', but that's all wrong. Jamie is the guilty one. Isn't he? This compulsive and absorbing page-turner is as much about sexual politics in the workplace as it is a tense thriller. The novel alternates between three strong female characters each with grievances, all potential suspects. It’s modern, intelligent and totally gripping. Full of secrets, lies, duplicity and toxic behaviour, I was pleasantly surprised by quite how relevant to our times and enthralling this really was and I struggled to put it down. Walden pulls the wool over your eyes and manages to do so exceptionally well for the majority of the novel and the twists, turns and constant game playing between the characters meant it was thoroughly unpredictable. It's a cleverly woven slow-burning thriller ripe with mystery, murder, creeping dread and palpable suspense, but the characterisation and the evolving dynamic between the characters is what made this book so great. They are all well developed, flawed and realistic, and I loved getting to know the three women especially as it had you rooting for them even when eventually things do not turn out exactly how they first appeared. The plot simmers away as we are introduced to vile antagonist Jamie and concludes in an explosive and wholly unexpected fashion. Highly recommended.

Great read. The bank holiday Monday has completely passed me by because I've been so engrossed in this book. Celia Walden makes you believe you know all the characters personally she writes about them so well. This is the first book I have read by this author and I would read more of hers books.

I loved the premise of this book - 3 women brought together through their treatment by one man. Jamie Lawrence has tried Nicole, Jill and Alex with contempt and now he is dead. But who is responsible and why?

This book kept me glued and guessing. Would recommend.

I VERY nearly gave up on this one at the start but I’m SO glad I didn’t. So many things happened that I wasn’t expecting and I love this in books!

This was the author’s first thriller so quite impressive. I loved the feminist side of it because it’s essentially women surviving ‘a man’s world’. Each woman is strong in her own way and that’s what makes this story a good one. The plot is clever and the twists are unexpected. I’m not sure who I believe in the end but maybe that’s the point?

Thanks to @netgalley for my review copy of Payday published today by Sphere!

Payday begins with the death of Jamie (one of the most loathsome characters you will ever meet) and introduces us to three women in his life who have different reasons for wanting him dead.

As the story unfolds, we learn more about how Jamie has wronged each woman and we build towards an exciting conclusion as we come to learn how he died.

Whilst I was not entirely convinced by the ending, it was definitely hard to predict.

All in all a decent whodunnit and I would recommend to anyone who likes mystery/thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Books, Sphere for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I was granted access to this book on Wednesday evening and it was archived the next day before I had chance to download it. I would be happy to read and review if the publishers allowed me to.

Thanks to Net Galley and Little Brown Book Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Three woman all employees of the same company, all with an axe to grind with Jamie Lawrence who has been found dead.
I did not like any of the three woman, Jill, Nicole and Alex, therefore I didn’t care what happened to any of them, they all seemed to have secrets. The different timeline was difficult to follow at times.
2.5 stars

This book follows three women, in different stages of their lives at a company. Their colleague, boss and co-partner Jamie comes up as a subject of conversation at an office party. The three women come out convinced that Jamie has done something but with time away from each other they're not so sure.

Now one of them has started something and it's all gotten a bit out of hand and Jamie the object of all this madness is suddenly the victim.

This book wasn't at all what I expected going into it. The characters were probably my favourite part because they were all messy and complicated and not exactly likeable.

The setting was also interesting. I don't often read books that are set in a professional setting so it was interesting to see that dynamic with all the drama. Also, I did learn a little about properties without meaning to, there's a lot of detail put into that particular section that's not needed but very much appreciated.

My issue is mostly with the pacing and the way the timing works. Also with the fact that there were multiple perspectives and I wasn't exactly keen on the way it jumped around.

Overall I did enjoy this book I'm just not particularly passionate about it.

Payday follows the story of Jamie Lawrence, the golden boy of a firm, who appears to have suffered a gruesome accident and soon later dies.

The following investigation reveals that he may have been murdered but why? as co-partner of the firm he was well loved by everyone... or was he?

Enter Alex, Jill, and Nicole. They know what kind of guy Jamie was. Maybe he isn't a victim after all. Maybe he just got what he deserved.

WOW!

Payday was absolutely insane...! A modern twist on Whodunnit, a cautionary tale to those who may want to follow Jamie's steps, but overall a tale of strength among women

Thank you Netgalley & Little Brown Book Group UK for my ARC. This is my honest review.

A Timely Tale….
Secrets, lies, guilt, revenge. It’s all here in this timely tale told with panache and edge and with a well placed and credible cast of characters. Often edge of seat reading and, with equally often, unexpected twists and turns which ultimately deliver to a gripping finale. A satisfying and engaging read.

3.5/5

This was a good little thriller with a few shocks and twists for the story. It did take me a while to get into but once I got into the story, I was hooked. An enjoyable read and would recommend for fans of thrillers.

We open with Jamie Lawrence being found at death's door, impaled. He subsequently dies and it appears it might not have been an accident. We then follow three women both in the present as the inquiry progresses and also in the past as their relationships with the deceased are unearthed in all the gory detail. We have Alex, his former PA. Jill, founder of BWL and who brought Jamie onboard to be a partner. The there's Nicole who is his colleague. Each of these women have reasons, good reasons to want Jamie to get some comeuppance. But, if it was foul play, who would go as far as to want him dead?
Oh my days, as we get to know Jamie, warts and all, we get to know a rather despicable person. He really is a nasty piece of work. But I will leave you to discover all the gory details for yourself. Suffice to say that he left a nasty taste in my mouth...
But the women are the stars of the book. They come together as a threesome on a boozy work night out where they all swap tales of, well Jamie's shenanigans. And the wrongs he has done them. And they decide that something has to be done...
I whizzed through this book, almost forgot to breathe at one point. It took over my life for the duration with all its secrets, lies and duplicitous behavior. It also has a lot of game playing and I was never wholly sure who was pulling the strings. It was twists and turns all the way to the end.
Characterisation was excellent. Our three main characters are all completely different and unique, and it was a blast getting to know them all. I especially felt for Jill and all she was going through outwith work. Even though Alex and Nicole weren't pure as the driven snow they too had their reasons for wanting harm to come to Jamie. And Jamie himself was completely horrible but at the same time wholly believable.
All in all, an engaging thriller that hit the ground running for me and didn't let up until the last delicious page. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I found the first chapter of this book really arresting and engaging but, for me, it went downhill from there. The introduction of so many characters and time lines was quite off putting and I'm afraid I got to the point where I didn't really care what happened to any of them.
Thank you to netgalley and Little Brown books for an advance copy of this book

I found it a little bit difficult to get into Payday but once I was into the story - Wow I couldn't put it down. There are plenty of secrets and twists to this one which I enjoyed very much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for my ARC.

A good engaging story with twists and turns,maybe a bit slow i the middle but an easy read and interesting concept that I enjoyed

Payday is a twisty thriller focussing on three women and their relationship with their boss Jamie, who is slowly being exposed for the misogynistic, career-climbing egomaniac that he is.

The chapters alternate from each women’s perspectives and the characters are well built and detailed. They each had their own unique voice as well which really allowed us to get into their heads and understand their motivations. Some of them did make silly decisions at times but as a reader we bought into their plans and went along with them for the ride. There was also a time-jump with a hint of the ending told at the beginning and most of the rest of the plot told in flashback. This was a nice way of keeping you hooked at the beginning and worked well.

Although the book is quite short and the action does feel fast paced in places, I thought the middle of the book dragged a bit and got quite repetitive. The ending, by contrast felt almost too fast and I struggled to work out what was happening in parts. Giving away no spoilers there were a few decisions that came out of nowhere and seemed to have been made to have a hard-hitting twist rather than making sense from a character and backstory perspective. The final twist was a prime example of this for me and I finished the book with more questions than it answered!

Overall Payday is a twisty thriller which is engaging and you can devour in a few sittings! Thank you to Netgalley & Little Brown Book Group UK – Sphere for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The latter parts of this book were really good, with brilliant twists, some of them quite unpredictable.
I did, however, find it a hard book to get into - the host of different names at the beginning without a framework to put the different people in, felt quite confusing to me, although there did come a point where I suddenly worked out how everybody fitted together. I'm not sure that the reader should have been left hanging for quite so long, and certainly if you don't keep reading, but read the book in short snatches, it is quite hard to get a grip on the different people and what they do.
So this early annoyance did temper my enjoyment of the book, even though it became quite dramatic and twisty later on, which was much more to my taste. This early confusion and irritation does make it impossible for me to give the book five stars, although the later parts of the book did deserve it.