After delving into the shadowy worlds of the church and organized crime in his previous novel, Father Divine’s Bikes, Steve Bassett explores the destructive cycle of revenge and its consequences for victims, as well as perpetrators, in this sequel.

Set in the bleak, post-war landscape of 1946, the story starts with a scene that seems straight out of pulp fiction: two men incinerating a corpse at the Newark city dump, interrupted by a night watchman. The stiff left behind holds great interest for Lieutenant Nick Cisco, a morally compromised police detective already neck-deep in two gruesome murders and a troubled marriage.

Soon the action shifts to chief protagonists Mike and Frank—veterans from the 42nd Infantry Division, which liberated the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. These soldiers are hunting down and killing Nazi sympathizers at the behest of a murky maestro called Mister Rache.

Alongside the main plot, we meet Grace DeMarco, a determined county court clerk trapped in a toxic marriage to a criminally connected dentist. Bassett also explores morally dubious deals with Nazi collaborators, although these subplots tend to distract readers from the central thrill ride.

The plot and its accompanying violence are nasty business, but the post-WWII setting, with its smoky, cinematic trappings, elevates the delivery. Ironically, the most interesting characters are the most damaged: Cisco, the conflicted cop, and Grace, the resilient, sharp-witted woman fighting to survive her toxic marriage. Their presence brings some depth, even as thinner characters and unnecessary subplots threaten to undermine the story’s intensity.

There are moments that hint at the potential for something more: dark, morally conflicted characters reminiscent of Walter Mosley’s elegant potboilers, and a rich backdrop recalling WWII-era gems like James R. Benn’s Billy Boyle mysteries. Yet, for all its potential, Payback never fully steps out of the shadows of its inspirations. It’s a serviceable crime tale with flashes of promise but ultimately struggles to find its own rhythm.

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