Holly Seabright, a Security Patrol Officer in an area that includes Sierra Mountain Village, a small remote town in the mountains of Central California, is on patrol during a three-day Oktoberfest weekend with an expected 10,000 revelers.

Expecting the usual minor problems inherent with such a festival, she is surprised when she finds herself in grave danger.

Gunshots ring out in a residential neighborhood caused by a couple of drunks. While Holly tries to stop the shooters before someone gets hurt, she finds an old, white pickup nearby.

As she heads back to the department a call comes in about a fire sighting, the last thing anyone wants in the massive forest. When she returns to the area where the fire is located she notices the white truck is gone.

She finds a young boy trying to get his skateboard out of the lake where a couple of bullies had thrown it. He finds a leg sticking out of the water, along with two feet and a chopped off hand. No body, but a head is eventually found.

In the meantime, Sheriff’s Detective Dex Stafford has his own issues to deal with during the weekend, especially several issues regarding his partner, Harry Price, his mother who has decided to move in, and an investigation into who dislikes the mayor enough to kill him in a gruesome way.

Payback by Mar Preston is the first in a new series featuring a Kern County Sheriff’s Detective by the name of Dex Stafford. The story takes place in a small remote village in the mountains. Her previous highly regarded series featured Dave Mason of the Santa Monica Police Department, and his girlfriend Ginger McNair.

Much of the story is told from Holly’s viewpoint, especially in the beginning. Once Dex arrives on the scene we start to see the beginning of a new relationship for the two although it takes a while for the characters to feel the same.

The author’s attention to detail brings the story alive and gives characters a depth that will keep readers turning pages. It’s easy to get deep into a story when an author is able to build a realistic setting such as the atmosphere of this small town and the mountain area central to the novel.

Numerous twists and turns, and a bit of humor, make this an excellent book to read. I highly recommend Payback to anyone who enjoys a strong mystery with a good dose of romance mixed in.

If you are interested in any of Mar Preston's books, you can find them at Amazon.com.

A special thank you goes to Pertinacity Press for providing us with a complimentary copy for our review.