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Hell to Pay (Live to Tell, Bk 3)
Hell to Pay - Live to Tell, Bk 3
Author: Wendy Corsi Staub
And so it begins . . . again. — Survivors of a serial killer who invaded their childhood, Lucy Walsh and Jeremy Cavalon are married now, replacing nightmares of their terrifying past with joyful dreams of the upcoming birth of their first child. Fiercely determined to protect the fragile balance of their lives, Lucy doesn’t know that her ne...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780061895081
ISBN-10: 0061895083
Publication Date: 9/27/2011
Pages: 416
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 41

3.8 stars, based on 41 ratings
Publisher: Avon
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Hell to Pay (Live to Tell, Bk 3) on + 3161 more book reviews
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!
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Timbuktu126 avatar reviewed Hell to Pay (Live to Tell, Bk 3) on + 481 more book reviews
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.
MELNELYNN avatar reviewed Hell to Pay (Live to Tell, Bk 3) on + 669 more book reviews
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.
reviewed Hell to Pay (Live to Tell, Bk 3) on + 166 more book reviews
The ending was fantastic. It put me on the edge of my seat. Strong characters, and great story.


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