From the child taunted by her playmates to the office worker who feels stifled in his daily routine, people frequently take out their pain and anger on others, even those who had nothing to do with the original stress. The bullied child may kick her puppy, the stifled worker yells at his children: Payback can be directed anywhere, sometimes at inanimate things, animals, or other people. In Payback, the husband-and wife team of evolutionary biologist David Barash and psychiatrist Judith Lipton offer an illuminating look at this phenomenon, showing how it has evolved, why it occurs, and what we can do about it. Retaliation and revenge are well known to most people. We all know what it is like to want to get even, get justice, or take revenge. What is new in this book is an extended discussion of redirected aggression, which occurs not only in people but other species as well. The authors reveal that it's not just a matter of yelling at your spouse "because" your boss yells at you. Indeed, the phenomenon of redirected aggression--so-called to differentiate it from retaliation and revenge, the other main forms of payback--haunts our criminal courts, our streets, our battlefields, our homes, and our hearts. It lurks behind some of the nastiest and seemingly inexplicable things that otherwise decent people do, from road rage to yelling at a crying baby. And it exists across boundaries of every kind--culture, time, geography, and even species. Indeed, it's not just a human phenomenon. Passing pain to others can be seen in birds and horses, fish and primates--in virtually all vertebrates. It turns out that there is robust neurobiological hardware and software promoting redirected aggression, as well as evolutionary underpinnings. Payback may be natural, the authors conclude, but we are capable of rising above it, without sacrificing self-esteem and social status. They show how the various human responses to pain and suffering can be managed--mindfully, carefully, and humanely.

Gage... I don't fuck girls who work for me, but as soon as Amelia turns those big green eyes on me I know she's trouble. I can't keep my hands off her, and the almost-but-not-quite-sex we share in the kitchen is the hottest thing I've ever had. Except she calls it quits, before we've even started. Instead of moving on, she's all I can think about and that's bad news. I'm breaking all my rules for her, and don't even care. Until I find out who she is and what she really wants. She's after payback, but there's no way she's going to get it. No way in hell... Each book in the Viking Bastards MC series is STANDALONE: * Hooked * Payback * Burned

Floyd Carter returns to London for the funeral of his brother. Was Albie's death an accident or did somebody kill him? Discovering the truth isn't easy. A gang leader demands Floyd cough up the ten grand he claims Albie owed; another wants Floyd to join his network of drug pushers. Only Floyd's childhood friend, Suzie, provides a haven. Even then, her daughter is developing some dangerous habits. Plunged into a world of drugs and violence, Floyd grapples with the facts surrounding Albie's death as bodies start to pile up. Black humor underpins the action of this fast-moving, hard-hitting thriller. Russell James "writes a muscular, undecorated prose" (Sunday Times) which perfectly captures London's criminal underworld. A typically tough and thoroughly compelling read from the author of ten novels, including Slaughter Music and No One Gets Hurt. "A first-class story of London gangland, told with a considerable amount of panache" Philip Kerr

Ex con, Frank Collins, had a new life and a new love. Until the day his daughter's suicide brings his whole world tumbling down. Determined to find out why his daughter had done such a terrible thing, he returns to a life he thought long behind him. Desperately trying to deal with emotions that threatened his new found stability, he follows his daughter's lonely downward journey into drugs and prostitution. Finally discovering that a London gang had used and abused her, he has a choice to make. Will he seek justice from the courts, or evoke his own deadly payback? His decision will turn his whole future on its head.

In Payback! Eric Esor, a former law enforcement agent, forensic specialist, and investigator, following serious on duty injuries, is forced to change careers. Eric learns that his sixteen year old adopted daughter, Briana, was raped by a person who prefers chubby girls. Brianas protection from the boogeyman is to be thin. She turns to an unhealthy peer group, an eating disorder, and experimenting with illegal methamphetamines. Briana is not forthcoming with the police or her parents about being raped, leaving Eric to use his investigative and forensic skills. For more than two years, Eric conducts a lonely hunt for his daughters rapist. His skills pay off but his efforts taint evidence so that it is useless in traditional jurisprudence. Eric Esor now must decide whether or not to become the antithesis of himself. Could he be the polar opposite of the good citizen, son, husband, father, provider, brother, socially active, and well-educated teacher? Eric must decide whether to be investigator, prosecutor, judge, jury, and perhaps executioner. In other words, should Eric Esor seek Payback? If so, how, when and where will he accomplish this? If he does, he will have to leave absolutely no trace behind in order to return to his normal life. The question to be answered in Payback! is, Is it a time to kill?

Several mysteries occupy Katie’s mind, all at once. Her newly discovered half-sister hasn’t yet endeared herself in the Wilk household. Even though her dad is somewhat accepting of the idea that the wife who abandoned him began a new family, Katie can’t get past the fact that her mother never once reached out to her, since she was a toddler. But Ellen has discovered clues that their mom might still be alive somewhere and she is determined to follow the trail, dragging Katie along. Meanwhile, Ida Clemashevski, their landlady, is exhibiting some strange moods and memory swings and Katie is worried what that’s all about. What she discovers turns out to be deadly, in more ways than one. Now, the trick is to catch an old enemy before payback can be exacted, once and for all. Praise for the Katie and Maverick Cozy Mysteries--2024 Winner in the International Impact Book Awards: “...an intricate mystery with plenty of action and suspense. Plus, I like the dog.” David Housewright Edgar Award winning author of Something Wicked “From navigating small town life to solving puzzling murders, Katie and Maverick are a delight.” —Mindy Mejia, international bestseller author “Immediately captivating! Katie and Maverick are destined to become a notable amateur sleuth team in the mystery world.” –Connie Shelton, USA Today bestselling author “I thoroughly enjoyed this debut book by Mary Seifert! This well written and thoughtful story kept me engaged with fun characters, interesting information and mind and math puzzles. Looking forward to book two!” James, 5-star review “Fun read! The author has an authentic voice and has done her research. The plot covers many topics: dogs, history, the inner workings of hospitals, family dynamics, and more. I especially enjoyed the puzzles and little-known historical facts that were part of the story. Maverick, Movies & Murder kept my interest and left me wanting more. Highly recommend!” Beth, online 5-star review “…very much looking forward to her next!!! I can’t get enough of Ms. Seifert’s books!!” – proudarmymom, 5 stars “…plenty of unanticipated twists and turns. It kept [me] up reading to see what was going to happen next!” – RHN, 5 stars online “Maverick, Movies, and Murder isn't merely a cosy mystery; it's a literary embrace, a narrative that unfolds in layers, revealing both the familiar and the unexpected.” OnlineBookClub.org review

Someone wants every member of the consortium dead, and they'll stop at nothing to make it happen. Meanwhile, Shan has transferred back into Redbone and has taken the game to a whole new level. Janay has turned over a new lease on life but her ties to Crystal are always a challenge. Everyone is gunning for Dark and with The List in the hands of Cisco's wife, Joy, Dark's chances of taking over Detroit are threatened more than ever before. Everyone is fuelled by fire and seeking the ultimate revenge.

The short stories explore the complications faced by Africans in living the postcolonial experience, especially as it directly impacts the African world, its peoples and their sometimes ``complicated'' lifestyles. The narratives capture not only the angst of seeking meaning in a world that challenges wholeness for African communities and individuals but, above all, look at ways of retrieval of cultural/ancestral knowledge in authenticating themselves.

He has intermittent flashbacks, collages of guns, crushing memories of a wife found murdered in a ditch, a young son, now estranged, who was kidnapped and then found walking alone in a convenience store parking lot. His name is Ti Boukman (pronounced tea book-mon); he is a Haitian–born, African–American filmmaker and sometimes-political activist, who solves crimes to help out friends. His female partner is South African born TV Reporter Malaika Gifford. His frequent sidekick is a homeless man who once had a family and a fancy house in a Black suburb. Payback is a Dog begins in 1996 with a fatal auto accident which turns out to be a murder, motivated by events that took place 25 years ago. Back then, dangerously ambitious FBI Agent, Allen Serica manipulated a paid informant to commit heinous acts, and later illegally removed the uncensored documents delineating these acts from the bureau files. Serica is now security chief at a major corporation and when his stolen files turn up missing, he searches for them brutally. Soon, revenge becomes a popular motivation. In the end, there is one big bloody payback, culminating this novel's Caribbean–style basket weave of a murder mystery, love story and political thriller. The 1973 hit song by the Stylistics inspired the title.