The year is 2001 and Michael Wolfe, retired marine sharpshooter, is working in black ops for the Israelis in Haifa. His wife, Sara, plans to travel alone by bus to visit her parents. At the same time, Mohammad Al-Qaedi, an Iranian terrorist of some note, is planning a suicide bomb attack. Unfortunately for all involved, he picks the same bus that Sara has just boarded to commit this atrocity. Michael watches in horror as the bus explodes, his last glimpse of his wife being her face in the window, etched in terror.

Thus begins a decades long game of cat and mouse between Michael and the wily terrorist. Enter a former colleague of Michael’s who also has a history with Al-Qaedi and you have a multi-faceted saga spanning years. The action moves from the Middle East to the hinterlands of Missouri, to the stately town of London, and back again. Twists and turns abound as Michael and the terrorist cross paths, narrowly missing each other time and time again.

A Matter of Payback is the third novel in author, J.C. Fields’ Michael Wolfe Saga, but can be easily read as a standalone. It is a taut, tense thriller full of international intrigue and political machinations. Peopled by complex, fascinating characters, the novel moves at a fast pace and this reader had a hard time putting it down. Highly recommended for lovers of international intrigue, books about terrorism, and political thrillers.