Payback

The Secret Life Samantha McGregor, Book 4

Children - Preteen
221 Pages
Reviewed on 03/10/2009
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

Payback is the story of a girl who has the gift of visions. Samantha wanted to be a police officer. Her father had been a police officer who had been shot in the line of duty. She had shared her visions with friends at the police station, and they allowed her to work with them on other case.

Recently she had a vision about a shooting  that involved young people and one about a boy being bullied. She think the shooting was at a prom. Samantha began attending area proms with an undercover detective to try to recognize the faces of the people in her dream. At one school she recognized a boy from her dream. In her dream he was being badly beaten. She talked with the boy and discussed bullying in schools. He admitted he was bullied at another school and had just recently enrolled at this school where the bullying started again. Samantha and the detective eventually located the right prom. Could she stop the violence before it happens?

The best part of Payback was the emphasis on prayer. Samatha had a strong relationship with God and prayed through the book. This was a very suspenseful book and well-written. I would suggest this book for a middle or high school girl.

Melissa @ Breath of Life

More than just another teen novel, Carlson includes Scripture throughout the storylines to encourage her readers to seek the truth from God's Word. The main character Samantha herself wrestles with doubt about her gift, and learns she must draw continue to rely on God as she works to solve each case. Carlson also includes discussion guides with thought-provoking questions aimed to spark meaningful dialogue, and some resources for those wanting to know more about hearing God's voice.

Steven R. Hoskins

The final Samantha McGregor book has a rich plot that keeps you reading through all the twists and turns. Samantha gets visons from God, and in this book it is about a school shooting, and it is a bit goary. All in all though this is a truly amazing book.

Barbara Warren

Samatha McGregor has learned to pay attention to the disturbing visions she receives from God, even though most of the time she doesn't understand what they mean. Now, she's had a vision of a shooting at a high school prom, although she doesn't know what school. She talks to Detective Ebony Hamilton, who is also a personal friend. Soon Samatha and the police are involved in a race to discover which school is in danger. PayBack is the fourth and final book in The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor. With a clever storyline and a twisted plot that will appeal to teens, it's a satisfying ending to the series.

Jennifer Dieleman

I love the Samantha McGregor series because it is a different kind of teen fiction. The stories are always centered around real teen issues that many people fail to see in every day life. I enjoyed this story very much. My favorite book will always be the first, but the entire series is amazing. I am truly sad that this is the final book in the series, it makes me wonder what Melody Carlson is going to come out with next. Read these books! you wont be sorry.