"Back to Wando Passo is a riveting novel about a house and family haunted by the past. David Payne does a magnificent job of interweaving the civil war era with the present. He gives us insight into the world of slavery and how deeply it effected society in civil war times and continues to effect society today. He also shows us how the class that you are born into can be a tough obstacle to overcome no matter how much money or fame you acquire. I couldn't wait to turn the next page while reading this book."
— Patricia (Baltimore, MD)
"In Back to Wando Passo, David Payne gives us two parallel Southern gothic stories set in South Carolina: the contemporary story of aging rocker Ransom Hill and his struggle to resurrect his failing marriage with Claire DeLay, and the Civil War story of Harlan and Addie DeLay. Alternating between present and past, and using the Wando Passo house (the DeLay family plantation) as a focal point, Payne deftly weaves the two stories together in such a way that you will want to keep reading to find out what happens to everyone. Part historical fiction, part mystery, part analysis of a marriage gone bad, this is a book well worth reading."
— Karen (Arlington, VA)
"Great story of love, romance, sacrifice and mystery! I love the way Mr. Payne seamlessly ends one chapter in the present by picking up a similar story line in the past...the past does repeat! As I got further into the book the mystery was a page turner! Great read!"
— Jennifer (Baton Rouge, LA)
"I hate to gush, but…I loved this book. A story-within-a story, it has something for everyone: history, mystery, rock n' roll, Byron and Wordsworth, voodoo, the legacy of slavery. This is an interwoven story of two love triangles -- one modern day and one during the Civil War. Ransom Hill is a musician who goes to South Carolina to try to save his marriage. Hill uncovers two skeletons in an unmarked grave and as he tries to unravel this mystery, learns about the lives and loves of his wife's ancestors during the 1860's rice culture slavery. As Hill learns more about Addie's and Jarry's story, he finds himself dealing with similar and recurring issues of racism, passion, jealousy, betrayal and revenge. Payne depicts this era of unrest with lovely language, exploring the morality of slavery and its legacy with sensitivity, and he does it so vividly that for two consecutive nights I dreamed about Addie and Jarry. I couldn't put the book down and I hated to turn the last page. I've raved about this book to my friends and on my on-line book forum and will continue to push it into the arms of unsuspecting strangers. Thank you for introducing me to such a wonderful author. Brava, Mr. Payne"
— Lynn (San Carlos, CA)
"This very involving, deftly plotted novel tells the story of two ill-fated marriages. The first, during the civil war, is loveless, while in the second, modern day marriage, one partner loves not wisely but too well. The two stories are linked by common themes of family ties, interracial attraction, trust and betrayal, sexual obsession, mental instability and most of all, magic. Back To Wando Passo combines romance, mystery and suspense to great effect, I found myself unable to put the book down until I had learned the fate of each and every character -- a great reading experience. I definitely will be looking for the previous novels by this author."
— Eleanor (Grapeview, WA)
"Curl up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa & a copy of Back to Wando Passo, and enjoy a perfectly indulgent day! This book provided a welcome escape from my far too hectic life."
— Ruth (Santa Fe, NM)
"Book Review Clubs will have many discussable issues in David Payne's Back to Wando Passo! Very unique format with vivid flashbacks...watch for love triangles, family sagas, fictional history at its best!"
— laurie (farmington hills, MI)
"Back to Wando Passo is a wild, truly epic, ride through Southern history, plantation life, slavery, The Civil War, and black magic. This novel is as big as Gone With The Wind, in scope and subject, but it's not Scarlett and Tara -- it's Ransom Hill, a burned-out rock star stumbling into a new century, yet haunted by the Civil War-era past of his wife's ancestral home, Wando Passo, a slave-era rice plantation in South Carolina. Ransom's modern-day story, trying to pull his life together and save his marriage and family, parallels a Civil War family saga of betrayal and deception, told through intermittent flashbacks. There is so much to this book, you can get completely lost at times, especially when the author throws in poetic allegories and allusions, and an abundance of Spanish, Cuban language and tradition. It all comes to a stunning conclusion, a breathtaking resolution for all the various characters whose lives are intertwined. Back to Wando Passo is a novel that will stay with you -- haunting -- if you can make it through. Beyond the review, I have to mention the masterful writing and use of language by the author David Payne in Back to Wando Passo. I've never read this author before, and I am in awe of his descriptive language and truly elegant turns of phrase -- downright flowery at times, but so sensory, you can see what he is describing, hear the sounds, smell the scents, etc. It is remarkable."
— Sherri (Atlanta, GA)
"A beautifully written, lyrical novel that was a joy to read! I couldn't put it down. The mysteries of past and present come together in a life affirming finale. David Payne is a gifted author."
— Anna (Albuquerque, NM)