The year 1964 is a bad one for Brian Wilkins-and it's about to get worse. Son of an English farmer, Brian lives on a small, failing Kent farm facing bankruptcy. Depressed by his recent breakup, distraught by his mountainous money problems, Brian foolishly considers his discovery of a stash of stolen diamonds as good news. But just because the thieves were caught doesn't mean their loot is fair game. So when Brian heads to Antwerp to sell the gems, thinking he's riding off to find a fresh start, he has no idea the string of catastrophes he's set in motion. And though for a while things seem to go in his favor for once-love, money, success-disaster waits in the wings. From the ruthless Belgian who should have received the diamonds to the British agent who knows where Brian's wealth came from, Brian's once unexceptional life is beginning to look like a dangerous high-stakes game he can't win. A riveting international thriller, A Time to Pay is the story of an ordinary man who's facing the worst luck of his life but isn't willing to give up quite yet.