Springer's Gambit

Rating:
Summary: A juicy read
Review: In California, his doctor informs realtor Max Shapiro that he has inoperable cancer and will die in six weeks. After years of laundering money for mobster Nick Tortino, Max decides he no longer cares what happens to himself. He informs Nick T's torpedo Gerry Knucks he is no longer playing or paying. Nick takes it as a sign of lost respect and sends two henchmen to kill Max, who has moved to Aspen.

Max's doctor calls to tell him he made a mistake that the realtor suffers from indigestion. Still, he does not want to return to the fold of Nick T so his girlfriend Suzi Carr recommends he hire a bodyguard. She selects former secret service agent Cole Springer. With the FBI and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation watching Max, Cole agrees to protect the man because he needs the cash, crack houses are not making enough money to rob and he likes the style of Suzi, even if he dislikes his client. Soon all the players are in Aspen, but how the play ends is anyone's guess because no one knows who is directing the action.

SPRINGER'S GAMBIT is an amusing thriller that starts at a SST speed and accelerates even faster until the novel is finished. The story line seems like the Sopranos starring in The Sting. The cast is fully developed so that the audience understands the motives of all the key cast members. However, it is Cole who serves as the cortex that brings everyone and every subplot together. W.L. Ripley writes a fantastic tale that will send new fans to try his Wyatt Storme series.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: In a Jam, and on the Lam
Review: Ripley has crafted a clever plot, created a thoroughly credible lead character and populated the supporting roles with as motley a crew of strutting sociopaths since "COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL." This should be the beginning of a great series!

Rating:
Summary: Good fun
Review: The writer, who has obviously worked at creating a breezy, humorous style, has created a fun read. His hero is entertainingly dangerous and the dialogue sparkles. The ending is somewhat of a let down, but I'm going looking for his earlier efforts anyway.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST NEW CHARACTER IN CRIME FICTION
Review: This book goes right for the throat and won't let you go until you finish that last sentence. The characters are mean and funny, the story highly original, and the hero about as good as it gets. If you like James Lee Burke and Robert B. Parker, you need to buy two copies of this book. One to read and the other to sell when this is made into a movie.

Rating:
Summary: If you enjoy "fun/crime" novels this is among the best.
Review: W.L. Ripley is a wonderful addition to the Elmore Leonard school of novels. Great characters, great plot, and a driving pace. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: If you enjoy "fun/crime" novels this is among the best.
Review: W.L. Ripley is a wonderful addition to the Elmore Leonard school of novels. Great characters, great plot, and a driving pace. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 stars
Review: When Max Shapiro finds out he’s dying of cancer, he decides to quit his job as a money launderer for the mob and to spend his last few weeks spending some of his hard earned money. Well you don’t just quit the mob. While living in Aspen, he finds out he’s been misdiagnosed and actually has no cancer at all. He turns to Cole Springer, an ex-secret service agent, for protection. Unfortunately, Springer desperately needs the money to avoid the bank repossessing his tavern, and takes the job. The action begins.

This novel was great fun to read. A sort of Elmore Leonard/Bill Fitzhugh mix, that’s filled with unique characters. Ray Dean and Auteen, two mismatched thugs, were a riot to listen too. Max Shapiro had the Joe Pesci type personality from Lethal Weapon, which was hilarious. Then of course there is Cole Springer, a hero who’s hard not to like.

Great dialogue and nonstop entertainment filled with just the right amount of humor, makes this crime drama fun to read. W.L. Ripley will go on my must read list.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Red hot and soon to be an MGM movie
Review: You can't put this one down. As funny as Robert B. Parker (whose blurb graces the cover) and as gritty and real as Elmore Leonard with dialogue that crackles and action that sizzles. Cole Springer, a new and enigmatic tough guy, holds off the bad guys while protecting himself and mob money-launderer, Max Shapiro, from mob-killers and the FBI. How he manages to pull this off makes for a slam-bang ending. Hard-boiled and fast-moving, this one fills the bill. Very satisfying. Aspen, Colorado makes for an exotic setting for thugs, unethical feds, and a mob hitman with a mid-life crisis who is one of the most unique and complex fiction characters of recent years. 'Gambit' contains two unwittingly hilarious thugs (Auteen and Ray Dean) a couple of tough guys who are the Abbot and Costello of the underworld and will have you laughing (and cringing) at each appearance. A must read for any serious crime fiction fan. This is the start of a series and is set to be released by MGM as a motion picture starring Kurt Russell. You'll find this ride a roller coaster of danger and laughter. Ripley is fast becoming one of the best mystery writers around. You'll be glad you picked up this one and will look forward to the next installment (Due out in February 2004).