Rating: 
Summary: An offer you can't refuse!
Review: "The Godfather" meets Carl Hiaasen in this darkly humorous meeting of the Mob and fishing - how's that for a combination! I'm not much of a fan of fishing, but I'm always ready to read another good satire of the mob, which Wiprud lands with deft skill.The plot has the seeming ease that reflects a well-honed craft. Sid Bifulco ratted out his Mafia family to the Feds, but the idea of entering the Witness Protection Program when he gets out of prison is about as attractive as a three-day-dead mackerel. Instead he decides to make his home along the Delaware river so that he can pursue his new-found passion of fishing. (Don't ask how a mobster decided to become a fisherman; the explanation is a good one and I don't want to give it away.) "Sleep with the Fishes" is a good, quick, amusing read. Job well done for this new author. --David Montgomery, Mystery Ink
Rating:
Summary: An offer you can't refuse!
Review: "The Godfather" meets Carl Hiaasen in this darkly humorous meeting of the Mob and fishing - how's that for a combination! I'm not much of a fan of fishing, but I'm always ready to read another good satire of the mob, which Wiprud lands with deft skill. The plot has the seeming ease that reflects a well-honed craft. Sid Bifulco ratted out his Mafia family to the Feds, but the idea of entering the Witness Protection Program when he gets out of prison is about as attractive as a three-day-dead mackerel. Instead he decides to make his home along the Delaware river so that he can pursue his new-found passion of fishing. (Don't ask how a mobster decided to become a fisherman; the explanation is a good one and I don't want to give it away.) "Sleep with the Fishes" is a good, quick, amusing read. Job well done for this new author. --David Montgomery, Mystery Ink
Rating: 
Summary: A Self-Published Novel That Won't Put You to Sleep
Review: Brian M. Wiprud's first (self-published) novel, Sleep With the Fishes, is a light bit of entertainment. This comic tale tells the story of Sid "Sleep" Bifulco, former mafia hit man turned informant, as he makes a new life for himself in a sleepy country town. Racing along from one improbable incident to another, this story hits its climax with a daring and dangerous stunt that should not be tried at home. Sleep With The Fishes suffers from such a hectic pace. The story moves along in such a rush to get to the finish that the journey is compromised. Sleep With The Fishes, as it stands now, lays down the bare bones of the story. However, it would have benefited from further revision that would put some meat on those bones and flesh out the story. Further revision would have also strengthened other aspects of this novel. Only a handful of the characters are given even minimal treatment in characterization. Sid and Russ are the only two characters that have any real depth to them. Certain subplots disappear without a trace. A crow named Reverend Jim stole several trinkets from Russ. Yet Jim's role in the story vanishes before page 40. The use of language frequently lacks impact. Consider this line from page 84, "Omer dangled the receiver by a single index finger before sending it home." Beyond being an awkward visual, this sentence is needlessly ornate. Despite all this, Sleep With The Fishes is still an entertaining story. Though lacking in polish, the story of Sid "Sleep" Bifulco is told with a great deal of enthusiasm. Enjoy this novel for what it is worth.
Rating: 
Summary: Laugh out loud mob satire
Review: Brian Wiprud has written a laugh out loud mob satire, taking a cast of quirky characters, each with their own not-so-pure agenda, and weaving them into a story line about a retired mobster who just wants to go fishing. But it isn't quite that easy, as Sid discovers, and his first clue is the lady in red hikers...
Rating:
Summary: Best Fish Story
Review: Ex-New Jersey hit man retires to rural Pennsylvania and goes fishing. The plot is completely off the wall fall on the floor funny. If you can imagine Donald Westlake meets Janet Evanovich meets GOODFELLAS, you have a sketchy idea of the book. Wiprud has a breezy, irreverent style that carries the story along, so you don�t realize how unlikely everything is until you�ve reluctantly turned the last page. Try it. You�ll like it. Even this sense-of-humor-impaired-reviewer laughed.
Rating:
Summary: Best Fish Story
Review: Ex-New Jersey hit man retires to rural Pennsylvania and goes fishing. The plot is completely off the wall fall on the floor funny. If you can imagine Donald Westlake meets Janet Evanovich meets GOODFELLAS, you have a sketchy idea of the book. Wiprud has a breezy, irreverent style that carries the story along, so you don't realize how unlikely everything is until you've reluctantly turned the last page. Try it. You'll like it. Even this sense-of-humor-impaired-reviewer laughed.
Rating:
Summary: Fast and funny
Review: I am an absolute sucker for books with quirky characters and this book is full of them (even the wildlife). You follow the adventures or rather misadventures of Sid (the retired gangster) and the local towns people. The pace is fast, the plot twists and turns and I found myself constantly trying to guess what was going to happen next..... only to turn the page and find out I was completely wrong. Its pleasing to know that the author has a sequal in the works so I'm very much looking forward to reading more about Sid and the gang.
Rating:
Summary: Fun characters, ingenious plotting
Review: I don't read a lot of crime books, but a friend dropped Sleep With The Fishes on me, guaranteed I'd have a hoot, and I did. Each character is so full of quirks and yet so real. Everyone has a seamy side, but also humanity. The main characters of retired gangster Sid Bifulco and grieving widower Russ Smonig are the stuff series are made of--and I hope that turns out to be the case here. By the mid-point of Sleep With The Fishes, every page brings astonishment as seemingly unrelated elements from earlier on, snap into bizarre but exciting relationships. In this world, no deed good or bad, and no thought perverse or otherwise, go unconnected. A really fun read--I'm giving lots as presents to crime readers and layfolks.
Rating:
Summary: What a find! I stumbled upon this little gem...
Review: On the strength of author, Lee Child's blurb, I picked up this book this summer and boy, am I glad that I did! This is a hilarious, original debut from Brian M. Wiprud. I began reading in a ice hockey rink and was immediately pulled in to the fast-paced, quirky, and funny story. Soon after, I was laughing out loud and receiving the odd side glance from other hockey moms and dads! I did not leave the rink until I had finished. I anxiously await more from Sid Bilfulco and the gang. I do hope Mr. Wiprud is living healthily, exercising, eating well and maintaining regular well-checks...I cannot wait for the next installment. Or does he have more fresh, original characters and stories waiting to be published?
Rating:
Summary: Non-stop. Clever.
Review: Sleep With The Fishes is a taut and compact thriller, with deftly written narrative and genuine sounding dialogue. Brian Wiprud has taken an element of Mario Puzo and spiced it with some light humored Wiprud. Together the combination makes for one hell of an enjoyable suspense novel.
Sid "the Sleep" Bifulco is about to turn states evidence against a Mafia family. He has no interest in joining the Witness Protection Program. All he wants is to serve his time for the crimes he's committed and then be afforded the opportunity to escape to his own hideaway.
Spending his years as an exemplary prisoner, Sid learned all he could about the art of fishing. His learned skills attracted the attention of the warden. Once paroled, with property waiting for him along the Delaware, Sid knew he'd finally be able to apply all the skills to date he'd only be able to read about. He intended to spend the rest of his life fishing and on the right side of the law.
It only took days before that simple plan was completely destroyed. Fishing guru Russ Smonig has issues with his own past. His was wife was killed in a freak car accident. People believe he was responsible for her death. Deep down, he knows the Mafia is responsible. When he is involved in an accident, Sid is his only hope. Who else would know how to get rid of a body? What no one knows, until it is too late, is that the fateful evening had been captured on video. But things get even more out of control when the tape with incriminating footage gets mixed up with other tapes and dropped off in the return box at the video store. (And then rented by a police officer).
With an unexpected visit from the warden, looking to spend time with Sid fishing; with Russ learning the truth about Sid's past and his wife's untimely death; and with a state trooper looking to score big on some reward money, Sleep With The Fishes is an unnerving and compelling, character-driven story with a tightly crafted plot, great scenes and intense situations. Wiprud has a talent for telling unique stories...
| 
