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...
Rating:
Summary: Angling for gansters
Review: Sleeping with the Fishes is a quick lively read. Mr. Wiprud has a sense of humor worthy of Donald E. Westlake. Well-drawn characters -- gangsters, fishermen, regular townpeople -- weave their threads of the story around fish, a thieving crow, red shoes, and more fish. The result is a bubbling rollicking ride through the rapids. In a nutshell, the story is about an ex-convict, retired from his gangland days, who wants nothing more than a quiet life in a small town on the river on which he intends to spend his days fishing. He draws on his expertise, provided by his former avocation, in handling a delicate matter for his fishing expert neighbor. A possibly incriminating video tape appears, gets misplaced, and reappears in unexpected places, former associates of the ex-con arrive wishing to renew his acquaintance, and complications arise. This was fun.
Rating:
Summary: Angling for gansters
Review: Sleeping with the Fishes is a quick lively read. Mr. Wiprud has a sense of humor worthy of Donald E. Westlake. Well-drawn characters -- gangsters, fishermen, regular townpeople -- weave their threads of the story around fish, a thieving crow, red shoes, and more fish. The result is a bubbling rollicking ride through the rapids. In a nutshell, the story is about an ex-convict, retired from his gangland days, who wants nothing more than a quiet life in a small town on the river on which he intends to spend his days fishing. He draws on his expertise, provided by his former avocation, in handling a delicate matter for his fishing expert neighbor. A possibly incriminating video tape appears, gets misplaced, and reappears in unexpected places, former associates of the ex-con arrive wishing to renew his acquaintance, and complications arise. This was fun.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just Another Fish Story
Review: Take one part Carl Hiasson (you know, the good stuff from 4-5 years ago), add one part Pete Hauptmann (it's not Florida), mix in a soupcon of Izaak Walton, blend and viola: Sleep With the Fishes. Ok, we're not talking Old Man and the Sea here but Hemmingway rarely got me to titter, at least intentionally. Brian Wiprud makes me laugh out loud and I hate all things fishing.Only one flaw, the book didn't do enough with its best character: Reverend Jim. Read the book and you'll know what I mean.
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