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Wyatt Storme Mystery #4
Storme Warning: A Wyatt Storme Thriller, Book 4
Vietnam vet and former Dallas Cowboys player Wyatt Storme just wants to be left alone in his remote Ozarks cabin - but violence and trouble have a knack for finding him. And when it does, he doesn’t back down.
This time, Chick Easton, a hard-drinking, shockingly lethal ex-CIA agent, asks his buddy Storme for back-up when he's hired by the director of a big-budget Western to protect a bad-boy movie star who is getting well-deserved death threats. There’s also an annoying The director wants to shoot the star’s new Western on Storme’s land. Storme reluctantly agrees to it all, unaware that a sociopathic mob enforcer that he once put in traction and in prison is on his way and gunning for revenge.
This time, Chick Easton, a hard-drinking, shockingly lethal ex-CIA agent, asks his buddy Storme for back-up when he's hired by the director of a big-budget Western to protect a bad-boy movie star who is getting well-deserved death threats. There’s also an annoying The director wants to shoot the star’s new Western on Storme’s land. Storme reluctantly agrees to it all, unaware that a sociopathic mob enforcer that he once put in traction and in prison is on his way and gunning for revenge.
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First published February 2, 2015
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About the author
W.L. Ripley
20 books24 followersWarren L. Ripley is the author of the critically acclaimed Wyatt Storme mystery series. He lives in Missouri.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 3, 2015
Wyatt Storme enjoyed a very successful career in the NFL as a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, but once he decided to hang up his cleats and leave the limelight, he moved off the grid as far as possible and took up residence in a house that he built himself in a remote part of Missouri. Now, he’d like nothing more than to simply be left alone to enjoy the solitude, a good cigar, and the occasional visit from his beautiful girlfriend, a television news anchor.
But dropping out of the world at the beginning of the Twenty-first Century, is not as easy as it once was, and the rest of the world seems unwilling to let go of Storme. Wyatt is approached by his best friend, an ex-CIA agent named Chick Easton. Easton has been hired to bodyguard a pain-in-the-ass movie star named Cameron Fogarty who’s been getting death threats. Fogarty has been signed to play the lead in a new big-budget western movie about the James gang, and the director is determined to shoot the movie on the original site of Bailey’s Crossing, Missouri, where the gang once made a famous raid.
The problem with the idea is that the site is on the property now owned by Wyatt Storme. Initially, Wyatt wants nothing whatsoever to do with the project; he prefers his westerns starring Randolph Scott. But Chick pleads with Wyatt to go along with the idea and Wyatt ultimately does so as a favor to his friend.
Once the movie begins production, Wyatt spends a lot of time hanging around the set, watching the back of his best friend who, in turn, is watching the back of the bad-boy movie actor. Complicating matters is the fact that a former mob leg-breaker, recently released from the pen, is on the hunt for Storme. The ex-con is named Rory Marchibroda, and Storme once badly kicked his butt when Marchibroda attempted to extort “protection” money from one of Wyatt’s friends. Machibroda’s boss fired him for failure to perform as expected and Marchibroda’s been looking for revenge ever since.
All of this makes for a volatile and entertaining mix. Neither Storm not his pal Chick is about to take a load of crap from anyone, whether it’s mobsters, movie stars, or self-important film directors. There’s plenty of action as the story unfolds, but the best part of the book lies in watching the by-play between Wyatt and Chick, particularly when they’re confronting someone who’s attempting to give them grief. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the banter between Spenser and Hawk in Robert B. Parker’s novels, and it’s a lot of fun to watch. All in all, this is one Storme warning you won’t mind getting at all.
But dropping out of the world at the beginning of the Twenty-first Century, is not as easy as it once was, and the rest of the world seems unwilling to let go of Storme. Wyatt is approached by his best friend, an ex-CIA agent named Chick Easton. Easton has been hired to bodyguard a pain-in-the-ass movie star named Cameron Fogarty who’s been getting death threats. Fogarty has been signed to play the lead in a new big-budget western movie about the James gang, and the director is determined to shoot the movie on the original site of Bailey’s Crossing, Missouri, where the gang once made a famous raid.
The problem with the idea is that the site is on the property now owned by Wyatt Storme. Initially, Wyatt wants nothing whatsoever to do with the project; he prefers his westerns starring Randolph Scott. But Chick pleads with Wyatt to go along with the idea and Wyatt ultimately does so as a favor to his friend.
Once the movie begins production, Wyatt spends a lot of time hanging around the set, watching the back of his best friend who, in turn, is watching the back of the bad-boy movie actor. Complicating matters is the fact that a former mob leg-breaker, recently released from the pen, is on the hunt for Storme. The ex-con is named Rory Marchibroda, and Storme once badly kicked his butt when Marchibroda attempted to extort “protection” money from one of Wyatt’s friends. Machibroda’s boss fired him for failure to perform as expected and Marchibroda’s been looking for revenge ever since.
All of this makes for a volatile and entertaining mix. Neither Storm not his pal Chick is about to take a load of crap from anyone, whether it’s mobsters, movie stars, or self-important film directors. There’s plenty of action as the story unfolds, but the best part of the book lies in watching the by-play between Wyatt and Chick, particularly when they’re confronting someone who’s attempting to give them grief. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the banter between Spenser and Hawk in Robert B. Parker’s novels, and it’s a lot of fun to watch. All in all, this is one Storme warning you won’t mind getting at all.
May 7, 2015
Wonderfully witty, gritty and totally engaging I absolutely love this book. Cowboy come-back and guns in modern USA. This gets a well deserved 5 star rating from me.
Ripley gives us a man’s book, and and as a woman stepping inside that world I just loved every single word of it. This is the fourth in the series and I now have to read the first three!
Format: Kindle Edition, File Size: 3306 KBPrint Length: 279 pagesExpected publication: February 3rd 2015 byPublisher: Brash BooksISBN:1941298664 ISBN13: 9781941298664Get your copy from: Amazon UK Amazon US
What’s it about?
The making of a cowboy film being made on his land, should pose no problem for Wyatt Storme reclusive ex footballer since retired, but hey of course it does! With his friend Chick Easton hired as bodyguard to arrogant, irritating actor Cam Fogarty, they get caught up in action that Chick relishes with the biggest smile on his face, and Storme wishes would just go away.
Synopsis: Vietnam vet and former Dallas Cowboys player Wyatt Storme just wants to be left alone in his remote Ozarks cabin – but violence and trouble have a knack for finding him. And when it does, he doesn’t back down. This time, Chick Easton, a hard-drinking, shockingly lethal ex-CIA agent, asks his buddy Storme for back-up when he’s hired by the director of a big budget western to protect a bad-boy movie star who is getting well-deserved death threats. There’s also an annoying catch: the director wants to shoot the star’s new western on Storme’s land. Storme reluctantly agrees to it all, unaware that a sociopathic mob enforcer that he once put in traction, and in prison, is on his way and gunning for revenge.
What did I like best?
I loved the characters that Ripley gives us putting them in a setting that is wide open, with cowboy boots and cigars, all wrapped up in a film set.
I was visibly grinning and chuckling the whole way through this book – not just a bit of it, ALL of it. I loved the sarcasm, the cigars, the guns, if I could be a man I want to be Wyatt’s friend Chick D. Easton.
The book leads up like a cowboy film, someone needing someone’s help being told the ride may get rough.
Don’t make the mistake in thinking this is simple piece of writing, Ripley shows skill in weaving in classical writing. Look at the way he describes Wyatt questioning the actress Valerie about Fogarty:
“Come back sometime. The door’s always open.” She smiled, pleased with her playfulness.
Thoreau says man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to leave alone. I would tend to agree with him. So I left.
Alone.
Both Wyatt and Chick have the same humour so that you know whenever they open their mouths to speak, you just want hear what comes out.
Rory Marchibroda who is a nasty piece of work wants to pay Wyatt back for putting him in jail, is another great character. He models himself on cool guys in films played actors like by De Niro, it is so funny.
Stay cool. De Niro would be cool, wouldn’t he? Yeah.
…”Ya know,” he said, composing himself, “had a lot of time to myself in the slam. Thought about a lot of things.” Like how it was going to feel to bust a cap on your backward country ass, you smug piece of shit. “You know what I thought about?”
“what it was like in the third grade? Back when your mental processes stagnated?”
This is a novel of substance too, starting out with guarding an actor, becoming interweaved with gang bosses, and hit-men at cross purposes. A community fighting to stay alive, with shallow actors who live in another world, and at its centre unwillingly is Wyatt Storme and Chick Easton wearing cowboy boots.
I can’t help but show you guys just what excited me about this book:Marchibroda. A guy who wants to kill me called to keep me from being killed by someone else. What a life.
I reloaded the Remington pump with double-aught buckshot and loaded a Browning autoloading rifle with soft-nosed .30-06 bullets. I loaded four fourteen-round clips for the twin Browning nines and strapped on a shoulder holster, hanging one of the pistols in it. I placed the other pistol in a clip-on at the small of my back. The only thing more uncomfortable than carrying a concealed large-frame handgun was carrying two concealed large-frame handguns. I was also carrying a Puma knife strapped to my leg.
Had a nine-mill gun in my pocket for fun and a razor in my shoe.
What’s not to love about fiction that promises action on every level with a sardonic wit to match.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many thanks to the publisher for a copy via NetGalley.
Ripley gives us a man’s book, and and as a woman stepping inside that world I just loved every single word of it. This is the fourth in the series and I now have to read the first three!
Format: Kindle Edition, File Size: 3306 KBPrint Length: 279 pagesExpected publication: February 3rd 2015 byPublisher: Brash BooksISBN:1941298664 ISBN13: 9781941298664Get your copy from: Amazon UK Amazon US
What’s it about?
The making of a cowboy film being made on his land, should pose no problem for Wyatt Storme reclusive ex footballer since retired, but hey of course it does! With his friend Chick Easton hired as bodyguard to arrogant, irritating actor Cam Fogarty, they get caught up in action that Chick relishes with the biggest smile on his face, and Storme wishes would just go away.
Synopsis: Vietnam vet and former Dallas Cowboys player Wyatt Storme just wants to be left alone in his remote Ozarks cabin – but violence and trouble have a knack for finding him. And when it does, he doesn’t back down. This time, Chick Easton, a hard-drinking, shockingly lethal ex-CIA agent, asks his buddy Storme for back-up when he’s hired by the director of a big budget western to protect a bad-boy movie star who is getting well-deserved death threats. There’s also an annoying catch: the director wants to shoot the star’s new western on Storme’s land. Storme reluctantly agrees to it all, unaware that a sociopathic mob enforcer that he once put in traction, and in prison, is on his way and gunning for revenge.
What did I like best?
I loved the characters that Ripley gives us putting them in a setting that is wide open, with cowboy boots and cigars, all wrapped up in a film set.
I was visibly grinning and chuckling the whole way through this book – not just a bit of it, ALL of it. I loved the sarcasm, the cigars, the guns, if I could be a man I want to be Wyatt’s friend Chick D. Easton.
The book leads up like a cowboy film, someone needing someone’s help being told the ride may get rough.
Don’t make the mistake in thinking this is simple piece of writing, Ripley shows skill in weaving in classical writing. Look at the way he describes Wyatt questioning the actress Valerie about Fogarty:
“Come back sometime. The door’s always open.” She smiled, pleased with her playfulness.
Thoreau says man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to leave alone. I would tend to agree with him. So I left.
Alone.
Both Wyatt and Chick have the same humour so that you know whenever they open their mouths to speak, you just want hear what comes out.
Rory Marchibroda who is a nasty piece of work wants to pay Wyatt back for putting him in jail, is another great character. He models himself on cool guys in films played actors like by De Niro, it is so funny.
Stay cool. De Niro would be cool, wouldn’t he? Yeah.
…”Ya know,” he said, composing himself, “had a lot of time to myself in the slam. Thought about a lot of things.” Like how it was going to feel to bust a cap on your backward country ass, you smug piece of shit. “You know what I thought about?”
“what it was like in the third grade? Back when your mental processes stagnated?”
This is a novel of substance too, starting out with guarding an actor, becoming interweaved with gang bosses, and hit-men at cross purposes. A community fighting to stay alive, with shallow actors who live in another world, and at its centre unwillingly is Wyatt Storme and Chick Easton wearing cowboy boots.
I can’t help but show you guys just what excited me about this book:Marchibroda. A guy who wants to kill me called to keep me from being killed by someone else. What a life.
I reloaded the Remington pump with double-aught buckshot and loaded a Browning autoloading rifle with soft-nosed .30-06 bullets. I loaded four fourteen-round clips for the twin Browning nines and strapped on a shoulder holster, hanging one of the pistols in it. I placed the other pistol in a clip-on at the small of my back. The only thing more uncomfortable than carrying a concealed large-frame handgun was carrying two concealed large-frame handguns. I was also carrying a Puma knife strapped to my leg.
Had a nine-mill gun in my pocket for fun and a razor in my shoe.
What’s not to love about fiction that promises action on every level with a sardonic wit to match.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many thanks to the publisher for a copy via NetGalley.
March 28, 2015
Ripley's best work since Springer's Gambit, and the best of the Storme series so far. Crisp dialogue and great protagonists make this book a fantastic read. I loved the well worn Missouri backdrop, and Wyatt's musings about a changing world around the man unchanged. This one went too quickly, anticipating the next release!
March 14, 2016
A violent, action packed murder mystery, based around the shooting of a movie. Interesting background and some very descriptive writing. A variety nof characters which were well absorbed into the story and an eventful conclusion.
March 5, 2016
Storme Warning is the fourth and thus far final installment in a terrific series. I have read three, and will read the fourth if I can find it. The snappy patter and nonstop action and suspense make it hard to put down once you’ve begun. I rate it 4.49 stars, and thank Brash Books Priority Readers Circle for providing me with this DRC in exchange for an honest review. This book is for sale now.
Wyatt Storme is retired from football. He divides his time between his cabin in Missouri and another cabin in Colorado; this story takes place in Missouri. He owns a considerable piece of land because after having the press follow him hither and yon for the duration of his NFL career, he craves simplicity and solitude. “Reclusive”, as his best friend Chick explains to an outsider.
Because all of a sudden, Wyatt’s land is chock full of outsiders. Hollywood director Geoffrey Salinger wants to shoot his hot new movie on location; his star has received death threats, and Chick has been tapped as bodyguard. Wyatt doesn’t like it much, but Chick wants the work, so he agrees to tolerate the intrusion, but he sets terms in a way that provide him with an unusual amount of control over industry hotshots that aren’t accustomed to leaving the driver’s seat. Combine this scenario with the smart, snappy patter between Wyatt and Chick; throw some 70’s song lyrics into the narrative as if they are merely part of the story; add some mobsters from out of town; and you have a really fun, fast-paced story.
The final .51 star is denied because of the way the author deals with race. He means well to be sure. But racist terms that are sprinkled in an almost nonstop stream throughout the book are going to make this a prohibitively painful book for most African-American readers. It’s true that Ripley uses the “n” word and other slurs (against other races also, but mostly Black folk) to determine who is a bad guy, but when one is close enough to the heat those terms create, all the fun stops as soon as the word appears. It’s like finding a rattlesnake in the cookie jar; you’re having a good time, expecting good things to continue happening, and then, bam, there it is.
Depending on who you are, it’s enough to take your breath away.
To be sure, I don’t know what it is like to be a person of color; I am not one. But for many years I have been the only Caucasian person in my house, with others here being either Asian, Black, or mixed, and I do know what it is to be the wife and mother of people that don’t enjoy white privilege. The “n” word and others like it are serious, serious things. And insult is added to injury by having the African-American character unable to enter a scene without race issues being the first to fall from his lips. Most Black people don’t really want to engage white people in discussions of race unless it’s in a formal political setting, and even then, it’s more comfortable to talk to another person of color, or a room that is mostly people of color. But LeBeau is clearly in this story for no purpose other than to be the Black character. He isn’t developed, and what is worse, he isn’t capable of much that is positive. As with the Black girl in the brief restaurant scene, a white guy has to come to the rescue. To depict all characters of color as victims and set them up to be saved every stinking time by Caucasian characters is inexcusable. (LeBeau tries to carry off a rescue once, but it doesn’t work out, and Chick emerges the hero once more.)
Should the writer continue the series, I recommend that he simply use white folks, if that’s his comfort zone, or include multiple people of color and develop them. Give them characteristics beyond coming into the room and making readers aware they aren’t white. And don’t diminish them by making them unable to stand up for themselves or others. I further recommend not using that word, ever again. It’s cheap and easy, but it costs some readers dearly. I would not give this book to my son to read. The pain would outweigh the enjoyment; in fact, I guarantee he wouldn’t finish it. There are more subtle yet unmistakable ways to demonstrate that a character is racist, if that is a key goal. There are other ways just to show that a character is a bad guy, too.
Hollywood and television have learned how to create actual characters of color, as opposed to casting someone to “be the Black guy”. Ripley has skill enough to do the same.
I’ve given the downside of this novel more space than the 90 percent that I enjoyed, but I have done so because no other reviewer I’ve seen so far has addressed it, and someone has to do it.
With the single clear caveat provided here, this fast-paced, mostly-funny detective story is recommended .
Wyatt Storme is retired from football. He divides his time between his cabin in Missouri and another cabin in Colorado; this story takes place in Missouri. He owns a considerable piece of land because after having the press follow him hither and yon for the duration of his NFL career, he craves simplicity and solitude. “Reclusive”, as his best friend Chick explains to an outsider.
Because all of a sudden, Wyatt’s land is chock full of outsiders. Hollywood director Geoffrey Salinger wants to shoot his hot new movie on location; his star has received death threats, and Chick has been tapped as bodyguard. Wyatt doesn’t like it much, but Chick wants the work, so he agrees to tolerate the intrusion, but he sets terms in a way that provide him with an unusual amount of control over industry hotshots that aren’t accustomed to leaving the driver’s seat. Combine this scenario with the smart, snappy patter between Wyatt and Chick; throw some 70’s song lyrics into the narrative as if they are merely part of the story; add some mobsters from out of town; and you have a really fun, fast-paced story.
The final .51 star is denied because of the way the author deals with race. He means well to be sure. But racist terms that are sprinkled in an almost nonstop stream throughout the book are going to make this a prohibitively painful book for most African-American readers. It’s true that Ripley uses the “n” word and other slurs (against other races also, but mostly Black folk) to determine who is a bad guy, but when one is close enough to the heat those terms create, all the fun stops as soon as the word appears. It’s like finding a rattlesnake in the cookie jar; you’re having a good time, expecting good things to continue happening, and then, bam, there it is.
Depending on who you are, it’s enough to take your breath away.
To be sure, I don’t know what it is like to be a person of color; I am not one. But for many years I have been the only Caucasian person in my house, with others here being either Asian, Black, or mixed, and I do know what it is to be the wife and mother of people that don’t enjoy white privilege. The “n” word and others like it are serious, serious things. And insult is added to injury by having the African-American character unable to enter a scene without race issues being the first to fall from his lips. Most Black people don’t really want to engage white people in discussions of race unless it’s in a formal political setting, and even then, it’s more comfortable to talk to another person of color, or a room that is mostly people of color. But LeBeau is clearly in this story for no purpose other than to be the Black character. He isn’t developed, and what is worse, he isn’t capable of much that is positive. As with the Black girl in the brief restaurant scene, a white guy has to come to the rescue. To depict all characters of color as victims and set them up to be saved every stinking time by Caucasian characters is inexcusable. (LeBeau tries to carry off a rescue once, but it doesn’t work out, and Chick emerges the hero once more.)
Should the writer continue the series, I recommend that he simply use white folks, if that’s his comfort zone, or include multiple people of color and develop them. Give them characteristics beyond coming into the room and making readers aware they aren’t white. And don’t diminish them by making them unable to stand up for themselves or others. I further recommend not using that word, ever again. It’s cheap and easy, but it costs some readers dearly. I would not give this book to my son to read. The pain would outweigh the enjoyment; in fact, I guarantee he wouldn’t finish it. There are more subtle yet unmistakable ways to demonstrate that a character is racist, if that is a key goal. There are other ways just to show that a character is a bad guy, too.
Hollywood and television have learned how to create actual characters of color, as opposed to casting someone to “be the Black guy”. Ripley has skill enough to do the same.
I’ve given the downside of this novel more space than the 90 percent that I enjoyed, but I have done so because no other reviewer I’ve seen so far has addressed it, and someone has to do it.
With the single clear caveat provided here, this fast-paced, mostly-funny detective story is recommended .
February 2, 2015
B rash Books started with a big release in September of thirty books. February brings us eight more. STORME WARNING is the brand new fourth novel in the Wyatt Storme thriller series.
Storme is a retired NFL player, a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, who grew tored of the life and lives a hermit-like existence in the Ozarks of his native Missouri in a cabin he built himself. He doesn't mind people, just not often and not a lot of them. He hunts, has a long time girl friend who spends her weekends with him, and generally enjoys his life away from the limelight.
The land he owns is being used for on location filming of a movie about Jesse James. One part once held a small town he robbed and it's being recreated by the film's director.
Getting Wyatt to agree to all that was a job, one that old friend Chick Easton, ex-CIA, now working as a bodyguard for the film's star, a much hated, but charismatic to the paying customers, young actor, who'd been getting death threats.
Chick also asks Wyatt to back him up and help locate the threat. The problem was that to know the actor was to want to kill him. Obnoxious with a crowd of hangers-on helping him in his wild partying.
To top things off, an old enemy of Wyatt's, a piece of work named Rory Marchibroda, was out of prison and after revenge. Wyatt hadn't put him there, but stopped him from his protection racket con with an old army buddy, using a sawed off wooden baseball bat to do so. Rory had been reduced to sticking up curb markets and been caught and sent to prison.
Two fronts and neither of them known at first by Wyatt and Chick.
I like Wyatt Storme. He's a brash and sarcastic wit. Brash Books plans to bring the first three out as well and based on this one expect them to be good. Hopefully more new books in the series will come.
Storme is a retired NFL player, a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, who grew tored of the life and lives a hermit-like existence in the Ozarks of his native Missouri in a cabin he built himself. He doesn't mind people, just not often and not a lot of them. He hunts, has a long time girl friend who spends her weekends with him, and generally enjoys his life away from the limelight.
The land he owns is being used for on location filming of a movie about Jesse James. One part once held a small town he robbed and it's being recreated by the film's director.
Getting Wyatt to agree to all that was a job, one that old friend Chick Easton, ex-CIA, now working as a bodyguard for the film's star, a much hated, but charismatic to the paying customers, young actor, who'd been getting death threats.
Chick also asks Wyatt to back him up and help locate the threat. The problem was that to know the actor was to want to kill him. Obnoxious with a crowd of hangers-on helping him in his wild partying.
To top things off, an old enemy of Wyatt's, a piece of work named Rory Marchibroda, was out of prison and after revenge. Wyatt hadn't put him there, but stopped him from his protection racket con with an old army buddy, using a sawed off wooden baseball bat to do so. Rory had been reduced to sticking up curb markets and been caught and sent to prison.
Two fronts and neither of them known at first by Wyatt and Chick.
I like Wyatt Storme. He's a brash and sarcastic wit. Brash Books plans to bring the first three out as well and based on this one expect them to be good. Hopefully more new books in the series will come.
July 30, 2015
Fourth in "Storme tossed" series
This is the fourth book in the Wyatt Storme action/adventure. I have read books 1, 2, and 4 now and enjoyed all of them thoroughly.
1. HAIL STORME - originally published as DREAMSICLE
2. STORME FRONT - originally published as STORME FRONT
3. EYE OF THE STORME - originally published as ELECTRIC COUNTRY ROULETTE (coming in early 2016).
4. STORME WARNING - newly published in February 2015.
The first three books were originally released back in the 1990s.
I liked this offering in this series from author Ripley just as much as the others. Wyatt Storme, ex-pro football player and Vietnam vet, teams up again with Chick Easton, ex-CIA spook. Their one-liners alone are worth the cost of the books.
This book takes place in Missouri rather than Colorado (Storme has cabins in both states). Easton is the bodyguard for a spoiled Hollywood actor that has been receiving death threats. Storme is letting a Hollywood director film a western on his property in Missouri.
Thugs with Italian names, drugs, a real-life shoot 'em up western, sycophants, Storme's romance with newscaster Sandy having a twist added in, more and more one-liners - toss all these things together and we get another great addition to the Wyatt Storme series.
I love the dry humor in these stories, love the characters of Storme and Easton, and appreciate the life author Ripley breathes into his stories.
This is the fourth book in the Wyatt Storme action/adventure. I have read books 1, 2, and 4 now and enjoyed all of them thoroughly.
1. HAIL STORME - originally published as DREAMSICLE
2. STORME FRONT - originally published as STORME FRONT
3. EYE OF THE STORME - originally published as ELECTRIC COUNTRY ROULETTE (coming in early 2016).
4. STORME WARNING - newly published in February 2015.
The first three books were originally released back in the 1990s.
I liked this offering in this series from author Ripley just as much as the others. Wyatt Storme, ex-pro football player and Vietnam vet, teams up again with Chick Easton, ex-CIA spook. Their one-liners alone are worth the cost of the books.
This book takes place in Missouri rather than Colorado (Storme has cabins in both states). Easton is the bodyguard for a spoiled Hollywood actor that has been receiving death threats. Storme is letting a Hollywood director film a western on his property in Missouri.
Thugs with Italian names, drugs, a real-life shoot 'em up western, sycophants, Storme's romance with newscaster Sandy having a twist added in, more and more one-liners - toss all these things together and we get another great addition to the Wyatt Storme series.
I love the dry humor in these stories, love the characters of Storme and Easton, and appreciate the life author Ripley breathes into his stories.
February 6, 2018
Don’t let my start & end dates fool you, my schedule has been crazy and I read 80% of the book in the past two weeks. I’d fit in a couple of pages whenever I could, anxious to see how Wyatt and Chick would get out of trouble. And this time, trouble was all around. Ripley once again weaves a tale of intrigue and Shakespearean testosterone in the unlikeliest of places, Missouri. I loved it!
January 21, 2016
I'd have to say that "Storme Warning" is the best book of the Storme series. Surprised to see that the first three books were written 20 yrs. earlier. The wit and sarcasm of Wyatt and his buddy Chick are on par with the earlier books and will keep you smiling throughout the story.
In this episode, Wyatt is approached by a famous Hollywood director who wants to film a Jesse James western on his property. Since Wyatt does not like people snooping on his property, he initially rejected the offer. However, Chick had been hired by this director to be a bodyguard for one of the top stars of the day because of death threats and contingent on their use of Wyatt's property. So, Wyatt reluctantly agrees with but with several glaring conditions.
The movie star, Cam, is a piece of work and an easy egotistic character to hate - a three piece group of "followers" beckon to his every wish. With his life style and actions, It's easy to understand why somebody wants him dead. In fact, Wyatt and Chick soon discover that every cast member also has a reason to see him dead. Thus, making it extremely difficult to protect the actor.
Meanwhile, a former mobster knee-breaker, Rory, is freed from prison and makes it his agenda to locate and kill Wyatt, as pay back to Wyatt for hurting him badly when Rory tried to collect mob money from a friend of Wyatt's a decade earlier. Other characters also visit the set, skinheads, the press, police and a mobster and his bodyguards, all give both Wyatt and Chick a run for their money,
Wyatt's long-time girlfriend, a famous TV news professional, accepts a promotion - her dream come true. However, it will require her to remain in New York and significantly reduces the amount of time they normally spend together. This is a personal dilemma that they must work through.
His friend, Chick, is later injured due to a case of mistaken identity - Chick is a stand-in and stunt double for the lead movie star and was taking his place during a filming shoot. People are also beginning to die within the county and the sheriff wants answers - knowing that the two men are withholding information. The author keeps readers wondering throughout! The final battle might be the end of Wyatt Storme and some of his other friends! Thus, the end of the series. You'll have to read the book to find out how it all ends. Great job Mr. Ripley! Perhaps there's another Storme adventure in the making? I sure hope so!
John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel
In this episode, Wyatt is approached by a famous Hollywood director who wants to film a Jesse James western on his property. Since Wyatt does not like people snooping on his property, he initially rejected the offer. However, Chick had been hired by this director to be a bodyguard for one of the top stars of the day because of death threats and contingent on their use of Wyatt's property. So, Wyatt reluctantly agrees with but with several glaring conditions.
The movie star, Cam, is a piece of work and an easy egotistic character to hate - a three piece group of "followers" beckon to his every wish. With his life style and actions, It's easy to understand why somebody wants him dead. In fact, Wyatt and Chick soon discover that every cast member also has a reason to see him dead. Thus, making it extremely difficult to protect the actor.
Meanwhile, a former mobster knee-breaker, Rory, is freed from prison and makes it his agenda to locate and kill Wyatt, as pay back to Wyatt for hurting him badly when Rory tried to collect mob money from a friend of Wyatt's a decade earlier. Other characters also visit the set, skinheads, the press, police and a mobster and his bodyguards, all give both Wyatt and Chick a run for their money,
Wyatt's long-time girlfriend, a famous TV news professional, accepts a promotion - her dream come true. However, it will require her to remain in New York and significantly reduces the amount of time they normally spend together. This is a personal dilemma that they must work through.
His friend, Chick, is later injured due to a case of mistaken identity - Chick is a stand-in and stunt double for the lead movie star and was taking his place during a filming shoot. People are also beginning to die within the county and the sheriff wants answers - knowing that the two men are withholding information. The author keeps readers wondering throughout! The final battle might be the end of Wyatt Storme and some of his other friends! Thus, the end of the series. You'll have to read the book to find out how it all ends. Great job Mr. Ripley! Perhaps there's another Storme adventure in the making? I sure hope so!
John Podlaski, author
Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel
May 19, 2016
"Storme Warning" by W.L. Ripley is the second "Storme" book I've read and loved. Several months ago I read "Hail Storme" and gave it five stars, "Storme Warning" is even better.
Wyatt Storme usually has an uncomplicated life. He lives in the remote woods of Missouri in a cabin he built himself. Although he's both a former soldier and star of the NFL who played for the Dallas Cowboys, he doesn't like the limelight. Wyatt loves the solitude of fishing and hunting and slow pace of his chosen home. It's hard though to stay off the grid but when Wyatt's best friend Chick Easton entices him to let a movie studio shoot the latest Jessie James movie on his land, Wyatt isn't surprised it brings with it a heap of trouble.
The play of personalities against one another was the most enjoyable thing about this mystery. Wyatt and Chick's wise cracking continually aggravates the uppity, privileged Hollywood movie stars makes this book not only a great mystery but really funny too. Usually Wyatt is up against very deadly people, this time it's the attitude of the stars around him that elevates this book to a five star. I highly recommend this book and all the Storme books. Fortunately, they all work as stand alone mysteries too.
Wyatt Storme usually has an uncomplicated life. He lives in the remote woods of Missouri in a cabin he built himself. Although he's both a former soldier and star of the NFL who played for the Dallas Cowboys, he doesn't like the limelight. Wyatt loves the solitude of fishing and hunting and slow pace of his chosen home. It's hard though to stay off the grid but when Wyatt's best friend Chick Easton entices him to let a movie studio shoot the latest Jessie James movie on his land, Wyatt isn't surprised it brings with it a heap of trouble.
The play of personalities against one another was the most enjoyable thing about this mystery. Wyatt and Chick's wise cracking continually aggravates the uppity, privileged Hollywood movie stars makes this book not only a great mystery but really funny too. Usually Wyatt is up against very deadly people, this time it's the attitude of the stars around him that elevates this book to a five star. I highly recommend this book and all the Storme books. Fortunately, they all work as stand alone mysteries too.
February 7, 2015
Sarcasm. Dry humor. My kind book. An eclectic mix of characters, some tough guys, some rough guys, some mob guys, some Hollywood folk, some rednecks and some “good old boys”. Pit these against a couple of friends who are a tad rougher and tougher and smarter with a plot that twists and turns in the Missouri town of Paradise. That is correct, Paradise. There is also a Paradise Kentucky which I have visited. Don’t know what Paradise Missouri is like other than the description provided. Some of these so called martyrs who are promised Paradise are in for a huge disappointment. The book “Storme Warning” is anything but disappointing. An action filled page turner featuring the aforementioned cast of characters and the chuckles injected by a good story teller. An easy five star for this reader. Read. Enjoy.
January 31, 2015
I would give this book 2 1/2 stars but Wyatt Storme is such a cool dude I rounded it up to 3. Tbis book is mostly about a stellar cast of characters. Storme, his buddy Chick Easton and the bad guy Rory are all very memorable. I am sorry to say the plot is not. This moves along right from the get go but don't expect any heavy reading because you will not find it. An entertaining but lightweight thriller.
August 7, 2015
The reclusive Wyatt Storme is minding his own business when his sidekick, Chick Easton, drives up with an offer to use Storme's property as a movie set.
Of course, this brings problems. The star is a jerk everybody hates, and is receiving death threats, the director took money from the mob, and some mook is out to get revenge from Storme.
There's a lot of good stuff here, although sometimes Storme's soul searching gets a little irritating.
Of course, this brings problems. The star is a jerk everybody hates, and is receiving death threats, the director took money from the mob, and some mook is out to get revenge from Storme.
There's a lot of good stuff here, although sometimes Storme's soul searching gets a little irritating.
May 28, 2016
Rating for storme Warning
Mr Ripley has done it again! I could hardly put this book down! Lots of action. I can hardly wait to start the next adventure!
Mr Ripley has done it again! I could hardly put this book down! Lots of action. I can hardly wait to start the next adventure!
December 16, 2022
This is the 4th book in the Wyatt Storme thriller/mystery series. This story was written in 2015. Wyatt Storme is a retired Dallas Cowboy football player who did a tour of duty in Vietnam where he won the Silver Star. He left the football life just to get away from all the intrusions celebrities must tolerate. Wyatt is a very private man. Now, he inserts himself when friends need help with difficult, possibly criminal matters. In this story, Wyatt and his best friend Chick Easton find themselves working as bodyguards for a Hollywood actor at the request of the director. Chick was a CIA assassin when he was active during the Vietnam era. The actor is an obnoxious fellow who is full of himself. The movie being shot is a western and the actor has the lead part playing Jesse James. The movie’s outdoor scenes are being shot on Wyatt’s property in Missouri. The mystery, who is trying to kill the actor, is well plotted with several viable suspects. At least initially unbeknownst to Wyatt and Chick, there is a parallel plot to kill Wyatt. That plot is not connected to he threats against the actor. Action and suspense ensue during the unraveling of these two separate plots while keeping both intended victims safe. The dialogue is terrific as Wyatt and Chick have a great harmony and think along the same lines without rehearsing their shtick. Their dialogue just flows and fits with each situation. If you enjoy buddy investigators throwing caution to the wind and facing danger with a smile on their faces, this is the adventure duo for you.
March 14, 2021
A book about how NOT to film a western
Once again, Storme and his buddy Chick save lives, catch the bad guys and solve mysteries while shooting people, busting heads and entertaining this reader with their quips...all this while Hollywood types run roughshod on Storm's property trying to film a western movie about Jesse James
Once again, Storme and his buddy Chick save lives, catch the bad guys and solve mysteries while shooting people, busting heads and entertaining this reader with their quips...all this while Hollywood types run roughshod on Storm's property trying to film a western movie about Jesse James
July 23, 2020
Storme Warning
A good story with action,plot, and a few twists and turns. The story spread the action around so other people were included.in the end there was humor can’t wait for the next segment.
A good story with action,plot, and a few twists and turns. The story spread the action around so other people were included.in the end there was humor can’t wait for the next segment.
December 24, 2017
This is a dang good read! And so far there are 4 in this series, meaning I now need to back track and read the first 3. A page turner to say the least!
January 23, 2019
A really good book
Wow all I got to say is I really enjoyed this book thank you W.I Ripley can't wait till the next one
Wow all I got to say is I really enjoyed this book thank you W.I Ripley can't wait till the next one
January 25, 2019
Fourth enjoyable novel.
Have now read the fourth in the Storme series. All have been enjoyable, well done Mr. Ripley. Hope there are more forthcoming?
Have now read the fourth in the Storme series. All have been enjoyable, well done Mr. Ripley. Hope there are more forthcoming?
November 30, 2020
Book was ok, but Wyatt was too lax especially with regard to Rory. He did pay the price, but it shouldn't have happened.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2021
This is a good series and I have enjoyed all of the Storme books. The characters are well developed and the storyline enjoyable. I will continue to read W.L Ripley’s books.
January 10, 2026
Wow. Another step down in the series, unfortunately. This time Ripley seemed out of original material. One more book to go in the series so I will finish it up- hopefully on a higher note.
September 12, 2016
There are all kinds of books written for all kinds of people. This one just wasn't written for me. I just thought what humor there was in it was cheap, barroom kind of humor, and the action was cartoonish.
May 16, 2021
Great reads
I have read all the books in order and totally enjoyed them. I really want to know how storms and his lady work it out.
I have read all the books in order and totally enjoyed them. I really want to know how storms and his lady work it out.
June 7, 2018
Must of missed soemthing when reading because it just did not thrill me like others. Maybe I should have taken the time to read the first three books.
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