The first thing you should know about bestselling author James Grippando is that he is no longer clueless—or so they say, after “A James Grippando Novel” was a clue for #38 Across in the New York Times crossword puzzle. James is the winner of the Harper Lee Prize for legal fiction and a New York Times bestselling author with more than 30 novels to his credit, including the popular series featuring Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck. His latest, "Goodbye Girl" (HarperCollins 2024), is the 18th in the Swyteck series. His novels are enjoyed worldwide in 28 languages. As an adjunct professor he teaches "The Law & Lawyers in Modern Literature" at the University of Miami School of Law. He is also counsel at one of the nation’s leading law firms, where he specializes in entertainment and intellectual property law, representing clients who have won more than 40 Tony Awards. He writes in south Florida with Atlas at his side, a faithful golden retriever who has no idea he’s a dog. Series: * Jack Swyteck
I liked this book and I debated whether to give it 3 or 4 stars. I decided on 3 for three main reasons.
The first being it didn't grab me right from the get go. It took me a while to really get into this book. I did get into the book and ended up liking it, but I just didn't feel it at the beginning.
The other reason was one of the main characters, Babes, felt a little inconsistent. Babes has Aspergers/PDD and is 22 years old. His character felt a little inconsistent with things I would expect from an adult with PDD. For example, he is on the run from the police and wants to end up staying in familiar places, but then ends up in some random train car he hasn't seen in 5 years. He is scared to talk to people, but then calls in to a radio show and insists on having the call be broadcasted live. I felt like it wasn't consistent.
The last reason was another one of the main characters was portrayed as an antagonist the whole book and than at the last few chapters he all of the sudden is a "helper" and works to can the real bad guy. I don't mind character changes, but this one was too abrupt for me.
Overall it was a great book and I liked it. No sex and no swearing.
A young man's life was on the cusp of breaking into major league baseball when his beloved wife was killed by a drunk driver. After three years of living in a numbed fog, things started happening that revealed what really happened to his wife. The story has a character with Asperger's Syndrome. The younger brother of the dead wife figures deeply into the plot and the author manages to portray a person with this disability as well as educate the reader while weaving a story. Excellent.
3.5 stars. In this book published in 2009, Ryan James' wife Chelsea died in a hit and run accident by a drunk driver. His promising baseball career ended. On the 3rd anniversary of her death, Ryan finds flowers on her grave with a note that says, It was no accident.
Emma Carlisle is the prosecuting attorney for the case although no driver has ever been found. She's never given up on the case. She gets an old newspaper article on the case with the message, I Know Who Did It.
If this book had a football backstory, I would be into it 150%. Baseball, I don't care anything about. It was a slow start for me to become interested in the mystery, but I eventually did. The author revealed layer after layer of twists. I prefer books that take this direction.
Have liked his others. Got this one through Doubleday book club. Book club exclusive. Not my favorite of his but had many surprises. I thought I would never get through it but it could be because life interfered with reading this month! Wouldn't go out of my way to get this book since it is a book club exclusive, unless you are a die hard Grippando fan.
The thing I learned is to step out of your box. Find a new author. I have never read James Grippando before. From star to finish it kept my interest. Had a good start, the middle kept me turning pages, with a surprise and a happy ending.
I found myself really wrapped up in this one. Ryan James, a minor league baseball player loses his wife to an auto accident. It wasn't an accident but finding the killer was made difficult due to false leads. It kept me guessing right up to the end. Enjoyable.
This is the first book I have read by James Grippando and I really enjoyed this fast moving thriller. I think I was drawn to reading this because the main character in the book, Ryan James, was a minor league baseball player whose career was derailed after his wife is killed in an automobile accident. This left him alone with his young daughter and no answers to how or who was involved in the accident. It appears that his wife was run off the road by a drunk hit-and-run driver but is that what really happened? His wife's brother has Asperger's syndrome and he may have some answers but can they be relied on. On the 3-year anniversary of the accident, someone is providing some tips that the accident may not have been as it seems and that there was a witness to it. So who is this tipster and what does he know? Ryan, along with Emma Carlisle, the prosecutor on this cold case want to get to the bottom of what happened but getting there does not bode well for them as someone is trying to stop them and the story.
This was really a good page-turner and as I said, I enjoyed it even more because of the tie to baseball which I generally enjoy reading about. I hadn't really heard of this author before but I will probably be reading more of him.
Ryan James is about to make the big time with the Boston Red Socks. Unfortunately he is pulled from the minor league game due to his wife being in an automobile accident. She dies and it is ascertained that she was forced off the road by a drunk driver.
Three years later Ryan is out of baseball and having trouble coping. Then a message is sent that a person knows who the drunk driver is. There are several possibilities, the Ace Pitcher, who is Ryan’s best friend, a person running for a senate seat who has a past history of gambling and alcoholism, and then there is the owner of the Pawtucket Minor League Team, and a brother-in-law with autism.
The main character is twenty-four-year-old Ryan James, a third baseman for the minor league for the Red Sox. He lives with his wife Chelsea and his two-year-old daughter Ainsley amidst dreams of one day making it to the big leagues with the Boston Red Sox. With a promise of possibly making it to the big league, Ryan urges his wife to make the last game of the season. Chelsea’s brother, nicknamed Babes, is a twenty-one-years-old who suffers from Asperger's syndrome, an autism-related disorder. Lots happen that day that makes Chelsea late and she ended up in a car accident on the way to the game. Chelsea dies in surgery but Ainsley is okay as she was strapped into a baby seat in the back seat. The story fast-forwards to the three-year anniversary of Chelsea's death... and Ryan is still struggling. He is part of a sports radio talk show... while the rest of his life consists of sleepless nights... loving his daughter... and always thinking of his deceased wife. Then email messages along with old newspapers with words and clues circled mysteriously and numbered... begin to be sent to Emma Carlisle the prosecutor who handled Chelsea's death case stating Chelsea's death was not an accident. There are a number of possible culprits and different scenarios are put forward for the reader. The pace is fast with lots of twists and turns. I forgot how much I enjoy this author.
If a car crash kills a woman, and the driver of the other car flees the scene, how do the police know that the driver who left the scene was drunk? Why would a prosecutor investigate this crash after the police put it into the cold case file? I didn’t think a prosecutor investigates crashes even if they are thought to be a crime. The definition I found is that a prosecutor is one that initiates and carries out a legal action, especially criminal proceedings.
The first question I have is answered about half way through the book. The second question is never addressed. That is pretty much the story; a woman is killed in a car crash; the prosecutor and the woman’s husband work to find out who the driver of the second car is; and the woman’s brother who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome helps to complicate things.
Intent to Kill was one of the best fictional accounts of Asperger's syndrome I have read in several months. The author did a fabulous job researching the condition before writing about Babes. It was clearly obvious that he has spent time with people with Asperger's in order to construct an accurate portrayal of the condition in fiction.
This novel was so well written that it was difficult for me to put down. When I stopped reading for awhile, it was difficult for me to think about anything else because I had questions that I couldn't wiat to have answered when I returned to the novel. This is the sign of a good book, one that makes the reader think.
I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in Asperger's syndrome and who also wants a good book about the lengths family members will go to in order to protect one another.
Intent to Kill is my first James Grippando book. Normally, I don't read (or listen to) crime fiction, but I borrowed this from a friend (who buys these types of books on CD at yard sales) because I was desperate for a "company" during my daily commute.
I will say it again: I think that my job as a technical writer colors my view of fiction. At times I felt smothered by unneeded description: Yaz's musical interests, etc. Overall, I like the language and the flow of book.
This was a great 'who done it' book. I could have gotten through it in a day or two but with a 2 week old baby, I kept falling asleep. Not because it was boring, I just needed some sleep. I have not read any other books from this author but after reading this one, I will certainly find some more of his.
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “A NOVEL MIXING DEATH ON THE HIGHWAY & BASEBALL… PROVIDING AN ENTERTAINING DOUBLEHEADER.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The protagonist is twenty-four-year-old Ryan James a third baseman for the minor league Pawtucket Rhode Island Red Sox. A former member of the University of Texas National Championship team he lives with his wife Chelsea and his two-year-old daughter Ainsley in Pawtucket amidst dreams of one day making it to the big leagues with the Boston Red Sox. The last game of the season for the “Paw-Sox” becomes anything but ordinary when the owner of the minor league team tells Ryan that John Henry the owner of the Boston Red Sox is going to attend the game in person to decide if Ryan and his best friend… “Paw-Sox” pitcher Ivan Lopez should be promoted to the big league club next year. Ryan is rightfully “psyched” beyond description… and wants to make sure that Chelsea who teaches at a very upscale school… and goes to law school at night… along with his young daughter… attend the game that can change his life forever. He provides her with two tickets in a great location and makes her promise to get out of whatever school obligations she may have. Chelsea agrees… but there is one big problem… how come there isn’t a third ticket for Chelsea’s brother Daniel… known to everyone as “Babes”? Babes is “twenty-one-years-old and still living with his parents, he suffered from Asperger’s syndrome, an autism-related disorder.” Babes who loves baseball like no other… and got his nickname from always yelling “LET’S GO, BAAABE”… from the stands to every player. But due to his disease… his behavior is totally unpredictable… and the slightest thing can set him off in to cycles of uncontrollable behavior… which would lead to him having to be removed from the stadium… so though Ryan loves Babes… he didn’t want him to attend the game.
As the big game starts Ryan notices that the seats he got for his family are empty… and as the game proceeds… a timeout is called and Ryan is removed from the game… and he is shockingly told that his wife and daughter were in a car accident on the way to the game. Chelsea dies in surgery but Ainsley is okay as she was strapped into a baby seat in the back seat. The story fast forwards to the three-year anniversary of Chelsea’s death… and Ryan is a mere shadow of the man he used to be… due to insomnia and a broken heart… and dissipated dreams. He is part of a sports radio talk show… while the rest of his life consists of sleepless nights… loving his daughter… and always thinking of his deceased wife. Then email messages along with old newspapers with words and clues circled mysteriously and numbered… begin to be sent to Emma Carlisle the prosecutor who handled Chelsea’s death case… stating Chelsea’s death wasn’t an accident… and “I know who did it!” And this is where the reader hits a bump in the road as far as being given a clear picture of everything involved in the deadly accident. One of the scenarios presented is that a drunk driver drove Chelsea off the road when she was killed. The original unveiling of this important development is less than crystal clear.
From this point on… a smorgasbord of possible murderous culprits and scenarios are offered up to the reader… ranging from the Chief Of Staff of Mass General Hospital… who is a prospective future Surgeon General… and who also owns the “Paw-Sox”… a former Attorney General who is now running for the Senate… and even poor disjointed Babes… who seems to spend most of his lucid interactional spurts… by communicating in anagrams. Throw in a Russian hit man… the Irish Mafia collecting gambling debts… a virginal M.I.T. genius with a penchant for Hawaiian shirts who had a crush on Chelsea… and is now best pals with Babes… a few fresh murdered bodies… and you’ve got a rip-roaring finish.
Somewhat convoluted, but pretty good character development; eventually the many story strands did knit together. Props for lots of Rhode Island and Boston area local color.
Ryan James, who wanted to be "in the show," i.e., pro baseball, lost it all when he wife died in a tragic and unexplained hit-and-run auto accident the night of Ryan's big audition before Red Sox scouts. Widowed with a young daughter and crushed dreams, he keeps his hand in the sports sphere as a talk radio co-host on a Boston sports show. He remains extremely close to his dead wife's parents and surviving grown son, Daniel aka Babes, who's on the autism spectrum and a genius with statistics, especially baseball stats.
On the third anniversary of Chelsea's unsolved death, Ryan receives a coded message "It was no accident." The stage is set for trying to find the tipster, the information heretofore undisclosed, and an awful lot of unsavory stuff that is a by-product of and contributor to Chelsea's demise. Interesting treatment of Asperger's/autism which defines Babes, the depression and insomnia that plague Ryan, the tensions between Babes' parents, alcoholism and dependency, and the snares and lures of politics and power.
James Grippando delivers a gripping legal thriller with Intent to Kill. The plot twists kept me guessing until the very end, and the characters are as complex as they are compelling. Grippando's masterful storytelling is on full display, making this a must-read for anyone who loves a good page-turner. I couldn't put it down!"
Ryan James had a promising baseball career ahead of him. It looked like he had a career in the major leagues in his future. That was before his manager got the phone call that forever changed his life.
His wife, Chelsea, crashed her car into a tree while driving home to see Ryan’s final game of the season. She died later in the hospital.
For three years, Ryan did what he could to raise their daughter alone. Then, on the anniversary of the car crash, Ryan and the prosecutor who tried to figure out why Chelsea crashed her car got a tip in which the anonymous writer said he knew who killed Chelsea and why.
It turns out that the author of the tip is Chelsea’s younger brother, who is hard-core on the autism spectrum. If you read this, you’ll see how that complicates things.
I stayed with this throughout the day unable to stop reading. This confirms to me that Grippando writes stand-alone books that are as excellent as his Jack Swyteck series.
Just finished James Grippando's "Inent to Kill" and my review is a bit mixed.
Without spoilers, the book provides a solid plot for a thriller and reads quick with many page-turner chapter endings.
This was my first time reading this author (although "Intent to Kill" was published in 2008). I'm wasn't too crazy about the character development. While one could empathize with the protagonist, Ryan, the surrounding characters lacked depth in my opinion. The book seemed heavy in details about the New England area encompassing Boston to Pawtucket to Providence, almost as homage to the region which seemed overkill to the story.
All that being said, I would probably rate "Intent to Kill" 3.5 stars out of 5 . There was enough of a good story to entice me to give Mr. Grippando a second try so I will be on the lookout for another novel of his.
I found this book a few months ago in a used book shop in Northern Florida. What caught my eye was the lead character was a Pawsox player! Once I started the book I discovered that it also included locations are set in Pawtucket, Providence, the North Burial Ground, The Hill, The Modern Diner, Andino's, The Marble House and a shout out to the 1025 Club! The story moved along at a good pace and the characters were a likable group. I fell for the set up for the "bad guy" and didn't see the end coming. That was well done.
I just recently discovered this author's books. I thought the author did a good job of developing his characters. One of the characters "Babe" has Asperger's Syndrome and I thought the author did his research. I enjoyed how this character plays a significant role in this book
The book moves at a very steady pace and keeps you guessing with all the twists and turns. The author is very talented and just when the reader has a feeling of knowing where the story is headed, things change into an entirely new and interesting direction.
This was my first Grippando book, and I really enjoyed it. A fast-paced thriller with a cold case at its heart, it kept me turning pages the whole way through. I was especially drawn in by the baseball tie-in — the main character is a former minor league player whose life unravels after tragedy strikes — which gave the story an extra layer of interest for me.
It’s gripping, suspenseful, and makes me want to pick up more by this author. (Not gonna lie, though — if the sport had been hockey or football, it might have hooked me even more!)
Ryan James is a minor league player set for the major leagues when on the last big game of the season his beloved wife gets killed by a drunk driver. Her death is the beginning of the end of Ryan's dreams. Ryan is now left with the loss of his wife but he now has to find a way to grieve why he is raising his six year old daughter. This is his journey thru the grief and his search to find the truth who killed Chelsea, his wife. Good page turner.
This was in between OK and liked it. It was my first book by James Grippando. There were things to like about it but also things that were extremely annoying. One more time mentioning the cherry Kool-Aid lips and the book was going to be closed for good. I did get a really good sense of Boston and it's history.