The Wake-Up

by Robert Ferrigno

Frank Thorpe is set to board a plane at LAX for a much-needed vacation when he sees an obviously poor young boy knocked out of the way and senseless by an arrogant businessman rushing to a waiting Porsche.

Frank really needs some R & R. He’s just been fired—over a fatal screw up—from the covert operations “shop” he’s worked at for years. But Douglas Meachum—a hard-charging art dealer—needs to be made to feel something more than nothing extreme, just a little wake-up call.

Given Frank’s background and his expertise in good guy/bad guy tactics, it’s easy for him to set up a scam involving some embarrassing revelations about a faked Mayan sculpture that Meachum sells to one of his clients. But the client isn’t someone who takes kindly to mistakes. She’s a ruthless social-climbing psychopath who, with her surfer-dude husband (the Thomas Alva Edison of designer pharmaceuticals), runs a huge drug operation. And she’s got an invincible thug duo—Vlad and Arturo—to carry out her notions of payback, which make Frank’s wake-up scheme seem positively genteel. What started out as a good (if slightly underhanded) deed quickly veers out of control. How Frank handles the chaos—
and what he himself hears in the wake-up call—is the fuel that drives this full-throttle, terrifically entertaining novel.

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Detective, Mystery Thriller

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Robert Ferrigno is an American author of crime novels and of speculative fiction. I've written twelve novels in the last twenty years, most crime thrillers. Sins of the Assassin was a finalist for the Edgar, Best Novel, by the Mystery Writers of America in 2008, and my comic short story, "Can I Help You Out?" won the Silver Dagger, Best Short Story, by the Mystery Association of Great Britain.

Series:
* Jimmy Gage Mystery
* Assassin Trilogy

My most recent book is The Girl Who Cried Wolf (2013), a contemporary crime thriller.

Reviews

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 2004. A story of redemption and revenge. For some reason I didn't mark any novels in 2004 as my favorites, the only year I didn't do that. This was my last book of the year. I read 84 books in 2004.

[Nicky Billou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ferrigno is a crime writer par excellence, with the the pace and characters of an Elmore Leonard, and the nonstop explosiveness of a Tom Clancy novel.

I love this man and his work, and I'll be buying his entire list.

[James S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard to follow and farfetched.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frank, former member of covert operations group, witnesses a businessman injure a young boy by rushing by & knocking him down. Frank hates that kind of arrogance and decides the man needs a wake-up call, something that will get his attention, make him realize his behavior is unacceptable. However, things don't always work the way we plan, and the wake-up ultimately puts the businessman and his family in harms way from the seemingly innocent vehicle - a woman Frank picked for the call. So now we have a social-climbing wife (the wake-up pick), her surfer dude husband (they run a large illegal drug operation), their two killer strong-arm enforcers, the head of the covert operations (who wants Frank to come back), and the Engineer (the man Frank was trying to kill when he finally quit AND who is trying to kill Frank) all interacting because of the failed wake-up. And let's throw in a couple of deaths of innocents because they happened to be in the path of some of the above. Frank, Frank, Frank - how will you get things resolved?

[Nate Granzow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had my doubts when I began this book, thinking the premise a little weak. A badass witnesses a minor injustice and decides to get back at the guy who did it. So straightforward as to be a little...tame. But the author handled the plot with skill, building up the complexity and the stakes to make for a really wild ride. The protagonist goes from James Bond in a slump to a hardened operative navigating a world of drug dealers, temptresses, assassins, and corrupt DEA agents. Ferrigno's prose is both clever and punchy, his characters memorable. Overall, a nice, evenly burning thriller from start to finish.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Thorpe, hard-nosed but fair-minded ex-Shop (read: TLA) operative, witnesses a self-centered businessman casually injure a beggar-type kid at an airport and decides to give the guy a "wake-up" call -- something intended not to ruin the guy's life, but to get his attention and make him a little more considerate. The wake-up goes awry and quite a few people end up dead before Frank can straighten things out. A fun read a la Hiaasen.

[Bob Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't heard of this book of the author before I began reading. It turned out to be a delightful surprise. In the style of Elmore Leonard, a hero who isn't quite pure, villains who aren't quite criminal masterminds and a plot that meanders through the drug and surfing world of Southern California. No social comments or earthshaking revelations, just a well crafted mystery. I'm sure I'll be reading more from Mr. Ferrigno.

[Randy Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good thriller. Thorpe is pretty cool and Ferrigno can write! The genre is hardboiled action like Hiassen, Hunter, Gischler, Crais etc... Not as good as Hunter or Crais but definitely worth my looking for other titles. Ferrigno may end up an equal to Crais or Hunter whose books I have read in their entirety so the comparison is heavily lopsided.

[Paul Sand · Rating 4 out of 5]

The latest book (as I type) from Mr. Ferrigno is about a guy who is let go from a shady government law-enforcement group after accidentally getting his team killed. He decides to freelance to make up for his mistake; he also decides to teach a hard-charging slimeball a lesson. These two threads intertwine in interesting ways, and the payoff is satisfactory.

[Gary Sedivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of revenge, retribution, and sometimes you get what you asked for but don't like it.
Ferrigno is becoming a favorite writer for me. I look for his books when searching for new reading material.

[Sam Reaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody captures the off-the-wall anarchy of Southern California better than Ferrigno. Or the way the best-laid plans can blow up in your face when you're dealing with psychopaths... Another wild ride from one of the best stylists in the business.

[Tara Wowra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel makes you wish you could do what the main character can do. And Robert Ferrigno's books are always page turners.

[Mary Thurston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would make a fantastic movie.

[Nick Sotos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally enjoyed this book. What can I say...I agree, every now and then an asshole needs a wake up. Enough said!

[Kaylol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like it much at the start. I needed more details about what happened with Kimberly, everything was rushed and no fun to read at all. But after a couple of chapters it got good.

[John L. Schwartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good

I had some trouble staying with the twists and turns...but in the end I found this to be well written and enjoyable. I look forward to seeing his next book.

[Robert Buehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Interesting characters, nice storyline. Just enough action. A few twists and turns. Hard to set down once the story started moving.