Intent to Kill by James Grippando (Mystery Book Review)

Synopsis (from the publisher):

Ryan James once had it all. With a beautiful wife and a two-year-old daughter, he was just one minor-league baseball game away from realizing his lifelong dream of playing in the majors when the unthinkable happened: his wife, Chelsea, was killed in a hit-and-run accident while driving to Ryan's last game of the season.

Years later, Ryan is a popular "shock jock" at Boston's top-rated sports radio show, doing his best to raise his daughter alone. But his love for Chelsea endures, his insomnia persists, and the fact that the police never found the drunk who ran her off the road makes closure impossible. Then, on the third anniversary of Chelsea's death, chilling words from an anonymous tipster turn the accident into a homicide: "I know who did it."

As the police scramble, Ryan makes a stunning discovery. The tip—a strangely coded message—may have come from Chelsea's own brother, a young man affectionately known as "Babes," who has an autism-related disorder. But why would Babes have withheld this information for three years? And what finally made him come forward anonymously?

The demand for answers sends Babes on the run. Through a series of shocking on-air conversations with Babes, Ryan and Emma Carlisle, the dedicated prosecutor on the case, unravel a cover-up that reaches back to the night of Chelsea's death and that may implicate one of New England's most powerful families. It's a search that will forever change the lives of Ryan, Babes, and Emma—if they live to tell about it.

— ◊ —

Intent to Kill
Non-series
James Grippando

Harper (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-06-162868-9 (0061628689)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-162868-9 (9780061628689)
Publication Date: May 2009
List Price: $25.99

Review: A minor league baseball player who lost his wife in a hit-and-run is later told "it wasn't an accident" in James Grippando's sensational thriller, Intent to Kill.

Ryan James was an up-and-coming star, a player with the Pawtucket Red Sox destined to play for Boston. His future was dealt a sudden blow when his wife, Chelsea, was killed by a hit-and-run driver. Their daughter, seated in back, was spared. On the third anniversary of her death, Ryan receives a note saying his wife's death was anything but accidental. Boston prosecutor Emma Carlisle receives an identical message. Why, after three years, would someone want to reopen this case? Soon thereafter Ryan's brother-in-law, a man with Asperger's Syndrome, disappears. Was he somehow connected with his sister's death? Ryan and Emma team up and are led to a Russian hit man and a treasured baseball bat, two of the more unusual aspects of this case.

Intent to Kill is an exceptionally well-crafted thriller, the characters an integral part of what makes it successful. The despair Ryan feels over his wife's death, his unwillingness to accept it yet his eagerness to find some meaning behind it, even at risk to his own life, is strongly conveyed in the narrative. Emma has reasons of her own that draw her to the case, an unsolved crime that she's eager to prosecute and close. Possibly best of all here, though plot twists are expected, even anticipated, in a thriller, the conclusion of Intent to Kill lays out a revelation that will take even the most jaded reader completely by surprise.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Intent to Kill and to HarperCollins for providing an ARC of the book for this review.

The Informant
HarperCollins (Hardcover), September 1996
ISBN-10: 0-06017693-8 (0060176938)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06017693-8 (9780060176938)

The Abduction
HarperCollins (Hardcover), April 1998
ISBN-10: 0-06018262-8 (0060182628)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06018262-5 (9780060182625)

Found Money
HarperCollins (Hardcover), February 1999
ISBN-10: 0-06018263-6 (0060182636)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06018263-2 (9780060182632)

Under Cover of Darkness
HarperCollins (Hardcover), August 2000
ISBN-10: 0-06019240-2 (0060192402)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06019240-2 (9780060192402)

A King's Ransom
HarperCollins (Hardcover), April 2001
ISBN-10: 0-06019241-0 (0060192410)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06019241-9 (9780060192419)

Intent to Kill
Harper (Hardcover), May 2009
ISBN-10: 0-06-162868-9 (0061628689)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-162868-9 (9780061628689)

Money To Burn
Harper (Hardcover), February 2010
ISBN-10: 0-06-155630-0 (0061556300)
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-155630-2 (9780061556302)






		Synopsis (from the publisher): Ryan James once had it all. With a beautiful wife and a two-year-old daughter, he was just one minor-league baseball game away from realizing his lifelong dream of playing in the majors when the unthinkable happened: his wife, Chelsea, was killed in a hit-and-run accident while driving to Ryan's last game of the season. Years later, Ryan is a popular "shock jock" at Boston's top-rated sports radio show, doing his best to raise his daughter alone. But his love for Chelsea endures, his insomnia persists, and the fact that the police never found the drunk who ran her off the road makes closure impossible. Then, on the third anniversary of Chelsea's death, chilling words from an anonymous tipster turn the accident into a homicide: "I know who did it." As the police scramble, Ryan makes a stunning discovery. The tip—a strangely coded message—may have come from Chelsea's own brother, a young man affectionately known as "Babes," who has an autism-related disorder. But why would Babes have withheld this information for three years? And what finally made him come forward anonymously? The demand for answers sends Babes on the run. Through a series of shocking on-air conversations with Babes, Ryan and Emma Carlisle, the dedicated prosecutor on the case, unravel a cover-up that reaches back to the night of Chelsea's death and that may implicate one of New England's most powerful families. It's a search that will forever change the lives of Ryan, Babes, and Emma—if they live to tell about it. — ◊ — — ◊ — Intent to Kill Non-series James Grippando Harper (Hardcover) ISBN-10: 0-06-162868-9 (0061628689) ISBN-13: 978-0-06-162868-9 (9780061628689) Publication Date: May 2009 List Price: $25.99 — ◊ — Review: A minor league baseball player who lost his wife in a hit-and-run is later told "it wasn't an accident" in James Grippando's sensational thriller, Intent to Kill. Ryan James was an up-and-coming star, a player with the Pawtucket Red Sox destined to play for Boston. His future was dealt a sudden blow when his wife, Chelsea, was killed by a hit-and-run driver. Their daughter, seated in back, was spared. On the third anniversary of her death, Ryan receives a note saying his wife's death was anything but accidental. Boston prosecutor Emma Carlisle receives an identical message. Why, after three years, would someone want to reopen this case? Soon thereafter Ryan's brother-in-law, a man with Asperger's Syndrome, disappears. Was he somehow connected with his sister's death? Ryan and Emma team up and are led to a Russian hit man and a treasured baseball bat, two of the more unusual aspects of this case. Intent to Kill is an exceptionally well-crafted thriller, the characters an integral part of what makes it successful. The despair Ryan feels over his wife's death, his unwillingness to accept it yet his eagerness to find some meaning behind it, even at risk to his own life, is strongly conveyed in the narrative. Emma has reasons of her own that draw her to the case, an unsolved crime that she's eager to prosecute and close. Possibly best of all here, though plot twists are expected, even anticipated, in a thriller, the conclusion of Intent to Kill lays out a revelation that will take even the most jaded reader completely by surprise. Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Intent to Kill and to HarperCollins for providing an ARC of the book for this review. Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved Have you read Intent to Kill? How would you rate it? Non-series novels by this author … The Informant HarperCollins (Hardcover), September 1996 ISBN-10: 0-06017693-8 (0060176938) ISBN-13: 978-0-06017693-8 (9780060176938) The Abduction HarperCollins (Hardcover), April 1998 ISBN-10: 0-06018262-8 (0060182628) ISBN-13: 978-0-06018262-5 (9780060182625) Found Money HarperCollins (Hardcover), February 1999 ISBN-10: 0-06018263-6 (0060182636) ISBN-13: 978-0-06018263-2 (9780060182632) Under Cover of Darkness HarperCollins (Hardcover), August 2000 ISBN-10: 0-06019240-2 (0060192402) ISBN-13: 978-0-06019240-2 (9780060192402) A King's Ransom HarperCollins (Hardcover), April 2001 ISBN-10: 0-06019241-0 (0060192410) ISBN-13: 978-0-06019241-9 (9780060192419) Intent to Kill Harper (Hardcover), May 2009 ISBN-10: 0-06-162868-9 (0061628689) ISBN-13: 978-0-06-162868-9 (9780061628689) Money To Burn Harper (Hardcover), February 2010 ISBN-10: 0-06-155630-0 (0061556300) ISBN-13: 978-0-06-155630-2 (9780061556302) Omnimystery keywords for Intent to Kill ... Location(s) referenced: Rhode Island, Boston, Massachusetts.

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Intent to Kill Non-series James Grippando

Intent to Kill
Non-series
James Grippando