How often do you read a great book and say to yourself “I’m going to look up some of his (or her) other books, because that was really good”? Confession: I make those mental promises to myself all the time, but I hardly ever follow through. Readers are lazy creatures. Well, maybe not you, but I am. A book has to really make an impact for me to take that extra step and investigate the author’s other work. Storme Warning was that good.

Plot: Wyatt Storme, a retired NFL player living in the backwoods of Missouri, is talked into renting out his land for a movie shoot, while his friend, Chick, acts as bodyguard for the movie star receiving death threats. At the same time, someone from his past is apparently trying to kill him.

Characters: Chick and Wyatt could have been dual main characters. I loved Chick. He was so well written I could visualize him as if were standing right next to me. On the very first page he’s described as “an exclamation point with legs.” Doesn’t that paint a picture? His violence vibrated just under the surface. Wyatt, by contrast, was more soft-focus and laid back. Their conversations were often hilarious, reminiscent of Spenser and Hawk (a la Robert B. Parker).Fogarty, the movie star everyone loved to hate, although he wasn’t exactly a main character, was really fun to read about. He was such an obnoxious person with no redeeming qualities, and all the small details were there to make us understand later motivations. I won’t say more so as not to give away plot.

“What’s a seven-letter word for succinct” Chick asked. “Starts with an l.”
“Laconic.” I said.
“That’s a hell of a thing for a guy who used to wear a jockstrap to work to know,” said Chick, writing it in the little squares.

I didn’t realize until I was well into it that this was part of a series, but it wasn’t a problem. There were enough references to prior events that I wanted to download the earlier Storme books; sadly, none of them are available yet in e-reader format.

The writing was elegant and spare. It looks like it was professionally edited (thank you!). I really don’t have anything bad to say about this book. Go. Buy it. You won’t be sorry. 5 Stars.

*ARC from netgalley in exchange for agreement to review*

Storme is a character you soon get to like. The witty lines he comes out with and an interesting plot makes for a great read. It has whetted my appetite to read the authors other books.

Storme Warning W. L. Ripley

Great story I liked the characters and the setting very much. Wyatt Storme is a recluse. He lives in cabin in a wooded area that includes a abandoned town. The town and land belong to him. Along comes a movie company wanting to use the town for a western. Storme's best friend is Chick who is currently working as a bodyguard .for the movie's star. It gets even better, with death threats, gangsters, the mob, and a nasty man with a grudge.
Any more would spoil the story. The characters are fun and believable. The dialogue works for the story and the setting. I really liked the end. You will too.

thanks NetGalley for the great read..

I really liked the characters in this book. Storme, Chick Easton, bad guy Rory and some of the others are very memorable. The story is not, in fact, it is kind of lightweight. This is a quick, entertaining read that takes up just a little time. I would read another of this series.

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.

Defintely a good read. There need to be more books like this. Highly recommended. (Amazon reviewed).

Brash Books, as part of its ambitious publishing programme, commissioned W.L. Ripley to extend his Wyatt Storme series with this new book, the fourth in the series. Brash has reissued two of the earlier three.

Wyatt is back in Missouri minding his own business when his world is invaded by Hollywood. Somehow it seems that Storme's land is the only place on earth where Geoffrey Salinger can film his epic new Western staring the most wonderful young stars. Right. As if Storme knows who these people are. Chick, however, is working security for the production company so Storme goes along with the proposal, retaining veto rights, of course.

Anyone who know anything about Hollywood knows that opening a property to a film crew is a prescription for destruction. Usually filming destroys only building and landscape, here people are destroyed too.

The book is fun. I mostly like the repartee between Storme and Easton but Chick is a bit overplayed.

I received a review copy of "Storme Warning: A Wyatt Storme Thriller" by W.L. Ripley (Brash) through NetGalley.com.