Second in "killer" series

This is the second book in the Wyatt Storme action/adventure series, coming after HAIL STORME, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

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 second offering in this series from author Ripley just as much as the first. 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 Colorado rather than Missouri (Storme has cabins in both states) and he gets involved in a big time gun running operation. Add crooked politicians, bikers, Storme's sexy newscaster fiancée and thugs, thugs, and more thugs and you have another rip roaring installment in Storme and Easton's adventures.

I loved the story and I especially like the humor. The characters are well developed and I got to learn more of both the main protagonists' backstory.

I'm off to read STORME WARNING now.

NOTE: I received this book from Brash Books through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

Another great adventure with Wyatt Storme and his buddy, Chick. This one involves a crooked Congressman, illegal gun runners, blackmail, and several levels of duplicity. Everyone is true to form as the story plays out in Colorado. The level of description is just perfect, the action is paced just right, and the mysteries don't get unraveled until the very end. Once again the story is so intense that you can't put the book down.

Wyatt Storme rides again! Wyatt and his buddy Chick find themselves up against mob killers, corrupt congressmen, and assorted other baddies. Non-stop action, plenty of suspense, and superb repartee between Wyatt and Chick - what’s not to like!

My review was posted on Goodreads.

Storme Front W.L. Ripley
And I thought "Hail Storme" was great, "Storme Front" is even better. If Storme could just keep his mouth shut. Ya just gotta love a wise ass who gets the job done. Most of the time you wonder why they just don't shoot him to shut him up. The best one liners are with his good friend Chick, an ex-spook. This story takes place in Colorado where he has another cabin. Jackie Burlingame, a small time punk, gets him involved in gun running. This leads to murder, betrayal, secrets exposed, blackmail and a crooked Congressman.
There is more insight into Storme's past in Vietnam and pro football. Filling in some gaps and adding light on why he is the way he is. Just for fun there are bikers and lots of thugs included. This story is like an onion. You keep peeling away the layers till you get to the truth. You don't find out everything untill you get to the last few pages. I had the kindle version and I listened with very few breaks. It was non-stop action and humor. I loved it.

Thank you NetGalley for the free Kindle version

This is a rerelease of a thriller written in the early 90's. Here the protagonist is an ex-NFL pro and a VietNam vet. He is mouthy and full of himself as is his cohort. He is also tough and ready to take care of his friends the same way Travis McGee did. There is lots of action and great dialogue along with a complex plot. All in all, the kind of reading that keeps you up late.

Storme Front, the second mystery in the series featuring former NFL player Wyatt Storme and his buddy, Chick Easton, is smart and sassy. Ripley proves that an action-packed thriller with a he-man protagonist is stronger, not weaker when it treats women respectfully, as equals to men. Thank you twice, first to Net Galley, and second to Brash Books. I received this DRC from them in exchange for an honest review. This title was released August 4, so you can get it right away.

When someone offers one a thousand dollars to make a single, simple delivery, it’s natural to be suspicious. But when it appears to also involve pulling a good friend’s cojones out of the fire, an experienced badass will sometimes agree, however cautiously, to tag along. So it is here. Drugs, guns, and bodies pile up, and all through it runs some kick-ass banter that made me laugh out loud a number of times. The exchanges are typically between Wyatt and Chick, but there’s some pretty strong humor, at times, in the interactions between Wyatt and his fiancée, Sandra Collingsworth, as well. As well as respect. I like the respect even better.

“No one likes smart, self-assured women, you know.”
“Except you,” she said. “And I’m glad.”

Complicating the picture without making it into a soap opera is the involvement, however peripherally, of an old flame of Wyatt’s. They split up a long time ago, and she married the man whose afore-mentioned cojones Wyatt is trying to salvage.

“His wife?” said Billy, smiling. “Ain’t she a sweet piece of—“
“Her name’s Kelly,” I said, interrupting. “But you can call her Mrs. Jenkins.”

The action is linear in format, so the fairly sizeable number of characters doesn’t create confusion. Then too, Ripley’s memorable character sketches certainly help:

“Snakeskins came around the truck. He had a big face, crooked nose. About thirty. A little overweight. Too many Coors in cowboy bars. Blond mustache, untrimmed, and a diamond stud in one ear. His hands were immense.”

Oh, there are so many more memorable passages, and I highlighted 78 of them, just for giggles. But the fact is, I would just hate to ruin it all for you. All told, the flavor is a bit like Sue Grafton’s, but with male protagonists in Colorado.

The examples I’ve provided show up early on, but the pace never slows till the last page is turned. In the end, I just wanted to read the next book in the series. And so will you.

Highly recommended for mystery and thriller lovers, or for anyone that needs a snappy, amusing beach read.

Book Review: Storme Front – A Wyatt Storme Thriller by W. L. Ripley Review by Dawn Thomas

Publisher: Brash Books Pages 342 Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

This book follows Hail Storme in the Wyatt Storme series. It begins with an old acquaintance, Jackie Burlingame, visiting Wyatt in his cabin in Colorado. Jackie wants him to be a body guard/escort when he makes a delivery. Wyatt is cautious and initially turns Jackie down but is suspicious. He follows Jackie and uncovers an illegal gun deal. His intervention sets off a chain of events.

Wyatt wants to help his longtime friends Matt and Kelly Jenkins keep Billy McCall out of trouble. Wyatt turns to his best friend Chick Easton to help him out. Together they try to find out who is behind the illegal guns and how high up the corruption goes. As usual the two find themselves up to their eyeballs in trouble with the law. Their banter is funny and annoys the men who want to kill them. The big question is will he and Chick be able to pull it off.

Wyatt is an educated man and knows music as well as he knows football. He wants to be the hero and save the world. His relationship with his fiancé, Sandy, is in question. He would do anything to help a friend or save a relationship. With illegal guns, drugs, a coded black book and politicians you do not know who you can trust. New relationships are unveiled which lead to more questions.

The characters have depth and the story plays out well. With each new novel we get a further glimpse into the characters. You wonder why Wyatt continues to subject himself to other people’s problems. I am enjoying the Wyatt Storme book series and look forward to the next book.

The comparisons between WL Ripley and Parker have been made many times, for good reason. Both feature male leads who snap off great one-liners, a kicka$$ yet likable male sidekick for backup, and strong female companions. Both writers favor distinctive short sentences and (thank god) have wonderful editors.

I give Ripley a slight edge over Parker (though I loved Parker's books). Ripley's plotting is down right devilish. Good luck figuring everything out before the final pages. His dialogue is always believable. There are times you'll laugh at the interaction between characters, but it's not page after page of one-liners, either (no one is funny all the time, right? that would just be annoying). Also, I've always found Parker's Spenser and Susan to be a little too lofty for us mortal folk. Must be all that arm in arm rhapsodizing about how great they've got it. I prefer the imperfect realism of Wyatt and his anchor GF, Sandy. They bicker like normal people and don't pretend to have All The Answers.

What don't I love? The fact that the series is being released for e-readers out of order. They're coming out like this (per Brash Books):
1. HAIL STORME Orig. scheduled May 2015 2. STORME FRONT August 2015 3. EYE OF THE STORME October 2015 4. STORME WARNING February 2015

Do yourself a favor and pick up this series, even though they're being released out of order. Each one is a treat.

An Action Packed Thriller Involving Illegal Arms Trafficking and a Deadly Conspiracy

When Jackie Burlingame, arrives at Wyatt Storme's cabin in the Colorado Rockies, Storme isn't pleased. He doesn't like Jackie and being offered a thousand dollars to make a simple delivery smells. Storme wants nothing to do with it until he realizes that his good friend, Matt Jenkins, may be involved and in trouble.

Storme enlists his buddy, Chick Easton, to keep the delivery under surveillance and assist if necessary. It becomes necessary and Chick and Wyatt find themselves involved with crooked politicians, mobsters, and a deadly conspiracy.

If you like a book with plenty of action, this is it. Storme and Chick are in it up to their necks from the first page. There is no let up in the action, and it keeps you turning the pages.

However, the book isn't just action, the characters are well done. There are sassy, humorous exchanges between Chick and Storme and between Storme and his sexy, newscaster girlfriend that are fun to read. The plot is very complex and with all the twists it's hard to figure out what's happening until it all comes together at the end.

I recommend this book if you like hulking heroes, a little sex and plenty of action.

I reviewed this book for Net Galley.

I wanted to read 'Storme Front' after reading the reviews so decided to give it a try. The book was very well written with well developed characters. There was enough action to keep me quickly reading until the end. I enjoyed the book very much. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review.