Sunday, March 22, 2009

Intent To Kill-James Grippando

Intent To Kill
James Grippando
Harper, Apr 28 2009, $25.95
ISBN: 9780061628689

Twenty-four year old Pawtucket Red Sox pitcher Ryan James is heading for the majors in nearby Boston. He is making his last start for the Triple A “PawSox” before leaving Rhode Island for Fenway. His wife Chelsea and their infant daughter Ainsley are coming to watch him pitch. However, behind schedule, an apparent drunk driver crashes into the car Chelsea drives. She dies, but thanks to the child restraining seat in the rear two years old Ainsley lives. The other driver vanishes without a trace.

Ryan’s life shattered that night. Instead of being on the big league mound, almost three years later he co-hosts a morning sports-talk radio show in Boston. Still grieving his loss, he never sleeps while trying to be the best single dad in the world. He remains outraged that the hit and run driver never was caught and his beloved’s case is colder than a New England winter. Suddenly on the third anniversary of the day his life ended, an anonymous tip claims "I know who did it." While PPD heats up the James case, Ryan makes a paradigm switch from DUI accident to homicide and believes his autism spectrum disorder brother-in-law Babes is the tipster, but he has vanished. Ryan begins a search for the truth with the help of prosecutor Emma Carlisle.

Though the conspiracy that Ryan and Emma start to unravel seems over the top of the Green Monster, the story line is a gripping thriller as an increasingly cold case of a deadly vehicular accident turns into premeditated murder. Fans of James Grippando will enjoy the tale, but leave the plausibility index in the dugout.

Harriet Klausner

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