“[A] tight, twisty thriller….Hums along like a sizzling fastball thrown straight and sure.”
—Providence Journal-Bulletin
Bestselling author James Grippando is back with a gripping stand-alone thriller. Intent to Kill electrifies from the first inning on—as a fallen baseball star-turned-sports radio “shock jock” tries to expose a conspiracy and outwit a killer. Crackling with Grippando’s trademark suspense, ingenious plotting, and unforgettable characters, Intent to Kill is a grand slam from the author Nelson DeMille calls, “A very intense and ingenious storyteller.”
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"Ryan James was expecting his life to change one night when he is playing minor league ball. It changes not the way he expects going to the majors but with unbelievable grief. His young wife and daughter are involved in an accident where the suspect is a drunk driver but was never found. On the third anniversary a tipster leaves tips pointing to the killer. In the meantime Ryan who is now a sports jock and insomanic raising a daughter on his own is now washed in anger not grief over realizing that is wife could be a murder victim. Emma is the prosecutor who couldn't leave this cold case behind and reopens the investigation. Where it takes her, could burn some bridges and destroys relationship. To me the best character is BABES, the brother of the deceased. He has Asperger and/or autism. He seems to know more about the accident and goes on the run. Grippando did his research on this and Babes is quite likeable and you just want to protect him as everyone hunts him. Some want to shut him up and others want him to speak the truth loud and clear."
— Teresa (4 out of 5 stars)
“Grippando’s thrillers marry well-drawn characters and realistic action...The story strongly fits into the family thriller genre.”
— Florida Sun Sentinel“[A] tight, twisty thriller...Hums along like a sizzling fastball thrown straight and sure.”
— Providence Journal-Bulletin“Intent to Kill’s unique double play of baseball and the unpredictable Babes make Grippando’s newest thriller a hit for the bleachers.”
— Madison County Herald“A fast-paced, nifty crime novel with many surprising plot twists.”
— Lansing Journal“This book has it all: sports, crime, money, and romance...It’s a delight.”
— Charleston Post & Courier“[A] page-turner.”
— National Examiner“Intent to Kill is [Grippando’s] best...It’s crisp and fresh and full of action from beginning to end.”
— Globe and Mail (Canada)“In this stand-alone thriller...the well-constructed, suspenseful plot is layered with many ‘what?!’ and ‘oh my God’ moments. With the reader well and truly hooked, all one can do is hang on until the final reveal.”
— RT Book Reviews (4 stars)“Jonathan Davis’ skilled narration depicts the misery of Ryan’s existence and his new agony at the revelation that the crash was not an accident. Davis depicts Ryan’s autistic brother-in-law, Babes, with depth, portraying his strange intelligence and the devotion to baseball he shares with Ryan...[A] fast-paced thriller.”
— AudioFile“A fine stand-alone thriller...The story...has a satisfying resolution. Grippando readers who know him mostly from the Swyteck series may find themselves thinking: wow, this guy is really good.
— Booklist" AS all his books are this was a good story. A man searches for the truth about his wifes death three years earlier. Was it really an accident? "
— Cheryl, 2/18/2014" I enjoyed the book. Gave it 3 instead of 4 stars because I don't think it is all that memorable. But it was a nice, quick read. I will try some of his other stories. "
— Diane, 2/11/2014" Great book. Besides a great plot and plenty of action,a sub-topic was baseball. "
— Dad, 2/8/2014" This was worth 2 1/2 stars but I couldn't quite give it a 3. This is my first James Grippando book. I liked his writing style but somehow I couldn't get terribly invested in the story or the characters. "
— Ginny, 2/8/2014" This was a good, quick read. No surprises where the romance portion of this book went. You could see it from the very beginning. No much of surprise on the murder side either. Still it was a good read. Entertaining. "
— Rese, 2/3/2014" Just a so-so mystery. A rising young baseball star learns his wife was killed on the way to his game. Three years later he begins getting clues that suggest there was more involved that a drunk driver hitting her. It just seemed rather shallow to me and dragged on longer than necessary. "
— Su, 1/25/2014" Excellent from beginning to end. I read it in two sittings. "
— Lana, 1/20/2014" the book grabbed my intention from the get-go.amazing mystery/thriller "
— Thomas, 12/28/2013" Great Boston Novel...I will be looking for more from this author "
— Bill, 12/28/2013" enjoyable mystery with just enough twists and turns "
— Elisabeth, 11/27/2013" Good story, loved the baseball theme and the mention of the Mudhens! "
— Lori, 11/23/2013" Not up to usual standards "
— Al, 9/19/2013" Very suspenseful. I thought that when they found the killer, it would be the end but Grippando always knows how to bring it out. Very good. "
— Kaito, 8/23/2013" Jock and radio talk show host Ryan James plays the lead role in Grippando's standalone novel which is a pleasing thriller. "
— Bradley, 8/21/2013" This novel held my interest but it wasn't one I "couldn't put down". Grippando does a good job with his characters and the book was easy to read and follow, it just didn't have quite the hook I was looking for. "
— Becky, 6/10/2013" Would have actually given this a 3 1/2 stars. Good mystery - plot fairly easy to figure out - I do like this author and have read several but this one seemed to call it in a bit. Or maybe I just wasn't in the right mood. "
— Liz, 4/9/2013" Way too drawn out for me., "
— Rhiannon, 9/27/2012" Finished 6/28....very good; enjoy his stuff. "
— Stephanie, 5/31/2012" This heart wrenching story is as well written as most of James Grippando novels with a twist of autism added. Well done for some tough topics. 7 of 10 stars "
— Tim, 5/27/2012" I liked this book. I have never read this author before and i will seek him out. It was interesting, suspenseful and easy to read. "
— Lorie, 4/15/2012" Enjoyable, if highly improbable, mystery of young baseball player investigating the death of his wife in an accident. Recommended. "
— Jeff, 1/22/2012" Suspensefull. It kept my attention through the whole book. I would like to read more by this author. "
— Chris, 7/22/2011" This book was wicked good!!! The wife supposedly died in a hit & run accident, but it was more like murder. "
— Michelle, 6/23/2011" Very suspenseful. I thought that when they found the killer, it would be the end but Grippando always knows how to bring it out. Very good. "
— Kaito, 5/9/2011" A good read for a long flight. "
— Tyler, 1/11/2011" First read of this author. Pretty darn good. I'll have to read more of him. "
— Mailmanr5, 11/25/2010" This was a good, quick read. No surprises where the romance portion of this book went. You could see it from the very beginning. No much of surprise on the murder side either. Still it was a good read. Entertaining. "
— Rese, 10/16/2010" This is a really good whodunnit. Difficult if not impossible to figure out early. "
— Lynn, 8/24/2010" A ballplayer's wife is killed in a hit and run car accident. Trying to determine what happen is the basis of the story. It was a quick read and entertaining. "
— Naomi, 7/23/2010" 5/13 <br/>5/19 - <br/> <br/>fast paced, good story. another winner by grippando "
— Ropajo, 5/10/2010" Enjoyed it very much. Was surprised by the ending. "
— Bregnier, 4/28/2010" This was my first Grippando book and it was just okay. I enjoyed how it showed how the death affected the whole family and the attentiveness to detail with regard to the autistic brother's experiences. But it was predictable and tough to get through at times. "
— Shauna, 4/16/2010" This was a good read. "
— Chiquito, 2/27/2010" Jock and radio talk show host Ryan James plays the lead role in Grippando's standalone novel which is a pleasing thriller. "
— Bradley, 2/5/2010" Not my favorite Grippando book but it was an entertaining quick read. "
— Tina, 12/31/2009" Not up to usual standards "
— Al, 12/3/2009" Very good book. I will definitely look for more by this author. "
— Sandy, 11/10/2009" Great book. Besides a great plot and plenty of action,a sub-topic was baseball. "
— Dad, 11/10/2009James Grippando is a New York Times bestselling author with more than twenty books to his credit, including those in his acclaimed series featuring Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck. Grippando was a trial lawyer for twelve years before the publication of his first novel in 1994. He lives in South Florida with his wife, three children, two cats, and a golden retriever named Max, who has no idea he’s a dog.
Jonathan Davis has been inducted into the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame. A three-time recipient and fourteen-time nominee of the Audie Award, he has earned accolades for his narration from the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, the American Library Association, Booklist, the Audio Publishers Association, AudioFile magazine, and USA Today. He has narrated a variety of bestsellers and award-winners for top publishing houses. He also narrated over forty titles of the Star Wars franchise for Lucasfilm Ltd./PRH Audio, including several iconic movie tie-ins, has participated with Star Wars Celebration, and has built a significant fan base. His work as a narrator includes films and programming for National Geographic Television, NOVA, PBS, VH1, and Francis Ford Coppola. He grew up in Puerto Rico and speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and Hebrew.