James Ryan had a promising career in baseball but on the
night the Red Sox scouts were coming to see him play in a
farm league game, his wife, Chelsea, was in a hit-and-run
auto accident and died on the way to the hospital.
Fortunately, his baby daughter, Ainsley, was not injured.
On the third anniversary of Chelsea's death, flowers are
left on Chelsea's grave with a note saying ... "It was no
accident."
Emma Carlisle, trial attorney in the Criminal Division of
the Rhode Island Office of Attorney General, was assigned
Chelsea's case, and she has kept it open even though she
hasn't got a suspect or a clue to work with. On the
anniversary of Chelsea's accident she finds a newspaper
clipping on her car's windshield about the fatality and a
note saying ... "I know who did it."
INTENT TO KILL is one of those rare "WOW" books. The
characters are tightly defined; the mystery is just that --
a very good mystery that will knock your socks off -- along
with a soupcon of romance, and a smooth and mesmerizing
narrative. Chelsea's younger brother, Babes, is autistic
and loves analogs; as a matter of fact he makes analogs out
of people's names and refers to them in that code. Babes
is a fascinating character, as are all the personalities in
this outstanding suspense, including attorney Jack Swytek,
who has a cameo role in this tale.
This reviewer hangs her head in shame and admits this was
her first book by James Grippando, but is seeking
redemption by finding his back list and enjoying them
tremendously.
Ryan James' promising baseball
career was derailed before it even got started--when a
hit-and-run driver killed his wife, Chelsea, leaving Ryan
alone to care for their beautiful little girl. Now, three
years later, he's a popular sports radio host in Boston,
still haunted by a tragic crime that was never solved.
But this was no accident
Then, on the anniversary of
Chelsea's death, Ryan receives a chilling message from an
anonymous tipster: I know who did it. The shocking
revelation that it may have come from Chelsea's autistic
younger brother sets Ryan on a twisted path toward a
shattering truth that threatens Ryan, his daughter, and
everyone around them.