Springer's Gambit: A Cole Springer Mystery

By W.L. Ripley

Book Overview

Aspen-- the American Riviera-- where the rich and the beautiful go to play. Quiet streets, breathtaking mountains, and one of the lowest crime rates in America. But that's about to change. Real estate speculator Max Shapiro has been cleaning the San Francisco mob's money for three decades. Then the hammer drops-- he's dying of cancer and is on borrowed time. Resentful of the mob's hold and not wishing to die with an IV hose in his arm, Max tells the mob he isn't paying any more tribute, hoping they'll send someone to kill him. While vacationing in Aspen, however, Max gets a call from his doctor. Good news. Max isn't dying after all. But it's too late to call off the mob's killers. Max's only hope is the enigmatic Cole Springer-- an ex-Secret Service agent with a penchant for creative thinking-- broke and in danger of losing his Aspen nightclub. Shapiro needs a bodyguard and Springer needs money, so they cut a protection deal. Enter Gerry "Knucks" Nugent, a cerebral and deadly hit man in the midst of a midlife crisis who has been sent to kill Shapiro. A mob boss dies in 'Frisco, there is a struggle for power, and an emergency cache of three million dollars ends up in the hands of Nicky Tortino, a merciless Bay Area crime lord. The shift in the underworld command sends shock waves rippling across the western United States, affecting even Shapiro and Nugent. Meanwhile, Springer's active mind runs to larger themes than merely protecting Shapiro, and he begins to formulate a scheme to save Shapiro and get his hands on the three million. Springer's scam depends upon recruiting Nugent, and Nugent is widely feared-- even by his ruthless bosses on the West Coast. Bay Area underboss Nicky Tortino travels to Aspen to get Shapiro to launder the three million, and also to have both Springer and Shapiro killed. The law closes in and Springer is running out of time and options. Beset on all sides, Springer designs an elaborate sting to extricate Shapiro and himself from the deadly web that has formed around them. But can he trust Nugent?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312274564
• ISBN13: 9780312274566
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.6" x 1.0" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Red hot and soon to be an MGM movie

You can't put this one down. As funny as Robert B. Parker (whose blurb graces the cover) and as gritty and real as Elmore Leonard with dialogue that crackles and action that sizzles. Cole Springer, a new and enigmatic tough guy, holds off the bad guys while protecting himself and mob money-launderer, Max Shapiro, from mob-killers and the FBI. How he manages to pull this off makes for a slam-bang ending. Hard-boiled and fast-moving, this one fills the bill. Very satisfying. Aspen, Colorado makes for an exotic setting for thugs, unethical feds, and a mob hitman with a mid-life crisis who is one of the most unique and complex fiction characters of recent years. 'Gambit' contains two unwittingly hilarious thugs (Auteen and Ray Dean) a couple of tough guys who are the Abbot and Costello of the underworld and will have you laughing (and cringing) at each appearance. A must read for any serious crime fiction fan. This is the start of a series and is set to be released by MGM as a motion picture starring Kurt Russell. You'll find this ride a roller coaster of danger and laughter. Ripley is fast becoming one of the best mystery writers around. You'll be glad you picked up this one and will look forward to the next installment (Due out in February 2004).

If you enjoy "fun/crime" novels this is among the best.

W.L. Ripley is a wonderful addition to the Elmore Leonard school of novels. Great characters, great plot, and a driving pace. Highly recommended.

In a Jam, and on the Lam

Ripley has crafted a clever plot, created a thoroughly credible lead character and populated the supporting roles with as motley a crew of strutting sociopaths since "COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL." This should be the beginning of a great series!

THE BEST NEW CHARACTER IN CRIME FICTION

This book goes right for the throat and won't let you go until you finish that last sentence. The characters are mean and funny, the story highly original, and the hero about as good as it gets. If you like James Lee Burke and Robert B. Parker, you need to buy two copies of this book. One to read and the other to sell when this is made into a movie.

A juicy read

In California, his doctor informs realtor Max Shapiro that he has inoperable cancer and will die in six weeks. After years of laundering money for mobster Nick Tortino, Max decides he no longer cares what happens to himself. He informs Nick T's torpedo Gerry Knucks he is no longer playing or paying. Nick takes it as a sign of lost respect and sends two henchmen to kill Max, who has moved to Aspen.Max's doctor calls to tell him he made a mistake that the realtor suffers from indigestion. Still, he does not want to return to the fold of Nick T so his girlfriend Suzi Carr recommends he hire a bodyguard. She selects former secret service agent Cole Springer. With the FBI and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation watching Max, Cole agrees to protect the man because he needs the cash, crack houses are not making enough money to rob and he likes the style of Suzi, even if he dislikes his client. Soon all the players are in Aspen, but how the play ends is anyone's guess because no one knows who is directing the action.SPRINGER'S GAMBIT is an amusing thriller that starts at a SST speed and accelerates even faster until the novel is finished. The story line seems like the Sopranos starring in The Sting. The cast is fully developed so that the audience understands the motives of all the key cast members. However, it is Cole who serves as the cortex that brings everyone and every subplot together. W.L. Ripley writes a fantastic tale that will send new fans to try his Wyatt Storme series.Harriet Klausner