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Summary: I'm Sure Glad I Discovered Grippando
Review: I'd gone to a nearby bookstore to try to find another J.F. Freedman paperback but was out of luck; everything on the shelf I'd already read. Damn! But, then Fate took pity on me--in a big way. Not far from the Freedman section I chanced upon somebody named Grippando (is it Gri-pan'-do---or, is it Gri-pahn'do?)---and wow! It's been a long time since I've read hour upon hour just to get to the point where I had an inkling of the climactic moment, but James Grippando did it! Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Grippando---your little boy James grew up into one of the most exciting young writers I've ever read. I sure wish I had enough cash to reserve the movie rights to "Found Money" and "The Pardon"---and can't wait to read everything else by this guy I can find.
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Summary: Couldn't Put It Down!
Review: It's rare that I make time to read a book in one weekend, but I simply couldn't put this one down. I was kept guessing until the very end. The suspense was palpable. The main characters were people I could know, in fact, I felt I did know them. They were believeable, well-described and the objects of my sympathy and empathy. The basic premise of the book was inventive, not something I've read and re-read, as are the plots of many books in this genre. I've read all of Mr. Grippando's books and they just keep getting better and better. I already can't wait for the next one! Great job!
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Summary: Incredible!!!!
Review: James Grippando is by far one of the most talented writers out there, he is able to keep you yearning for what is about to come next. If you're looking for a book that will last you awhile one of Grippando's is definatley not the right choice, YOU WON'T WANT TO PUT IT DOWN. You will be amazed by the shocking twists Grippando puts into his works. Just when you think you have everything figured out.... something else happens. An exilerating ride the whole way through!!!!! By far the best author out there!!!!
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Summary: "Found Money" begins well but falters at the end.
Review: James Grippando's novel, "Found Money," starts off with a bang. Two people find that they possess a great deal of money. The question is, where did the money come from?Dr. Ryan Duffy finds millions of dollars in his attic and Amy Parkens receives $200,000 in cash in the mail. Duffy comes to realize that his father, Frank, who recently died of cancer, acquired the money by blackmailing a very wealthy person over a period of many years. Should Ryan forget the past and just split the money among his family members or should he look into his father's dark secrets? Should Ryan immediately contact the authorities or should he try to keep the matter in the family? Amy Parkens also has a dilemma. She is a single mother who is very short on cash. The money would go a long way to solving her immediate financial crunch. Amy's grandmother urges her to keep the money and to ask no questions. Both Amy and Ryan, who had never met until this situation arose, decide to investigate this mystery. Their search leads to heartbreak, scandal, upheaval and even death in their lives and in the lives of their families. "Found Money" is very exciting and engrossing until the end. When the mystery is at last solved, the solution is so convoluted and implausible that it weakens the fabric of the book considerably. I recommend this novel for its interesting premise but I caution readers not to expect a satisfying ending.
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Summary: Watch out John Grisham
Review: Love Grippando's suspense and plots. He is a rival for Grisham...actually I like Grippando better. More realistic author. This book grabs your attention and 5 hours later you are still reading and everyone else has went to bed. Characters are realistic and you learn to care for them.
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Summary: Real-life dilemma makes this a great thriller
Review: The best thrillers are those that put ordinary people in extraordinary situations. That is exactly what happens in this book and what makes it such a great thriller. Everyone has at one time or another wondered what he or she would do upon coming into a great deal of money. But what would you do if you suspected the money was ill-gotten? And what if you suspected that the wrongdoer was a family member? Those are the questions facing the characters in this book, and what they do and go through kept me flipping the pages until I finished the book. Grippando gets better with every book.
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Summary: An Interesting Page-Turner
Review: The story of James Gripaando's Found Money begins with 28-year-old single mother Amy Parkens. She struggles with a dead-end job,an obnoxious ex-husband and a broken-down truck. One day a mysterious package arrives on her doorstep and she discovers it is filled with $200,000 cash. She is stunned and undecided as to whether to keep the money, turn it over to the police, or investigate the origin of the money. Then Ryan Duffy is introduced. He's a 30-something kind-spirited, money-troubled doctor whose wife is divorcing him and who's father is dying. Days before his death, his father reveals to Ryan that a cash fortune is hidden in the attic for him to take upon his death. Before he's able to reveal the source of the funds, Ryan's father dies, leading Ryan on a wild chase to determine where the money came from and why. Eventually Ryan and Amy cross paths in their search for the truth and they uncover a connection between the two families caused by a tragedy nearly twenty years ago. How will they handle the truth? What will become of the money? These are both questions the reader holds as the story unfolds. An interesting page-turner that keeps the reader consciously asking "What will happen Next?"
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Summary: Good, Bad and Indifferent
Review: This book is a real enigma. I do not agree with the other reviews, although I did feel at times that I was reading a real winner. This starts out with a gripping first chapter, then slows to a snail's pace, and you may actually find yourself putting it down for days at a time. If you persevere, you will find it becomes more and more intriguing, and the tension builds to a very acceptable level. Unfortunately, all the gimmicks Grippando uses deflates the plot substance and makes the ending seem trite and unfulfilling. Grippando's primary gimmick is to stack ridiculous odds against the protagonists. Of maybe 20 characters in the book, 18 are making it their life's ambition to derail their objectives or kill them. This makes you feel more of a need to see the secondary characters get their just desserts than creating a more fulfilling balance of give and take which makes the antagonists sympathetic and the protagonists more 3-dimensional. Unfortunately when it comes time for these characters to get theirs, in almost every case there is no irony, imagination or real passion to the way they meet their maker. Amy Parkens is a reasonably well-fleshed character who would make a great character in a better written book. Duffy is just a typical Grisham like character, out to right a wrong. The antagonists are poorly written with the exception of Duffy's ex-wife's Lawyer, although he too falls into the "make his life hell" category. All in all, if disappointing endings really bother you, avoid this book. If you can enjoy a bang-bang mid section, go for it but be warned, you may feel cheated at the end.
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Summary: Through "Found Money", I found a new favorite author!
Review: This book is awesome! I absolutely couldn't put it down! I read until it was so late (uh, early!), I was ashamed to check the clock as I knew my children's school bus would be coming in a very short time! Even common sense of how bad my next day was going to be if I didn't get sleep couldn't make me close it! The characters were real; you could almost feel what they were feeling, like you were walking in their shoes. I find it refreshing that an author can fill a book with the best and worst of humanity, without getting into explicit nasty details. An excellent read!
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Summary: "FOUND" - New Favorite Suspense Author
Review: This is my first book from James Grippando but certainly won't be the last. The book starts with a bang and it builds momentum. When Ryan's father died, he left him 2 million dollars in the attic. It is up to Ryan to figure out where and how his father got his hand on so much cash. At the time that Ryan is learning about this unexpected inheritance, Amy Parkens whose mother died of a suicide 20 years ago receives two hundred thousand from Ryan's father. Ryan and Amy are drawn together in order to solve the mystery of who was Frank Duffy. Without giving the plot, I have to say that this was one of the quickest books I have ever read because I gobbled up 450 pages in less than 3 days (a record for me). Once Ryan and Amy start searching for answers they stir the pot and pretty soon you have an ex-wife, slimy lawyer, malicious brother-in-law and a miserable sister, all dying to get their hands on the money. Well you can guess how the book progresses, each time you think you have figured out who is guilty or who is not, Grippando surprises us with another twist. This was truly a good book that left me wanting to read all his books.
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