Rating: 
Summary: Another James Grippando Thriller
Review: This guy is a great author. Makes you think about stuff you would have never thought about. This one keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way. impeckable reasearch on columbia and even makes you want to visit (make sure to bring a couple body guards, and lots of guns)
Rating: 
Summary: More Depth Than The Usual
Review: This is a fast moving and suspenseful story of son Nick Rey's dogged attempt to free his fisherman father from terrorist kidnappers in Colombia. He is met with seemingly insurmountable obstacles presented by an insurance company, his law firm, the FBI and others. Grippando does a masterful job of weaving subplots together to form a thriller that will keep you guessing. There is enough character development and insightful behavioral observations that I genuinely cared what happenned to Nick and his father. There are legal maneuvers to also make this different and more in depth than the typical " shoot-em-up ".Grippando was able to tie the loose ends together so that the story was exciting yet plausible and realistic. A fine job!!!
Rating:
Summary: Worth every penny
Review: This is a well written book, full of twists, turns, and suspence
which will keep you up a bit late and the pages turning. You will probably not be looking to take a vacation trip to Columbia anytime soon after reading this as kidnapings of tourists seems to be a local sport among some of the locals. In this instance Nick Ray's father has been kidnapped while on a trip to Columbia to buy some additional fishing boats for his fleet. Not to worry, he has purchased kidnap insurance. 3,000,000 dollars worth, which just happens to be the amount of the ransom demand. .... Strange things start to happen to Nick as he attempts to overturn their decision and doors that used to be open to him keep closing. The story moves between the kidnapped father and the searching son until they are finally brought together in an ending which keeps the reader rivited until the last page.
Rating:
Summary: Very good, but not great
Review: This is my first time reading Grippando, and I thought A King's Ransom was a definite cut above the average thriller out there today, especially anything written by Grisham and his many clones. Its attraction lies in its combination of the legal thriller with a pure action story set against the exotic locales of Columbia and Nicaragua. Its a story of Nick Rey, a young Florida lawyer, whose father, Matthew, has been kidnapped by a sadistic band of Columbian geurillas. The ransom demand (3,000,000.00) is the exact amount of Matthew's recent "K & R" (kidnap and ranson) insurance policy and the insurance company, who happens to be a client of Nick's law firm, suspects fraud and denies coverage. Nick fights battles on all fronts, with the insurance company, with his former firm (from which he's been fired),with his former mentor and, of course, with the kidnappers. The prose is brisk and the plot develops nicely, but Grippando seems to want to cover too many bases here (and, in the process, uses too many cliches), from Nick's past rift with his father that needs fixing, to his father's suspicious (and undeveloped) business partner, to Nick's rift with his ex-finance, who's the only lawyer in town who will represent him in the legal fight with the insurance company, to the sexy and exotic "Alex," the hostage negotiator with, what else, a past. I found the parallel story of Nick's father's experiences at the hands of the kidnappers more compelling than Nick's maneuverings at home. All in all, despite its cliches and more than passing resemblances to The Firm and the recent movie, Proof of Life, A King's Ransom is a very satisfying and enjoyable read. I am looking forward to reading other works by this author.
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Page Turner!
Review: This is one of those books you can't put down. From a Columbian kidnapping to a romance gone wrong, you just have to keep turning pages to find out what happens next.
Along the way you'll also learn a lot about the kidnapping "industry" in Columbia.
There's a lot going on in this book but James Grippando doesn't let you get lost, he leads you through it expertly.
There's even a small similarity to potato chips.....you can't stop at just one! I definetly plan to read his other books and will wait impatiently for each new one to appear.
Rating:
Summary: Better than 5 stars!
Review: This was the best mystery I have ever read - hands down! I couldn't put this book down, and more importantly, I couldn't figure it out! Until the very last page, I was baffled and mystified! What an incredible story. Every time I thought that the book was finished twisting and turning, it twisted and turned again. I couldn't catch my breath. The characters were real, the situation was terrifying, and the ending was fabulous! What more can you ask for. Move everything on your reading list down one and make room at the very top for A King's Ransom - you will love it!
Rating:
Summary: His best yet
Review: This was the best mystery I have ever read...And, I'm not surprised! This book was original, inventive and different. Every time I thought the story was at a climax, it got better...I was aprehensive about getting to the end, because I was sure that the end would have to fall short of my expectations, but I was happily incorrect. Fantastic ending! This book is a real page turner - excellent characters, fast paced, orignial conent and story idea. A+++ to Grippando - this is his best yet!
Rating:
Summary: Must read
Review: When you read "A King's Ransom" hold on to your chair, cause you're in for a fast read. This story focuses on the kidnapping of an American citizen, Matthew, Rey, in Colombia, and his family's bid to have him released. Of course the kidnapping is for money - lots of money - $3 million dollars. Turns out Matthew has taken out a kidnap insurance policy in just that amount - imagine that. Intrigue follows intrigue as you follow Matthew through the jungles and his trials with his kidnappers; then you see nick Rey, his son, and his bid to free his dad, especially after the insurance company refuses to pay the ranson. This is a book that is almost impossible to put down with all the twists and turns of a great thriller. James Grippando has done it again.
Rating:
Summary: Must read
Review: When you read "A King's Ransom" hold on to your chair, cause you're in for a fast read. This story focuses on the kidnapping of an American citizen, Matthew, Rey, in Colombia, and his family's bid to have him released. Of course the kidnapping is for money - lots of money - $3 million dollars. Turns out Matthew has taken out a kidnap insurance policy in just that amount - imagine that. Intrigue follows intrigue as you follow Matthew through the jungles and his trials with his kidnappers; then you see nick Rey, his son, and his bid to free his dad, especially after the insurance company refuses to pay the ranson. This is a book that is almost impossible to put down with all the twists and turns of a great thriller. James Grippando has done it again.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Thriller
Review: While on business in Cartagena, Columbia, American businessman Matthew Rey is kidnapped and a $3 million ransom is demanded for his safe return. His son Nick is a novice attorney who attempts to free him. Nick is thwarted in his efforts by a lawsuit originating from his own firm against his family. It seems that his father had taken out a $3 million kidnapping insurance policy, and it looks as if the whole kidnapping is a set up by Matthew Rey to commit fraud. Worse yet, the FBI won't help because they believe Matthew is a drug smuggler and is somehow in cahoots with his Nicaraguan business partner. Since Nick cannot raise the money or negotiate his father's release through the usual methods, he enlists the help of a beautiful hostage negotiator, Alex Cabrera, as well as his former fiancee Jenna, who still has feelings for him. A KING'S RANSOM is a taunt, intelligent addition to the genre. Grippando has written a hot thriller, filled with plenty of action and plot twists. This is an author I would not hesitate to read again.
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