Customer Reviews

Sleep with the Fishes

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On the strength of author, Lee Child's blurb, I picked up this book this summer and boy, am I glad that I did! This is a hilarious, original debut from Brian M. Wiprud.

I began reading in a ice hockey rink and was immediately pulled in to the fast-paced, quirky, and funny story. Soon after, I was laughing out loud and receiving the odd side glance from other hockey moms and dads! I did not leave the rink until I had finished.

I anxiously await more from Sid Bilfulco and the gang. I do hope Mr. Wiprud is living healthily, exercising, eating well and maintaining regular well-checks...I cannot wait for the next installment. Or does he have more fresh, original characters and stories waiting to be published?

...it still tastes good, but man, is it sloppy.

I'd never heard of Brian Wiprud before finding this book, which I happened to discover while on a shopping kick for obscure writers and titles. So I thought, "What the hay? It's short (under 240 pages), so if it blows I wouldn't have wasted that much of my time."

The result? A fun story but a messy novel.

If ever the cliché, "a bad writer but a great storyteller" applied to a writer or his work, it's Brian Wiprud and SLEEP WITH THE FISHES. The writing is atrocious. Wiprud writes his dialogue phonetically, with a lot of "ya," "siddown," "shaddup," and "c'meres," just to name a few. It's annoying and distracting, making nearly every character sound alike. His narrative can be pretty weak, leaving me to wonder who was saying or doing what to whom at any given point. Confusing. And to add insult to injury, at the top of page 150 a character's eyes are described as blue. At the bottom of the same page, they're brown. You literally need a bib to read this book, it's that messy.

If you have the patience to read past all that, however, you'll discover a very clever and amusing plot. Much more a "caper" in the vein of Elmore Leonard than a mystery, it introduces the reader to a cast of eccentric characters who all get tangled up in the same giant mess. The resulting hijinx are hilarious, and they had me laughing out loud many times. The ending isn't quite as fulfilling as I'd like, but I read on Wiprud's website that he's penned a sequel to FISHES entitled DIRT NAP. This picks up where FISHES left off, including the dangling, unsatisfying conclusion (DIRT NAP has yet to be published, however).

Overall, though, I'd recommend SLEEP WITH THE FISHES for those of you who enjoy breezy, clever stories with a liberal dose of humor thrown in. But be warned: If you hate bad writing, you'd be better off seeking out Victor Gischler or Elmore Leonard.

Sid Bifulco had been a hit-man for the Palfuttis mob family. He turned all he knew in to the police for amnesty. Instead of Witness Protection, he served his short term and then retired to the Delaware Valley. His next eggs kept him from poverty and let Sid indulge in the hobby he took up during prison, fishing!

Russ was Sid's next door neighbor. While he and some friends were driving out to Sid's house (intoxicated) Russ hit and killed Johnny Fest, who had been en route to murder Sid for revenge. Sid made the body disappear, but a camcorder that Bob had been using had been left on and Johnny's death had been video taped.

I refuse to tell how, but through some creative writing the author had the tape end up with a trooper that Johnny had recently shot. The trooper was out for some reward money and began hunting Sid and Russ. Then there are the locals at the diner who love making skin-flicks and kept getting involved, unknowingly, with the tape of Johnny. And let us not forget Warden Lachfurst who was coming by Sid's to relax and fish!

***** All-in-all, I found this to be one of the most warped, fascinating, and enjoyable reads this year! Full of irony and humor, readers will not want to put this book down until the last page has been turned! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch

Brian has to be congratulated on a fantastically funny first offering. Sleep With The Fishes reminded me of a Fawlty Towers episode - where for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, funnier than the one before it. Just when you think it can't get any more wild or wacky, it does. It's like one of those elastic powered airplanes...each turn of the page is another plot twist and another turn of the elastic. Brian winds it as tight as he can - you don't think it could get any tighter - then he gives it one last turn and releases it...sending you on one hell of a great ride. Make sure you get to know Sid, Jenny, Russ and the rest of the gang - you will not regret it.

"The Godfather" meets Carl Hiaasen in this darkly humorous meeting of the Mob and fishing - how's that for a combination! I'm not much of a fan of fishing, but I'm always ready to read another good satire of the mob, which Wiprud lands with deft skill.

The plot has the seeming ease that reflects a well-honed craft. Sid Bifulco ratted out his Mafia family to the Feds, but the idea of entering the Witness Protection Program when he gets out of prison is about as attractive as a three-day-dead mackerel. Instead he decides to make his home along the Delaware river so that he can pursue his new-found passion of fishing. (Don't ask how a mobster decided to become a fisherman; the explanation is a good one and I don't want to give it away.)

"Sleep with the Fishes" is a good, quick, amusing read. Job well done for this new author.

--David Montgomery, Mystery Ink

Exciting, amusing, and different. The plot of this fast-moving novel pulls the reader from page to page, concluding in an unexpected, memorable, and action-filled scene. This new mystery writer may well be starting a genre of his own. I can't wait for a sequel. I just hope there will be one!

Mob hitman Sid Bifulco turns states evidence and rats out a crime family, not only to the feds but to a rival mob clan too. Instead of going into witness protection plan, Sid opts to' save the government money' in lieu of a better deal. While in prison for his seven year stint, Sid becomes a fishing afficianado and takes up residence in a small NY/PA town after his release. His actual skills at fishing is not quite as good as his self training. He also has a weakness for red high heels. Throw in a mix of colorful locals, revenge seeking hitman Johnny Fest, and a small twist on Sid's neighbor Russ and you come up with an amusing story of hijinks and interconnected stories ala Dave Barry's "Big Trouble", Ben Rehder's, Blanco County books, and just about any Carl Hiaassen book. Brian Wiprud is a writer coming into his own but he still needs some polishing to escape direct comparisons to similar writers. Quick little book to read and a decent introductory novel to discover Brian Wiprud. Worth checking out at any rate for light reading.

Sleep With The Fishes is a taut and compact thriller, with deftly written narrative and genuine sounding dialogue. Brian Wiprud has taken an element of Mario Puzo and spiced it with some light humored Wiprud. Together the combination makes for one hell of an enjoyable suspense novel.

Sid "the Sleep" Bifulco is about to turn states evidence against a Mafia family. He has no interest in joining the Witness Protection Program. All he wants is to serve his time for the crimes he's committed and then be afforded the opportunity to escape to his own hideaway.

Spending his years as an exemplary prisoner, Sid learned all he could about the art of fishing. His learned skills attracted the attention of the warden. Once paroled, with property waiting for him along the Delaware, Sid knew he'd finally be able to apply all the skills to date he'd only be able to read about. He intended to spend the rest of his life fishing and on the right side of the law.

It only took days before that simple plan was completely destroyed. Fishing guru Russ Smonig has issues with his own past. His was wife was killed in a freak car accident. People believe he was responsible for her death. Deep down, he knows the Mafia is responsible. When he is involved in an accident, Sid is his only hope. Who else would know how to get rid of a body? What no one knows, until it is too late, is that the fateful evening had been captured on video. But things get even more out of control when the tape with incriminating footage gets mixed up with other tapes and dropped off in the return box at the video store. (And then rented by a police officer).

With an unexpected visit from the warden, looking to spend time with Sid fishing; with Russ learning the truth about Sid's past and his wife's untimely death; and with a state trooper looking to score big on some reward money, Sleep With The Fishes is an unnerving and compelling, character-driven story with a tightly crafted plot, great scenes and intense situations. Wiprud has a talent for telling unique stories...

Sleeping with the Fishes is a quick lively read. Mr. Wiprud has a sense of humor worthy of Donald E. Westlake. Well-drawn characters -- gangsters, fishermen, regular townpeople -- weave their threads of the story around fish, a thieving crow, red shoes, and more fish. The result is a bubbling rollicking ride through the rapids. In a nutshell, the story is about an ex-convict, retired from his gangland days, who wants nothing more than a quiet life in a small town on the river on which he intends to spend his days fishing. He draws on his expertise, provided by his former avocation, in handling a delicate matter for his fishing expert neighbor. A possibly incriminating video tape appears, gets misplaced, and reappears in unexpected places, former associates of the ex-con arrive wishing to renew his acquaintance, and complications arise. This was fun.

Ex-New Jersey hit man retires to rural Pennsylvania and goes fishing. The plot is completely off the wall fall on the floor funny. If you can imagine Donald Westlake meets Janet Evanovich meets GOODFELLAS, you have a sketchy idea of the book. Wiprud has a breezy, irreverent style that carries the story along, so you dont realize how unlikely everything is until youve reluctantly turned the last page. Try it. Youll like it. Even this sense-of-humor-impaired-reviewer laughed.