Customer Reviews

The Wake Up. Robert Ferrigno

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Robert Ferrigno's The Wake-Up is the latest in a string of wonderful, off-beat and inventive novels from this Seattle author who knows Los Angeles better that most of the city's denizens.

Frank Thorpe is a black bag expert for a shadowy government agency, the kind of man you call on when you need something illegal done for a good cause. Thorpe is haunted by a mission gone terribly wrong, in which an opponent known only as "The Engineer" killed someone dear to Frank's heart.

Now Thorpe is determined to find The Engineer and extract his revenge. Along the way, he gets involved with a whacked out surfer who runs a drug empire, his social climbing wife, their two viciously cruel bodyguards (one of whom apparently can't be killed), and enough bizarre, funny and original characters to fill two Elmore Leonard books.

Not only is it a delight to read, but Ferrigno's work is also worthy of notice because he doesn't seem interested in following the conventions of the genre. He doesn't have a series character, doesn't use tried and true plots and apparently doesn't care about happy endings or the other "must have" elements that publishers insist on.

In short, he's an original -- and an extremely talented one at that. It's amazing that Ferrigno hasn't become a bigger name on the publishing scene. His books are like a breath of fresh air -- something most of us can use, whether we live in L.A. or not.

Reviewed by David Montgomery, Mystery Ink

Great crime writing is not easily accomplished, but the key to it is easily stated--the feel of total freshness accompanied by absolute fidelity to the genre. The new master of this activity is Robert Ferrigno and THE WAKE-UP solidifies his position. The characters are quirky and engaging, the plot unexpected and clever, the one-liners classic. One line in particular sets a new standard. Unfortunately, it cannot be quoted here. It is a world-weary musing on the degree to which every job becomes just that, something you do because you're paid to do it. The line concerns a service-industry worker for the King of Siam. Check it out and then try to forget it. You won't be able to do so.

I am, I confess, a sucker for revenge novels, especially for well-written ones. Accordingly, when I discover an extremely well-written novel that deals with settling scores, I find myself ready to press the work into as many hands as I possibly can. The one that I am passing on to you, right now, is THE WAKE-UP by Robert Ferrigno.

Ferrigno has gone from hitting his stride with last year's SCAVENGER HUNT (in the running for the MWA's Best Mystery Novel of 2003, even as I write) to racing at a full gallop with THE WAKE-UP. This is one of those novels in which everything works, at least narratively. Things go badly at times for Frank Thorpe, the flawed but sympathetic hero of the piece, but it just serves to keep things interesting from first page to last and to keep the reader consuming all of those pages in between.

Thorpe is a very smart, very dangerous government operative who makes an error in judgment that costs him dearly --- not only with respect to his job but also in his personal life. The object of his error, and his resultant enmity, is a man known only as The Engineer, who seems to have disappeared after shattering Thorpe's career. Thorpe, still haunted by his judgment lapse, is about to leave southern California for a much needed change of scenery when he witnesses an arrogant, casual act of rudeness and cruelty visited upon a young boy. Thorpe's anger at The Engineer needs some diversion --- at least until he can locate The Engineer himself --- so he makes it his business to avenge the boy.

The author of the rude act is Douglas Meachum, a self-important art dealer who tends to regard everyone as objects living in his world. It doesn't take long for Thorpe to interject himself into Meachum's world and give him a mild shock to the system, or what Thorpe refers to as "the wake-up." In doing so, however, Thorpe soon finds himself involved in a dangerous game with a designer drug manufacturer, his business-minded, social-climbing wife, and their psychotic but strangely endearing enforcers. And The Engineer, interestingly enough, is once again about to intrude into Thorpe's life in a very bad way.

Ferrigno's novels have always possessed a unique edginess tinged with a dark humor, and THE WAKE-UP is no exception. As a result, anything can happen in a Ferrigno book; in THE WAKE-UP anything, and everything, does. This is the book that will move Ferrigno's name to the 'A' List of a multitude of readers.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

So often, we hear that so-and-so just does not write like they used to.
Not so with Mr. Ferrigno.
Excellent book.
Sometimes, his work is a little overly surreal to me, sometimes the characters are a little under-developed (though I loved ALL his books) but this one ties it all together really well.
There were a couple things that I did not see coming, though I should have. I like that.
For fans of hard boiled mysteries, you will really enjoy this latest work.
The character of Frank is by no means anyone we have never met before in crime fiction, but he's Ferrigno's version of the "black ops guy lives with us" and it's a great version.
Thoroughly enjoyed it and I recommend it highly.

This was a fantastic, breezy, thoughtful crime novel. I've never read Ferrigno's works before but now I intend to. A colorful, eye-catching cover houses a story about redemption and revenge, with some of the most realistic, human dialogue I've read in a "noir" novel. The characters are what makes this story stand out (although the hook of administering a "wake-up" to a real scumbag drives the plot). Thorne (our lead) is an incredible character. He's too real to even be iconic. The sadness that permeates his existence immediately makes him likeable, even as he sticks up for the little guy and has a righteous sense of justice despite the fact that he is a professional killer (he boils over when an innocent acquintance is murdered). The burgeoning love story between Thorne and his sexy and down-to-earth neighbor Claire is provocative, flirty and engaging. I almost wanted more scenes of them together. While the subplot involving Thorne's revenge on The Engineer (who killed Thorne's lover and teammates years before) could have been more climactic, the beautiful dialogue, lack of pretense, and multi-layered, believable characters make this book an absolute must-read for fans of mystery, thriller and even romance novels. Anyone who loves great writing should read this book right away.

Really good stuff. I enjoy Ferrigno so much. Bizarre, humorous in a sad sort of way. Unconventional comes to mind. That and believable dialogue.

Frank Thorpe has climbed to the top of the food chain in government sanctioned black bag-wet operations. He's dropped down to the bottom of the food chain in self esteem and a sense of purpose. The French call it "raison d'etre." On the one hand he knows it and reaches out to the lovely next door neighbor professor cum psychologist Claire. But like an addict, he can't stop doing what he's been trained to do.

His last mission is what gets him kicked out of "the company," blamed for the murders of a safe house crew when wounded, he brings the wolf to the chicken house in the mistaken belief that the wolf is but a CPA. Of course I say this not to denigrate CPAs.

Frank's wounded and mustered out. It's now three months later. Billy, Frank's supervisor from "the Company" now in the private sector, wants Frank to join him in 'the same things they did before but without the rules.' As if rules ever stopped Frank. However Frank has resisted. He's mildly interested in Claire, a next door neighbor who thinks (not really) Frank's an insurance salesman, but 23 hours a day he misses his on again off again lover who was killed in the safe house debacle. So he's going to Miami for 3-4 weeks to hang out, eat spicy food, listen to great music. And he's at the airport. LAX. Lost, confused, no energy and bam!!!! an arrogant self righteous businessman complete with an alligator briefcase and hi-tech cell phone knocks down a Latino street kid selling candy. Bloodies his nose. Steps over him like he was rubbish. Never looks back. You know the type. And the switch dormant in Franks mind gets turned on.

Douglas Meachum is about to get a wake up.

Great job. Retribution. Remorse. Redemption. Great last two chapters. Recovery. Justice but not Holywood justice.

Thanks Bob. 5 stars. Larry Scantlebury

Wow! It's as though the spirit of Elmore Leonard were reborn on the West Coast. Ferrigno's criminal, non-criminal and semi-criminal characters are as sharply defined as Leonard's, but the action takes place in L.A. -- an L.A. so well-evoked that (as when reading Harry Bosch novels or mysteries by the Kellermans) I started to think I lived there.
Intricate but plausible plotting. Tuff action. Not an ounce of fat on the prose. And -- again as in Leonard -- dialogue so true you can almost hear it audibly.
This is the first of Ferrigno's books that I've read, but I've got all the rest of his novels on order
Highly recommended for crime & mystery fans.

Great thriller, great plot, excellent characters. The dialogue keeps you engrossed and turning pages. Definitely recommended.

I first bought this book because Ferrigno took some grief for being a Bush supporter. I found that he is a very good writer. This is a great, fast paced action book. One of those that you can't put down easily. The book was over way too quickly!

Designer drugs, eccentric murderers, secret government agencies all come together in this fast paced thriller. Ex secret operative Frank Thorpe matches wits with counterpart The Engineer. Fast page turning read that quickly moves along keeping the readers attention.