Electric Country Roulette: A Wyatt Storme Mystery

Rustic settings don't keep Ripley's maverick hero Wyatt Storme from tackling the big criminal game in a novel marred by excesses. In his debut, Dreamsicle, it was crack dealers; then gun-runners in Storme Front. In his third adventure, the Vietnam vet and ex-NFL star is drawn into a stew of corruption and greed that includes a country-music star, police, politicians and Mafia muscle trying to make the little Ozark town of North Branson, Mo., more famous than neighboring country-music mecca Branson. Storme, girlfriend Sandy Collingsworth and sidekick Chick Easton, a freelance bounty hunter, form a trio highly reminiscent of Robert B. Parker's Spenser, Susan and Hawk. Storme plays the familiar refrain of sensitive tough guy; Sandy is a 3B (bright, beautiful and brave) news anchor for a Denver TV station; and the heavy-drinking Easton is Storme's ace in the hole. When Sandy's attempt to cover an alleged date-rape in North Branson involving country star Travis Conrad draws threats, she calls in Storme and Easton. Her investigation threatens more than Conrad's reputation, and the brutal attempts to stop it include intimidation, rapes, beatings and murders. The action, which includes a fine mano-a-mano finale, is well done, and Ripley's trio is not without charm. But the constant camaraderie and repartee, too often forced and heavy-handed, ultimately trips up the action. (Nov.)