In praise of THE BODY FROM IPANEMA:

“...Entertaining...Tony and Rock remain an engagingly laid-back sleuthing duo.”  Booklist

“Set in the festive Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, The Body From Ipanema...is an exciting, tangled web of criss-crossing motivations and cold-blooded murder. Protagonist Tony Kozol is back, this time working for a beautiful and sensational Latin pop singer. But the streets of Ipanema have muggers too - and one of them, after mugging Tony, mysteriously turns up with a cut throat. This is only the start of a whirlwind chain of events to lure Tony in ever deeper into a dark and wild urban maze of deadly human motives, in this gripping mystery. Also very highly recommended are the earlier novels in the Tony Kozol mystery series…”

Midwest Book Review

"Ripley pens exciting book of sex, murder, local color, by Virginia Sink, Oklahoma Tribune."The Body from Ipanema" by J.R. Ripley is the fourth in the author's mysteries about his hero, Tony Kozol. It is an exciting, modern-day novel filled with sex, murder and plenty of local color. Tony, who is a guitarist, and his friend, Rock Bottom, who plays bass, have gone to Rio de Janeiro with a Brazilian band, supposedly for a 10-week stay. It is Carnival time in Rio, and Tony learns quite soon that something about their supposedly band gig is fishy. What follows is love, mugging, murder and mystery in an exciting story to read that will definitely hold the reader=s attention. These are not exactly my type of stories, but I've enjoyed every one of Ripley's that I've read. His writing is interesting, witty and fast-paced. His hero is likable, easy to relate to. If you don't especially like what you're reading, have patience. In just a few pages the plot will have completely turned. In this book you will be fooled to the last page...."

Praise for SKULLS OF SEDONA

LIBRARY JOURNAL—”Wacky characters, liquid prose, frequent humor, and a decidedly light plot place this in the fun, breeze-to-read category. Readers who enjoyed Sharon McCrumb's Bimbos of the Death Sun will also get a kick out of this.”

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY – “... Readers will enjoy Ripley's sharp dialogue, which keeps the novel speeding along at a pleasant clip.”

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW - “Well, folks, Tony Kozol, lightning rod for trouble, is back... J.R. Ripley continues to delight with offbeat and +provocative settings for this follow up to the benchmark Stiff in the Freezer. And true to form, Ripley comes up with a mixture of innovation, some wry commentary of the fads of the day, and just plain old amateur sleuthing in a grab bag of fun and excitement.”

THE TRIBUNE (OKLAHOMA) - “J.R. Ripley has out a new Tony Kozol mystery, Skulls of Sedona... and it's just as much fun to read as the first Tony Kozol mystery, Stiff in the Freezer. As always, with J.R. Ripley's work, this book is fun to read. Maybe it's because he always seems to write with a sort of tongue-in-cheek attitude... I like J.R. Ripley's work. He has that touch of the bizarre, the outré, the silly, yet there seems to be some common sense behind it. It=s always entertaining reading and one can't help liking his hero, Tony Kozol. He is a sort of Everyman. You know he is going to get in big trouble before the story spins out... You'll enjoys this book.”

MIAMI HERALD “Musician Tony Kozol is not thrilled about the idea of traveling to Sedona, Ariz., to play guitar at a New Age convention. He'd rather be at home in Ocean Palm, South Florida, where weirdos don't worry about their auras. The Crystal Magic of the Skulls Conference just does not sound like Tony's cup of tea, but an old friend asked, so he's on the way. When his pal ends up crushed by his piano lid, the amateur detective has something more interesting than chakras to keep him busy. You get the idea Ripley has had a few good laughs at Sedona's expense, and he provides more than a few wicked shots here. Skulls of Sedona is quick and light-hearted and likely to give you a pretty good vibe.”

Praise for STIFF IN THE FREEZER

Midwest Book Review - "In the genre of Sam Spade, Columbo, and hosts of other "Pulp" stories, J.R. Ripley is so true to form in Stiff in the Freezer that one can almost hear the Bronx accent narrating the story. Dames, diners, and a stiff. . .a wonderful brew for murder and mayhem. . .Written in a totally off-the-cuff, bare bones fashion. . . Ripley has a cutting sense of humor."

The Tribune - “The story is lighthearted, sexy, funny and entertaining. Well-plotted, it rises to an amazing finale. The characters are well-drawn, interesting and believable."