Book Press/Reviews
Tony Kozol Series
"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." - Midwest Book Review
"The story is lighthearted, sexy, funny and entertaining. Well-plotted, it rises to an amazing finale. The characters are well-drawn, interesting and believable." - The Tribune
"Stiff In The Freezer is a mix of mystery, murder and mayhem." - The Chattooga Press
"Light, quick reading, Stiff In The Freezer, by J.R. Ripley is a thriller laced with a good dose of humor. . .Ripley's dialogue and bumbling characters smack of Damon Runyon's style. . .it's perfect for an afternoon at the beach." - The Island Reporter
"... Readers will enjoy Ripley's sharp dialogue, which keeps the novel speeding along at a pleasant clip." - Publishers Weekly, Dec. '99
"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." - Library Journal, Dec. '99
"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. ... He has that touch of the bizarre, the outre, the silly, yet there seems to be some common sense behind it. It's always entertaining reading... You'll enjoy this book." - The Tribune, Oct. '99
"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." - The Miami Herald, Dec 2001
"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." - Midwest Book Review
". . .action-packed plot. Recommended." - Library Journal, April 2001
"Mystery fans will enjoy the clever plot, loopy characters, and sardonic humor. Music fans will find themselves tappin' a toe and swiggin' a longneck to the musical atmosphere of the Austin music scene that Ripley. . . so carefully recreates. Fans of Greg Kihn's recent musical mysteries will find a kindred soul in Ripley." - Booklist, March 2001
". . .very highly recommended. . ." - Midwest Book Review
"Tony is thrilled to sub for the suspiciously less-than-thrilled injured guitarist of a popular country band in J.R. Ripley's (Skulls of Sedona) Lost in Austin: A Tony Kozol Mystery. The guitarist vehemently wants Tony gone, and when other band members are murdered, series star Tony finds he's risking life and limb in this Country Western romp." - Publisher's Weekly
'. . .At times it is almost tongue in cheek. . .there are enough loony characters around to balance it off. . .The action moves right along, dialogue spurts from the mouths of as eccentric a group as you could wish for. . .I just drifted along with the tide and the ending was a satisfactory surprise.' - I Love a Mystery Newsletter, May
"Here's a new author. . .and new series character all rolled up into one pleasant reading experience. Ripley's principal concern is presenting a good mystery, and he succeeds." - Mystery News, June 2001
"an entertaining. . .outing, and Tony and Rock remain an engagingly laid-back sleuthing duo." - Booklist
"In The Body from Ipanema: A Tony Kozol Mystery, fourth in J.R. Ripley's (Lost in Austin) series, sleuthing guitarist Tony accompanies a Latin pop star at Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval. Tony and his bassist pal Rock are seduced by Brazil's bathing beauties, music and nightlife, but not so much that they won't try to nail a rich and powerful man for murdering a young woman." - Publisher's Weekly
". . .An exciting, tangled web of criss-crossing motivations and cold-blooded murder. . .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: Stiff in The Freezer, Skulls Of Sedona and Lost In Austin." - Midwest Book Review, April 2002
"The Body from Ipanema . . .is an exciting, modern-day novel filled with sex, murder and plenty of local color. . .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...." -Oklahoma Tribune
"You may have heard that Rio de Janeiro at Carnaval time is the place to be. Tony Kozol, guitarist, thinks so until shortly after he and his partner, Rock Bottom, arrive on the scene with pop singer Luis Angel — all expenses paid. At first, Kozol thinks he’s found his way into paradise when he meets the girl of his dreams. Bottom is far more concerned with a broader sampling of the city’s offerings. But their idyllic existence is short-lived, as things begin to go badly wrong. Luis, as it turns out, is no angel. And the Brazilians in his employ as go-fers and bodyguards are not much better. The two Americans soon find themselves knee deep in mayhem, with Kozol mugged and robbed. While there are many stray bodies strewn along the way, it’s the killing of a beautiful girl that sets the pair off to find the killer. While the plot is confused and confusing, this may simply reflect the city’s realities, and Ripley combines a fast pace with graphic descriptions of Rio’s sights, sounds and smells. Tthe Body From Ipanema reads like a TV thriller in an exotic setting. - I Love a Mystery, May 2002
"A wild and wicked adventure set within the vibrant Austin Texas music scene." - Sioux City Public Library
"Taken separately, the elements that make up this seventh Tony Kozol novel might sound downright goofy. Country musician Kozol and his pal Rock Bottom are hired to play at "Kewpiecon," a Kewpie doll convention in Branson, Missouri. While there, they befriend--and defend--real-life country singer Jim Stafford, who stands accused of murdering rapper B.A.D. Spike. Spike, who was opening a controversial theater in Branson, has plenty of enemies--but Stafford is found standing over the body. When Kewpie merchandise is stolen and a conventioneer is murdered, new suspects emerge. From descriptions of the bizarre antics of the Kewpie conventioneers to the quirky characterization of Stafford (who older country fans will remember for his hit "Spiders and Snakes"), Ripley spins a truly funny yarn that will have readers laughing out loud. An offbeat hit that will appeal especially to country music fans." - Booklist, Jan 2004
"JR. Ripley's Bum Rap In Branson is an exciting mystery novel featuring Tony Kozol and Rock Bottom, who is drawn into a bizarre recurrence of Kewpie dolls and murders, their interconnection unknown. The latest entry in a genuinely thrilling series, Bum Rap In Branson complicates Tony's desire to just get by, have fun, and earn a few bucks playing the guitar by saddling him with a murder accusation - he has to clear his name fast to avoid singing in jail! A viciously delightful read for mystery/suspense enthusiasts!" - Midwest Book Review, Feb 2004
Gendarme Trenet Series
"Newly arrived in St. Barthelemy in the French West Indies, Charles Trenet, from the Gendarmerie Nationale, plans to make the most of his cushy assignment until rich American designer Bobbi Freon is found murdered. The inexperienced Trenet lands the potentially scandalous case because he's new, and he speaks the most English. Clueless in the techniques of murder investigation, but pressured from above to solve the case quickly and quietly, Trenet fumbles his way to a successful conclusion, growing surer of himself as the case progresses. Attentions from several beautiful women also plague the charming but oblivious gendarme. Trenet is a well-developed, likable character, and the novel offers an absorbing mystery set in the exotic playground of the rich and famous. An entertaining new series by the author of the Tony Kozol novels, set in a very different locale." - Booklist
"It would be hard not to like Murder in St. barts...the dialogue, the humor, and the sarcasm give us all something to enjoy."- I Love a Mystery, July 2003
“When St. Barts's aged Lothario Remy Deval is murdered on the eve of the annual World Marbles on Sand competition, likable Gendarme Charles Trenet-whose own love life is foundering-investigates, learning that his neighbors take marbles seriously. This second in the "Gendarme Trenet" series (after Murder in St. Barts) provides nice, light entertainment. Ripley divides his time between Belgium and Florida.” — Library Journal
“Ripley demonstrates his talent and versatility with this second adventure featuring gendarme Charles Trenet. Although they couldn’t be more different than his wacky Tony Kozol series, the Trenet novels also reflect Ripley’s first-rate character development and ample descriptive powers. Trenet, a somewhat innocent, charming, and guileless young gendarme, lives and works in St. Barts, where the “beautiful people” go to sunbathe and forget the real world. When local lothario Remy Deval is found murdered, Trenet’s old friend Thor, a likable eccentric, becomes a prime suspect. Convinced that his wife was having an affair with Remy, Thor argued with the victim shortly before the murder. Although the plot won’t have readers on the edge of their seats, Trenet is a pleasure to be around all on his own. And, as a bonus, Ripley adds some interesting trivia (as he also does in the Kozol series); here it’s about marble competitions. A pleasant, touching story featuring a hero who is a “gentle man” in both senses of the word.” -Booklist
Other Books
“Glenn Meganck's George And The Angels is an outstanding novel about George Richard's terribly mundane, tedious, and seemingly aimless existence. As George progressively becomes disappointed in his life, the gray surrounding him becomes evermore appropriate, and the calling of what seems to be angels brings him briefly to his wife's decision to commit him to a hospital. Readers follow the voices of angels as they beckon him irresistibly to a small boat in the middle of an ocean, which soon becomes his greatest challenge. A truly timeless and well crafted story of one man's decision to create his own fate in life and pursue even the most disillusioned dreams, George And The Angels is very strongly recommended and entertaining reading.”- Midwest Book Review, May 2006
“A very good read.” Janwillem Van de Wetering, bestselling novelist.
"George and the Angels is intriguing, funny, and plays with notions of reality in ways that bend your mind. It's both a romp and a quest through a world that may or may not be real, with a quirky protagonist who may or may not be crazy. So pull up a chair and get lost for an afternoon!” - T.J. MacGregor, 2003 Edgar-Award winner, author of Total Silence
"I’ll finish with two novels that actually defy description in many ways because they just aren’t the usual kind of stories one encounters...George and the Angels, by Glenn Meganck, is the story of a man who hears angels. An initially grey and colorless life is traced in this story where the main character is committed to an asylum, believed to have suffered a nervous breakdown, and after being released hears them yet again, only to embark on a journey filled with inexplicable events and dangers. If the metaphysical interests you, this story will too. -Bookviews
". . .It's A Young, Young World by Glenn Meganck is the story of an aging American senator and his compatriots who are mysteriously drawn by a scientist's dying words about the secret of eternal youth and the ability to live forever. Struggling to keep up in a youthful world, retiring Senator Chauncy and his 20-something bride pursue an opportunity to recapture the power and excitement of youth in this fast-paced, wryly told, deftly written adventure laced with a very special insight into today's youth-centric culture. Highly recommended." - Midwest Book Review, March 2003
"Exceptional!!!!!" Today's Books, a Public News Service, Feb 2003
