Whiplash River is a very good book from beginning to end. There were a lot of characters whose stories intertwined. The book takes place today. The descriptions of the places that the characters visit are enough to make it easy to imagine. It is a good action story with just enough of blood and gore. Because it was a fun story, had a good beginning middle and end, good surprises, it receives five stars in this review. Whiplash River is highly recommended. ( )

What a romp through the criminal element. I really liked the characters Lou Berney developed in this little series. ( )

'Whiplash River' is a fast-paced sequel to Lou Berney's Gutshot Straight, with lots of whacky characters, humor, action, exotic locales, violence, a little sex, and a plot that's made for the movies. I'm not sure who'd play the part of the inimitable Shake, but there's everything here for a high budget blockbuster.

Shake had a problem. His restaurant wasn't doing well, he was late in repaying a loan to a gangster, a pretty FBI agent is tracking him down for his past sins, people are shooting at his patrons in his restaurant, his place of business explodes, and he needs to get out of town, fast. Problem is, town is a tropical island and all he has is an old ex-CIA guy who won't shut up and who's also being chased and a slow tourist boat they stole to get them to Mexico. That's only the beginning.....

It'd be very easy to spoil the remainder of this and I won't do it....the fun is just starting and you just have to get to know the characters. This book is a blast!

By the way, I've heard comparisons of the writer to Hiassen and I can certainly see them. He also has a lot of Elmore Leonard in there as well with the great dialogue and characters that may be a little criminally-inclined but fun to hang with as well. ( )

Whiplash River by Lou Berney is one fun, crazy adventure. Charles "Shake" Bouchon has supposedly left his life of crime behind to pursue his dream of opening a restaurant in Belize, which was, unfortunately, financed through a risky loan from Baby Jesus, the head of a local drug smuggling operation. Suddenly Shake's dream literally explodes and he finds himself on the run with a senior citizen, Harry Quinn, whose mysterious past seems to be just another long story waiting to be told.

Shake saved Harry's life once, but why would someone be trying to kill Harry, and now Shake, and who is ordering the hits? Will Shake meet the attractive Evelyn or see his former girlfriend, Gina, again? Traveling from Belize to the USA to Egypt while being stalked by an FBI agent and hunted by two hired killers, Shake may be looking at more dire consequences than an end to his dreams.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot because following it is most of the fun. Berney has written TV pilots and it shows. The writing is tight, smart and funny and clever and... it's great. The plot is action packed and races along quickly. I can picture this as a series that will have some longevity. There is action, humor, gun play, chases, narrow escapes, and even a little romance.

All the characters are well developed as individuals with human flaws. Shake is wonderfully inept at times and Harry was a hoot. I could really visualize this old guy and all his stories that you aren't sure how much is true, even while they never quite offer up the complete truth or all the information you actually need. It's was easy to follow the characters along too, even though he does have a cast of them.

Make no mistake about it, Whiplash River is funny and clever. This is a sequel to Burney's first novel, Gutshot Straight (2010). I am going to have to get my hands on a copy of it ASAP. While you can certainly appreciate Whiplash River as a stand alone novel, after reading it, I predict you will feel the same way I do and want to read the first novel.

Whiplash River is highly recommended to offer up some great escapism and entertainment.
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I liked it. It's a great summer read, interesting but light enough to read after a few mojitos ;). A getaway driver for the Armenian mob makes a clean break and heads for Belize for a fresh atart opening a restaurant. Unfortunately he's in debt to the local gangster and a beautiful FBI agent shoes up who wants to use him to break up the Armenian mob...and things begin to get very tricky. nFun book. ( )