Ridley Pearson: Crime Novels for Adults

Now in paperback!

Sun Valley, Idaho—playground of the wealthy and politically connected—is home to an annual wine auction that attracts high rollers from across the country, and Blaine County Sheriff Walt Fleming is the one who must ensure it goes off without a hitch. The world's most elite wine connoisseurs have descended on Sun Valley to taste and bid on the world's best wines, including three bottles claimed to have been a gift from Thomas Jefferson to John Adams. With sky-high prices all but guaranteed for these historic items, it's no wonder a group of thieves is out to steal them. Walt is responsible for all aspects of the glitzy event, from security of the dignitaries to the physical safety of the auction site to the transportation and safeguard of the wines themselves.

Walt is enjoying a rare afternoon of freedom, fly-fishing with his nephew, Kevin, when a passing truck catches his eye—his suspicions throwing him headlong into the discovery of a complicated plan to steal the rare wine. When a bomb detonates just as the auction revs up, the investigation explodes as well, pulling Walt in a dozen different directions. It seems Walt is caught in the middle of a heist of epic proportions—and not the heist he had prepared for—all orchestrated by the ingenious mind of Christopher Cantell, a man who appears to have covered everything, including the way Walt's own sheriff's office will react.

Chicago Sun-Times interview with Ridley

ORDER THE BOOK from IndieBound, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble. For autographed copies of Ridley's books, please contact Poisoned Pen (website or email).

Putnam Adult, Hardcover (June 30, 2009) ISBN-13: 978-0399155727
Penguin Group (USA), Paperback (June 29, 2010) ISBN-13: 9780515148138

Every year the Sun Valley Center for the Arts and Humanities (Sun Valley, Idaho) throws a fund-raising wine auction that attracts the well-heeled from around the world to bid up wine bottles into the stratosphere, all for a good cause. As patrons grow more and more "cheerful" with the free wine at the dinner, the prices soar, as do the egos of those bidding. It's a sight to behold. I've always wanted to write about the event. That backdrop ran headlong into some research I stumbled upon. I'm a Google freak, and when I discovered that some bottles from Thomas Jefferson's wine collection had sold for over 600,000 dollars, I knew I'd landed on my next thriller.

Killer Summer, is, at it's heart, written in the tradition of the great heist movies, like the Thomas Crown Affair, The Italian Job and the Ocean series. I love heist stories that twist and then twist again, and again, and keep you guessing, and I hope that's what I've accomplished in Killer Summer. It's certainly what I've tried to do. Having lived off and on in the Sun Valley area for thirty years now (can it be?) I have what I hope is a real insight to the lives and motivations of the residents and visitors, resources in the form of the real life sheriff (Walt Femling, the Blaine County Sheriff), and first person experience in the backcountry, the restaurants, bars, and backstreets. I hope I've brought the area alive for readers and that a book like Killer Summer delivers on several levels. It's intended to be "a thrill ride," but if you feel a little drunk and happy along the way, so much the better.

Ridley Pearson, Shanghai, China, June 2009

"Bestseller Pearson makes the most of the theme of the lawman with a bunch of personal problems in his engaging third crime thriller to feature Walt Fleming, the likable sheriff of Sun Valley, Idaho (after Killer View). Walt's ex-wife is living with one of his deputies; Walt's teenage nephew, Kevin, is grappling with his father's suicide; and Walt's trying to raise twin daughters on his own. Meanwhile, a big wine convention has come to Sun Valley, and three bottles owned by Thomas Jefferson and given to John Adams are sure to bring big bucks at auction, unless a gang of super thieves, which has hit town with an elaborate scheme in which Kevin becomes unwittingly involved, steals the bottles first. But nothing is as it seems, and even the savviest readers will be fooled as Pearson drags poor Walt and friends through a series of clever twists and turns in this fast-paced nail-biter."
—Publishers Weekly

Killer Summer in People

PEOPLE MAGAZINE says: "It's Thriller Season" and lists Ridley's latest book as one to crack open!

"Sun Valley Sheriff Walt Fleming (Killer Weekend, 2008, etc.) must guard bottles of wine that once belonged to John Adams—or did they? During one of those periods when he felt kindly toward his political rival, Thomas Jefferson supposedly presented Adams with three excellent bottles of wine. It's a legend latter-day connoisseurs have come to cherish, and at Sun Valley's very-well-attended annual auction, $1 million is routinely predicted as the going price for the storied bottles. At least one skeptical voice has been raised, but no matter how scholarly her research appears to be, few are ready to give credence to such an unknown as young Janet Finch. Whether or not the bottles and their story are authentic, Fleming's job is to keep them out of covetous hands, especially those of the master criminal skulking in the vicinity. To Christopher Cantell, the harder the heist, the more irresistible the challenge, and while understated Walt would never compare himself to Sherlock Holmes (at least not aloud), he knows that he's a qualified player. And so the game's afoot, complete with a dizzying profusion of feints and gambits. Readers may well be confused, but never bored. Cheers! A throwback to the time when plotting and pacing were the detective story's sine qua non; Pearson shows once again how it's done."
   —Kirkus Reviews

"Pearson is back with another thriller set in seemingly serene Sun Valley, Idaho. His appealing protagonist struggles to juggle a complicated family life with law enforcement. This time Sheriff Walt Fleming is up against a criminal mastermind trying to settle a score. As always, Pearson's taut plotting ensures plenty of twists and heart-pounding action."
   —Romantic Times, (4 1/2 Stars)

"Intrigue, suspense, murder and kidnapping portrayed with frightening realism make Killer Summer a thriller sure to be adapted for a blockbuster movie. With an impeccable plot and rich text, Pearson has readers holding on to this cliffhanger with fingertips as strong and manicured as his poetic prose. He leaves subtle clues, and then, like freezing water in a shower, shocks the reader with how obvious the circumstances are that lead to a killer conclusion."
   —Bookreporter.com (read the full review here)

"This is my first encounter with Ridley Pearson's Sheriff Walt Fleming, and Killer Summer was a good blend of mystery/thriller. Now I gotta go back and pick up the other two.... Pearson's writing is lean and taut... this is one of those perfect beach reads. Killer Summer has short, compact chapters and an elaborate plot that spins naturally out of the action and the characterization. The book's engagement and pacing is good for a lazy summer or a few hours in the sun or on a trip."
   —INDenverTimes.com (read the full review here)

"The plot is expertly paced and the scenery is breathtaking.... A satisfying, entertaining thriller."
   —Portsmouth (NH) Herald

"Killer Summer may be the best police procedural of the year so far as there are so many plausible twists that Walt and readers will wonder if they imbibed. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Walt notices the strange truck while fishing and never decelerates even when the plot takes a spin. Fans will enjoy Ridley Pearson's terrific crime caper as the author keeps readers full attention throughout wondering what next."
   —Genre Go Round Reviews (read the full review here)

"Ridley Pearson has to pull out quite a few irons that he tosses into the fire in Killer Summer. By the end of this gripping story, you realize he has accomplished just that... [I]t's hard to remember to keep breathing while flipping the pages to keep up with the action and great dialogue—a master at work here. The author, along with coming up with a gripping story, seems to know people's dreams and desires as well as their peccadilloes. His characters are right on the money and any of them could be your good friend... Killer Summer is a recommended read."
   —Bookloons (read the full review here)

"Pearson is an author that makes you want to stay up all night even when you have to work early the next morning. You never will want to put this book down so make sure to start on a weekend... The story has you cheering for the kids to survive and being appalled at the stupidity of Summer's dad. Walt is a man who is going through his wife leaving him for one of his own officers. The story is so interesting that you never see the ending. Wow what a great read!!!!"
   —Bestsellersworld.com (read the full review here)

"Sun Valley, Idaho is a playground for the rich, and in Ridley Pearson's new thriller, Killer Summer, a wine auction in Sun Valley is the backdrop for an unthinkable caper... Readers who are fans of crime thrillers will not be disappointed with this book. I found it fascinating and was thoroughly surprised by the twists in the plot. Killer Summer makes for a thoroughly satisfying summer read."
   —Blogcritics.org (read the full review here)

"Killer Summer presents some terrific wilderness suspense as characters battle the elements and each other for simple survival. The confrontations with nature and with the bad guys give this thriller its edge, although wild animals aren't as threatening and the reader doesn't crawl as far into the villains' psyches in this Walt Fleming outing as in the last. The Sun Valley area, vibrantly described by Pearson, is a central "character" in this series, and Killer Summer is no exception. Walt, a master tracker, is at home in the mountain reaches, the difficult passes, the eddying rivers, the tree-lined miles, and the cliff faces. Ridley lovingly passes his own obvious pride and joy in the Idaho Rockies to his fictional hero."
   —MostlyFiction.com (read the full review here)

"Killer Summer, the third book in Ridley Pearson's Sun Valley series, added killer fun to my reading list. I knew almost from the get-go that Killer Summer was going to be a quality read... Pearson knows how to make his pieces function together; regardless of how dysfunctional the individuals are, the whole hums like a well-oiled machine. I can't wait to see what trouble this cast can wiggle its way into next."
   —Jen's Book Thoughts

"Killer Summer may be the best police procedural of the year so far as there are so many plausible twists that Walt and readers will wonder if they imbibed. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Walt notices the strange truck while fishing and never decelerates even when the plot takes a spin. Fans will enjoy Ridley Pearson's terrific crime caper as the author keeps readers full attention throughout wondering what next.
   —Harriet Klausner