Pipsqueak (Garth Carson)

This was an engaging book all the way through. A good detective read but also more than a bit off kilter. I am eager to read BMW's other books. Kids can collect 'em...

Zany, wild and un-putdownable! That's Pipsqueak. From cover to cover the pace doesn't let up and Brian M. Wiprud's second novel is as entertaining and easy to read as his first (Sleep With The Fishes).Featuring thugs in cummerbunds, Russian sidekicks with a hilarious grasp on the English language, strong characters, stuffed animals, great set pieces, a fantastical plot and a pace leaving you gasping for breath, Pipsqueak is one of the best written books of 2002.Laugh out loud, tearfully funny, with a great (albeit wacky) plot, Pipsqueak is another score on the slate for this new but excellent author.Can't wait for Dirt Nap (sequel to Sleep With The Fishes).

If you haven't discovered Wiprud's zany sense of humour yet, then you are in for a real treat.Wiprud's first book, Sleep With The Fishes, was comic genius and I can safely say that Pipsqueak is just as brilliant.How he combines a taxidermy collector, nefarious Russians, murder, squirrel puppets and a band of New York city retros defies description, with everything coming together in an hilarious climax.It's a madcap romp from an author that has to be read.If you like satire, laugh out load comedy, and a darn good story to boot, then this is the book for you.Next year's sequel to Sleep With The Fishes, Dirt Nap, is already on my list of must-reads for 2003.

Brian Wiprud owes me a night of sleep. I had so much fun reading it I stayed up till it was done.Garth and Angie really seem like a typical New York couple, and I love the way New york itself plays a large role in the book. At first glance I thought " a taxidermist??". But I have to say, it works!! The book is clever, funny, and strong on plot and story. I really loved the scene with the stun guns and hot dog cart. Don't ask!! Read it for yourself!!! I can't do this book justice, all I can do is say that I loved every minute of reading it.Jon Jordan

Pipsqueak is a fast-paced, humorous and highly entertaining mystery novel. Brian M. Wiprud?s writing is parallel to that of Carl Hiaasen or Gregory McDonald. Quirky and unique, this cleverly plotted story is both engaging and memorable.Garth Carson is a taxidermist. Driving by a small roadside shop, a window display catches eye. Stopping, he expects to purchase one thing, but winds up locating a personal treasure from his youth, Pipsqueak the puppet. Pipsqueak is a squirrel from a local, once popular, television show. Aside from Garth?s own sentimental attachment, the relic is worthless. However, when he offers to buy the piece, the clerk tells him no. The place is about to be robbed while Garth is using the stores facilities. The thief wants Pipsqueak. The clerk kills the would-be robber and flees the scene with the puppet, leaving Garth in hiding in back.Surprisingly enough, after fifteen years of never seeing each other, Garth?s brother, Nicholas, shows up in town. Nicholas is working as a Private Investigator. In a roundabout way, he, too, is looking for Pipsqueak. It is almost a race as Nicholas and Mafia-like crooks battle desperately and ruthlessly against each other, one looking for answers ? the others looking to stop him from getting answers.As people keep turning up dead, Garth finds himself caught up in the middle of it all. Attorneys, police, bad guys, good guys ? questionable people who might or might not be guys ? Pipsqueak is the story of a marvelously ingenious conspiracy theory and a dangerously action-packed page-turner. Full of whit, real-life dialogue and a new perspective on dangerous cults ? Brian M. Wiprud knows how to churn out a novel that any mystery reader will undoubtedly enjoy! --Phillip Tomasso III, author of Johnny Blade and Third Ring