Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Whiplash River
    Whiplash River
    Whiplash River
    Audiobook9 hours

    Whiplash River

    Written by Lou Berney

    Narrated by Jeff Gurner

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    “Like Carl Hiaasen, Berney delights in the cartoonish. Like Elmore Leonard, he can drive a plot. What sets him apart is how well he evokes love, making the romance…as compelling as the mystery.”
    —Boston Globe

    Lou Berney immediately earned a seat of honor at the mystery masters’ table with his crackling caper novel, Gutshot Straight—a lightning-fast, fiendishly clever suspenser that screamed for a sequel. And here it is. Former professional wheel man Charles “Shake” Bouchon is back, living in the Caribbean paradise of Belize with his lawless past far behind him—until a gunshot tears through his beachside restaurant and he’s on the run again. A twisting tale filled with lawmen, con men, and  hit men; a beautiful but deadly FBI agent; and a murderous thug named Baby Jesus, Whiplash River recalls the best of the off-the-wall crime fiction impresarios—Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen, James W. Hall, Robert Ferrigno, Tim Dorsey—while establishing its own unique orbit in the noir universe.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 10, 2012
    ISBN9780062190635
    Whiplash River
    Author

    Lou Berney

    Lou Berney is the multiple award-winning author of Dark Ride, November Road, and The Long and Faraway Gone, as well as Gutshot Straight and Whiplash River. His short fiction has appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, Ploughshares, and the Pushcart Prize anthology. He lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and teaches in the MFA program at Oklahoma City University.

    Related to Whiplash River

    Related audiobooks

    General Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Four Best Audiobooks Of June To Take You Places

      Jun 23, 2020

      Hardboiled mysteries, obscure farming communities, and tales of home and family provide ample entertainment in June’s audiobook roundup.

      2 min read

    • Article

      Howl Palace

      Sep 15, 2019

      Last week, I finally had to put Howl Palace up for sale. Years of poor financial planning had led to this decision, and I tried to take some comfort in my agent’s belief in a buyer who might show up with an all-cash offer. My agent is a highly organi

      25 min read

    • Article

      Gringo Honeymoon

      May 17, 2021

      Gringo Honeymoon
      5 min read

    • Article

      Gringo Honeymoon

      May 17, 2021

      Gringo Honeymoon
      5 min read

    • Article

      Rez Life

      Aug 1, 2022

      Rez Life
      19 min read

    • Article

      A Date To REMEMBER

      Sep 2, 2020

      “If you were kind enough to drop by last week, you’ll remember that four of us were sitting outside The Nice Little Cafe In The Park, drinking its Very Strong Coffee and remembering the days when men were reckless enough to propose marriage to us (or

      3 min read

    • Article

      Wellshot Hotel

      Jun 17, 2021

      Wellshot Hotel
      6 min read

    • Article

      Ladies’ Night

      Aug 15, 2023

      Ladies’ Night
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Money Box

      Jun 10, 2022

      This is not a morality tale. It’s simply a story. It began innocently enough, over a lunch of beef pho in the Financial District, when my friend Paolo first mentioned the Money Box. Paolo was a pupa of industry then, waiting to emerge as a titan. He

      19 min read

    • Article

      Drag Brunch

      Nov 10, 2023

      On Friday, Kyle arrived in the crowded foyer of Swift’s Attic in downtown Austin, itching for a bitch sesh. His friend, Jay, an unreasonably beefy muscle bottom he’d met on Grindr, waved him over to their table, where Kyle harrumphed into his seat. A

      18 min read

    • Article

      The Turn Of The Tide

      Sep 24, 2020

      The Turn Of The Tide
      4 min read

    • Article

      ‘The Orchard’: Featured Fiction from David Hopen

      Nov 19, 2020

      An excerpt from a book Booklist called "a brilliantly conceived and crafted coming-of-age novel of ideas, replete with literary and philosophical references." The post ‘The Orchard’: Featured Fiction from David Hopen appeared first on The Millions.

      5 min read

    • Article

      Whether In Song Or In Silence, Shane MacGowan Exuded The Very Essence Of Life

      Dec 1, 2023

      Shane MacGowan and I sat in near silence for two hours last year. We were at his home, just outside Dublin. I’d been warned by his wife, the writer Victoria Mary Clarke, that he was depressed and anxious, not really in the mood to talk. But nothing c

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Spirit of Ajax Diner

      Mar 21, 2022

      The Spirit of Ajax Diner
      4 min read

    • Article

      Still, in Focus

      Jul 9, 2019

      Still, in Focus
      7 min read

    • Article

      We All Live in Uncertain

      Jul 30, 2020

      “Think of Caddo as a maze of lakes within lakes,” says John Winn, proprietor of Caddo Outback Tours, as the two of us settle into a small Go-Devil boat roped to a dock in Uncertain, on the border of northern Louisiana. For two decades, Winn has given

      6 min read

    • Article

      “Really?”

      Jun 2, 2022

      “Really?”
      6 min read

    • Article

      Caribbean CHRISTMAS

      Dec 7, 2022

      Caribbean CHRISTMAS
      9 min read

    • Article

      Excerpt

      Dec 12, 2019

      He was an angry man, and he was an ugly man, and he was tall, and he was pacing. Not much space for it in the new home, just a few rooms lined up in a row, underneath a series of slow-moving ceiling fans, an array of antique clocks ticking on one wal

      4 min read

    • Article

      Murray River Pubs Part Two

      Oct 21, 2021

      Murray River Pubs Part Two
      6 min read

    • Article

      Righteous

      Jan 22, 2019

      Righteous
      8 min read

    • Article

      Restaurants

      Mar 6, 2024

      KOREAN PAEAN Undoubtedly, the worst time to go out for dinner with friends is after a drinks party. It's not just because everyone is sozzled or because we've all gorged on irresistible canapes. It's because no one can make up their minds where, when

      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Whiplash River

    4/5

    92 ratings19 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Absolutely loved it! Action packed, witty, great storyline & likable characters! The dry humour is ssso good! :) Narrator Jeff Gurner was spot on! The accents, the tone, the switch from one character to another & great voice too! which gives the story the perfect touch.
    • 5/5
      Great book, characters were developed beautifully and I really enjoyed the dry humor!
    • 4/5
      Whiplash River is the sequel to Lou Berney's first book, Gutshot Straight. While Charles Bouchon was in prison, he was nicknamed Shake" which is short for "Vanilla Milk Shake". With his past behind him, he moves to Belize to start a new beachside restaurant. Without any money to open the restaurant, he goes deep in debt to a local drug load names Baby Jesus. Events start to spiral downward as the restaurant goes up in flames and the drug lord, two assassins, an FBI agent are all after 'Shake'. The chase takes you all the way to Egypt.

      This book is a fast read, entertaining and action packed with interesting characters. If you enjoy Elmore Leonard and Hiassen, you will enjoy reading Lou Berney. It's a lark of a story, with strong female roles and love interests.

      I have never read Lou Berney before but now I need to go back and read his first book, Gutshot Straight.

      I read an ARC of this book but the book is on sale starting tomorrow, July 10, 2012."
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      What a romp through the criminal element. I really liked the characters Lou Berney developed in this little series.
    • 4/5
      '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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      Whiplash River is second in Lou Berney's series featuring former getaway driver, Charles "Shake" Bourchon. I've read and thoroughly enjoyed both books and do believe it really helps to have read Gutshot Straight before Whiplash River. Bourchon is the classic "criminal with a sense of honor" - a basically good guy who's taken a couple of wrong turns but still has a strong sense of "right and wrong" (he would never turn in any of his former associates to lighten his sentencing), and is now attempting to go straight. As Whiplash River starts, he is living out his dream of running his own restauranton the Belize coast, but is deep in debt to a Belize loan shark/drug dealer. Anything that can go wrong does and ultimately "Shake" is back to try "just one more job" and get his life back together. I like Berney's combination of humor and suspense and thoroughly enjoy the oddball cast of character he assembles. Looking forward to see what happens to Shake next. I won Whiplash River from LibraryThings.com Early Reviewers.
    • 4/5
      Whiplash River is the second book for Lou Berney. It picks up the story of 'Shake' Bouchon, the lead character from Berney's first book - Gutshot Straight. Now I hadn't read the first book, but had no problem getting caught up in Shake's story. He's an ex con who has pursued and captured his dream of owning a restaurant in Belize. At last, he can live a nice quiet life on the up and up, earning his money legitimately. Except....he borrowed the money for the restaurant from local crime boss Baby Jesus and he's having trouble making payments - business is a bit slow. But the pace of Shake's life picks up when a masked gunman attempts to kill Quinn, one of his customers. This is just the opening gambit for a roller coaster ride of a read involving a rogue FBI agent, the miffed girlfriend of the gunman, Baby Jesus and his goons, the mob and more. And travel too! The book careens from Belize to San Francisco to Egypt. I chose to listen to Whiplash River and I'm glad I did. The reader was Jeff Gurner and he was an excellent choice. The dialogue in Whiplash River is a huge part of the appeal of this quirky book. Gurner adopted many different and unique voices and accents that brought the whip smart patter to life. I think my favourite was Quinn - who has a story and an anecdote for every situation - I could just see him warming up to share his wisdom. His pacing was great and matched the speed of the action. His speaking voice is clear and easy to listen to. I think I enjoyed the audio more than I would have the book - listening to it just really brought it to life. Berney has concocted a great fun read that doesn't take itself too seriously, but will keep you entertained. Comparisons have been made to Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen and I would have to agree. I'd happily listen to another of Berney's books.
    • 5/5
      I Was apprehensive about reading a "sequel" , but I need not worried. Whiplash River was a thoroughly enjoyable book. Berney's characters were fresh, fun, and believable. The opening line sets the pace and will keep the reader wanting more. Original storyline, funny characters, and nonstop action make this a don't miss read.
    • 3/5
      I liked Whiplash River. It was fast and funny. It was part thriller, part action and part heist book. The characters were quirky and interesting while still being believable. Berney manages to take some familiar elements; the slightly bumbling would be sidekick, the woman cop out to prove something, the ex-con trying to go good, the heist that keeps spinning further and further out of control and keep them from being derivative, cliché and stale. It has a good pace and enough action and surprises that there are no slow spots and it keeps your attention right to the end. It all comes together for a book that is enjoyable to read without much thinking involved. But I don’t know how much will stick with me. A month from now I’ll remember I liked the book and would read another by Berney but I don’t think I’ll be able to tell you the plot. But it was fun while it lasted.
    • 4/5
      Someone else described this as a good "summer read", and that's exactly how I felt. I enjoyed the rollicking, somewhat improbable story line, and the quick-tongued characters. I didn't find the story romantic in the least, but thought that was a nice change of pace. There was nothing heavy about this book, either in physical weight or in moral tone. Even the "bad" guys were enjoyable. I would read another book by this author, especially if I was poolside.
    • 4/5
      Start with an inept hit man trying to take out a customer in a ramshackle restaurant in Belize. Take a little Carl Hiaasen-esque humor (not his really zany stuff, more like Skinny Dip). Add in a wise-cracking romance such as Richard Ross put in A French Finish. Now a world-weary protagonist who's got that bad-guy-who-is-actually-good aura that Donald Westlake had down pat. Maybe you remember an Elmore Leonard book you read? That's sort of the vibe here.However, don't interpret that as, "a totally derivative novel"—that's not what I'm saying. This was enjoyable and fresh and didn't suck at all. It just made me think of those other authors in between chuckles.This is summer reading of the action variety that does its job: it's comic, it's fast, the characters are likeable (where they should be) and hateable (where they shouldn't) and it doesn't tax your brain much after a few cervezas.It was fun.
    • 5/5
      A remarkable action packed story with a basically "Good Man" career criminal wheel man, Charles "Shake" Bouchon, who has paid his price and is trying to go straight as a highly leveraged restaurant owner in Belize. Characters abound filling out the story with an assortment of memorable, strange people ranging from a FBI Special Agent taking her vacation in Belize to try to squeeze Shake for damning info on the Armenian Mob to a loving pair of "Would Be" assassins trying to earn their credentials at Shakes restaurant, an evil killer and bad guy, Babb who is masquerading as an FBI Special Agent, Idaba, Shake's second in command and conscience, Quinn, an ancient but colorful and talkative restaurant customer reputed to have a CIA background and maybe some current connections to the agency, Baby Jesus and his strong arm henchman who insured that Shake satisfied his loans from the local island mob gangster, a lovely lady, Gina, who Shake would love to get to know better and break his long dry spell at romance and a link to former associate, Sticky Jimmy who is now cleaned up and has political asperations for high political office. The story just keep looping around with the poor sypathetic anti-hero Shake constantly running to just avoid getting further behind and being threatened from all sides. One of those people who can't get a fair break in life but, is loveable still and you can't help but keep on rooting for him. Keeps you interested and involved throughout without even a hint of a slow place. The fast paced action, tension and concern for the health of Shake and his assortment of peers keyes this book as one of the better books of the season. Treat yourselves with a great read!
    • 5/5
      Whiplash River takes the reader on a wild ride from the beach paradise of Belize to Cairo Egypt. The adventure begins when a masked gunman tries to kill a diner in Shake Bouchon's seaside restaurant, and from then on the adventure never stops. Readers of the author's first book Gutshot Straight will remember Shake and will be happy to know that his girlfriend from that book Gina is in this one as well. The man the gunman was trying to kill is named Quinn and after Shake spends some time with Quinn he probably wants to kill him too. Everyone seems to want both Shake and Quinn dead. Baby Jesus the cocaine kingpin in Belize who loaned money to Shake to but the restaurant wants Shake dead, the assassin who with his partner wants both Shake and Quinn dead, the assasins boss wants all loose ends dead. Add to this an FBI agent who wants Shake to flip on his former mafia boss, the entire liar’s cheats and schemers in this book and you have a great summer read!
    • 4/5
      I found this to be a very good read for the summer season. It is a quick interesting read. It is a thriller without all of the belief suspending action in a lot of other thrillers. The characters are kind of quirky that makes the novel a fun read. The love interests of Shake in the book are another nice feature.
    • 4/5
      It would be hard to review this book without comparing it to the works of Elmore Leonard. You have the best of Leonard's saucy women characters - smart, fearless, sexy - and the stand up guy who soldiers through tough situations. You are fairly sure that our protagonist, Shake Bouchon, is going to make out OK, but there is enough suspense and action that you appreciate the ride. I enjoyed the locales, the interactions with the characters, and the sense of humor throughout the book. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy a good romp through light fiction.
    • 3/5
      This book features exotic locals that are described beautifully. It’s too bad that the rest of the book couldn’t be as good. The storytelling was disjointed and would abruptly end with characters popping up out of nowhere with no real explanation of what actually happened.