Frank Ritter

Not every thriller writer can claim a career of forty years as a professional investigator and bodyguard, but Frank Ritter's background lends depth and authenticity to the highly-charged events in The Devil's Crib that take place in the Middle East, Moscow and Rome at the time of Operation Desert Storm. Events are thus spiced with action supercharged by sex, violence, and the intricacies of political interests and plots; so be forewarned, this is no casual pursuit.
Let's back up a step to also mention that The Devil's Crib is as gritty as Frank Ritter's last novel The Killing Games - which means, in a nutshell, that readers offended by sex and violence and who seek milder, more casual international thrillers should look elsewhere lest their sensibilities be affronted by circumstances which demand liberal doses of X-rated action throughout the story. That's not to say that The Devil's Crib is unnecessarily laden with sex and violence: more that in the course of its realistic settings and events, these elements are not glossed over nor sugar-coated, but revealed in all their passionate and bloody incarnations. And that's just one of the many devices that set this novel apart from the usual story of international intrigue. Another is its ability to wind an intricate, complex web of details that gets under one's skin and probes the minds and motivations of every protagonist, creating layers of elaborate psychology that emerge only under extreme duress - all provided in the course of action that unfolds on personal and political arenas alike.
Proceedings circle around the fabled Crib of Balthasar, a priceless Vatican relic in the hands of a Pope who reveals his plan to use it to fund the integration of Palestinian refugees into Israeli society: a plan fully supported by Israel and rejected by the Palestine Liberation Organization and a crumbling Soviet Union.
When a high-level kidnapping occurs with a resulting escalation of threats to kill bishops around the world unless PLO leaders are released from prison, it falls upon a Swiss Guard and an Israeli Mossad agent to thwart international tensions that could ultimately lead to a world war.
The Devil's Crib's writing is lean, mean, and so packed with dramatic scenarios that there's barely time to absorb the twists of one encounter before another rich confrontation is set forth.
How could a meaningless legendary relic that resurfaces in the chaos of the 1990s serve as the pivot point for nations teetering on the brink of annihilation? As the affairs of popes, cardinals, politicians and professional spies come to light, an intricate dance of detail, motivation and passion evolves that brings KGB myths (such as that of Ivan the Terrible) to life with scenes injected with sometimes-cruel sex and equally brutal violence.
All the trappings of a solid novel of intrigue are here, from codes locked away in libraries to colonels who cross the line of military protocol in quest of personal revenge.
Not every thriller writer can lay claim to a background that mirrors much of the realistic approaches of his novel's characters; and not every thriller can deliver the repeated punches of surprise that will engross even the most seasoned genre reader.
That The Devil's Crib holds the ability to provide a genuinely revealing story of terrorism and redemption is testimony to Ritter's dramatic skills, attention to historical detail, and ability to immerse readers in an intricate story of political and social entanglements involving murderers, failed friendships, and the horrible deaths sparked by an ancient artifact.
D. Donovan, eBook Reviewer, Midwest Book Review… (more)

I have added a new author to my list of must read authors -- Lee Child, David Baldacci, Stuart Woods, Jo Nesbro, Jeffrey Archer, Tom Clancy, J.K. Rowling –- and his name is Frank Ritter. The Killing Games is only available digitally on Amazon's Kindle, Apple's I Books, and Barnes and Noble's Nook. Beg, borrow, or steal one of these devises to read this behind the scenes story of fictional events that saved the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles from the most devastating terrorist attack in U.S. history.

A trusted Presidential adviser, (think General Haig), acts in the President's (think President Reagan) name to implement a plan to round up and eliminate all known terrorists under surveillance by the FBI and other Homeland Security agencies prior to commencement of the Games. Navy Seals and other military elite personnel play a vital role in capturing and then disposing of terrorists by dumping them far at sea from special planes requisitioned for this purpose but not readily identifiable. Naturally, not all of the terrorists are dealt with. A most ruthless Russian financed with an unlimited amount of funds has successfully implemented a plan to demolish the LA Coliseum at the peak moment of lighting the torch. Our author has demonstrated an intimate knowledge of what is involved in accomplishing such devastation.

Some readers will find all the sexual tensions extremely gripping. The Presidential adviser's wife is quite frustrated with her husband's extremely limited sexual performance and seeks other lovers. Quite specific details of a lesbian relationship, a triumvirate, sodomizing a young teenager, and multiple rapes are graphically described. I hope I haven't given away too much of the plot (I assure you I haven't). I am told the next Frank Ritter adult thriller, The Devil's Crib, has just released. I can't wait to read this story about events in Russia and the Middle East during a critical period in history.

Ira M. Landis, I Love A Mystery
The Oceanside Village Voice… (more)