Customer Reviews

Hell Hole (John Ceepak Mystery)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Jersey Shore portrayed in Chris Grabenstein's Hell Hole isn't exactly the paradise a chamber of commerce would want publicized. Instead, Grabenstein takes us to the world of Sea Haven, New Jersey, where police officers John Ceepak and Danny Boyle deal with the underside of a resort town - the drunken parties, the drugs, the run-down trailer parks.

Danny Boyle, who has grown from a part-time summer cop to a twenty-six-year-old full-time officer, guided by his partner's principles, continues to narrate the stories, with his own cock-eyed point of view. Ceepak is off one night, so Danny is partnered with a summer cop, Samantha Starky, when they're sent to the scene of a loud party. It's a drunken group of Airborne soldiers, returned from Iraq, and they're not too happy about dealing with the police, until they receive a phone call that one member of their group has been found dead, a probable suicide, at a reststop. Danny's not going to allow Sergeant Dixon to drive intoxicated, so he takes him to identify the body. That brings Danny to a crime scene that just doesn't look like a suicide, although he can't say why. However, the drugs found on the scene point back to Sea Haven, just the opportunity that Danny and Ceepak need to get involved in the case.

Only Ceepak and Boyle would want to stick their noses into this case, one involving a Senator, drugs, the partying soldiers, and Sea Haven's own lowlifes, the Feenyville Pirates. Only Grabenstein could so skillfully use this crime to reveal more about John Ceepak's background. Hell Hole becomes a complicated story that digs deep into Ceepak's emotions, dealing with the returned vets and his own memories, the suicide and his own past, and the story of his parents. This is the darkest of the Ceepak mysteries, the most complicated, and the best. Danny Boyle serves to alleviate that darkness. He's grown in the course of the series, but his wry commentaries are needed in these books.

Hell Hole is a complex story, revealing not only how much Danny has changed, but how much it takes for Ceepak to be the man he has become. Grabenstein continues to develop, writing darker, more ambitious stories. He hits his stride with Hell Hole, a dark crime story of politics, drugs, and family. If you've read all of the Ceepak mysteries, you're following the growth of a new master.

The latest entry in the John Ceepak series is easily the best, building on what was a brilliant series from the get-go. Grabenstein manages to be edgy and darkly realistic while retaining the humorous tone of Danny's narrative that makes this series so notable and successful. Like its predecessors, HELL HOLE follows traditional mystery form but drapes it with a grim authenticity and topicality that should appeal to mystery fans as well as those whose taste leans more to noir and thriller fiction.

This is the 4th book in the John Ceepak/Danny Boyle Sea Haven mystery series and I think it's the best one yet. Chris Grabenstein writes great dialog and really knows how to keep me turning the pages. I love that the Bruce Springsteen references are still there! My only regret is that I didn't save this gem for my shore reading!

John Ceepack and Danny Boyle make their fourth appearance in this unsettling mystery novel. The two Sea Haven, NJ, police officers are caught up in a web of conspiracy and intrigue stretching from Iraq to the Jersey shore. They become involved in investigating the apparent suicide of a corporal who had just returned from Iraq, at a rest stop on the Garden State Parkway.

The cast of characters include the dead soldier's buddies, enjoying some R&R in the resort town, a United States Senator and other unpleasant persons. About the only levity in the book are Danny's wisecracks and the ongoing identification contests regarding Bruce Springsteen lyrics between the two police officers.

The plot and writing are solid, and John and Danny are a likable pair. The story line is an unusual one reaching to the limits of various major issues a la My Lai to who-killed-President-Kennedy theories. A fast and rewarding read, and one which is recommended.

Ceepak and Danny--two cops in a small town on the Jersey shore. Ceepak is ex-army and lives by "The Code", a rigid set of moral requirements that makes Ceepak both admirable and comical. Ceepak is Danny's boss and partner, in this small Jersey shore police force. Danny, is an amiable ex-slacker who began his police career issuing parking tickets in the summers, to support his laid back lifestyle.

Hell Hole is the fourth in this Ceepak and Danny series, and it may be the best. Here's a town that should have less serious crime than Mayberry, and part of the fun of this series is learning how the author will plausibly introduce another murder into their lives.

The plot is tight and twists, and the pace is quick. But the rarest thing about Hell Hole and the Ceepak and Danny series is that Grabenstein has succeeded in creating two original heroes. Danny, the narrator, is the most unlikely hero: not strong, not fearless, but rather with a natural predilection for comfort. And his admiration for Ceepak only makes him more comically aware of his shortcomings. Yet Danny, ultimately, is the greater hero. Against all of his natural inclinations towards comfort and safety, he does the right thing. Not exactly the same way Ceepak would do, but achieving the same end.

I would recommend reading Hell Hole first, even though it is the fourth in the series, because you get to enjoy Ceepak and Danny fully developed and in their stride. Then you can go back and enjoy the first three in order.

I love this series. Chris Grabenstein outdid himself in this latest installment. Crackling dialogue, smart pacing, nuanced shading to the characters we already adore.

It's a winner!!

John Ceepak and Danny Boyle have got to be the best detective team since, well, I don't know when! Danny's enthusiasm and younger man's naivete are the perfect foil to Ceepak's strict moral and ethical code military background, and computer-like logic. The action is non-stop in this latest Ceepak novel, and Grabenstein's sense of humor had me laughing out loud in places. The character's are so realistic, and the fact that the story is told from Danny's viewpoint makes for some hysterical "asides" as Danny, himself, tries to keep up with Ceepak's insight into a "suicide" that isn't a suicide. Having read the entire series, it is a pleasure to "watch" Danny grow and learn from Ceepak, and in this particular installment, we learn a little more about what makes Ceepak, well, Ceepak! Grabenstein has me hooked, but good, and although I am thrilled for all the young adults who will no doubt get many hours of enjoyment from his new YA series, I sincerely hope we have not seen the last of Danny and Ceepak!

In this installment in the series Grabenstein turns things up a notch. The sleepy resort town of Sea Haven is visited by some returning Iraqi veterans hell bent on enjoying their downtime. Boyle and his summer partner are called to their rental on Kipper Street when the party gets too loud. While on the scene the soldiers get a call that one of their own has committed suicide.

Boyle accompanies one of the men to the highway rest area to identify the body. But something seems wrong about the apparent suicide and he captures a picture of the victim on his cell. Boyle shows Ceepak and the hunt begins, as Ceepak instantly realizes this is no suicide.

Grabenstein's writing steps up in this fourth book - the banter and the characters you love are still there. But the seriousness of the plot and the level of violence carry the series to the next level. Also introduced is Ceepak's alcoholic father. And true to the quality of the series he is not just a throw in character.

Highly recommend this story and look forward to the onging series.

I found this series through a review on the radio and have read my way through all that the author has written (so far). As mentioned by other reviewers, Grabenstein has only gotten better and darker with each book. In this installment, more of Ceepak's character is revealed and Boyle is growing (ever so slowly) as a cop and a man. The plot revolves around a bad politician and a few misguided soldiers. Like all well-written crime novels, we get hooked by a good who done it. But once again, Grabenstein adds the fun of a how done it and even a why done it too. This is the kind of writing that hooks the reader quickly. We, once again, have likable characters, crisp dialogue, a clever plot and a strong sense of place. Yes, I have Jersey sand in my shoes (the novel is set on Long Beach Island) so maybe I'm prejudiced. But even readers without an ocean view will find Hell Hole a fun, exciting page turner.

I think the best synopsis of my feelings toward the Ceepak mysteries is to cut-and-paste an e-mail I sent to Chris Grabenstein (to which I received a very kind and gracious response). This is generalized toward all 5 books in the series:


"Hi Mr. Grabenstein,

I just wanted to take a moment and tell you what a fan I am of your work, especially the Ceepak/Boyle mysteries. I'm an avid reader, but was never much of a mystery buff. In a spot of serendipitous luck, I randomly picked up Tilt-a-Whirl at my local library and enjoyed it immensely. When I found out there were several more in the series, I went straight to amazon.com and bought all of them, and couldn't be more pleased with my purchase.
I've lived my whole life at the Jersey shore, in a town called Lacey (exit 74) that is pretty much halfway between LBI and Seaside Heights. I've spent alot of time in both, and Sea Haven is an apt amalgam of these two places. I've had friends who were Class I officers in Seaside, and I feel like Boyle is someone I could have been drinking buddies with (were he real, of course). Reading these novels is like seeing a movie filmed in your hometown.
Of course, a familiar setting does not necessarily make for a compelling read. In addition to being mind-bendingly mysterious, often touching, and sometimes downright hilarious, these stories excel at what I consider to be one of the most important aspects of any narrative work - characterization. Ceepak and Boyle are well-rounded, fleshed out characters who you can really connect with. Their motivations and personalities are given depth, and over the course of the series, you see how they change (Boyle especially as he grows into a man) and learn from each other. This is my favorite facet of the novels.
Well, I won't take up anymore of your time. I just wanted you to know you've earned a loyal (and local) fan. I suggest your books to anyone I know who enjoys reading and is willing to listen to me nerd-out about how much I like them. Thank you so much for hours of entertainment during which I've laughed out loud, been taken aback, and had my eyes mist up. I look forward anxiously to reading many more of your books in the future (I've read your holiday thrillers as well, which were great - now I'll have to check out your younger reader stuff for my Grabenstein fix!)"