Customer Reviews

Whack A Mole: A John Ceepak Mystery

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This is quickly becoming one of my favorite mystery series. The books have 2 main characters: Danny, the world-wise narrator who has one of the best voices in PI fiction since Archie Goodwin, and Ceepak, the morally upright vet who lives by his own code. The tone of the book is rather dark, and the level of violence is pretty high with the body parts of fallen women showing up all over town. The book includes some interesting points on how the serial killer has developed a code that is even more rigid that Ceepak's and the results of that code.

Highly recommended.

Oh, that there were more men like Ceepak, and more writers like Chris Grabenstein. Grabenstein never disappoints in his plot twists, characters or humor. One of the best mystery writers of his kind and a worthy winner of awards.

Read one of Grabenstein's Ceepak mysteries and you'll be wanting more and more.

John and Danny are back, working together in Sea Haven, New Jersey in Chris Grabenstein's latest book WHACK A MOLE.

This may be the most complex story yet, as John finds jewelry buried in the sand of the beach that leads back to the unsolved disappearance of a young woman. This mystery quickly leads to a series of murders, all of young woman during the same time period during the 1980s. Eventually all the crimes are tied to a ministry among run aways, and just when you are sure you know who the killer is, you find out how wrong you are!

But more than just the pure pleasure of the story, and the delight of being surprised at who the real killer is, I realized what it is that makes me love the characters of John Ceepak and Danny Boyle.

John, who grew up in a troubled family and made something of himself, lives a life of honor. He is a cop because it defines his life in a way he has always desired - to be a good man.

Danny, who grew up secure and with a full life of friendship, but no real ambition, finds in John Ceepak the guide who makes him a better man. It is not that Danny was ever a bad person, but John brings out the best in him.

Together, they are the very definition of what is good about people. The desire to find a way to live a better life, and be someone who is a benefit not only to their friends, but to their community and world.

You can't help but admire them, and they are also people you can truly like.

Personally, I can't wait for more adventures with these two young cops in Sea Haven. They make my world a better place.

The John Ceepak series zooms along nicely with the latest addition. I look forward to many, many more!

Whack A Mole features two police officers whose beat is the Jersey Shore. Told from the point of view of rookie Danny Boyle, our hero is John Ceepak, an Iraq war veteran with a strict code of honor. Ceepak is more than a little uptight and Danny admires him but can't resist tweaking his nose from time to time. But the two share of love of Bruce Springsteen lyrics and a dedication to keep the locals and tourists at Sea Haven safe. The two characters are off-beat and fantastic - think Dragnet after it has been through the mod and odd filters and you can imagine the quirky feel of this book.

Whack A Mole is set during the height of tourist season in Sea Haven when local businesses earn most of their income for the year. When a series of increasingly grisly "trophies" show up indicating a serial killer from the 70's and 80's may be active again, Ceepak and Boyle are pressured to keep their investigation quiet so as not to scare away the tourists. Hampered by their need for secrecy and the jealously of their competitive colleagues, the men dig deeply into the history of the resort in an effort to keep this killer from claiming another victim.

This is a fun book. The characters are delightful, the plot is good, and the setting is very interesting. Books about serial killers tend to be too grisly and turn me off, but Grabenstein has a lighter touch here and I never once considered putting this book aside. Grabenstein lets the reader know that this isn't a "straight" mystery and we let him play a little fast and loose with standard police procedure - which produces an eccentric and excellent story.

Favorite character? Danny Boyle, an average guy in an unusual situation. Did I guess it? No. Will I read another? Absolutely.

First Sentence: I've never been what you might call an "overachiever" but at age twenty-five I've already done the worst thing any human being can possibly do.

The Jersey shore town of Sea Haven has a serial killer, and has had since 1979, but no one knew. Now the killer has left the police evidence that he's back. He leads them on a treasure hunt with clues and skulls and evidence he's chosen his next victim. Can Ceepak and Danny get there before he kills?

John Ceepak is 36, an Eagle Scout, a Marine veteran of Iraq and lives by a strict code. He's the kind of person of which you wish there many in life. Danny Boyle is 25. a native of Sea Haven and Ceepak's protégée on the police force. They both love Springsteen, whose lyrics flow throughout the novel.

In this third book, I see growth in both characters, which is so important, and we learn more about Ceepak's past. However, while they provide a somewhat humorous element to the story, I was a bit frustrated by how incompetent some of the other police officers were portrayed.

Being a Jersey girl myself, at least for 11 years, I love books set there. Grabenstein brings the Jersey shore to life through his strong sense of place. His dialogue is natural and very well done.

It was the plot that really kept me going. I love a plot that that builds on itself, and this one did that. There were lots of suspects and excellent suspense. It was nice to see Danny have a skill Ceepak did not.

While not perfect, the book was an absolute page turned. I look forward to reading the next in the series.

WHACK A MOLE (Pol Proc-Danny Boyle/John Ceepak-New Jersey-Cont) - VG
Grabenstein, Chris - 3rd in series
Carroll & Graf, 2007, US Hardcover- ISBN: 9780786718184

Is a Serial killer loose in Sea Haven (AKA - LBI)? Can Danny and John figure out all the clues and maps before the killer makes good on his death threat? You have to keep reading to find out and read on you will.

I know LBI (the inspiration for Grabenstein's Sea Haven) so after the first novel I began to wonder how the author could sustain a murder/crime series on a sleepy strip of sand off the Jersey coast. Well, Grabenstein is a lot more creative than I and has managed to find ways to keep the bodies and the excitement coming, page after page.

In this installement, Ceepak and Boyle chase down gruesome clues of several decades-old murders - clues that have been carefully hidden and then revealed slowly by the killer. Are they there to taunt our dynamic duo or is the long quiet felon waking up to start his killing spree again?

As with the prior novels in the series, Whack A Mole is a page turner. I especially like the bite-sized chapters - each one is almost an old-time cliff hanger - you can't stop reading because you want to know what happens next.

As with all prior books, the characters are interesting and likable - especially Ceepak and Boyle. I also like the author using Boyle as the narrator - his lack of police experience allows him to act as our teacher without him becoming a school teacher. Nice touch!

This is a fun series with a great sense of place - for fans of the Jersey Shore, clever mysteries and clever writing. Enjoy...

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!)"

WHACK A MOLE heralds the welcome return of Chris Grabenstein's series featuring the pairing of narrator Danny Boyle, a rookie police officer in the beach town of Sea Haven, New Jersey, and John Ceepak, an older, more experienced cop. Boyle, on the cusp of adulthood, is the stereotypical newbie in thrall of Ceepak, the straight-arrow Iraq War veteran with a by-the-book code of honor and an encyclopedic range of knowledge. Readers of the previous novels may be somewhat surprised with the decidedly darker turn that WHACK A MOLE takes, making it much closer to SLAY RIDE --- Grabenstein's stand-alone thriller of 2006 --- than to TILT-A-WHIRL or MAD MOUSE.

Things get rolling in WHACK A MOLE when Ceepak discovers an old class ring on the beach while treasure hunting. He identifies the rightful owner and reunites him with his ring. It turns out that the owner had given the ring to a young woman who subsequently vanished some 20 years before. Ceepak is intrigued and starts to quietly investigate the long-ago disappearance, with Boyle in tow and observing. It is not long before other objects --- grisly objects --- from the past begin to show up in highly unlikely places.

It becomes obvious to Ceepak and Boyle that years ago a serial murderer had operated, undetected, in Sea Haven and is now getting ready to end his hiatus. Grabenstein offers up a likely cast of suspects and potential victims, even as Ceepak and Boyle discover that some of their greatest obstacles to solving the case lie not from outside the police department but from within, as their investigation is hampered by professional jealousy and efforts to cover up what were apparently cold crimes in the interest of preserving the financial success of the current tourist season. Yet Ceepak and Boyle soon find that the mysterious killer is leaving them no choice, as he not only has picked his next target but also has selected someone close to one of the team.

Grabenstein has crafted a solid mystery here. The manner in which the killer taunts the police is very unique --- I will never be able to walk into a resort town gift shop again without thinking of this book --- and the identity of the murderer, while plausible, will keep you guessing. I was absolutely sure I had his identity pegged and nailed, but I was totally wrong. This series has already won an Anthony Award in the course of its short history; after reading WHACK A MOLE, it would seem that Grabenstein, who undoubtedly will receive additional accolades, may need to add a trophy room to his domicile if he has not done so already.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Chris Grabenstein just keeps getting better and better. The first Ceepak mystery, Tilt A Whirl, won an Anthony. Whack A Mole ought to win a Pulitzer. Can't wait for the next one.