Reviewed By Liz

ISBN 0-78671-818-8

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.

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com ©2007

Available at Amazon!