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Saturday, May 26, 2012

Tilt-a-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein

Tilt-a-Whirl is a mystery I first read about on Kay's blog, and so a nod to the lady from Austin for introducing me to a new series that is a little grittier than a cozy, but still retains many cozy elements.

Sea Haven is a tourist mecca located on a small island off the New Jersey coast, and the locals depend on the summer influx of tourists to keep their economy healthy during the rest of the year.  When a highly publicized murder occurs and the murderer isn't caught, the islanders are concerned about their finances as much as anything else.

Enter the newest police department hire John Ceepak, formerly military police, and "summer cop" young Danny Boyle.  Ceepak is a "Boy Scout" and his adherence to his strict code of conduct acknowledges no exceptions.

Although a bit annoying with his Dudley Do-Right personality, Ceepak is a thoughtful and thorough cop and proves a great mentor for Danny Boyle.

The conversation is sometimes stilted and the characters fairly stereotypical, but somehow for this particular sub-genre, it works.

This is the first novel in the series,  which has been very successful, and it will be interesting to see the series as it develops.  Many authors deepen their characters and plots with succeeding books, and I enjoyed this one enough to want to read the next in the series.

Fiction.  Mystery.  2006.  321 pages.

5 comments:

  1. Jenny,how do you find time to read so much and still do everything else you do--comes from being fast-reading former teacher, I guess. I bought a figure made in Mexico at garage sale this morning and thought of you--sculpted head and paper body. I bought one and now wish I had gotten another one I liked, too.

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  2. Kay suggested this one to me a while back, too, but I've yet to pick it up--it does sound good--definitely a change from my usual mystery fare!

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  3. Teresa - I suppose I do read relatively quickly, but most of it is that when I'm in the mood I can read for hours. After dinner, I settle in for 4 hours (and frequently more) of reading.

    :) I'd like to see your new purchase!

    Danielle - It is a bit of a change from my usual mystery fare as well, but I really liked Danny Boyle!

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  4. Someone recommended this series to me but I haven't read it yet. Sounds like it might be worth getting to soon.

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  5. SuziQ - It is one of those series that makes you want to see how the characters develop. Not the best, but somehow engaging.

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