Whack a Mole

by Chris Grabenstein

Book Overview

An innocent discovery on the beach in Sea Haven leads Ceepak, the cop with an unshakable code of honor, and his rookie partner, the twentysomething wisecracker Boyle, into the hunt for a long-dormant serial killer who might be crawling out of his hiding hole to strike again. Like the relentless rodents in the Boardwalk arcade game, gruesome clues keep popping up all over the island as Ceepak (the former soldier who will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786718188
• ISBN13: 9780786718184
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

#3 in Ceepak series

Danny & John are getting ready to police the upcoming sand castle competition when a few gruesome items show up on display at the museum & boardwalk. Missing females from the 80's & ties to the Life Under the Son Ministry has them digging for clues that show a long dormant serial killer may be at large. Parts of corpses & a treasure map leading them into a twisted game with the killer. Is is a vacationer or a local? Can't wait till the next in series

Why I love John Ceepak and Danny Boyle

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.

Terrific fun, great mystery

I am delighted to report that WHACK A MOLE is just as good as, if not better than Tilt-A-Whirl and Mad Mouse. From the first sentence, I was hooked. "I've never been what you might call an 'over-achiever' but at age twenty-five I've already done the worst thing any human being can do." Of course that's Danny Boyle talking, the former summer cop in Sea Haven, NJ, now a full-time member of the force, and paired with his mentor, John Ceepak, who "will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do." Fast-paced, funny, and completely evocative of summer down the shore, WHACK A MOLE takes Danny and Ceepak on a journey that tests everything they believe in. It's a great read, and I highly recommend it.

Another winner

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

No Junior Slump here!!

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.

This is a fun book. The characters are delightful, the plot is good...

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.