Whack A Mole by Chris Grabenstein

Title -Whack A Mole
Author - Chris Grabenstein
ISBN - 978-0-78671-818-4
Number of Pages -312
Genre - mystery
Rating - 4 out of 5

I live in a resort city and enjoy going to unique places that most tourists do not go to. So the fact that Chris Grabenstein uses this setting is a draw for me.

The unearthing of an old high school ring on the beach in Sea Haven take John Ceepak and his partner Danny Boyle on a hunt for the owner. The discovery that the ring was given to a young woman 20 years before and who subsequently disappeared leads Ceepak into making inquiries regarding the disappearance. Not long afterwards other grisly finds are made which lead Ceepak and his wisecracking parter Boyle on a hunt for a once dormant serial killer who is planning to start killing again.

Once again Chris Grabenstein in Whack A Mole has written a good mystery that is darker than his previous books Tilt a Whirl and Mad Mouse. The killer uses an atypical manner to mock the police. The plot is very good with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing as to who the killer is. The pace, although bit slow in the first quarter of the book , picks up and moves along quickly to a satisfying conclusion. I particularly enjoyed the richer character development of Ceepak and Boyle. The setting of a resort community with its tasteless and brassy souvenier shops is authentic. This series is now one of my favourites and I look forward to reading more of Ceepak's exploits.