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Tilt A Whirl

by Chris Grabenstein

If you can combine a roller coaster ride with a fun house, and maybe Sherlock Holmes with Watson thrown in, you'll have a pretty good idea of Tilt A Whirl by Chris Grabenstein. Tilt A Whirl is Mr. Grabenstein's first mystery novel, and although no stranger to writing, Chris Grabenstein has given us a slant on the murder mystery scene we haven't seen since Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick. In this case, the story is narrated by Danny Boyle, a summer temporary and twenty-four-year-old member of the Sea Haven police department. Sea Haven is an island just off the coast of New Jersey, swamped by tourists during the summer who arrive for sun and fun on the pristine beaches. Danny narrates the exploits of one John Ceepak, a former MP in the army, and presently Danny's superior.

Tilt a Whirl isn't about an amusement park, although the murder takes place there. Initially, as John and Danny are eating breakfast at a pancake place, Ashley Hart, a thirteen-year-old girl, runs screaming into the street from Sunnyside Playland (a rather tacky amusement park) saying her father has been shot dead on the Tilt A Whirl. Ashley is covered with blood. Her father, Reginald Hart, happened to be one of the richest men around, owning at least half of Sea Haven.

Clues lead Ceepak to a druggie called Squeegee. And the novel takes off from there, also implicating a man named Mendez and his cronies. It doesn't help that a slobby schmuck named Slominsky is the first one in charge of the investigation, or that the mayor of Sea Haven wants the case cleared up pronto to get the tourist trade back, or that Mr. Hart's attorney happen to be already on the scene for a real estate transaction. Neither does the current Mrs. Hart seem as grief-stricken as she might be under the circumstances.

When Tilt A Whirl eventually comes to its surprising end, you realize you might have been on a similar amusement park ride with the plot's twists and unexpected turns. It's a book well titled – even if it IS about New Jersey! (I was born there, so I'm free to gripe about the place).

Chris Grabenstein has proven himself an excellent new voice in the murder-mystery field, and we'll look forward to his next offering. As I understand it, Mr. Grabenstein intends to use John Ceepak as his main protagonist in a series, probably with Danny Boyle once more as his sidekick. Shades of Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Not at all a bad example to follow!

Alan Paul Curtis

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