Tilt-a-Whirl | 
| Author: Chris Grabenstein
Publisher: Carroll & Graf
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $10.23
You Save: $4.72 (32%)
New (5) Used (7) from $5.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 1096724
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 321
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.9
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
ASIN: B0012BR8LK
Publication Date: April 24, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
There isn't much sun in the fun when a billionaire real estate tycoon is found murdered on the Tilt-A-Whirl at a seedy seaside amusement park in the otherwise quiet summer tourist town of Sea Haven. John Ceepak, a former MP just back from Iraq, has just joined the Sea Haven police department. The job offer came from an old army buddy who hoped to give Ceepak at least a summer's worth of rest and relaxation to help him forget the horrors of war. Instead, Ceepak will head up the murder investigation. He is partnered with Danny Boyle, a 24-year-old, part-time summer cop who doesn't carry a gun and only works with the police by day so he has enough pocket money left over to play with his beach buddies by night. In the first novel in a new series written in the spirit of Carl Hiaasen's work, the Tilt-A-Whirl murder pushes Ceepak's deep sense of honor and integrity to the limits as unexpected twists and turns keep the truth spinning wildly in every direction.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
 Annoying February 1, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
A painful narrator, a cardboard hero and a ridiculous set-up are the reasons to jump to the end. The ending is no surprise. But the characters are absurd. Don't waste your time.
 Reviewed for Midwest Book Review November 4, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Danny Boyle, part-time cop for the Sea Haven, New Jersey police department, has been partnered for the summer with John Ceepak, former military policeman in Iraq. Danny is bemused by Ceepak, a man of integrity and principles, who lives by what Danny calls the Code, meaning he does not break the law or bend rules in any way. Reginald Hart, a billionaire businessman, is shot at point blank while talking to his daughter on the Turtle Tilt a Whirl in their small town's amusement park. Since Danny and Ceepak are first on the scene, their police chief designates Ceepak to head the investigation into Hart's murder. Hart's ex-wife is quickly ruled out and the investigators are looking in the direction of Latino gang members. But when a homeless drug addict called Squeegee kidnaps Hart's daughter and demands ransom, they're hot on his trail.
Tilt a Whirl is the first in a new series by Chris Grabenstein, and if this is any indication of future stories, the series is sure to be a hit. Written in a witty style, with characters that demand inclusion in future books, this twisting, turning mystery will keep the reader thoroughly entertained.
Murder and Fun at the Jersey Shore August 23, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Chris Grabenstein's series of mysteries set at the Jersey Shore is a great fun collection. The narrator's relaxed style creates a special insight into the hero (the narrator's police partner). I enjoyed this series so much, I bought it for my local library.
Took me back . . . June 29, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
....to summers spent at the Jersey Shore. Or the Maryland or Delaware Shores. Maybe Sea Haven is a universal Shore town, but those are the areas I'm familiar with from long ago summers and the positioning of the mystery was half the fun for me. I expected some crime or military "experts" to be in here complaining about accuracy, which I know little about. It felt like it was inaccurate, but that doesn't bother me unless I'm trying to read a review that picks apart every detail. I listened to the downloadable audio version and the narrator, Jeff Woodman is really great, although I didn't think so at first. Danny is our narrating character, but the dialog covers many voices and Woodman uses a Sgt Joe Friday ("Just the facts, ma'am") voice for John Ceepak that was jarring at first but is absolutely perfect after you get used to it. Many of the characters were overdrawn small town stereotypes, but I don't mean that as a criticism. They belonged there. I wanted to kill the mayor, or at least lock him up for his constant "Have a sunny, funderful day!!!" and his "keep the tourists happy at all costs" attitude. He's perfect. I immediately got and listened to the next two books, and am wondering how I'll wait until Summer 2008 for the next installment.
I am looking forward to the next one! May 4, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Tilt A Whirl is Grabenstein's first book featuring police officer John Ceepak and his partner, part-time Summer cop Danny Boyle. The two of them work in the small New Jersey resort town of Sea Haven. While eating breakfast one morning, they see a girl standing in the street covered in blood. Her wealthy father has been fatally shot while sitting on the Tilt A Whirl at the amusement park. Ceepak, who has recently returned from the war in Iraq, has a soft spot for children in need and vows to protect the girl and find her father's killer.
I must confess that I read Gravenstein's second book (Whack A Mole) in this series first and came back to read this one. Tilt A Whirl shows how Ceepak came to Sea Haven and sets up the hero/sidekick relationship between Ceepak and Danny Boyle. The story is told from Boyle's point of view and he sees Ceepak as somewhat larger than life. Compared to Ceepak, Danny looks like a screw-up. Grabenstein does a great job of describing Danny as a young man who grew up at the beach and still hangs out there with his friends - a young man without ambition until he meets Ceepak. And when he believes that his hero has done something wrong, Grabenstein writes of his disappointment simply but powerfully.
I tend to dislike books in which children are victims. I think authors often use children gratuitously for extra shock value. But Grabenstein doesn't run rampant here. He has incorporated Ceepak's special need to help children into his character background and makes it believable. Ceepak is a character who has been through the emotional wringer and is doing the best he can to solve the problems put in front of him, in accordance with his personal code of conduct.
I have enjoyed both of Grabenstein's books and am looking forward to the next one, Mad Mouse. If you are interested in reading them, start with Tilt A Whirl. It is a little bit more serious than Whack A Mole (in which Grabenstein's history in comedy is a little more apparent) but give you good background information. There are also some events mentioned in Whack A Mole that happen in Tilt A Whirl and you will understand the references if you read the books in order.
Favorite character? Danny Boyle. Did I guess it? Yes. Will I read another? Definitely.
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