WINNER ANTHONY AWARD "BEST FIRST MYSTERY!"
"Just like the amusement ride it's named after, TILT-A-WHIRL spins with brisk twists and exciting turns as it veers off into still another plot tendril. This debut hits just the right tone, melding a multilayered plot that is equally action-packed and poignant, hard-hitting and funny, sarcastic and serious, sometimes all in the same paragraph." The Sun-Sentinel
There isn't much fun in the sun when a billionaire real estate tycoon is found murdered on the Tilt-A-Whirl at a seedy seaside amusement park in the otherwise quiet tourist town of Sea Haven, New Jersey.
John Ceepak, a former MP back from Iraq who lives his life by a strict code of honor, has just joined the Sea Haven Police Department. The job offer came from an old Army buddy who wanted to give him at least a summer's worth of R&R to escape the horrors of war.
Instead, Ceepak heads up the murder investigation. He is partnered with Danny Boyle, a 24-year-old, part-time cop who doesn't carry a gun and only works with the police by day so he has enough pocket money to play with his beach buddies by night.
In the first novel in a new series with echoes of Carl Hiaasen and John D. MacDonald, the Tilt-A-Whirl murder pushes Ceepak's deep sense of honor to the limits as unexpected twists and turns keep the truth spinning wildly in every direction.
Tilt-A-Whirl made many Best Mysteries of 2005 lists: The Sun-Sentinel, Detroit Free Press, The Christian Science Monitor, Barnes&Noble.com, BookBitch.com and more!
"Chris Grabenstein's TILT-A-WHIRL is a fast-paced thrill ride with lots of twists and turns and good writing from start to finish!"
—JAMES PATTERSON
"There's fireworks down the Jersey shore in this first book in a promising series."
—KIRKUS REVIEWS
"From page 1, this debut stands out as refreshingly different. Billed as the first entry in Grabenstein's Jersey Shore series, the story is set in Sea Haven, a town that will stir memories for East Coasters who went "down the Shore" each summer. The story centers on the murder of real-estate tycoon Reggie Hart, who was shot in front of his teenage daughter, Ashley. Danny Boyle, a 24-year-old "summer cop" encounters the hysterical girl while on patrol with his partner, John Ceepak, an ex-soldier who has returned from Iraq with some demons left to exorcise. Although Grabenstein crafts a first-rate mystery, what makes this novel special is its two protagonists. With young Boyle narrating, the reader gets to know Ceepak gradually, through his partner's eyes. At first Ceepak's personal code of honor only amuses or annoys the cynical Boyle. But as he (and we) get to know the former soldier, the portrait of a true hero emerges. Grabenstein brilliantly evokes the endearing seediness of a Jersey Shore town in summer but it's his development of the Ceepak-Boyle relationship that makes this an absolute triumph."
—BOOKLIST (Starred Review!)
"Thoughtful, funny and exciting debut."
—DICK ADLER, THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE
"Just like the amusement ride it's named after, TILT-A-WHIRL spins with brisk twists and exciting turns as it veers off into still another plot tendril. This debut from former advertising executive Chris Grabenstein hits just the right tone, melding a multilayered plot that is equally action-packed and poignant, hard-hitting and funny, sarcastic and serious, sometimes all in the same paragraph."
—OLINE COGDILL, THE SUN-SENTINEL (Voted One Of The Best Mysteries of 2005!)
"Funny, smart, and smoothly written, TILT-A-WHIRL is all kinds of twisty fun."
—THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR (Voted One Of The Best Mysteries of 2005!)
"This is a fun and fast-paced tale. The ending is as unexpected and shocking as a ride on the actual contraption, and the denouement is sure to leave readers with a glow. Two thumbs up; You go, Grabenstein!"
—WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL
"Briskly paced, well plotted, and narrated with a cynical humor that makes it a real joy to read."
—RON BERNAS, THE DETROIT FREE PRESS (Voted One Of The Best Mysteries of 2005!)
"Full of unpredictable twists and turns. There's plenty of fizz in the chemistry between the two protagonists to keep the novel and the reader spinning."
—BOSTON GLOBE
"Grabenstein, a former advertising executive, writes punchy prose, tells a fast-paced story and leavens an essentially horrifying plot with humor... Ceepak and Boyle are likable characters, and Grabenstein's vision of the Jersey shore is priceless."
—RICHMOND TIMES DISPATCH
"A small treasure. A wealth of characters with more depth than the genre often offers."
—TAMPA TRIBUNE
