Mad Mouse

John Ceepak, Book 2

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Mad Mouse

By: Chris Grabenstein

Narrated by: Jeff Woodman

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About this listen

It's almost Labor Day, and the end of summer could mean the end of someone's life in this exciting sequel to Chris Grabenstein's Tilt-a-Whirl.

Young Danny Boyle, the part-time summer cop "down the shore" in Sea Haven, New Jersey, gets taken on a wild ride when he and his longtime beach buddies become the unwitting targets of a madman's twisted scheme for revenge. Fortunately, John Ceepak, the cop with a soldier's unshakable code of honor, stays at Danny's side to help him negotiate the quick twists and turns that threaten to destroy his life, his friends, and everything about the world he loves.

Whipping from the boardwalk to the beach and back again, Mad Mouse keeps zigging and zagging at a breakneck pace, all the way to the surprising finish.

Mystery

Police Procedural

Suspense

Thriller & Suspense

Fiction

Summer

Exciting

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Critic reviews

"With agile humor, neat plotting, unexpected sweetness, and an irresistible duo, Grabenstein offers a hip new form of cozy." (Booklist)
"Likable good guys, plausible bad guys, a sensible plot and a supple prose style that moves from breezy to poignant." (Kirkus Reviews)

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When summer cop Danny Boyle and his friends decide to party on the beach late one night, they fall victim to what seems at first like a practical joke as someone starts firing paintballs at them. The police would probably dismiss the incident as a bunch of kids on a prank except that Sea Haven’s big Labor Day beach party is due in a few days and they don’t want anything to happen that might put off the mass influx of tourists the town is hoping for. So Danny’s partner and mentor, John Ceepak, is detailed to find out who’s behind the attack and prevent a repeat. But then there’s another attack and it seems that this time the intention is to do serious harm, and it looks like Danny and his friends are the specific target. Will Ceepak and Danny be able to stop the attacks before someone gets seriously hurt? And will Sea Haven be safe for the thousands of people descending on its beach and boardwalk?

This is the second in this now long-running series. Although John Ceepak takes top billing, the series is as much about young Danny, who is our narrator. He’s still a temporary cop taken on for the summer months in this one, but he’s hopeful he’ll get a permanent job at the end of the season. He’s still partnered with Ceepak whom he rather hero-worships. But Ceepak is a worthy hero! An army vet who lived through some harrowing times in the Iraq war, he has a strong personal code of honour – he will not lie or cheat and expects the same standards from those around him. He is totally dedicated to his job, working within the rules at all times. He might be very irritating, in fact, except that his efficiency makes him a good officer while his generosity, loyalty and kindness make him a good man. For Danny, he’s like a surrogate big brother, someone to look up to and emulate.

Both Danny and Ceepak have romantic interests in this one. This works well at humanising Ceepak, who can occasionally seem a little robotic otherwise. Danny doesn’t need humanising – he’s a fun character and a very likeable narrator. A local who grew up in Sea Haven and knows everyone, he’s one of those easy-going types who makes friends easily and keeps them. Like Ceepak, he’s fundamentally a good guy who cares about other people and wants to do the right thing. But he lacks experience so needs Ceepak’s guidance in the job and even, to a degree, in life.

It transpires that someone may be out for revenge for something that happened in the past, but unfortunately Danny and his friends can’t recall what they may have done to provoke such vengeance. While they try hard to remember whom they might have crossed, the seriousness of the attacks keeps increasing until eventually someone is murdered.

I said this about the first book too, but while the overall tone is of a cosy – seaside resort town, likeable characters who behave well, small town relationships, touch of romance – there’s an odd jarring element that doesn’t quite let the books sit comfortably in that category. The plots are a little darker than I think of as “cosy” although this one isn’t quite as dark as Tilt-a-Whirl, and sometimes the victim isn’t as “disposable” as cosy victims usually are. The other element is that Grabenstein peppers the books liberally with entirely unnecessary F-bombs. In this one he goes even further, using the C-word more than once (my personal pet hate and more or less a red line for me). It’s a complete misfit with the overall style and tone of the books, and is the single reason for me deducting a star.

Apart from those niggles, though, this is another entertaining story and both Ceepak and Danny continue to be likeable characters. The narrator, Jeff Woodman, is excellent and the books work very well in audio format (other than the swearing issue which always stands out even more in audio than on the page). The plot gets a little unbelievable in the end, but not so much so that I couldn’t go along for the ride. And it all ends up in a thriller-style ending with plenty of danger and suspense. I’ll be looking forward to taking another trip to Sea Haven in the not-too-distant future.

Not quite cosy…