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Mystery columnist
Oline H. Cogdill
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A tale of two cops at the seaside
Published December 25, 2005
Tilt A Whirl. Chris Grabenstein. Carroll & Graf. $23.95. 336 pp.
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. But despite
the well-honed humor, Tilt A Whirl ultimately is about people traumatized by violence, whether on the battlefield or at home.
Set in a resort in a New Jersey town, Tilt A Whirl introduces
two cops who couldn't be more different and who we hope will be around
for several novels. John Ceepak is a by-the-book, humorless cop whose
emotional scars from the battlefields of Iraq have left him with more
than a few "issues." Danny Boyle takes a job as "a summer cop" just so
he'll have some extra money for beer; he doesn't have a lot of
ambition, certainly not the "code" that Ceepak lives by. Heck, Danny
isn't even allowed to carry a gun, he's that little of a cop.
The
two officers will learn just what they are made of when a billionaire
developer is killed and his teenage daughter -- the only witness to the
murder -- is kidnapped.
Grabenstein keeps the reader off kilter as Tilt A Whirl maintains
its fast pace while exploring these most interesting characters. The
author, who also was a stand-up comedian and wrote comedy skits, knows
just when to ladle on the humor and when to pull back.
Reporter's investigation
Sacred Cows. Karen E. Olson. Mysterious Press. $21.95. 304 pp.
Anne
Seymour's job as a police reporter in New Haven, Conn., has grown
stale. She's tired of the changes in management, of finding herself at
thirtysomething as part of the old guard at the New Haven Herald and of
whining about her life. "I was getting too cynical, even for me," she
laments.
Her latest assignment, covering the murder of a Yale
coed, could be either a routine story or a career maker. But the way
it's looking, it may be a career breaker as the paper's top brass, the
university and the cops don't want bad publicity about Yale on the
front page. As she uncovers an escort service that uses college
students, Anne also has to fend off a mysterious private detective, a
young reporter desperate for bylines and an editor who wants her to
cover the parade of fiberglass cows set up throughout the city.
Author
Karen E. Olson delivers a lively plot, a likable heroine and good wit
in her debut. Olson, who is the travel editor at the New Haven Register, also delivers a realistic view of the newspaper business, her community and its dependence on Yale in Sacred Cows.
This
sense of realism helps shape a heroine we'll look forward to visiting
with again. Olson nails Anne's complicated, imperfect life, her edgy
relationship with one of the cops assigned to the case and her fears
that she has hit a dead end in her career and personal life. But Olson
overuses a couple of character traits: Anne's prodigious use of the
f-bomb gets weary and her habit of pulling each outfit out of the
laundry basket is even more tiresome. Has she not heard that some
laundromats have drop-off service?
With Sacred Cows,
Olson became the winner of the first Sara Ann Freed Memorial Award,
named for an editor at Mysterious Press famous for discovering new
talent. Sacred Cows is a fitting memory for the late Freed and should signal a long career for Olson.
Hitch a thrilling ride
Wolf Point. Edward Falco. Unbridled. $23.95. 234 pp.
Don't
hitchhike and never pick up hitchhikers -- good advice that's hammered
into us from childhood. Dire, sometimes fatal, things can happen when
you pick up strangers, like in Wolf Point.
Tom "T"
Walker doesn't care about stranger danger, or playing it safe. Because
of what he calls "an accident," he's lost his family, his high-paying
job and his home. All he has left is some cash he's hidden away and his
SUV. So he almost welcomes any chaos that might come when he picks up a
pretty, young hitchhiker and her rather scary-looking companion.
Chaos comes in waves when the three of them end up at a remote cabin
after the hitchhikers' plan to rob "T" goes awry. As the three settle
into a oddly domestic ritual, the threat of violence simmers just below
the surface. Yet, none of the three -- especially "T" -- seems capable
of leaving.
In Wolf Point, Edward Falco sets up an
intriguing view of tattered lives, isolated from society and adrift.
Falco makes each character realistic and worth caring about. The author
avoids cliches as he delves into each person's psyche. Wolf Point is
a talky mystery -- the main action occurs as the three character
divulge their pasts, hopes and fears -- but the twists that arise
during these conversations are haunting; and the author never lets us
forget that brutality and destruction may be just around the corner.
Falco, a short-story writer and instructor at Virginia Tech, delivers a polished foray in his first mystery. Wolf Point never lags as it screeches to its surprise ending.
Oline H. Cogdill can be reached at ocogdill@sun-sentinel.com.
Copyright © 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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