Hell Hole: A John Ceepak Mystery

I've read all of the Ceepak Mysteries and was not disappointed by Hell Hole. The anticipation and mystery unfolds at a nice pace and I really enjoyed the ending. Based on the ending, I'm looking forward to the next book. Of course, I always enjoy Jeff Woodman's narration too.

If you are a John Ceepak fan, you have to listen to this book. It isn't as good as the first three books (mainly because there is less Ceepak and more Danny Boyle) but Grabenstein still spins out a smart, funny and dependably entertaining story

This is an excellent addition to this series. It has the same tone and humor and setting as the first 3 books but the story has a bit more punch to it (i.e., it's quite "serious" in nature, and believable, and... well, kinda sad too).

It's probably a bit far-fetched in that I don't think so many people in real life would be complicit in such bad goings-on, but it's all believable within the story, and very suspenseful...

It's fast and enjoyable - though I think it has more swearing than the other books so that might put some people off, but it all fit with the storyline. The narration is very well done.

The mystery itself is pretty good, but the dialog is unbelievably bad. Danny Boyle talks like a teenager who is immature for his age. I don't know what Cheepak is supposed to be like, but he talks like a computer with a limited set of stock answers to all questions and situations. Even when Cheepak encounters his father, where there ought to be some emotion, he has none. It's like a comic book. Very good, Danny! Wow, how did Cheepak figure that out? Use logic, Danny! Here's a pat on your head, Danny. The narrator turns Cheepak into a blockhead, but I cannot fault him too much. He isn't given much to work with. The whole is LESS than the sum of each part. I will not be reading any more in this series.

I really enjoyed this one as I did the three that preceded it. I thought it was very well thought out and it left me going until the very end. I think Grabenstein gets better at this with each Ceepak mystery he writes. I highly recommend this. I'm going back to read Hell for the Holidays but hope that Grabenstein releases his next Ceepak mystery real soon!

The story line in Woodman's latest effort develops and culminates better than any of the previous books.
Very entertaining and good fun.
Jeff Woodman, again, is absolutely brilliant in his portraying of the characters!
I can enjoy listening pretty much anything if the narrator does it right, and Woodman makes all the right choices - so good I forget he's reading. It's like watching a brilliant actor, forgetting they are reciting a script, and really believing in the character.
If you like a listen for the good narration, this series is a must.

This is a fun series to listen to -- Jeff Woodman does an amazing job with all of the different voices required and really distinguishes them. I have to laugh when I think of some of them.

I can't remember how I found these -- probably through a Kindle bargain day where I could get a an amazing deal on the audio, too. I listened first to one of the later books from the series, but then wanted to hear them from the beginning, so I am working my way through them. The books are named for amusement park rides found at many Jersey Shore boardwalk amusement piers

Grabenstein does bring the listener into the fold in each book by explaining a bit about the main characters and the setting. The two main characters are straight-arrow John Cepak and his young sidekick Danny Boyle, cops in the town of "Sea Haven" New Jersey, which is a south Jersey town at the shore that's a cross between Seaside Heights, Beach Haven, and Wildwood. So they can be read as stand-alones, but why do that when you can enjoy following the relationship of these two cops and their adventures from their first months on duty?

Hell Hole is a more complex mystery and a bit darker than the first books, and the puzzle here is not so much whodunit but HOW-dunit. The language is not for the faint of heart, because this tale is peopled with a lot of young Army guys who do not mince words and some additional characters who use the F-word as their choice of language for about one third of the words out of their mouths (one of which is a salty older lady, by the way). It's actually pretty funny, if you don't mind that sort of thing, since it helps paint pictures of these characters.

I won't say more about the story except to recommend this one, and tell you if you want to start from the first in the series, it's called Tilt-a-Whirl.

A great mix of intrigue, comedy and jersey shore which helps take the reader to the beach. Chris Grabenstein does an excellent job of capturing the essence of the Jersey Shore in this well written story which takes more turns than a mad mouse. Grab some scrapple and settle in for a fun ride!

The Ceepak series is one of those where the narrator adds another whole dimension. I think this series is so much more enjoyable as an audio book because of Mr. Woodman's excellent performance.

It's nice to have a series that doesn't disappoint and here is one. This, I think, is book five (or maybe four) but so far it hasn't let me down. Great characters with interesting interactions. Start with book one and you'll enjoy seeing the protagonists grow.

This episode involves Ceepak and Boyle, but the murder/suicide is not in Sea Haven jurisdiction. However, Ceepak finds a way to follow the clues and uncover the truth behind the death. Several of the circumstances are more disturbing than in earlier books, but Ceepak and Boyle are still fun to accompany on their sleuthing.

As always, Jeff Woodman has the characters perfect!