Hell Hole

A John Ceepak Mystery

By: Chris Grabenstein

Narrated by: Jeff Woodman

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Hell Hole is the fourth book in the mystery series featuring hardened former military PD and current Sea Haven, New Jersey, police officer John Ceepak and his partner, wise-cracking Danny Boyle.

In Hell Hole, Ceepak is confronted with his most personal case yet when he must investigate the alleged suicide of a military corporal who recently returned from Iraq. When it turns out that this "locked stall" rest-stop suicide is anything but an open-and-shut case, Ceepak and Boyle realize that the corporal might have been privy to information that opens up a much larger conspiracy - one that strikes at the heart of our involvement in the Middle East and puts them on the wrong side of some very unpleasant people.

Don't miss other adventures featuring Sea Haven's finest, including (in order) Tilt-a-Whirl, Mad Mouse, and Whack-a-Mole.

©2008 Chris Grabenstein (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Grabenstein again shows his intimate knowledge of Jersey shore towns, whose populations swell in the summer....But this series offers far more than a beach-book romp; Hell Hole is taut and satisfying crime fiction." (Booklist)
"Hell Hole - named after an amusement park ride, like his other novels - moves at a brisk pace...The relationship between John and Danny, how each grows and learns from each other, continues to be the heart of Grabenstein's four novels." (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
"Jeff Woodman's natural exuberance is a fine fit for Hell Hole's ingenuous, smart-alecky cop, Danny Boyle....Additionally, Woodman creates a perfect foil in Boyle's NJPD partner, hard-nosed, by-the-book John Ceepak....Chris Grabenstein writes a tight, well-constructed mystery, and Woodman's performance keeps the interest high and the listening upbeat." (AudioFile)

Just Plain Fun

I find this series to be a bit on the light side as but they are a guilty pleasure. In this one we meet Ceepak's father and learn a bit more of his background with one heck of a surprise from his past.

The main story is about the murder of a soldier that was set up to look like a suicide. It keeps moving along pretty well with the usual humorous viewpoints pointed out by Danny.

Again, nothing super on the thriller/dramatic side but lots of fun to listen to.

This was the first time I met Danny & Ceepak

Any additional comments?

This is actually the first story I listened to from Mr. Chris Grabenstein and I'm so glad I didn't pass this story up.

I love how the mystery has some deeply dark undertones and is unbelievably disturbing as the mystery unfolds but Danny Boyle makes listening to this story worthwhile. Although I love Ceepak's set of rules and no none sense set of morales just as much.

I felt so broken hearted with this story because some Soldiers are just not strong enough to make it once they finally make it home. This story really touched me but you have to love Officer Danny Boyle and his quick witted personality.

Of course Jeff Woodsman brings every character to life beautifully and some comically.

Definitely one of the best crime mysteries I've listened to in a while, well except for the other stories in this series which are just fabulous too!

A highly likable team and an interesting mystery

Excellent reader, good story; police team near the beach. Serious, but incorporates humor. I love the series.

Entertaining And A Delightful Distraction

Wonderful distraction from a world going mad. Definitely recommend this book and the series. Fantastic narration.

Grabenstein turns out another great one

I really like Grabenstein's books. They are suspensful and interesting but not in a creepy way. The background characters are interesting and cover the real life spectrum. Having spent lots of time in beach communities I can see how these characters could be among us.

Juvenile and obviously biased..

Would you try another book from Chris Grabenstein and/or Jeff Woodman?

Juvenile and obviously biased fairytale about shadowy government and military figures--with plot to cover up war crimes in order to further political career.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Predictable.

Was Hell Hole worth the listening time?

Not for me.

Always Enjoy!!

This is one of my go-to series--and this installment did not disappoint.

The police detective team of John Ceepak and Danny Boyle continue to solve crimes and keep the peace in the resort town of Sea Haven, New Jersey. This story involved the suicide of a soldier recently home from a tour of duty in Iraq. But as usual, all is not as it seems.

I would classify this genre as light mystery, but I realized the crimes involved are not so "light". But the author's style of writing keeps the stories from being gruesome. The mysteries are always well constructed, start to finish. And the series' narrator, the multi-talented Jeff Woodman, is second to none.

As always, I highly recommend this book, as well as the entire John Ceepak series!

The More I Listen The More I Like

I'm still not thrilled with all the foul language. That said, I really like these stories, and love John Ceepak and Danny Boyle. The narrator is perfect. The way he does the different voices, you can picture each person. I've never read the books, but in my opinion, the narrator makes them just that much better.

How can a murder mystery be so entertaining?

Chris Grabenstein is a story telling expert who creates laughs one minute and horror the next, and then more laughs. And Jeff Woodman's narration makes the characters alive and likable, except for the dead ones and the bad guys.

Please Keep Them Coming!

Love the stories.
Love the characters.
Love the narrator.
Hope there will be many, many more.