Ceepak is a member of a club, The Sea Haven Treasure Hunter Society. The club has a number of members, local residents who use metal detectors to locate objects in the sand. Ceepak found a Class of 1983 ring. Ceepak, being Ceepak, tracked down the owner. When Ceepak and Danny return it to him, they learn he’s never been in Sea Haven. He’d given it to his girlfriend, Lisa, whom he hadn’t seen in years. When they interview Lisa’s mother, she tells them she hasn’t seen or heard from her daughter in twenty-four years.

This is just the first of several ghoulish clues to surface. Is it possible that young women have disappeared without a trace from Sea Haven? And nobody noticed? Why are all these objects just now being found? Are more young women at risk right now?

Whack A Mole is the third in the author’s John Ceepak mystery series. From the publication of the first book, Tilt A Whirl, I’ve been a big fan of this series. The plots are inventive, the setting ‘down the shore’ (it doesn’t sound so awkward if you’re from the region) is authentic, and the characters are among the best to arrive in popular fiction in a long time.

Ceepak and Danny are a classic ‘Odd Couple’ pairing. Ceepak is older, wiser, with a certain inflexibility. He’s involved in a relationship with a single mother, Rita Lapczynski. Danny is younger, still finding his way, easily distracted by a pretty girl. Their mutual friendship is very convincing. These characters are truly admirable, likeable, and even touching. The strong character development is never buried by the deepening mystery plot.

The neon color book jackets and the carnival-ride titles hint that these aren’t the usual police procedural novels. A thread of humor runs through all the story lines. But this isn’t one of those books where the humor overwhelms any attempt at a well-plotted mystery; Whack A Mole’s mystery story line is worthy of attention from the most devoted armchair detective.

Whack A Mole is the third book in the series, and the characters have already been established. It stands on its own, but because the characters are first introduced in Tilt A Whirl, I recommend starting with it. The series is too enjoyable not to enjoy all of the books.

Chris Grabenstein has a created wonderful characters and a great mystery series. I’m looking forward to the next installment.

--Lesley Dunlap