FREE FALL

In the characters of Ceepak and Danny, Grabenstein has, with a sure hand, brought to life over the course of the series two of the most interesting, multi-faceted protagonists in modern crime fiction. Readers new to Sea Haven will find ready-made friends they'll feel as though they've known forever.

“I didn’t do it!” Cops hear it all the time. But when the plea comes from a close friend who’s fallen on hard times, it’s tough to ignore, especially for wise-cracking Danny Boyle and straight-arrow cop John Ceepak — now Chief of Detectives. At the start of another action-packed summer down the Jersey Shore they vow to help Danny’s friend, a young nurse who claims she has been falsely accused. But are they her saviors or did they just help a friend get away with murder? Engaging mysteries each with a title named for a beloved amusement park ride notwithstanding, it has always been the characters of Ceepak and Danny themselves that truly set Grabenstein's Jersey Shore series apart from run of the mill crime fiction. Sure, they're easy to describe in broad brush terms for a book jacket - Ceepak the straight-laced, by-the-book former Military Police Officer, Danny the young, wisecracking local who got into part-time law enforcement on a whim. But there is so much more going on. Over the course of the series we learn about the chaos in Ceepak's early life that drove him into the military and shaped him into a man who craves extreme order as a means to feel in control of his life. We also see glimpses into the darkness that lurks beneath Ceepak's ordered surface, reminding readers that he's much more than the "Dudley Do-Right" his foes often describe him as. Likewise, Danny shows himself to be more than a wisecracking side-kick. Initially only caring about his part-time job with the Sea Haven PD because "chicks dig the cop cap," Danny has grows to appreciate and take pride in his individual role as a police officer, as well as his status as Ceepak's partner. He also grows into a formidable investigator in his own right, and the events that unfold in each novel set the stage for Danny to take a tremendous step forward in his maturation as both a police officer and a man.