New Author Discovered Recently.

I am always excited when I discover an author previously unknown to me,especially if they have a series. It gives me the wonderful opportunity of meeting new characters and with every subsequent novel watch them evolve into full-fleshed  beings. Recently I discovered, via the Stillwater Public Library, Chris Grabenstein and his wonderful mysteries. Mr. Grabenstein's novels take place on the very picturesque and quirky Jersey Shore. (Absolutely no relation to the inane TV show of the same name.) The stories take place on or around the boardwalk and the titles are named after rides; TILT A WHIRL, ROLLING THUNDER, MAD MOUSE, etc.etc.. The two main protagonists, John Ceepak and Danny Boyle , are likable and endearing. There is a hint of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin  in their character personalities. I also found a little bit of Bertie Wooster in Danny's personality. Danny Boyle acts as the narrator and foil to the somewhat tightly wound John Ceepak, a veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. The plots are very well thought out and tightly woven, something many mysteries do not have in today's over saturation of the genre. Mr. Grabenstein's mystery novels would appeal to those who like a tightly crafted plot, a generous dose of humor and characters one wants to get to know better. I so enjoyed these books, I ended up reading all of them within a 10 day time span. They are that good and that addicting. I would highly recommend this author and his series to anyone who likes a good yarn and well-developed characters. Start with TILT A WHIRL as it is first in the series.