Saturday, February 1, 2014

Book Review: Poison Town by Creston Mapes

Poison Town
By Creston Mapes
Publisher: David C. Cook
Published: Feb. 1, 2014
ASIN: B00GNOCIPM

Amazon Synopsis:

There's More Than One Kind of Poison in This Town
People are sick and dying. Rumors are swirling. Some claim chemicals leaking from a manufacturing plant are causing the cancer that's crippling people on the poor side of Trenton City, Ohio. Yet nothing at the plant appears amiss. The problem remains a mystery until reporter Jack Crittendon's long-time mechanic falls ill and he investigates. Soon Jack becomes engulfed in a smokescreen of lies, setups, greed, and scandal. The 
deeper he digs, the more toxic the corruption he uncovers. As he faces off with the big-time players behind the scenes and tries to beat the clock before more people die, he realizes the chillingly unthinkable--he knows too much. 

Book Links
Amazon  *  B&N  *  Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Poison Town is the second book in the Crittendon Files series. It can be read as a stand-alone novel. Jack Crittendon is the main character. He is a journalist with the daily paper in Trenton City. A friend of his falls ill and rumors abound that the cause of the illness and the illness of many on that side of town is from the chemical emissions from the fiberglass plant on that side of town. Jack wants to do an investigative piece for the paper, but his editor is resistant. But Jack is like a dog with a bone and won’t let it go, and begins investigating one his own.

This was a very good book from the start. It is current in its theme and relevant to society today. Creston Mapes has a beautiful way of intertwining two stories together to develop his characters and help us understand and empathize with them. In this book, Granger Meade returns to town after being released from prison for kidnapping Pam, Jack’s wife. Jack is angry, fearful and wants revenge. Pam has come to terms with what has happened. The interpersonal relationship between Jack and his wife is realistic and adds to the stress of the situation of the main story.

I really enjoyed the plot of this novel. There were characters who were involved in things that were totally unexpected, yet not totally out of character. I really enjoyed that Mr. Mapes wrote his book in such a way that I could totally agree with Jack that something fishy was going on and when Jack was trying to convince someone else who wouldn’t believe him, I would get frustrated with that character just as Jack did.

Jack’s character was believable. Most Christians go through periods of doubt, or backsliding or times when they are just far away from God. The same is true of Jack Crittendon. Due to the kidnapping situation his wife was in previously, Jack had drifted away from God and that was part of the reason he and his wife were not in sync with one another. I really appreciated that this novel was able to demonstrate what happens when a person gets themselves right with God. The rest of his/her life falls back into place. And while it’s true that not all things work out perfectly every time, fortunately for Jack, everything turned out well this time.

Poison Town moved along at a good pace. It was an exciting book to read – another one of those books that keeps you up all night because you can’t put it down. There will be a third book to the Crittendon Files and I look forward to it being released in the fall!  

Another reason to give kudos to the author: there was no foul language in the book and no scenes with sexual content.

I gave this book 5 stars out of 5.


Thank you to the publishers , David C. Cook for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

About the Author:

A journalist, copywriter, and editor, Creston works from his home-office in Atlanta for some of the nation's top media companies, Christian ministries, and nationally-recognized corporations, including Chick-fil-A, Coke, ABC-TV, and The Weather Channel. In addition to Creston's novels and freelance writing, he has ghostwritten and edited seven non-fiction titles. 

Creston is married to his hometown sweetheart, Patty. They have a close-knit family, with four great children, several pets, and a growing number of cars.

Author Links
Website  *  Facebook  *  Twitter  *  Goodreads

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