Poison Town

December 2, 2013
The follow-up to the first (Fear Has a Name) in Mapes’ Crittendon Files series is filled with incongruous twists and turns, peppered with tepid suspense and stereotypical dialogue. Jack Crittendon, reporter, husband, father of two, is recovering from the aftermath of his wife’s kidnapping and struggling with his faith when a chance encounter with old friends leads him to the story of a lifetime—a local manufacturer is poisoning not only its workers, but the people who live in the surrounding Ohio city. With the help of his co-worker Derrick and the support of his family, he must bring those behind the environmental misdeeds to justice before time runs out. By using multiple narrative viewpoints, Mapes provides critical insight into secondary characters, allowing for the story to proceed at a steady pace. But character interactions are stilted, and a contrived ending rounds out a lackluster novel. Agency: Natasha Kern Literary Agency.

February 15, 2014

Something is very wrong on the east side of Trenton City. Reporter Jack Crittendon stumbles upon a big story while dropping his car off to be fixed with the Randalls. The mechanics claim that the Daimler-Vargus plant behind their property is poisoning people with its airborne fiberglass pollutants and that their father, Galen, has the inside scoop. Investigators from the EPA have not found any wrongdoing, but people keep dying. When a hospitalized Galen is poisoned by a mysterious man in black, Jack is driven to find out the truth--if it doesn't kill him first. Mapes (Nobody; Fear Has a Name) has written a riveting story with well-drawn, quirky characters. This tension-filled tale will leave readers spellbound, wondering if one person can really fight a corporation and make a difference. Can faith in the face of fear give one the courage to do the right thing, regardless of the cost? VERDICT A roller-coaster ride of a thriller with strong protagonists and a story line that hits very close to home. Recommended for fans of Jonathan Harr's A Civil Action and of Erin Brockovich (Rock Bottom; Hot Water).

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 26, 2014
The sequel to Mapes’s 2013 faith-based mystery, Fame Has A Name, finds journalist Jack Crittendon, fellow newsman Derrick Whittaker, and garage owner Travis Randall struggling to gather proof that Demler-Vargus, a giant fiberglass manufacturing plant in Ohio, is spewing hazardous pollutants that are killing some locals and making others, including Travis’s dad, Galen, gravely ill. Worse, anyone who challenges the corporation winds up missing or dead. Mapes’s plot is complemented by narrator Gregory’s ability to carve out the characters with unique voices. Travis’s speech is slow and thoughtful, in contrast to the whining and complaints of his emotional brother L.J. Derrick, who initiates the investigation of Demler-Vargus. The combination manages to excite even though it’s a given that God cares for the good and punishes the evil. A David C. Cook paperback.