Poison Town (The Crittendon Files #2) in Creston Mapes Hosts Q&A

Mar 17, 2014 Andi Tubbs rated it it was amazing

Shelves: empty-shelf-2014

Creston Maples creates a story full of mystery and suspense. He grabs you on page one and you are hanging on for a wild ride! Jack Crittendon is a man on a mission and he won't let anyone get in his way. Watching Jack and his wife extend forgiveness beyond their human abilities reminded me of how I learned to extend forgiveness toward my former husband and his mistress. A lesson we all have to learn at some point that to the extent we forgive, that is the extent our Father will forgive us. Highl ...more

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Aug 22, 2013 Rick rated it it was amazing

Jack Crittendon is back in the second book in the Crittendon Files. And if reading this book doesn’t whet your appetite, the third book in the series, “Sky Zone” is already out as well. Some great Summer reading is coming your way. These books are meant to be stand-alone books and the author does a good job of including history and back story to give the story a more steamlined feel. But why not just buy them all!

Fresh off of “Fear Has A Name”, Jack Crittendon is back in this new thriller. Jack Jack Crittendon is back in the second book in the Crittendon Files. And if reading this book doesn’t whet your appetite, the third book in the series, “Sky Zone” is already out as well. Some great Summer reading is coming your way. These books are meant to be stand-alone books and the author does a good job of including history and back story to give the story a more steamlined feel. But why not just buy them all!

Fresh off of “Fear Has A Name”, Jack Crittendon is back in this new thriller. Jack is still drifting away from God due to the circumstances he and his family faced in the first book (no, I won’t tell you so that you can buy that book, too!) His work is suffering as he struggles along. A friend of his becomes ill and Jack attaches onto the illness as a much needed shot in the arm as an investigation. As he continues to dig, he finds more mysterious illnesses that seem to be connected to the manufacturing plant on the poor side of town. There’s a lot at stake as the investigation exposes greed and corruption concerning some several big players in the area. Is there a correlation between this plant and the cancer in the town? Does Jack’s friend recover from the illness? How far will Jack go to get to the bottom of this conspiracy? Can Jack finally forgive himself for what happened to his family? Put down the newspaper and go BUY THIS BOOK!!!

I love picking up a book that is filled with solid writing and with plot pacing that carries it smoothly from the start to finish. Creston Mapes beautifully blends Christian themes with a great investigative novel that isn’t preachy, but is a page-turner which shows every day Christian struggles with faith and family issues. When you mix in characters that grapple with very real issues such as forgiveness you get a book that is very powerful. Once you start this book, you won't want to put it down until you've turned the last page. As a disclaimer, the author is not responsible for the other areas of your life that you neglect while you read this book. So chose a nice weekend to begin to read because this book will have you hanging on right to the end.

Is this a "guy's book"? This book, in my opinion, is the essential book that every Christian man needs to read. Yes, yes, I know that there is a great plot and subplot involved too, but it always spreads the message that even as Christian men we struggle with things daily. Our weakness isn’t in asking someone else to help us as we struggle through these times, but our weakness is in not asking for help.

I received this book in partnership between the publisher and the Book Fun Network (bookfun.org) in exchange for my honest opinion. ...more

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Sep 01, 2013 Kelly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle

Hold onto your hat and watch your back! Poison Town is a story fueled with even more tension than the first novel in this series "Fear Has A Name," and THAT is saying something! Jack Crittendon is hot on the heels of a story that seems almost too bad to be true and he is dealing with a far larger problem than one or two mere men. The high profile Demler Corporation has provided jobs for decades in the city of Trenton, but at what cost?

Somehow Jack and his co-worker Derrick have a story on their Hold onto your hat and watch your back! Poison Town is a story fueled with even more tension than the first novel in this series "Fear Has A Name," and THAT is saying something! Jack Crittendon is hot on the heels of a story that seems almost too bad to be true and he is dealing with a far larger problem than one or two mere men. The high profile Demler Corporation has provided jobs for decades in the city of Trenton, but at what cost?

Somehow Jack and his co-worker Derrick have a story on their hands that is so big, they have to split time trying to put all the pieces together. Something terribly wrong is going on in the small community surrounding the Demler Corporation's fiberglass plant, and people Jack cares about are suffering in more ways than one. For Derrick this story could mean big things for his career as a journalist, for Jack the story could cause him to lose much more than time with his family. Both are learning quickly that nothing is as it would seem.

"Poison Town" is the second book in the Crittendon Files series, and I loved that things did not wrap up in a nice neat little bow after the first story. First of all, that would be kind of boring. It is also totally fake. Sure, as much as I would like to see life going smoothly again, the reality is not everyone heals or forgives the same way at the same time. There is residual. Some of us move on swiftly where others can take months or even decades to recover from life's tragedies.

The minor characters in "Poison Town" are equally engaging. I found myself rooting for the Randall family, and enjoying the time spent with them in the book. They made me smile and hope. They also made me quite nervous. There were even a few times where I felt like I would smack someone silly if anything happened to the elder of the family.

This thriller will keep you guessing and quite literally on the edge of your seat. The characters will engage you and enrage you, but you will be glad for it. There is even a bit of slow and easy romance without being over the top. This is a story of faith in action in many forms.

All in all, I actually enjoyed the book so much, I had a hard time putting it down. Then I got to the point that I knew it would end soon, and I just HAD to put it down. I just didn't want to disconnect with the characters. "Poison Town" is an exceptional follow up to the first book in the series "Fear Has A Name." If the third book in the series "Sky Zone" follows suit, I just may have to start adding past five stars.

I received this book for free in eBook format from the author and the publisher as a kindness and to facilitate my review. This had no impact on my review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own. ...more

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Jan 27, 2014 Holly rated it really liked it

To say this book was action packed would be an understatement. Soon after the story began so did the action and it didn’t end to the final pages. I enjoyed the main characters in Pamela and Jack, but my favorite was probably Jack’s coworker, Derrick. Watching him struggle with his fear and his desire to do the right thing was fun. As a typical David C. Cook published book there is a strong spiritual message along with a good story. In this story it’s the importance of forgiveness and trusting.

I’ ...more

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Mar 02, 2014 Illuminating rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Whenever I pick up a novel by Creston Mapes, I know I am in for a wild joy ride; one I never want to finish.

Mapes has outdone himself with Poison Town, the second book in The Crittendon Files series. In the first book, Fear Has A Name, report Jack Crittendon faced the kidnapping of his wife by an obsessed ex-school friend of hers. In Poison Town, Jack must come to terms with the fact that the kidnapper is now out on parole, and living in the same town as them.

As Jack battles his unforgiveness a ...more

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Aug 30, 2014 Nora St Laurent rated it it was amazing

I’m thankful for the review copy that allowed me to read the sequel to Fear Has a Name. I was quickly pulled into this story through the believable, quirky and endearing cast of characters and their deadly situation!

One of my favorite characters is Travis Randall, he works at his family owned and operated garage. Jack, Crittendon investigative reporter for the Trenton city Dispatch drops his car off at Travis’ shop for repairs.

Jack asks him about Demler-Vargus Corporation, the company his mom an ...more

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May 10, 2014 Sheila McIntyre rated it it was amazing

I am such a huge fan of Mr. Mapes' books!! I have already read three of them and am always impressed by his writing and storylines! This book did not disappoint--in fact, it had me turning the pages wondering what would come next. This compelling story deals with the ethics of big business and whether that big business is making people sick. Add to that storyline characters that grapple with very real issues such as forgiveness, and you get a book that is very powerful; this book will have you h ...more

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Feb 01, 2014 Iola rated it it was ok

Shelves: kindle, christian-fiction, netgalley, mystery-thriller, 2014

Poison Town is the second in The Crittendon Files, thrillers about Jack Crittendon, a newspaper reporter for the Trenton City Dispatch. He’s still coping with the aftermath of the events in Fear Has A Name, and struggling with forgiveness issues, which is causing issues between him and his wife. This is a significant subplot, so I think it’s best to read the stories in order.

Anyway, the main plot in Poison Town is a potential cover-up by Demler-Vargus, a fiberglass manufacturer and the major emp ...more

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Feb 12, 2014 Kia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: thriller-suspense

Mapes really hits his stride with this solid thriller, the latest installment of The Crittendon Files. As with all the Mapes I've read, I love his direct, compelling style of storytelling; perfect, plain, terse prose for a suspense novel with not a wasted word. The pacing moves along nicely with no slow spots. I also felt like the characters in Poison Town were personal friends; good, honest people with distinct personalities and talents who love their families, do their jobs, and live their liv ...more

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