John Ceepak Mystery Books in Order
Part ofChris Grabenstein Books in OrderFind the John Ceepak Mystery books by Chris Grabenstein in order, with summaries, series background, and easy reading order help.
Last updated: July 5, 2026
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John Ceepak Mystery books in publication order
9 books
Tilt-a-Whirl
by Chris Grabenstein
2005
A billionaire is found dead on an amusement park ride in Sea Haven, New Jersey. Newly hired officer John Ceepak and local cop Danny Boyle have to sort through a very messy murder.
Mad Mouse
by Chris Grabenstein
2006
On Labor Day weekend, Danny Boyle and the people he cares about find themselves targeted by a revenge-minded attacker. Ceepak is steady as ever, but the ride gets wild.
Whack A Mole
by Chris Grabenstein
2007
Ceepak and Danny take on another twisty investigation in Sea Haven, where summer fun and serious crime sit side by side. The case keeps changing shape as soon as it seems solved.
Hell Hole
by Chris Grabenstein
2008
A brutal crime opens up the darker side of Shore-town life, and Ceepak's code is tested by greed, fear, and long-buried secrets. Danny Boyle narrates every sharp turn.
Mind Scrambler
by Chris Grabenstein
2009
A baffling case leaves Ceepak and Danny sorting through deception, spectacle, and conflicting motives. It is another smart, dark ride through Sea Haven's offbeat summer world.
Rolling Thunder
by Chris Grabenstein
2010
Ceepak and Danny get swept into another violent Shore-town mystery, where local politics and hidden grudges rumble beneath the summer crowds. The case only gets messier as it unfolds.
Ring Toss
by Chris Grabenstein
2011
This brisk mystery drops Ceepak and Danny into another boardwalk case where nothing stays simple for long. Short, sharp, and twisty, it still has the full Sea Haven feel.
Fun House
by Chris Grabenstein
2012
Another case pulls Ceepak and Danny behind the bright lights of the Jersey Shore, where the fun-house surface hides uglier truths. The investigation moves fast and hits close to home.
Free Fall
by Chris Grabenstein
2013
When a home health aide and friend of Danny Boyle becomes a suspect in a poisoning, Ceepak and Danny have to untangle money, lies, and conflicting stories. What starts as a routine call turns into a very personal case.
John Ceepak Mystery books in chronological order

Tilt-a-Whirl
by Chris Grabenstein
2005John Ceepak Mystery, Book 1
Mad Mouse
by Chris Grabenstein
2006John Ceepak Mystery, Book 2
Whack A Mole
by Chris Grabenstein
2007John Ceepak Mystery, Book 3
Hell Hole
by Chris Grabenstein
2008John Ceepak Mystery, Book 4
Mind Scrambler
by Chris Grabenstein
2009John Ceepak Mystery, Book 5
Rolling Thunder
by Chris Grabenstein
2010John Ceepak Mystery, Book 6
Ring Toss
by Chris Grabenstein
2011John Ceepak Mystery, Book 7
Fun House
by Chris Grabenstein
2012John Ceepak Mystery, Book 8
Free Fall
by Chris Grabenstein
2013John Ceepak Mystery, Book 9
Series background & context
John Ceepak is the steady center of Grabenstein's adult mystery work, a former military cop turned police officer in Sea Haven, New Jersey. He has a strict moral code, sometimes so strict it feels almost old-fashioned, and that is exactly what makes him memorable. Around him spins Danny Boyle, the younger local cop who narrates the books and gives the series its warmth, humor, and Shore-town flavor.
The setting matters as much as the detectives. Sea Haven is full of boardwalk rides, beach crowds, summer jobs, political grudges, and off-season emptiness. That contrast keeps the series interesting. On the surface, it is a fun vacation town. Underneath, there is money, corruption, violence, and a steady supply of people making very bad choices.
Each book works as its own case, but the best reason to read in order is the partnership. Danny changes over time. So does his understanding of Ceepak, whose code can seem impossible until you watch what it costs him to live by it.
These are not hardboiled books in the grim, joyless sense. They are sharp, twisty, and often funny, with a strong sense of place.
Start with Tilt-a-Whirl and keep going in publication order. If you like beach-town mysteries, offbeat titles, and detectives whose relationship matters as much as the clues, this is a very easy series to settle into.
Edited by
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