Last night I finished Tilt-A-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein. It was a light, entertaining mystery/suspense novel. It wasn't the sort of intellect-straining mystery that has you perplexed at every twist and turn, bewildered until the last couple of pages; parts of the underlying secret plot were fairly obvious and it was also clear in several cases that people weren't all that they seemed. I found the lead cop character, Ceepak, a little too good to be true, in an annoying Dudley Do-Right sort of way, and the sudden appearance toward the end of the novel of Dr. McDaniels had too much of a deux-ex-machina feel to it. Still, there was a surprise or three and parts of the narrative were very amusing. The narrating character, Danny Boyle, is believable, likeable and fun - smart, but not too smart, a good person, not a paladin. One of the funniest bits of dialogue comes when Danny has to translate the urban-wigga speak of a witness into plain English for Ceepak. I have to love anyone who works the phrase "get all up in her Kool-Aid" into a murder mystery. Some of the descriptions of more minor characters, particularly socialist bag lady Gladys, are likewise extremely funny.

Verdict: not going to win a Pulitzer (or even an Edgar) but a satisfyingly enjoyable way to pass an evening. Worth checking out, and I certainly intend to read the next book in the series, Mad Mouse.