Review: Poison Town by Creston Mapes

Not for me

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 employer in Trenton. Jack hears that many of the long-time employees are having health issues, which are being hushed up, and a former Dispatch reporter who investigated the problem has disappeared. Is there something dangerous in the air around Demler-Vargus causing lung problems, or is it all just a coincidence?

I’ve no doubt Poison Town will appeal to some readers. But it didn’t appeal to me. The writing was good enough and the Christian elements were there, but I think—based on the advance endorsements—I was expecting something a little more like a John Grisham novel (or perhaps a fictional Erin Brockovich). But that wasn’t what I got. Instead, I found characters I found difficult to empathise with and a plot which seemed to meander along, waiting for something to happen. I’m sure many people will enjoy this, but I didn’t, and I doubt I’ll bother with future books in the series.

Thanks to David C Cook and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Creston Mapes at his website.