Ring Toss

John Ceepak Mystery #6.5

by Chris Grabenstein

This first ever John Ceepak short story Ring Toss originally appeared in the June 2010 issue of ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE.

The reported theft of a family heirloom sends officers Ceepak and Boyle racing to Sea Haven's Mussel Beach Motel to investigate. At the scene of the crime, Danny and Ceepak run into something much worse than a burglar: the DePinna family reunion!

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Crime, Fiction, Humor

33 pages, Nook

First published June 1, 2010

About the author

CHRIS GRABENSTEIN is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. His books include the LEMONCELLO, WONDERLAND, HAUNTED MYSTERY, DOG SQUAD, and SMARTEST KID IN THE UNIVERSE series, and many fun and funny page-turners co-authored with James Patterson. You can visit Chris at ChrisGrabenstein.com.

Reviews

[Tracy P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good! An authentic"Short" and why I am not a huge fan of these. Great plot and just when the story got going off it was "a wrap". Sigh. . .

[terpkristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute short story in the Ceepak mystery series. I've listened to the rest of the series in audio, so while I read this Kindle short, I was hearing the narrator's voice in my head, very New Jersey. This was a cute little story, satisfying a yen for something light and fluffy. I think the ending was a little silly, but that's OK. This would have been a nice add-on to one of the existing Ceepak audiobooks, like if it were added at the end of one of his full-length stories.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short format doesn't allow Grabenstein's characters and humor to shine as much as they do in the longer novels, but I still enjoyed the story. Punctuation and capitalization errors also detracted a bit from the experience by reminding me I was reading a story (and not participating in the action).

[Victor Catano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series! Hoping for more!

I'm a big fan of the John Ceepak Jersey Shore mysteries. They're fun and clever and make great use of their setting. Unfortunately I've read all of the books. So I was thrilled to see this short story, centered on the motel run by their friend. It was very fun, but it left me wishing for another full novel.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story is an outstanding mini-version of a typical Ceepak novel, but if you haven't read the novels, I strongly recommend you start at the beginning with TILT A WHIRL so you can appreciate the evolution of Danny's character and his relationship with Ceepak.

[Angela Verdenius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little story - I didn’t see the end coming!

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 stars - Satisfying John Ceepak short story

Known now for his YA books, I've read all of the John Ceepak series as well as his holiday thrillers (Slay Ride and Hell for the Holidays). I've enjoyed them all for their humor and offbeat, yet oddly possible plots.

Ring Toss is a short story featuring John Ceepak and Danny Boyle. It has all the elements that I love about the Ceepak series in short-form. I'm glad that Chris wrote the story, which brightened my otherwise dreary Fall day.

[Heather Kassin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting quick read.

I started reading this author's children's books to my kids and we all love them. I was really excited to see he writes for adults too. I am really liking this series. Great descriptions of the location and the characters and stories have gotten better with each book. Definitely worth checking out.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short story, still most enjoyable.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent but short story.

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super short mystery story in the John Ceepak series. Ring Toss is quite a literal title for it since the ring literally is tossed. Basically a girl lost her wedding ring and Danny and Ceepak try to figure out who was the theif and where did the ring go. The story went by so fast that it does not really help people who haven't read the other books to understand the way Grabenstein writes. Is it bad that I was hoping for a murder or a juicier twisted ending.... I was left pretty disappointed. I want to give it a 2.5, but I love the series so much overall that I was nice with the 3 stars.

[Kim j · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was so short that I could not get a feel for the author or characters. Luckily I did not pay a lot for the first few books in the series and hope that its good. It certainly seems like a different approach to murder mysteries because of the shore theme. I am rating it low only because of the length.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not his best, but still entertaining I always love me some Ceepac and Danny Boyle. It's really just a short story, but a good listen anyway. I've actually had it for a while but I've only listened today Perian the whole Ceepac series is definitely worth your time!

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A satisfying short story that kept the flow up with the Ceepak novels. I like these characters and their seaside life.

[Melissa Lopes]

Quick read...good story

[Karsyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story, which I don't like overall, but I like this series, and it was a fun easy read before bed.

[Dennis H. Menard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read

I would for sure recommend this series of books. All those that like mysteries will like this series and I am going to read them all.

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Favorite New Jersey Author

[Forrest · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little short story down on the shore. I love reading these books in the summer time

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short story with my favorite Jersey Shore cops: Ceepak and Boyle.

[C-shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story, an entertaining introduction to the John Ceepak mysteries.