Crazytown

Darren Lockhart Mysteries #1

by Jon Grilz

When the body of a murdered teenage boy is found in the forests of northern Minnesota, FBI Special Agent Darren Lockhart is sent in to investigate. Believing this death to be another in a string of bizarre executions, Lockhart soon finds himself isolated in the north country and facing a city that not only fears the killer, but also the federal agent there to protect them. A life of chasing America's worst criminals has taken it's toll and with the end of his career looming, Lockhart has just one last chance to catch a maniac that has eluded him for over two years. Set in the beauty and serenity of northern Minnesota, "Crazytown" is a story of deception, murder, and betrayal that will change Lockhart's life forever.

Genres: Mystery, Amazon, Fiction, Suspense

183 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2012

Reviews

[Debra Barstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. I am from Minnesota so I could easily relate to much of this story. I'm not sure about the ending as it seemed a bit strange but overall it was a good book. I would recommend this book.

[Cynthia L Peters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why I didn't like this one, other than it was a police procedure crime-based. I'm not sure if I have read too many of them lately or if the story just didn't speak to me. I may try reading it again at a later date since I own the book.

[Laura MacMillan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first 90% of this book, a complex murder mystery, was great!
A lone FBI agent fights small-town "TV" preconceptions about what the FBI does and how they do it, and against the local police force's resentment at having "their" murder investigation usurped by the Feds; all while trying to gather evidence and make some sense of the mystery and find the criminal.
The last 10% of the book just degenerates into sci-fi nonsense. I was disgusted with the ending and felt cheated with the so-called resolution.
That being said, in fairness to the author, this book is well-written and would be very interesting to sci-fi fans. In fairness to the rest of us, I wish it had been categorised as sci-fi. I'd not have purchased it had I known what the genre was going to be.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this shortly after discovering Small Town Horror , the book trilogy's spinoff podcast, which I greatly enjoyed. Grilz is clearly aiming for a Twin Peaks vibe, with his small northern town in an eerie wooded setting where something always feels slightly off-kilter. Nothing particularly original, but a fun read nevertheless. Unfortunately, plot abruptly veers into rather silly sci-fi direction that just didn't match the original setup (or the podcast). It was like someone tacked a SyFy original onto the end of a Thomas Ligotti story. And the epilogue was confusing.

[Douglas Dorow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jon Grilz kicks off the book with a great title, "Crazytown", and takes us on a crazy ride with an FBI agent trying to track down a serial killer.

We are introduced to a cast of characters from this northern Minnesota town and see a small town through the eyes of the FBI agent, a stranger, and they are all suspects. The story is interesting, moves along and has enough twists to keep you guessing.

I'm looking forward to the next novel by Jon Grilz.

[Mandy Walkden-Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A murder investigation far from mundane.
Most definitely a much more interesting read than a conventional murder mystery with the inclusion of the scifi twist.
The main character, Special Agent Darren Lockhart, was pretty stiff in the beginning, but as he softened a little he rather grew on me.
Enjoyed it enough that I've downloaded the next three books in the series to see what happens in the aptly named Crazytown now.
Well worth a read.

[Ashley Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a little confused with the epilogue, I enjoyed this quick read.
I initially guessed from the beginning what was going on and although in the end I was right there were plenty of twists and turns to make me question things.
All in all, a good start to the series. I've already purchased the next book!

[Mary Schildman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written

Well written

Great characters, well written story but not impressed by the ending...I'm sure it ended as a segue the next book but left some unanswered questions for me. The book did hold my attention to the very end. I'll invest in the next Lockhart/Crazytown book.

[Erica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I figured out the plot twist pretty early on. That being said, (given the nature of the twist) I was very disappointed with the ratio of fiction to sci-fi. Also, the ending felt like he was on a deadline and had to rush to get it done. There were things that were thrown in that would have been interesting to read and a "loose end" was completely glossed over leaving me feel angry.

[Ethna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read with a few attention hiccups!

[Jcad6169 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery, nice twist. Enjoyed it very much,

[Li · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicely done, the plot twisted just right without taking it too far too fast. looking forward to the next book which I will start tomorrow.