If you follow my blog, you know I just reviewed Creston Mapes’ Sky Zone. I was so thrilled with this, the third book in his Crittenden Files series (I know, you’re supposed to read a series in the order they’re written!), that I went back and read the first two, Fear Has a Name and Poison Town. You guessed it – they’re equally as suspenseful, intriguing, and just plain good reading. My husband, while reading Sky Zone, said “this guy has got to be a sadist – how can you put so much tension on every page without giving the reader a little relief?” I don’t agree that Creston is a sadist, but he sure does put tension on every page.

What’s your reward when you’re nice to the guy that everybody else picks on? What happens when you stand up in the face of injustice and fight – you’re lauded, right? Well, Pamela Crittenden’s reward was to be stalked. Mapes tells this story painful inch by painful inch – the psychological trauma – the fear – the damage to the family’s sense of security. You’re going to love Fear Has a Name.

Then on to Poison Town…. Jack Crittenden is a reporter – a reporter frustrated with the kind of stories he’s getting assigned – you know, the robbery at the local store, the meeting at town hall, that kind of thing. When he happens on to a BIG story – the one that could catapult him and his paper to media stardom, his boss puts the kibosh on it – why? His buddy, Derrick Whittaker, usually one to take the easy way out, is also intrigued by this story – and Jack’s stick-to-it-iveness. Oh – and the stalker’s back in town. Jack’s not the nice guy any more – he’s gonna protect his family and get his story at all costs. You’ll enjoy seeing the poison creeping into this environment, too.

Three great reads – read them in order, first Fear Has a Name, then Poison Town, and finally Sky Zone – you’ll be glad you stepped into Jack Crittenden’s world.