Jack Crittendon, the features editor for the local newspaper, and his wife, Pam, are still trying to settle down after the traumatic events involving Granger Meade (see Fear Has A Name for more details) when Jack stumbles upon a possible story involving a local plant. Residents and neighbors of the fiberglass manufacturing plant, Demler- Vargus, are sickening and in many cases dying. Are environmental standards being violated? And just how far will Demler-Vargus go to keep this story out of print?

I haven't read Creston Mapes' first book in The Crittendon Files series, but the author does a marvelous job at catching new readers up to speed on the series. Not only does Creston Mapes give us the back history, but he deftly shows us the underlying tension that has developed between Jack and Pam after her traumatic kidnapping. Jack's anger is easy to understand, particularly since forgiveness flies in the face of all logic, but Creston Mapes shows us how anger can overtake a person's life.

POISON TOWN is a thriller in which the characters take center stage. The mystery itself isn't a surprise but it is the emotional journey that Jack, Pam, and Jack's friend, Derrick, undertake in their quest for truth and justice that is so compelling. Derrick's uneasiness at risking his own life makes POISON TOWN all the more plausible as the heroes are true to life, having doubts and debating whether they should follow the crowd and take the easy way out.

POISON TOWN is an intriguing story that draws the reader into the lives of the characters. I like how Creston Mapes poses questions for his characters, asking them just how much they are willing to sacrifice to follow the tenets of their faith. While the situations are perhaps more intense than ones we may deal with daily, they are real world situations that engage the reader. POISON TOWN is a thought- provoking, entertaining read and easy to recommend.