Poison Town

The follow-up to the first (Fear Has a Name) in Mapes’ Crittendon Files series is filled with incongruous twists and turns, peppered with tepid suspense and stereotypical dialogue. Jack Crittendon, reporter, husband, father of two, is recovering from the aftermath of his wife’s kidnapping and struggling with his faith when a chance encounter with old friends leads him to the story of a lifetime—a local manufacturer is poisoning not only its workers, but the people who live in the surrounding Ohio city. With the help of his co-worker Derrick and the support of his family, he must bring those behind the environmental misdeeds to justice before time runs out. By using multiple narrative viewpoints, Mapes provides critical insight into secondary characters, allowing for the story to proceed at a steady pace. But character interactions are stilted, and a contrived ending rounds out a lackluster novel. Agency: Natasha Kern Literary Agency. (Feb.)