Crang Plays The Ace

A Crang Mystery #1

by Jack Batten

Cause a "poker face" ain't just a song by Lady Gaga.

Crang is a criminal lawyer. He loves jazz, old movies, Polish vodka, his Volkswagen convertible, and his girlfriend Annie, not necessarily in that order. A wise-cracking WASP with a moral code that owes little to the Law Society of Upper Canada, Crang is equally quick with his lip and fists, but he can tell a fish fork from a pair of brass knuckles when he has to.

The clients who come to Crang's second-floor walk-up office on Toronto's Queen Street strip--street punks, two bit robbers, and small-time scam artists--are usually guilty. Crang likes it that way. Mostly he gets them off and they're grateful.

So when Matthew Wansborough, wealthy financier and scion of a fine old family, comes to Crang with the novel problem that his $300,000 investment in Ace Disposal Services is too profitable, Crang is puzzled.

Wansborough isn't Crang's usual kind of client and Ace isn't Wansborough's usual kind of blue-chip operation.

Crang's unorthodox investigation of Ace reveals that it's a dirty player in a dirty business, run by men who oil the wheels of commerce with kickbacks, fraud, muscle--and murder.

Mystery and comedy mix in this entertaining novel, written with the in-depth knowledge of the legal scene and the easygoing style that have made bestsellers of Batten's previous books. Once readers have made the acquaintance of Crang, they will be eager to read of his future cases in what promises to be a long and successful series.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Canada

266 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1987

About the author

Jack Batten, after a brief and unhappy career as a lawyer, has been a very happy freelance writer for many years. The author of thirty-five books, Batten writes the weekly Whodunnit column in the Toronto Star, has reviewed jazz for the Globe and Mail, and has reviewed movies on CBC Radio for twenty-five years. He has written over thirty books on subjects that include biography, crime fiction, law and court cases, and sports. Not surprisingly, jazz, movies, and crime turn up frequently in Crang’s life. He lives in Toronto.

Reviews

[Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Crang Mystery Series. I enjoyed reading book #7 Booking In and made the decision to start the series from the beginning. I like this book but it was not as well written as book #7. I guess the author gets better with each book.
I found this story entertaining. Crang is a lawyer who really does not act like a lawyer. He reminds me more of a private eye.
In this story he lives in Toronto on Beverly Street near the Art Gallery of Ontario. He spends a lot of time on Queen West and frequents many restaurants that I have visited over the years. I like this about the book. It is fun to hear what someone else thinks of the places I have been.
Reading the first book gives me more information about Crang and his girlfriend Annie. In book #7 they are living together in this first book they are just dating and not even sure if they will continue.
He also does not have the same contacts he will acquire by book #7 and is using the services of people who are on the questionable side of the law. Every thing he does in this book is questionable and does not involve the police at all, until the very end. Which is the same as in book #7.
I think the story is well written but some of the activities are a little hard to believe for the average guy, but I guess Crang is not your average guy. I will read more of this series because I am now hooked on a book that uses my hometown for a backdrop.

[Mj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I happened upon this book based on a Goodreads review by Philip Stewart. Thank you Philip. He rated the book 5 stars and indicated that he “loved it” – his reason being that it was just the kind of light-hearted, fun and funny read he looks for after reading more serious mysteries to keep things in balance. Check out his review. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I was looking for something lighter myself and was captivated by descriptions of the principal character Crang – he loves jazz, Polish vodka and his girlfriend. He also has a huge independence streak – the renegade, ballsy, to heck with the establishment kind of character that I always enjoy and the anti-hero I often route for. The author Jack Batten turned out to be a fellow Canadian and that sealed the deal. Crang Plays the Ace is also set in Toronto so it felt familiar reading about streets and places I have visited.

I really enjoyed the book. It was great fun and a good mixture of mystery and entertainment. It had good pace, excitement and tension. Crang’s wisecracking was quite funny and I enjoyed the dialogue and bantering between Crang and his girlfriend Annie. Their common interest and talk about old movies added an extra dimension. There was also a strong connection and concern between the two that seemed heartfelt and genuine and not at all superficial.

The book had lots of excitement and Crang was over the top in terms of bluffing and getting himself in and out of trouble. The book was definitely high energy and kept me turning pages.

I am torn about how to rate the book. It could be 3 stars when compared to longer and more complex mysteries. However it could be 5 stars with regards to meeting my expectations of a lighter read with great entertainment value. Crang Plays the Ace has great characters as well, a good plot and kept me turning pages. I’m torn about the rating and in deference to more complex books, I am rating the book 4 stars. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a terrific read and Jack Batten is a heck of a writer. His style flows. His pace is great and he keeps your interest. He also uses a smattering of words here and that expanded my vocabulary. I liked the first book in The Crang Mystery Series so much that I plan to read more. Well worth reading.

[donna_ehm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Come for a fun mystery featuring a Toronto-based criminal lawyer who finds himself drifting into a bit of the former rather than the later as the story plays out.

Stay for the copious amounts of day-drinking.

(Ah, the 80s.)

I'd say I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Given its 80s publication date (and an early foray into fiction - maybe the first? - for the author) I was prepared for a lot of rough edges. But the characters were strong from the start, and I found myself quite drawn to Crang and his girlfriend Annie. I thought their relationship was well drawn and felt quite real. Batten doesn't spend tons of time on info-dumping backstories from the off. You get pieces of their histories as the story progresses which doesn't steal momentum from the overall plot.

Early on I thought Batten was setting Crang up to be a kind of one man show when it came to moving between his day job and the criminal world he encounters as part of that job. Crang just gets out there and starts tailing people, confronting actual criminals, that sort of thing. Kind of a Marty Stu-ish vibe. I don't know if I would have hung around for much of that but thankfully Batten soon steers Crang into trouble as a result of his actions and it's clear Crang - 18 years of being a criminal lawyer under his belt - does have a solid set of skills that stand him in good stead when playing in the deeper end of the pool, but it only takes him so far. Crang knows when he's in over his head and is in trouble.

I also liked one of the side-characters, a young burglar named James. At first, you think his introduction is just going to play as an example of Crang doing his criminal defense bit but James hangs around and comes into play later in the book. James could have been clunky and sketched in only enough to serve that latter purpose but instead Batten invests the time to make James deeper and more interesting, a character with potential longevity (indeed, James pops up at the start of Straight, No Chaser, the second in the series and I'm hopeful in other books as well).

Batten's style tends to short descriptive sentences which at times can be a bit clunky and awkward. But mostly it suits the vague noir-ish feel of the story and lends an energy to the story that keeps it moving briskly forward.

I'm looking forward to more in the series, especially when it comes to Crang and Alice's relationship. I want to see how that develops because I like them as a couple. I also really like the Toronto setting, having lived there for two years (on the other side of the AGO from Crang, in fact) so it was fun revisiting the area with Crang.

[John Geary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this novel. It's part of my "read one mystery a month by a Canadian author" challenge.
It was published originally in 1987, so to fully enjoy it, I had to set my mind back into that time period of the first half of the 80s.
It reminded me in many ways of the Robert B. Parker Spenser detective series - with some significant differences.
Spenser is a Boston PI, Crang is a Toronto-based lawyer (who takes cases from mainly small-time criminals); Spenser packs a rod, Crang does not even own a gun; Spenser loves beer, cocktails in many forms, whiskey straight-up, Crang hates beer, drinks mainly Polish vodka; Spenser is very physical, Crang is not.
There are similarities, of course: they both only seem to have/use one name; they both love jazz; they're both smart-asses who are quick to quip in dicey situations with no regard for consequences; they both have long-term committed relationships but are not married.
The real similarity comes in the style of writing. The smart-ass patter, the descriptions of the cities they live and operate in, rather complex mysteries that do not always start out with murder, the way they relate to their s-o's.
This one is the first book in the series, kind of an introduction to Crang's world. It's quite cool to read about the places he moves around in, since I grew up in that part of the world.
In this book, what starts out as an investigation into a garbage disposal company that's making TOO MUCH money (you read that right) but ends up in murder. Crang has to enlist the aid of an accountant who owes him a favour, a break-and-enter expert who also owes him a favour (imagine that, a lawyer working with a former criminal client!) and finds himself going up against an owner who has mob connections.
As I said, I quite enjoyed it, I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, but a bit dated.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good first novel and the characters of Crang is good and it develops in the next books. The plot is interesting and keeps your attention. I enjoy a novel that is located in a city I know.

[Doug Swail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved reading about the Toronto I grew up in. Sadly the story was boilerplate.

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very light & simple read, not a very exciting plot, but what’s interesting is it takes place in Toronto, so I knew exactly where the locations he referenced were!

[Diana Sandberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little slow on getting to this one. Inscription inside says I won it in a CBC contest in 1987. Sigh. Not bad, but not really my cuppa. And, really, maybe part of what did not engage me was the 80s style. The protagonist is a Toronto lawyer, but too much of a maverick to work in tony offices; his clients are lowlifes, his income modest. He has a girlfriend who does film reviews for the CBC. A pal who works in one of the tony offices throws him a bone and he gets involved with some shady operators, does his own legwork, manages not to die and figures it all out in the end. Ta da. Had I found this in a holiday cabin, I would have been relieved it wasn’t worse, but it’s pretty humdrum. Most interesting features, the Toronto setting and Canadian references.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I found it a fast read with interesting characters and plot. I liked Crang and his girlfriend, Annie B. Cooke.

For me, I would have given five stars but I hate it when an otherwise intelligent character make silly decisions in order for there to be a dramatic climax to the ending. That said, there was a dramatic climax... Plus, this is a first book of a new series and was the first book by the author and first books generally have some bugs to work out. Plus, plus the book was still a good read.

Yes, I enjoyed this book. I am looking forward to reading others of this series.

[Freya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the Toronto of my youth. A good mystery with punchy dialogue and nostalgia-inducing ambiance.

[Russ Skinner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read this series through from the beginning. (I'm pretty sure I've previously read a couple of the titles, but I get more out of a series this way.)

It took a while to get into this book, and it has its flaws, but Batten keeps things moving.

No spoilers, and, if you'll excuse me, it's back to OverDrive to see if the next title is available there.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: Crang is a criminal lawyer; he's puzzled when a client says his investments are doing too well.