Tag: E.N. Crane

DETAILS:
Series: Sharp Investigations, #2
Publisher: Perry Dog Publishing 
Publication Date: March 17, 2022
Format: Paperback
Length: 251 pg.
Read Date: May 6-8, 2024

What’s Chasing Empty Caskets About?

So, sure, Cyn (and Winnie) has opened a P.I. business, but is there that much for a Private Eye to do in Sweat Pea, OH? As the book opens (and for some time before that) Cyn is taking on cases involving missing pets, potentially haunted homes, and the like.

But then a makeup artist at a local mortuary approaches her with a case. The paperwork at her mortuary indicates that there are more bodies there than she can find. This has been going on for a while and she wants Cyn to look into what’s happening to the missing bodies. Rhetta doesn’t want to bring it up to her boss herself and risk losing her job, but something isn’t right.

Some of this investigation will end up right where the reader assumes—but there’s also plenty going on that you don’t expect until it’s in your face like a proverbial thrown cream pie.

Meanwhile, Cyn tries to have a love life. She goes on one of the worst dates you’ve read about and stumbles across another crime or two that she needs to look into. But there are some better developments in that area afterward (after you read about the date, you’ll realize what a low bar that is)

We meet a potential new recurring-character and spend time with plenty of those we met before.

Take This With Whatever-Sized Portion of Salt You Wish To

Even if the rest of the book was a dud*, the first chapter was so funny that I’d have been more than happy that I paid for the book. Particularly the first 8 pages, the 243 that follow were just gravy.

* It was not

Obviously tastes, especially when it comes to humor, differ, so I can’t promise that everyone will have this reaction. And there might be a bit of hyperbole expressed above. But, I started this book the evening after that surgery I had a couple of months ago, and laughing at those pages hurt me. They also made me chuckle as I re-read them before I wrote this section.

HEADING

So, what did I think about Chasing Empty Caskets?

The important thing to remember is that this is a comedy with a mystery thrown in. Suburban Dicks and the Fox and O’Hare books, for example, are Comedic Mysteries/Thrillers. This is a Crimey-Comedy (there’s probably a better name for that somewhere).

So, yeah, the mystery parts may not be the clearest at times. Cyn may overlook some pretty obvious clues, and an action scene or two may come across as convoluted. But that’s because they’re there to serve the comedy. This isn’t to say that this isn’t effective as a mystery novel, the “may”s in the opening sentence should be emphasized, but it does come into play.

The running jokes in this novel are—mercifully—different than the ones in the first Cyn/Winnie novel. Crane isn’t setting us up for a running gag like Stephanie Plum’s car problems (seriously, at this point why does anyone let her drive anything other than that ’53 Buick? Why does she try to?). I enjoyed the cast-gag in Barking for Business more, but these were good enough, and I applaud Crane for going somewhere new.

There are many other things I’d like to compliment, but I don’t know how to do that without ruining plot points or jokes, so I’m not going to try. Basically, if you want silly, madcap, fun with plenty of canine-involved slapstick, look no further than Chasing Empty Caskets and the Sharp Investigations series.

3 Stars

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Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books with E.N. Crane/Noelle Rider/Noelle Neal-Crane

By HCNewton

On October 16, 2023

In Books, News/Misc., Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books

Top 5 All-Time Desert Island Books
So, first things first, I should’ve taken a minute to read this submission before I did the graphic and used the name she used on the post. Oops. But I’m behind schedule, so we’re sticking with that. Sorry, Noelle.

More importantly, here’s what Perry Dog Publishing has to say about this author: “Dog mom, Bark Box buyer and the authors known as E. N. Crane (thriller, humorous mystery, action adventure) and Noelle Rider (romance, witchy RomCom, general smut). My books are all focused on the bond between plus-sized women and their pets with romance, sass and A LOT of coffee.

“Please, for the love of dog, SEND MORE COFFEE!”

Noelle put a special, seasonal twist on this list. Which tempts me to reach out to her every few months to see what she’d come up with.

Top 5 Books for Spooky Season

-Noelle Neal-Crane (aka Perry Dog Publishing’s E. N. Crane & Noelle Rider)

The Irresponsible Reader asked for my top 5 “Desert Island” books to help with October content. Since I failed to complete my Author Interview (SORRY! Talking about myself is hard), I figured I owed him. More than owed him, I LOVE FALL!

So I added a twist – this is my Top 5 Spooky Season / Fall deserted cabin in the woods books. (You would never catch me on an island – Islands are humid and humidity makes me feel like I’m suffocating because sensory processing issues). I’m going to preface this by saying I’m not into scary Halloween. I don’t do horror, fear or loud sudden noises. Cute Halloween, like Mickey’s Halloween Party and friendly monsters are my jam. You will find no Stephen King here… who I dislike for his book On Writing and the narrative about the creation of Carrie… to be so nonchalant about bullying and… Sorry, not the placce.

All my picks are romance, it’s all I’ve been up for reading recently. The top 3 are available through the library (because that’s where I read them from) and one of them was written by me.

Without further ado – Let’s FALL into this!

5. Pumpkin Spice, Noelle Rider – Alright, this is shameless self-promotion (well, some shame or I wouldn’t feel the need to justify it… selling myself is hard… that’s what she said, OK I’m done). Pumpkin Spice is a fall themed Novella I wrote under my romance author pen name. Pumpkin Spice is an intro into the land of Pumpkin Valley and it’s a spicy small town romance with a plus-sized woman and awkward romancing. I loved writing it, but I’m not delusional, so I can admit that it needed more… more what I’m not sure, but more. I have a proper Witchy RomCom based in a supernatural valley in Northern Idaho in the works, so if you read this and you like it, join my newsletter to find out when Witching and Scheming, A Huckleberry Hollow Romance Novel is released!

4. The Wolf’s Return, Lucille Yates – This book is the second in the Bite of Magic Series, but it’s my favorite so far. Probably because of the werewolves instead of straight witches and magic. Just… werewolves. The Wolf’s Return is another Romance (as advertised, I’ve been on a kick), and it’s a second chance, fated mate, supernatural romantic suspense. There’s a plot line started in the first book regarding a big evil luming over Georgia (besides humidity, huge bugs, and racism) that continues into this one. I can’t guarantee you can start here without missing key points, but they are all good. Plus, Hailey is a total badass and watching her adjust to the furry lifestyle while holding her own is… #lifegoals

3. The Me You Love in the Dark, Skottie Young – An adult graphic novel, The Me You Love in the Dark is CREEPY. Like… horror flick dolls creepy. The novel has five parts, but I got 1-5 from the Library for the BCAF item in the Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge and… honestly, it’s disturbing with incredible art and an awesome story line composed of a few words and a lot of dark imagery. The story line is an artist moves into a rumored to be haunted house to work on her art for a big upcoming show. She’s not a believer but finds it suitably inspiring, and begins talking to the imaginary spirit who is supposedly inside. Though he isn’t imaginary… TW: GRAPHIC, demon, implied/ drawn on page sex, murder, dismemberment… there could be more.

2. A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon, Sarah Hawley – A fake dating, accidental summoning romantic comedy. This book is, as advertised with romantic comedy, reasonably predictable and meets all trope expectations. HOWEVER, the way it got there was both unique and heartfelt. While I found the first chapter fairly long and a bit… slow, it picked up quickly. If you’re an advocate for nature, finding your voice and hot demons, this will be your new favorite read. Think Fern Gulley meets Sabrina the Teenage Witch (nineties style, not the new darker Netflix version) with an HBO finish that would make it NC17. This says its a series and the next book is out in November, hopefully it holds up!

1. Not the Witch You Wed, April Asher – A Maxwell triplet Supernatural Singles book… is absolutely HILARIOUS! Violet is sassy, smart and floundering. The first born triplet, she’s supposed to inherit her grandma’s position as leader of the supernatural council… except she has no magic. Lucky for her she has two more, very slightly younger, siblings and Rose is ready and willing. So Vi is bartending, volunteering, and holding petty grudges against men who betrayed her a decade ago… at least until she has to fake date and move in with the North American Alpha wolf shifter. I didn’t sleep for 24 hours to read this, it was so good.

Happy Autumn and blessed Samhain to you all! Read long and prosper.

Visit Perry Dog Publishing to learn more about all the books available there, and (presumably) to find a way to send her coffee!

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Barking for Business by E.N. Crane: Move Over Plum, It’s Time for Cynthia Sharp and Winnie

By HCNewton

On August 10, 2023

In Dogs, Fiction, Literary Locals, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Barking for Business

by E. N. Crane

DETAILS:
Series: Sharp Investigations, #1
Publisher: Perry Dog Publishing
Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Format: Paperback
Length: 307 pg.
Read Date: July 26-27, 2023

I apologize in advance for all the references to Stephanie Plum that follow. This is sort of like all the people who mention Adams or Pratchett when talking about humor in Science Fiction or Fantasy, even if the styles don’t match. It’s just hard to talk about a character like this and a book like this without mentioning Stephanie.

Also, Crane did that herself when I met her. So she stuck it in my head.

What’s Barking for Business About?

After the latest in a series of successful investigations that double as calamities (you’ll have to read the first couple of chapters to see), Specialist Cynthia Sharp, MP, and her partner, Sgt. Pupperson, are discharged from the Army and return to Cyn’s hometown of Sweet Pea, OH—a very small town that should provide some peace and quiet while they decide their next move.

Before they can even enter the Sharp residence, a neighbor approaches Cyn with a job—someone has been taking money from the church bingo funds and she wants Cyn to put an end to it. Mostly because she can’t say no to this older woman—and because she has nothing else to do—she agrees.

This puts Cyn on a collision course with a military crime, a murderer, some serious gangsters, identity thieves, and more. She also has to deal with a love (lust?) triangle and reuniting with a best friend whose fantastic baked goods could probably prove dangerous to anyone with a weakness for sweets.

Sgt. Winnifred Pupperson

Winnie, as she prefers to be called, is a Belgian Malinois dog that found her match in her K-9 handler. She’s reckless enough to make Chet the Jet look disciplined, is very food motivated (sure, she’s a dog, so that’s a given—but as most dog people know, there are levels—she can sniff out junk food faster than Brenda Leigh Johnson, and is the perfect combination of canine athleticism, furry chaos, and unintentional hilarity.

My only complaint is that there’s not quite enough of her. Cyn leaves her at home too often. Probably a realistic amount—but too much for my taste. Hopefully, in time the people of Sweet Pea accept her presence in places they shouldn’t so she can be in on more of the action.

And You Think Stephanie Plum is Hard on Cars?

Hopefully, this isn’t too much of a spoiler, but it’s so good I have to talk about it.

Early on, Cyn breaks her arm in an understandable mishap. And over the next 240 or so pages, has to keep replacing the cast after catastrophe after catastrophe befalls it.

Somehow, every time, the reaction of the medical staff and the predicament she finds herself in makes me laugh. Every time. I cannot believe how well this recurring joke worked for me (that’s not a slight on Crane—it’s about my sense of humor/patience). You think she’s done with it—and she’s not. In fact, you find yourself wondering how it’ll happen again and looking forward to it.

The Fun Twist of Character

Yes, she’s clumsy. Sure, she’s easily distracted. Her dog handling skills are, um, sub-par. But I tell you what…when it’s crunch time? When things matter? Cyn is sharp.* She is more competent than you expect—piecing together clues, dealing with dangerous situations, and saving the day like the seasoned pro you’d expect from someone just out of the MPs. When that aspect started to really show itself I was impressed. This isn’t about someone flailing about and somehow stumbling on to the truth of the matter (like a certain NJ bond enforcement officer or Inspector Gadget)—it’s about an accident-prone woman who can shine when given the opportunity.

* I know. I know. I’m sorry.

So, what did I think about Barking for Business?

This was just ridiculously fun. It’s hard to come up with more to say than that (obviously, I’ve found a way, but the temptation to just write that sentence and move on was strong).

There’s a little too much peril and action for this to technically be a cozy, I think. But I could be wrong about that. Regardless, it’s in that same zip code. The focus is never really on that—it’s about the puzzle, it’s about the antics of Cyn and Winnie. Cozy fans should feel very at home with it. More than anything, Barking for Business is a comedy—there are few pages that go by without something—a little slapstick, a nice bit of humor in the narration, Cyn saying something she’ll regret, or worse, learning something about her parents that she’ll regret.

Do I worry that the town is too small to keep things happening? Sure. But when their first case starts with money missing from the church’s bingo earnings, it’s obvious that Crane can make much from little. Do I worry that the schtick of the series will get old by book 5 or 6? A little. But I worry that about the premise of several series, and it means that I have at least 4 or 5 more books to enjoy before that happens. For now? I’m just going to shut my pie hole and enjoy the ride.

This is a fast, breezy read that’s full of excitement and humor. It’s the perfect book for people who fondly remember the first few Stephanie Plum books or have ever wondered what it would be like if Miranda Hart or Mindy Kaling wrote crime fiction (possibly co-writing it). I’ve got the second novel on my shelf already and am trying to figure out how to get it read quickly.