It’s been twenty years since Crang, the Toronto criminal lawyer with the single name and the smart mouth, last sleuthed his way through deep trouble and tricky cases. Now, as witty and nervy as he was in such best sellers as Straight No Chaser and Riviera Blues, Crang has returned, and as usual, he’s got problems.

A client has skipped out on him, still owing Crang a very large fee. The client, a woman of great beauty and even greater treachery, just happens to be the co-mastermind of the biggest marijuana grow-op business in Canadian drug history.

Crang cuts a few legal corners in his hunt for the fleeing client, but she soon becomes only the most elusive of his worries. Along the way, Crang finds himself confronting a major Toronto mob boss, a thug intent on maiming him, and an ugly case of murder. Will Crang survive the onslaught? Sometimes he can’t help wondering.

Crang remains the same, familiar off-beat guy from the earlier books. He loves vodka, jazz and smart repartee. His friends tend to be on the shady side of the law. Crang is still keeping romantic company with the delicious Annie, a freelance writer and a sharp-tongued match for Crang when batting around the dicey options that his practice in criminal law forces on him. Crang and Annie have just moved into their first house. It’s in mid-town Toronto, and, like everything else in Take Five, it comes with hints of danger.

Jack Batten practised law in Toronto for four years before turning to a life of writing. He has written for all the major Canadian magazines and is the author of thirty-three books including four crime novels. Five of his nonfiction books dealt with real-life Canadian lawyers, judges, and court cases; a biography of John Robinette was among these books. Batten's books have also dealt with sports, Canadian history, and biography. He has reviewed jazz for The Globe and Mail, movies for CBC radio, and still writes a column on crime fiction for the Toronto Star. His biography of Tom Longboat won the $10,000 Norma Fleck Award for best children's nonfiction in 2002, and the book is being made into a feature film. His most recent book is The Annex: The Story of a Toronto Neighbourhood, published in 2004.

Jack Batten's profile page

Crang is attractive, witty, and unflaggingly irreverent...a winner.

Books in Canada

A pleasing cast of characters, a nod for one of the world's great cities, and a vintage excursion with a storyteller who knows his plot.

John Brady, author of the Matt Minogue mystery series

...a terrific return with lots of trademark Batten touches. Not to be missed.

The Globe and Mail (Metro)

When his long-time client disappears without paying her fee, Crang takes the reader along for a ride as refreshing as a glass of Stoli served with just the right number of ice cubes.

Deryn Collier, author of Confined Space

[I]n Take Five, Batten's latest mystery, he has written a witty and clever tale revolving around a unique plot that keeps his readers intrigued as they scramble to figure it out alongside his main character. Like a fine wine, the [Crang] series--and its protagonist--have aged well. [A]n extremely enjoyable read that made me want to retrace Crang's steps through Toronto.

Toronto Star

Batten seemed to come into the world (...) with the sort of prose style that everyone else spends years developing.

Toronto Star

Irresistibly deadly.

Brian Greenspan, criminal lawyer

Batten's insights into the ups and downs of Toronto life are so intimate one would swear he and the city have been secret lovers for years.

Morley Torgov, author of The Mastersinger from Minsk

If you like your crime with an edge that's tinged with sarcasm and smart remarks, the Crang mysteries by Jack Batten are for you.

Mystery Maven Canada