Mr. Crane, If You Please
Publisher: Writers Club Press
Published: April 1, 2001
Place of publication: San Jose; Shanghai
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 171
ISBN-13: 9780595001750
Subjects: General & Literary Fiction; General; Action & Adventure; Fiction; Fiction - General
Genres: Crime Noir; Mystery
First sentence: The farmhouse had been covered in fresh rain the night before, dropping almost 3 inches.  The smoke was coming out of the cobblestone chimney; the smell of sausage and the sound of a crackling fire were everywhere. The smells and sounds seemed to spill into the fields and the nearby woods.

Inside the house, Jacob George James sat and ate his breakfast. He had celebrated his high school graduation the night before, having a fun time before the rain fell.  He was a lanky, skinny young man; though surprisingly strong in his shoulders.  He had gotten so strong from working and growing up on that little farm in Bishop Springs, Minnesota.  It was the faceless sort of town that did not make you want to stop and look around.  It had a bank, a grocery store, and there was always talk of a hardware store being built, although it just amounted to rumor.

Looking forward to Chapter 4:
They walked into the office that was tucked safely away in the back of the bar.  He showed Jacob the collection envelopes and the safe. Then he showed Jacob a big knife.  It was explained to him that the money goes into the envelopes, the envelopes go into the safe; and if Jacob stole any of the money, the butcher knife would go into him.
Description: Set in a Fictional version of Arcadia Michigan, "Mr. Crane if you please" introduces readers to a long kept secret named 'Mr.Crane'.

Functioning as a hired hitman for the town over the course of a century, we find that each generation of the professional killers have their own story and add to the complicated mystery that is lives in Arcadia, MI.

The story draws its inspiration from actual accounts of vigilante justice and mysterious death in Northern Michigan's isolated countryside.  The Purple Gang of Detroit fame lent their exploits to the historic crimes and misdeeds of Mr. Crane.

Seen through the eyes of Arcadia's newest citizen, Jacob James," Mr. Crane if you please" will delight and tempt your senses, begging you to step outside of your comfort zone, making you ask yourself what you'd do to keep all that you love safe.
Table of contents: title: Title Page; title: About the Author