Same Difference

Note this book is the second in a series. It can be read stand alone, though, as all important characters and events are described within this book.

Overall, I thought this was a fun book. Investigator Fran Stein has a unique narrative voice and concept, and I enjoyed following the case with her. In particular, I enjoyed how the investigation highlighted how different finding a missing person is contemporary times, as well as hard it can be (in some ways) to purposefully disappear if someone is tracking your movements. The primary case overall centers around finding, and then protecting, a missing 19-year old transwoman, and the book did a pretty good job of tackling some concerns of such an individual.

That said, I found Stein's investigation of her on-the-run parents pretty distracting. Maybe I would feel differently if I read the first book, but I would have enjoyed more focus on just the case at hand in this one.

I think this is a good book for a little light reading, especially if you like a mix of sci-fi (soft), science conspiracies, and mystery. For those who are squeamish, there is a description of a murder, but it's not overly gory.

This is the second book in the Fran and Ken Stein series. They are sister and brother and are private investigators in New York. This time they are looking for a missing person. Eliza who has recently come out to her father as trans is missing and her father is very worried. This is not something that Fran would normally deal with but aspects of the case/story intrigue her. For those who didn't read the first book please do or you will miss out on Fran and Ken's back story. It's fair to say that they are both a little unusual and not simply that they are much taller than most people. Have a USB port for recharging is "interesting"… They have a back story as far as their parents are concerned and that forms a small part of this story.

While Fran has fallen out with her NYPD (boy)friend from the last book they are managing to be civilised initially when they find they are both interested in aspects of this case. The book follows the twists and turns of the case as well as their personal lives. As someone from the other side of the pond I have to say that this is very New York to me, maybe it felt more so than the last one. However I did find it an easy and entertaining reading.

I found the first book entertaining and amusing and could say the same about this one. I really like Fran as a character - her introspective dialogues can be very funny. I guess the story is not particularly deep but it was satisfying enough. The pace is decent and the characters generally work well for me. These are fairly lightweight stories however there's nothing wrong with that and sometimes they fit in really well. I'm sure I will keep reading any future offerings in this series.

Same Difference by E.J. Copperman covers another case for the Steins, Fran and Ken. The brother and sister solve another case of missing persons, murder and drug dealing while navigating how much to tell people about their beginnings. While trying to find a missing person the duo end up with a dead body and multiple mysteries while being chased around New York. As always, this is a fun read with a lot of NY locations to add to the fun and confusing and confused people running all over.

Second book in the series. Can be read as a stand alone but book one wll provide interesting information
about the brother and sister and their parents.
Fran and Ken are hired to find a missing 19 year old transwoman Eliza by her father. Meanwhile,
Detective Mankkiwicz also has a missing person case - the subject happens to be Eliza's friend.
Fran's and Mank's relationship is in question since she revealed her origin. When the friend is
found murdered, the question is why and is Eliza in danger. Side story involves the whereabouts of
their scientist parents. The twisty murder plot keeps one engaged in the story.
#SameDifference #SevernHouse #NetGalley

This was such a unique and interesting story, and was really well-executed. I messed this up and didn't realize it was part two in the series, so now I'm off to read the first one!

There are several things a reader can expect when they pick up an E.J. Copperman book – tight plot, humor, great characters. Also expected, in each series, written as either Jeff Cohen or Copperman: a high concept premise. This series is no exception to that rule. The protagonists, brother and sister Fran and Ken Stein (you get the word play), were not born, exactly, but created by their scientist parents who gave them a little extra something. For the purposes of the story, Fran and Ken have a teeny super hero thing going on – both are remarkably tall and remarkably strong. The downside: they have to plug into a charger every couple of days to keep going. There’s a USB port under their arms.

This part of the story, to me, was almost extraneous – the story itself was excellent and to me, needed no embellishment. Fran and Ken could just have been tall and extra strong. Being Copperman, however, there’s an extra layer here, one of emotion: Fran and Ken haven’t seen their parents since they were children, and they’re hoping to find them. All signs point to that being the plot of the next book. The sense of loss is lightly touched on but it’s there, and beautifully handled.

All that aside, this is a wonderful mystery, complicated and funny. It reminds the reader of Donald Westlake at his best. The set up: a worried Dad comes to Fran (she and her brother own a private eye firm specializing in reuniting adopted children with their birth parents) telling her his daughter has vanished. She’d recently come out to her Dad as trans and he’s clearly struggling with it, but not to the point of rejecting his now daughter, who he obviously loves. This kind of welcome thread grounds this book very much in the present.

Fran’s investigation takes her to the young woman’s college where she tries to track down any friends she may have had, and Fran luckily stumbles into one online at the registrar’s office. The registrar was completely useless as far as Fran is concerned but the young woman is not, and she gives Fran her first lead.

Much of Fran’s investigation seems like something maybe anyone could think of doing, and she does discover a body in the course of her investigation. The other hiccup in her life is the fact that she was dating a cop, but when she told him about her reality (the need for plugging in, created, not born), he did a runner. The two now find themselves more or less working together as Fran tries to locate the missing girl as well as discover a murderer. This development has all the charm and humor you might expect from Copperman.

While there’s some old fashioned story telling bits which could have come right from Westlake – a small time criminal calling himself Jules, for instance – the contemporary timeliness of a trans character, the use of cell phones and social media, place this novel squarely in the present. It’s a nice mash up of tropes, past and present. And it’s insanely entertaining. The pages turned faster than I planned and I was left feeling bereft, already missing Fran Stein and looking forward to more from E.J. Copperman.

Same Difference is the second book in E.J. Copperman’s Fran & Ken Stein Mystery series. Unlike some second books, this one doesn’t suffer too much from the dreaded sophomore slump. For the most part, the story, characters, and plot are fresh and interesting and the humor is subtle and well-timed.

This series is unusual because it combines a couple of elements that aren’t paired with each other very often in a contemporary setting. Obviously, it’s a mystery. It involves siblings who are private detectives that specialize in helping adoptees find their biological parents. But, it’s also a bit of science fiction (or maybe a little more than a bit). Fran and Ken were “created” by their parents when they realized that natural conception wasn’t possible. As a result, the siblings have to re-charge periodically via a USB port positioned under their arm. In addition, they are both quite tall. Okay, really tall and they possess super-human strength. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, considering their chosen line of work, and it does provide some interesting situations.

All in all I liked Same Difference, although it seems like there are too many references to Fran’s height, Ken’s effect on women, and just how strong they both are. So, I waffled between ratings just about every other page. In the end, I would give this book 3.5 stars but bump it up to 4. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

Being a big fan of the author’s Haunted Guesthouse series, I was excited to read this book and was certainly not disappointed! . It’s very unique, in a good way, but hard to categorize. Part sci fi, part cozy mystery but also with a strong thread of deliciously dry humour. it’s wonderfully offbeat, with a chaotic, complicated plot and very likeable characters. Lots of fun!

This time around, I found the paranormal aspect of Fran and Ken’s origins less jarring. Probably because I was already aware of this development, but also because Fran demonstrates her own angst about the situation more effectively, this time around. There is an overarching plot thread whereby we’re aware that Fran and Ken’s parents have had to go to ground as they’re in significant danger. But Fran has been in contact with her mother, without telling Ken.

I also enjoyed the overall story. Copperman’s very good at providing twisty plots and this one is a doozy. I was completely blindsided when I discovered whodunit – and while Fran and Ken are both large and supernaturally strong, Copperman also provided circumstances to neutralise these advantages. I liked Ken and Fran’s relationship in this story. While there is the occasional sibling rivalry, there is also a strong sense of affection between brother and sister than never lapses into sentimentality – which I very much appreciated.

That didn’t stop the dialogue throughout – even during some of the tenser situations – being nicely snarky and at times very funny. I laughed aloud more than once, despite the fact that the book is dealing with some hefty issues. As for the ongoing relationship with Mank – Fran’s sense of hurt at his reaction to discovering what makes her different felt realistic. I liked the fact that she didn’t merely shrug off his startled reaction and it did make their ongoing professional encounters genuinely funny. All in all, this is a cracking read that had me turning pages later into the night than I should have to find out what happened next. Highly recommended for fans of murder mysteries who prefer their whodunits not to be dripping with gore, or too bleakly gritty. While I obtained an arc of Same Difference from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10