The Last Coon Hunter

The Ryland Creek Saga, Book I, 5th Anniversary Edition

By: Joseph Gary Crance

Narrated by: Wayne Thompson

It was a simpler time. Widower Jacob Ernst struggles to raise his young sons, Nathan and Mead, on their modest farm in the small town of Painted Post. Listening to the songs of their hounds while pursuing the wily raccoon through the nighttime forests, Jacob teaches his children a deep respect for all woodland creatures and the many legends abounding in these tall hills. For Painted Post is a storied place where the lessons of life, love, and death play out beneath its mighty oaks. And Nathan and Mead grow loyal to each other and their coonhounds till the end.

But worlds collide. The evil of men follows the Ernst family and their hounds into these mystical hills. The scourge of the illegal drug trade, and the treachery of one of their own, leads to an inevitable showdown. Some will learn not all of Painted Post's vivid tales are pure legend, and this rugged woodland can wield a brutal justice. For in the darkest hollows, unbreakable bonds are forged.

SECOND PLACE WINNER: 2023 New York State Outdoor Writers Association Excellence in Craft Awards--Book category, and SECOND PLACE WINNER: 2022 New York State Outdoor Writers Association Excellence in Craft Awards--Television, Radio, Video, and Audio category!

©2022 Joseph Gary Crance (P)2024 Joseph Gary Crance

Very Inviting

The Last Coon Hunter (5th Anniversary Edition) is the 1st book of the Ryland Creek Saga. It takes place in upstate New York in an area called Ryland Creek outside of the town of Painted Post. The author does a great job of setting the time and tone of the area. It's about a family who hunts raccoon and raises great dogs as well. The story is set appropriately 4 decades ago. Kind of a innocent time before drugs , murder, and the modern world would enter into this quiet, mystic place. All of these and the supernatural come into play as you listen to the narrator draw you in. This book will leave you wanting more. Good thing, because there are more books in this series. I give it, " 2 thumbs up"!

Character development is top notch

It’s been a long time since I have read a fiction book and the character development was great! I felt like I knew these people. Great story and plot as well.

Absolutely amazing!!!

Best book I've ever read! Great writer and narration! If you haven't read this you're missing out, that's all I can say!

Please add the other books to this series on Audible!

Listen to this!

I read the original print version of this book some years ago. I’ve since read the rest of Joseph Gary Crance’s entire “Ryland Creek” series. Having thus learned the whole backstory, I’ve been planning to re-read the series but have been busy with other projects. Now that the first two books in the wonderful series are available in Audible, I can enjoy them while I drive, exercise, or do chores. In the first of the series, “The Last Coon Hunter,” I find the narrator, Wayne Thompson, has treated each character with the very voice with which I’d imagined them, and each is clearly distinguishable. The pacing is perfect, and the vocal inflections add even more emotion to the exciting story. I am eager to start listening to the second book in the series, “An Exceptional Hound,” today!