Jack Batten, after a brief and unhappy career as a lawyer, has been a very happy Toronto freelance writer for many years. He has written thirty-five books. Batten reviewed jazz for the Globe and Mail, wrote for the Toronto Star, and reviewed movies on CBC Radio for twenty-five years. Not surprisingly, jazz, movies, and crime turn up frequently in Crang's life.
<i>Riviera Blues</i> is a spirited romp with a soaring plot that doesn't stand in the way of Batten's hilarious sense of humour. - Toronto Sun