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Ryland Creek Saga #1
The Last Coon Hunter
It was a simpler time as widower Jacob Ernst struggles to raise his two young sons, Nathan and Mead, on their modest farm. They've grown up listening to the nighttime songs of hounds in the pursuit of the wily ringtail. Chasing raccoon through darkened hills, Jacob teaches his sons the legends of their hometown and a deep respect for all woodland creatures. Hunting and the lessons taught keep the Ernst family together. And the brothers bond with their dogs--loyal to one another until the end.
For this is Painted Post--a storied place where the lessons of life, love, and death play out beneath its mighty oaks.
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, coupled with the treachery of one of their own, leads to an inevitable showdown.
Some will learn that not all of Painted Post's vivid tales are pure legend, and this rugged woodland will wield its own brutal justice.
For in the darkest hollows, solid bonds are forged.
For this is Painted Post--a storied place where the lessons of life, love, and death play out beneath its mighty oaks.
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, coupled with the treachery of one of their own, leads to an inevitable showdown.
Some will learn that not all of Painted Post's vivid tales are pure legend, and this rugged woodland will wield its own brutal justice.
For in the darkest hollows, solid bonds are forged.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 14, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 12, 2018
Bias alert: I've known the author for about 12 years and worked with him on many Air Force manpower studies and other projects.
This book perfectly captures the atmosphere of the hills and countryside of upstate New York. Good book if you are looking for a story of a simpler time with time-honored values and traditions.
This book perfectly captures the atmosphere of the hills and countryside of upstate New York. Good book if you are looking for a story of a simpler time with time-honored values and traditions.
October 18, 2025
I absolutely fell in love with The Last Coon Hunter by Joseph Gary Crance. It’s 1976 when we meet Jacob Ernst, a widower, and his two young sons, Nathan, a preteen, and Mead, ten-years old. They live on a modest farm in Painted Post, in rural upstate New York with plenty of hills, hollows, forest, rivers, creeks, and swampy marshes. Along with working the farm, Jacob, an expert dog man and coon hunter, is teaching his sons how to be coon hunters. This isn’t just a book about hunting… it is so much more. It is a time for a father to share his passion for the untamed beauty of the forest, respect for nature and its creatures, and share stories of life, legends, and mystical happenings in the seemingly magical forest. It’s a lesson about commitment, building symbiotic relations, discipline, patience, trust, perseverance, partnerships, survival, reward, and love.
Crance is a stellar storyteller who captivates your attention and has you hanging on every detail of the story, because you don’t want to miss a thing. Not a word is wasted. His descriptions are vivid and capture all your senses. The characters are so real and honest and subtly developed. I love Jacob, a stern, fair, protective and loving father who allows his sons the room to succeed but also to learn how to stumble and get back up. Nathan is a miniature version of his father, responsible and unashamed to be himself. Mead runs head long and unafraid into situations and is fiercely loyal.
The relationships between the coon dogs and owners are heartwarming.
Although this is a small and tight-net community, there are also hardships and many dangers in this rural area that can come out of nowhere. There is never a dull moment. I laughed. I cried. I rejoiced. I was totally enthralled by this beautiful story. Crance’s passion for this area and coon hunting was evident in every line of this story.
“Coon huntin’ is about livin’, son,” Mead replied. “Being out here with your hounds—in these forests—that’s what it means to be truly alive.”
I highly recommend this heartfelt and exciting story. Crance is a magnificent storyteller.
Crance is a stellar storyteller who captivates your attention and has you hanging on every detail of the story, because you don’t want to miss a thing. Not a word is wasted. His descriptions are vivid and capture all your senses. The characters are so real and honest and subtly developed. I love Jacob, a stern, fair, protective and loving father who allows his sons the room to succeed but also to learn how to stumble and get back up. Nathan is a miniature version of his father, responsible and unashamed to be himself. Mead runs head long and unafraid into situations and is fiercely loyal.
The relationships between the coon dogs and owners are heartwarming.
Although this is a small and tight-net community, there are also hardships and many dangers in this rural area that can come out of nowhere. There is never a dull moment. I laughed. I cried. I rejoiced. I was totally enthralled by this beautiful story. Crance’s passion for this area and coon hunting was evident in every line of this story.
“Coon huntin’ is about livin’, son,” Mead replied. “Being out here with your hounds—in these forests—that’s what it means to be truly alive.”
I highly recommend this heartfelt and exciting story. Crance is a magnificent storyteller.
April 18, 2026
Like Where the Red Fern Grows if it was written for adults. Life in a small town with a little thrill and dogs at the heart of it all.
February 13, 2018
The Last Coon Hunter
By Joseph Gary Crance
Reviewed by Tarren Young
Gosh, it’s hard to know where to start sometimes when reviewing a book. You both want to not only do the story justice but the author as well. Sometimes the words flow and other times you have to gather your thoughts, grapple and wonder what the heck just happened when you finished the story.
What the heck just happened is the fact that I sobbed my way through this story in a record breaking 8 days.
I bought Joseph Crance’s book “The Last Coon Hunter” back in December with all kinds of crazy notions that the other pile of local authors I needed to read would be read in the month or shortly thereafter! This is where we all laugh because I’m a mother! At Christmas! Trying to read! I wonder if that thought even crossed my brain? I don’t think there was any comprehension in that idea at all. Nope. None whatsoever.
But I did run into Joseph one night in late January, and he had asked me if I’d read the book yet. Sadly, at that point, I hadn’t even opened it. Sigh. Sometimes I wish I was a faster reader or that I could read two books at one time. But I believe we are meant to read the books we are meant to read at certain times in our lives for a reason. I don’t know why, we just do. I opened the book that night and was immediately drawn into the character’s lives, desperate to know more!
Besides getting the kick in the pants I needed, this story also worked well for our book club theme for the month of February based on History with a story at least 20 years old. “The Last Coon Hunter” spans from 1976 to 1993, and fits well into that theme.
I am an active reader and my copy is well loved with several notations and highlights.Of course a few things could be tightened up here and there, but that is the case with every author. Even JK Rowling isn’t perfect! We all have to start somewhere, and Joe Crance started with characters that are real and heartfelt from page one.
Every character--well, almost every character--(I won’t spoil it for those who want to read it) I loved from the beginning. Each of them had flaws, which is nice, because no one wants to read about flat, stagnant characters. I really don’t think I could sit and pick a favorite character. It would be like trying to tell me I had to pick a favorite child. There’s no way I could do it.
Besides the characters, I have a very soft spot for the setting of “The Last Coon Hunter.” Though I did not directly grow up in Painted Post, my paternal grandfather worked at Dresser Rand and my paternal grandmother worked at Corning Glass. Growing up in Tioga County Pa, Painted Post was literally my backyard. Oddly enough though, “The Last Coon Hunter” reminded me more of my maternal grandfather than anything. The way the characters talked and interacted with each other, their dialects, brought to mind my maternal grandpa who was born on the homestead, in the holler, in Little Marsh, Pa and was a logger with horses all his life. My grandpa not only talked like the father, Jacob Ernst in Crance’s book with certain dialects, but full of life wisdom along the way. And you can bet, the life lessons that my grandpa and Jacob Ernst peppered through life and through “The Last Coon Hunter” story, could and did make you take a step back and realize just how much truth was in such a short sentence.
I will honestly say that I did not expect to like this book as much as I did, much less fall in love with it. Yet Joseph Crance is a natural born storyteller. Not many people are, and he only gets better from here. But his story telling style captured my heart, just like his characters are still lingering there as he weaves a story much like my own grandpa did. What I’m finally coming to realize is that I will never have the time to hear my grandpa’s stories again, and a healing took place through this book that I did not know I needed.
And for that, I am grateful.
By Joseph Gary Crance
Reviewed by Tarren Young
Gosh, it’s hard to know where to start sometimes when reviewing a book. You both want to not only do the story justice but the author as well. Sometimes the words flow and other times you have to gather your thoughts, grapple and wonder what the heck just happened when you finished the story.
What the heck just happened is the fact that I sobbed my way through this story in a record breaking 8 days.
I bought Joseph Crance’s book “The Last Coon Hunter” back in December with all kinds of crazy notions that the other pile of local authors I needed to read would be read in the month or shortly thereafter! This is where we all laugh because I’m a mother! At Christmas! Trying to read! I wonder if that thought even crossed my brain? I don’t think there was any comprehension in that idea at all. Nope. None whatsoever.
But I did run into Joseph one night in late January, and he had asked me if I’d read the book yet. Sadly, at that point, I hadn’t even opened it. Sigh. Sometimes I wish I was a faster reader or that I could read two books at one time. But I believe we are meant to read the books we are meant to read at certain times in our lives for a reason. I don’t know why, we just do. I opened the book that night and was immediately drawn into the character’s lives, desperate to know more!
Besides getting the kick in the pants I needed, this story also worked well for our book club theme for the month of February based on History with a story at least 20 years old. “The Last Coon Hunter” spans from 1976 to 1993, and fits well into that theme.
I am an active reader and my copy is well loved with several notations and highlights.Of course a few things could be tightened up here and there, but that is the case with every author. Even JK Rowling isn’t perfect! We all have to start somewhere, and Joe Crance started with characters that are real and heartfelt from page one.
Every character--well, almost every character--(I won’t spoil it for those who want to read it) I loved from the beginning. Each of them had flaws, which is nice, because no one wants to read about flat, stagnant characters. I really don’t think I could sit and pick a favorite character. It would be like trying to tell me I had to pick a favorite child. There’s no way I could do it.
Besides the characters, I have a very soft spot for the setting of “The Last Coon Hunter.” Though I did not directly grow up in Painted Post, my paternal grandfather worked at Dresser Rand and my paternal grandmother worked at Corning Glass. Growing up in Tioga County Pa, Painted Post was literally my backyard. Oddly enough though, “The Last Coon Hunter” reminded me more of my maternal grandfather than anything. The way the characters talked and interacted with each other, their dialects, brought to mind my maternal grandpa who was born on the homestead, in the holler, in Little Marsh, Pa and was a logger with horses all his life. My grandpa not only talked like the father, Jacob Ernst in Crance’s book with certain dialects, but full of life wisdom along the way. And you can bet, the life lessons that my grandpa and Jacob Ernst peppered through life and through “The Last Coon Hunter” story, could and did make you take a step back and realize just how much truth was in such a short sentence.
I will honestly say that I did not expect to like this book as much as I did, much less fall in love with it. Yet Joseph Crance is a natural born storyteller. Not many people are, and he only gets better from here. But his story telling style captured my heart, just like his characters are still lingering there as he weaves a story much like my own grandpa did. What I’m finally coming to realize is that I will never have the time to hear my grandpa’s stories again, and a healing took place through this book that I did not know I needed.
And for that, I am grateful.
March 31, 2026
Great story
Great story that captures the joy and excitement of ooonhunting entangled in a tale of revenge and ghost stories. Well worth the rread.
Great story that captures the joy and excitement of ooonhunting entangled in a tale of revenge and ghost stories. Well worth the rread.
August 2, 2023
I read this book a few years ago and wasn't quite sure how to put my feelings into words. With the release of the audiobook, I decided to reread it. I now feel like I can finally put words to my emotions.
I'll start by saying, I may not be the best person to review this as my feelings towards this book may represent my bias. I've known the author for a few years now and was actually gifted this book by him.
Joe is a fantastic writer. He evokes so much emotion in the words he uses (not just in these books, but in life as well). He understands the craft of coon hunting, allowing for the book to feel more realistic. I almost felt like I knew the characters and was watching their lives play out.
As for the story, it is a heartwarming tale that makes life slowdown for just a little. The feelings I felt were similar to those I felt while reading the Little House series, or Anne of Green Gables. It's just a story that makes you forget your own troubles and enter a world that seems almost simpler.
That said, there were of course many parts that made me cry, and I mean sniffling, sobbing tears. I understand why those things had to happen, but it doesn't make me any less angrier. Joe really has a way of making a reader both hate and love him at the same time.
I have, and will continue, to recommend this book to everyone I see. It's one that will sit with you for a long time.
I'll start by saying, I may not be the best person to review this as my feelings towards this book may represent my bias. I've known the author for a few years now and was actually gifted this book by him.
Joe is a fantastic writer. He evokes so much emotion in the words he uses (not just in these books, but in life as well). He understands the craft of coon hunting, allowing for the book to feel more realistic. I almost felt like I knew the characters and was watching their lives play out.
As for the story, it is a heartwarming tale that makes life slowdown for just a little. The feelings I felt were similar to those I felt while reading the Little House series, or Anne of Green Gables. It's just a story that makes you forget your own troubles and enter a world that seems almost simpler.
That said, there were of course many parts that made me cry, and I mean sniffling, sobbing tears. I understand why those things had to happen, but it doesn't make me any less angrier. Joe really has a way of making a reader both hate and love him at the same time.
I have, and will continue, to recommend this book to everyone I see. It's one that will sit with you for a long time.
February 5, 2026
Brought back memories
I can remember the sounds of my coonhounds running a coon. The excitement i felt when they hit treed. This book brought all those nights back. I would recommend this book to everyone.
I can remember the sounds of my coonhounds running a coon. The excitement i felt when they hit treed. This book brought all those nights back. I would recommend this book to everyone.
April 6, 2025
Painted Post by Jacob Ernst is a gripping tale set in a rural town, where widower Jacob Ernst raises his two sons, Nathan and Mead, with a deep respect for nature and a strong bond with their loyal hounds. Life takes a dark turn when the illegal drug trade and family betrayal threaten their peaceful existence. The story skillfully blends the beauty of family loyalty and the wild landscapes of Painted Post with the harsh realities of life, justice, and sacrifice. A poignant and intense read, this book is a must for fans of character-driven narratives and rural thrillers
April 5, 2021
Fantastic story
I picked up this book with some trepidation.
I am not usually a fan of novels or sagas.
These books were fantastic. I read all four of them in less than a week. I couldn't put them down. Mr. Crance creates a world and family that I couldn't help but love and root for. His clear knowledge of the subject matter and the trials and tribulations of growing up in rural america, the challenges of being of the land while outside influences (drugs) threaten the fabric of what makes rural america worth holding on to, was very well done. I can't wait for the next one.
I picked up this book with some trepidation.
I am not usually a fan of novels or sagas.
These books were fantastic. I read all four of them in less than a week. I couldn't put them down. Mr. Crance creates a world and family that I couldn't help but love and root for. His clear knowledge of the subject matter and the trials and tribulations of growing up in rural america, the challenges of being of the land while outside influences (drugs) threaten the fabric of what makes rural america worth holding on to, was very well done. I can't wait for the next one.
June 14, 2021
An enjoyable read.
A fun light summer read. I loved the legends and spirit stories. I grew up in Painted Post and roamed the woods; but never at night.
A fun light summer read. I loved the legends and spirit stories. I grew up in Painted Post and roamed the woods; but never at night.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews