Same Difference is the second book in the Fran & Ken Stein Mystery series by E.J. Copperman. Brian Hennessey is finding it hard to deal with his now-daughter Eliza’s coming out as transgender, but he’s really trying. That’s why he doesn’t believe she left to get away from him; he’s sure she’s missing involuntarily, and he wants K&F Stein Investigations to find her.

As Brian has few details about Eliza’s friends, Fran Stein’s first stop is New Amsterdam University in Manhattan, where classmate Laura Rapinoe points her to a friend, Damian van Dorn. Fran’s interest in Damian‘s activities leads to an uncomfortable encounter with Detective Rechard Mankiewicz, who informs her that Damian, too, is missing.

Her budding relationship with Mank hit a major roadblock after Fran revealed her unusual origins, and he reacted poorly. After being ghosted by him, Fran isn’t yet open to his attempted apologies, but when she needs a favour, does it present him a chance to make good?

Hoping that finding Damian might lead her to Eliza, Fran follows up leads but eventually finds herself on the wrong side of some other NYPD cops, and wonders if she can trust Mank at all.

Meanwhile, Ken is receiving communications from someone calling himself Malcolm X. Mitchell, who claims to know where their parents are: is it genuine, or is it someone trying to trap them into giving away some detail about Brand and Livvie?

When Fran becomes a fugitive from the NYPD, there’s a situation where she has to scale a building, twice, once with a passenger, something a lesser woman might find difficult; a night is spent in an unfinished, unfurnished, unplumbed, unpowered building with only basic food supplies.

Luckily, her resourceful brother comes up with a clever way for her to charge up when she’s running low; phone and internet being traceable, they resort to paper messages left at drop-off points, all very eighties spy movie stuff. New York Public Library comes in very handy, and at an ice cream shop, Fran uses a novel method of distracting a phalanx of police on her tail, annoyed about not finishing her cone more than anything else.

This instalment could be read stand-alone as there is some recap about the characters and not too many spoilers, but why deny yourself the pleasure of reading Ukulele Of Death first? It has a few twists and surprises, gives some added background to the main characters, promises a bit more between Mank and Fran, has a denouement that involves quite a few guns but doesn’t add to the body count, and leaves plenty of scope for more of this engaging cast.

Likely due to her atypical origins Fran’s unique perspective on life means that her narrative is full of original observations and witty asides. This is such a fun read that one can overlook the occasional plot hole, and hope that E J Copperman is hard at work on 3. Very entertaining.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Severn House.