The Adagio: A Mystery (Paperback)

by Alan K. Austin (Author)
Key Phrases: Virginia Faraway, Max Merryweather, Officer Seber (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Jack Duncan likes women—even married ones. An amateur actor in 1960s Omaha, Nebraska, he’s started a steamy affair with his married costar, Louise Thompson. But when her husband discovers them in flagrante dilecto, Robert Thompson takes a peculiar revenge on Duncan, giving him his prized recording of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings.

While listening to the record, Duncan is disconcerted by a scream he hears embedded in the climactic chord. And when he discovers the bodies of Louise and Robert, he knows instantly that their murders and the eerie recording must somehow be connected.

Duncan is suspected of killing the couple and becomes both the pursued and pursuer as he flees to New York City, beginning a hellish four-year mission to discover the source of the scream. He hides among derelicts near Shea Stadium, prowls Carnegie Hall where the Adagio was recorded, and learns of a strange, reclusive man who once lived in Carnegie’s tower. Hunted by the law and his own past, Duncan has one chance to prove his innocence—if only he can stop the scream from echoing in his brain.

Lush with the language and attitude of the 1960s and 1970s, The Adagio is a gritty, hardboiled detective novel that will haunt you long after the last page is turned.

About the Author
For thirty years, Alan K. Austin has reported for PBS, Frontline, Nova, and CBS affiliates in Topeka, Kansas, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. His documentaries have won ten national Emmys, Peabodies, Dupont-Columbia, and Sigma Delta Chi awards. Austin recently tracked down his junior-high-school flame, and they currently live in Rogers, Arkansas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (August 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595434762
• ISBN-13: 978-0595434763
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,965,735 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!, February 17, 2008

By	Cher (TN) - See all my reviews

Alan K. Austin has created a masterpiece. "The Adagio" is a well-written piece that takes the reader for a ride of a lifetime. A simple tale of a record containing a single misplaced note, a scream, weaves into an astonishing story of a man determined to prove his innocence.

Jack Duncan begins a casual affair with no clue of the drama that would result from it. With murder victims falling all around him, he must prove his innocence to the authorities and to his self.

This is a story that you will remember long after reading. It starts out with a bang. You may find yourself drifting off slightly in the middle, but hang in there because the ending brings everything together in a nice tidy bow, leaving you satisfied. This is an entertaining piece and I look forward to seeing more work from this talented writer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Murder music, February 8, 2008

By	Frank J. Konopka (Shamokin, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is an extremely well-written and taut mystery, detective story and thriller all rolled up in one package. It begins with the protagonist having an affair with a married woman and being discovered by her husband. Very soon the body count begins rising, and everything appears to be related to a mysterious scream heard (or not heard) at the end of a classical recording. The action moves from Nebraska to Iowa to New York City, and back and forth. There is a trial, an escape, and many pages about living the homeles and moneyless life on the streets and back spaces of New York and its surrounding area. The author keeps a few balls in the air at all times, but he doesn't drop any of them at all. This is a real page-turner, and I look forward to more books by this talented writer!

5.0 out of 5 stars Smooth, intelligent writing, January 29, 2008

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (1/08)

Alan K. Austin's "The Adagio" has everything a mystery lover could desire. The writing is incredibly smooth and the story draws you in with surprising intensity. The characters are believable and oh-so-human in all their strengths and weaknesses. The plot is unusual enough that it keeps you guessing and speculating. And the resolution is quirky enough to make this a very satisfying read.

Jack Duncan, an amateur actor, gets entangled in a brief affair with his co-star, Louise Thompson. Her husband, Robert, catches them and reacts very strangely - inviting Jack to dinner and playing a bunch of records, among which a haunting recording of Barber's Adagio. He also loans that particular record to Jack, who hears a terrifying scream towards the end of it when he listens to it at home. Jack tries to solve the mystery of the scream, but then gets deeply enmeshed in his own mystery, being accused of murdering Louise and Robert.

Jack's flight from the law enforcement as well as his stint in jail, time spent among the derelicts in New York and fate of several other people who are even indirectly involved with the past events at the famous Carnegie Hall make for a fast-paced, very engaging story. Alan K. Austin draws a number of rich characters, each with their own set of strengths and weaknesses and as such extremely believable and in most cases quite likeable. While the characters of the derelicts at the Shea Stadium "camp" might not be exactly charming, they are undoubtedly compelling and convincing. One can practically smell them.

There is enough action in "The Adagio" to satisfy, enough romance to soften the story and definitely enough intrigue to keep you busy for a few hours. I highly recommend this to any lover of intelligent mystery - and just as an aside, "in flagrante dilecto" is not misspelled... Check it out, it might provide a nice chuckle.