Evan Horne is playing piano at the Fashion Show Mall as he recovers from an injury to his right hand. His old friend Ace Buffington asks him to look for a few answers about the mysterious death of tenor sax player Wardell Gray. Horne doesn't realize that asking a few questions about this decades old murder can bring a lot of heat, including a confrontation with a mobster.
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Moody's second Evan Horne mystery brings back jazz piano player and amateur sleuth Horne and sets him the daunting task of solving the 30-year-old murder of saxophonist Wardell Gray, who died in Las Vegas in 1955, the apparent victim of a heroin overdose. Horne is called to Las Vegas by his friend and fellow jazz buff Ace Buffington, who hopes to write an article on Gray's death and its relation to the abrupt closing of Moulin Rouge, the site of Gray's last gig and the first integrated nightclub in the city. Horne's task is twofold: help Ace research the death of a tenor man and try out his injured hand with a comeback gig on the piano. Trouble ensues quickly and rather predictably as Mob types attempt to stop Horne's investigation. This is formulaic mystery fare, but the Vegas setting is nicely realized, and the use of the real-life Gray case proves fascinating, especially to jazz fans, who will also appreciate the author's musings on the jazz player's art. Great music, mediocre story. Bill Ott
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"...Vegas setting is nicely realized, and the use of the real-life Gray case proves fascinating, especially to jazz fans...." BOOKLIST -- Bill Ott, Booklist
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Evan Horne's Sophomore Gig is a Killer!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Death of a Tenor Man (Paperback)
In the 2nd installment of the Evan Horne mysteries, Bill Moody sets his hero in the neon snakepit of Las Vegas, where an old friend sends Evan on a mission to solve a 37-year-old murder. But doing so peels back layers of Las Vegas history,
opening old wounds that someone is willing to kill to keep covered...
As in Solo Hand, Bill Moody assembles a vivid cast of
characters and plays out a twisted story-line like a jazz virtuoso with murderous chops that include the fate of tenor
saxophonist Wardell Gray and the real history of the Moulin Rouge, as well as a handful of subplots that Moody deftly ties together in a coolly musical climax. For all its brooding authenticity, regarding both jazz and Las Vegas, Death of a Tenor Man is a fast-paced and well-wrought mystery.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Evan Horne's Sophomore Gig is a Killer!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Death of a Tenor Man: An Evan Horne Mystery (Walker Mystery) (Hardcover)
In the 2nd installment of the Evan Horne mysteries, Bill Moody sets his hero in the neon snakepit of Las Vegas, where an old friend sends Evan on a mission to solve a 37-year-old murder. But doing so peels back layers of Las Vegas history, opening old wounds that someone is willing to kill to keep covered...
As in Solo Hand, Bill Moody assembles a vivid cast of characters and plays out a twisted story-line like a jazz virtuoso with murderous chops that include the fate of tenor saxophonist Wardell Gray and the real history of the Moulin Rouge, as well as a handful of subplots that Moody deftly ties together in a coolly musical climax. For all its brooding authenticity, regarding both jazz and Las Vegas, Death of a Tenor Man is a fast-paced and well-wrought mystery.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
LITERATURE FROM AND FOR THE HIP,
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This review is from: Death of a Tenor Man (Paperback)
If you're ignorant, or stupid, don't try to read anything by Bill Moody. His writings are for intelligent, well read, artistically aware individuals. His creations are literary works of art. His words are choreographed like a Bob Fosse production. As i read each of his books, soundtracks came through to me.
The "Great American Novel" is in the capable hands of Bill Moody.
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