Customer Reviews

Jackson Square Jazz

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Greg Herren is a fun writer that is very entertaining. This series is an easy fun read that is great for your summer reading list. If you love mystrey novels with a some personal drama thrown in for flair this book is a read. This series Mardi Gras Mambo, Jackson Square Jazz and Bourbon Street Blues are center around the PI, Scotty Bradley.

Scotty tends to get himself in to some of the most interesting situations personally and professionally. I would recommend reading these in order so that you can grow with the character of Scotty. I am glad to hear that Greg is not done with Scott Bradley but only took a break from him for awhile. I can not wait for number four.

A gay pot-smoking private eye wannabe fixated on sex has a one-night stand with a champion ice skater and finds himself enmeshed in murder. A very flimsy "clue" and some psychic intuition leads back to an unsolved killing fifteen years earlier. The crux of the story is discerned early and proceeds in cartoon fashion--car chase, kidnap, miraculous escape, shoot-outs, etc. A couple of interesting characters but generally an unflattering look at gay stereotypes. This is the second volume of a series that never materialized. I have now read most of the Herren books (lots of repetition) and think he will be remembered only for the stunning "Murder in the Rue Chartres" which I highly recommend.

Greg Herren keeps you guessing right until the end. Wonderful characters, enjoyable read. I wish I would have had Scotty Bradley to show me around New Orleans on my visit back in the early eighties. I would have had a better time. New Orleans comes alive in this second installment of Herren's suspense series with ex-go-go boy turned P.I. Scotty Bradley. Jackson Square Jazz is a must read for any whodunit fan...

Scotty is, basically, a likeable pothead slacker looking for a good time, drifting through life largely aided by his "irresistibility", and putting in just enough work to earn a living which keeps him in bar booze and pot. He is halfheartedly pursuing a career as a private investigator and a relationship with an FBI agent, named Frank. Whenever any obstacle appears in his path, he seems to abandon his goals and light up a joint.

That said, he is thrust into a potentially-fatal mystery which does engage his attention and efforts. After visiting Frank in DC, he freaks out about a long-term monongamous relationship, gets drunk and picks up a young man, named Bryce and his life gets considerably more complicated and dangerous. Scotty cannot even remember their encounter and quickly ditches him the next morning. He finds out that night, however, that their paths are 'destined' to cross again when while attending a figure skating competition, he discovers that Bryce is an acclaimed amateur skater performing that night. To Scotty's delight, Bryce delivers his room key to him, but when he goes to the hotel he discovers not a naked Bryce, but a fleeing woman and a man with a knife in his chest.

Mayhem ensues multiple times, Scotty channels the spirit of a dead fireman, amazing coincidences occur, Scotty prays to various goddesses, a former flame named Colin shows up with his own secrets that involve and at times hurt Scotty, Frank shows up wanting to know what's wrong since Scotty has been avoiding him, and Scotty smokes a lot of pot at every possible opportunity.

This mystery was entertaining, the characters were largely likable (or unlikable if they were villians), and the author effectively evoked the feel of New Orleans. This story was not great fiction or a great mystery, but it's a good way to pass an hour or two.

My only serious caveat was the incredible amount of time Scotty spent drunk or high, especially considering how often he made bad choices while under the influence. Amazingly, there was no one calling him on what I saw as a problem with addictive behavior; this was not party-boy behavior, this went way beyond that. I felt like we were watching an addict, only no one around him saw that he had a problem and in fact, everyone around him patted him on his irresistible head and told him to keep having a good time. I would have found the book more enjoyable if his drug use was lessened.

The title is the most intriguing aspect to this book. You can put it down after you get that far. Stiff and amateurish writing that you expect to see in a high school paper rather than a published book for adults.

I think as far as sequels go, this was great. Like the first there were several parts of the book you find yourself saying "yeah right" but all of that can be attributed to "The Goddess."

A Frequent Guest in New Orleans, I can tell you this is a fun read especially for those who know the area. What is really great about this book is that is is not ABOUT Being Gay. It isn't about sex, though sex isn't absent, it isn't pornography, and it isn't a sweet romantic novel, yet, "romance" is part of the story.

And Romance is another thing, alot of times, Authors try to carry on Two Stories in one book, (Gay or Straight). Hero has secret life of action, while trying to maintain a homelife separate from the other, sometimes the Love Interest becomes unwittingly involved in the climax and resolution of the story, and the Hero is forced out of the Closet with his alternate and hidden life (i.e. Mary Jane in "Spiderman" or Lois Lane in "Superman", Helen Tasker in the movie "True Lies"). Well... This book is so different with that.. The Love Interests are involved in the story, they play vital roles in plot development and are actively involved in the furtherment of the story and aren't there simply for the hostage dilema.. In fact, we find the Hero in more Hostage dilemas than his friends, but it all turns out in good fun and great story telling.

Nextly, I love the Character Development, we learn much more about our favorite Characters from the first book... Scotty, David, Frank, Colin, and Venus..
It's very good, and I can not wait for the next book whenever it may be.

I would also LOVE to see these Books Turned into Movies... in a dream world, here is how I would cast our stars...

Scotty - Paul Walker (just dye his hair brown)
Frank - Ron Perlman (10 years ago)
Colin - Charlie Sheen
David - Sean Hayes
Venus - Pam Grier (no two questions about it)
Mom - Kathy Bates..

That's just my idea.. although, they'd ALL Have to work on their New Orleans ability.. because above the story, the character... the appeal of this story is it's capture of the flavor of New Orleans.

Call me unqualified to review this book, because I didn't quite finish it. (I came within eight pages of the end and put it down, never to continue reading.) But I feel after all those pages that I'm at least qualified to say that if you care about the craft of writing, you'll want to avoid this book. It's the kind of writing that gives "gay fiction" a bad name. Dear goddess, I wish I could be more positive.

If not for predictable stereotypes, this book would have no characters at all. There are lots of good things in Jackson Square Jazz -- including a likeable protagonist -- but I was unable to get truly into this book because I was always aware of the author's self-consciousness. He is trying very hard to entertain his reader and as a result prevents us from getting into the action. If he allowed the characters more depth and steered clear of stereotypes, this book could have been quite good. The story -- which is apparently based on real events -- is compelling but the lack of depth of the characters is disappointing.

Buff blonde Party-boy/psychic/former-GoGoBoy/turned-private-investigator "Scotty" Bradley is back (from his introduction in Herren's earlier "Bourbon Street Blues"), and he quicky becomes involved in a murder plot involving a 19y/o gay male figure skater, a fire at a museum, a reverend involved in a theft, a crazy stepmother, a kidnapping, and a high speed chase resulting in an accident. We also are reunited with Scotty's hippie parents, his lawyer-brother Storm, African-American police detective Ms. Venus Casanova, Scotty's long distance boyfriend (Frank, an FBI agent), and a former lover who forms a triangle that makes Scotty doubt his feelings for Frank. Readers who love New Orleans (where this and the previous novel are based) will especially like the local color provided by the author, who obviously holds a fondness for the city as well.

To be honest, I thought the book was a bit "light". not so much in plot but moreso in character development (Although we do learn a bit more about characters introduced in the earlier novel). Otherwise, it was an entirely engrossing and enjoyable mystery, with lots of nail-biting situations (Perhaps too many, some would say), leaving you wanting more. (It's obvious in the final pages that Herren is setting up some situations for a third novel in the series, which I would look forward to.)

Not for readers who cannot deal with the numerous new-age references, belief in psychic experiences, tarot cards, etc., which are an intergral part of Scotty's character.

When I began reading Greg Herren's series about Scotty, the gogo boy turned PI, I was worried that it would soon devolve into a series of gay stereotypes. After all, when we first meet Scotty, he's dancing on a French Quarter bar for tips wearing little more than a smile. Fortunately, Herren knows the scene well enough to play with the stereotypes rather than succumbing to them. Scotty is an engaging character and the books are spiced with humor, sex, and intrigue. I look forward to more.