Customer Reviews

Rock and Roll Never Forgets: A JP Kinkaid Mystery

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Ms. Grabien writes a book with a pounding rhythm without overshadowing the nuances of a delicate and intimate relationship. And that's before the mystery even shows up! It could easily stand on its own as a rock and roll love story, but why stop there if you have the talent to weave a gripping mystery with compelling characters in and around that?

And that's just what Ms. Grabien does, with her typically lyrical turn of phrase. Check [...] for a link to her video and a taste of the style, and check the top of the amazon page for links to inside the book to get a taste of the writing.

For anyone who's fantasized about what being part of a big rock band is like, this is for you. For anyone who likes a good mystery, this is for you. For anyone who likes strong characters with vibrant voices, this is for you. And for anyone who likes a believable, long-term love story that only keeps growing, this is definitely for you.

Do you love rock 'n' roll? Do you play air guitar with your favorite tunes? Do you love a good mystery? This is the book for you. Great musicians never waste a note; Deborah Grabien never wastes a word. Even if you didn't answer "yes" to all the questions above, if you love fine writing, this is a book for you.

I spent several years in and around the California rock 'n' roll scene of the late '60s/early '70s, and none of the backstage detail rings false or hollow. The characters don't either; they have their talents and their flaws, their virtues and their vices. It's said that it's never too late to have a happy childhood; it's never too late to grow up, either, and that process is one of several things that make this book a good bit more than a sex, drugs & rock 'n' roll potboiler.

The only way Ms Grabien disappoints me is that she doesn't write as fast as I can read, and so I spend a good deal of time in unrequited lit-lust. A new book from her presents me with a dilemma -- read it one or two gulps, like a kid with a bucket of ice cream and no witnesses, or take one chapter at a time, like someone who's been given a small box of exquisite chocolate truffles? Either way, it's over too soon, and the pining for the next begins.

Rock and Roll Never Forgets may market itself as a murder mystery, but really this is a book about love and care and coping. The murder investigation provides the impetus for the revelation of the histories of some deeply developed characters, for the telling of a love story that opens in medias res, and bringing it to pleasing resolution. That said, with the murder investigation as the driving force, the story whips along, never getting bogged down in details - the reader is constantly enticed to turn the page. Grabien nails her settings - she not only knows what it is to be in the scene, she knows to what it is to live in the now, and with the disease of which she writes. It gives the book a literary timelessness. Grabien has crafted that rarest of gems, a murder mystery that you will want to reread even after you know who the murderer is.

Seriously, the video promo [...]
and it will give you a really good idea of the pace, content and characters in this book. Watch it on high quality, and turn up the volume because the music is great.

Rock and Roll Never Forgets is a character-driven novel in which you see the mystery actually having an impact on who these people are, and how they behave. In some ways it is a coming of age story for the protagonist, JP Kinkaid, who begins to face his past and take responsibility for his behavior. It is also a love story, between JP and his long-time partner Bree, as they face the problems in their relationship history and recommit to a future together. Besides all that, it is a rollicking good read with mystery, excitement, and music scenes which make you feel as though you are in the room and make you want to go buy the album.

This series promises to be very different from Grabien's Haunted Ballad series (see New-Slain Knight: The Haunted Ballad Series), as different as rock music is from folk music, but with the same deft ability to create characters that readers want to know better, and the same uncanny ability to bring music - performance and creation - to life on the page.

This is one of the best books I have read in a long, long time. The author's words just flow and you are totally caught up in the story. For anyone that lived through the Rock & Roll Era, it is a must read - for anyone else, if you like a good coming of age, romance and mystery - this is a book not to miss. It is also the first in a series, so read it while you have the chance.

I've been reading Ms. Grabien's novels since The Weaver and the Factory Maid. Her characters are always fully developed and nuanced and their feelings and motivations always make the story more interesting. Rock and Roll Never Forgets is no exception. The combination of strength and vulnerability in Bree is part of what makes the story so interesting. I know that JP Kinkaid is the main character, but she seems to drive the story.

I also really liked the descriptions of backstage and the real workings of a megaband. I've only experienced it from the other side of the stage, so it was fun to know what those people you glimpse in the wings are doing.

I read this book in one sitting. It was a quick read, but not fluffy. Kept me guessing until the end. Highly recommend it!

Rock and Roll Never Forgets: A JP Kinkaid Mystery

A look backstage at an internationally famous rock and roll band, and what it takes to prepare and stage the show. But it's just the background for a new Grabien mystery. The author's knack for character is on display here, as are her skills as storyteller. This is a real page-turner, and for rock fans, a wonderful glimpse inside that world.

Rock & Roll Never Forgets has it all.

The energy of an sold-out stadium show, as seen from the stage, and backstage, opens this fast paced novel. Middle-aged rocker JP Kinkaid has seen it all with Blacklight, a top touring band (think U2 or Rolling Stones) and has coped with everything from addiction to serious, chronic illness with the help of his longtime partner, Bree Godwin. Unfortunately, he's still got an estranged wife in the background, and when eminent celebrity biographer a and world-class sleazeball Perry Dillon starts digging, it's bad.

When a corpse turns up backstage at a Blacklight show, it gets worse. The investigation forces JP and Bree to face up to their past, their future, and what they really mean to each other, and the reader gets a real, grown-up love story along with a tightly plotted mystery set in a fascinating milieu. All the characters, not just the major ones, are fully-fleshed, complex and believable, and the details of what's behind the rockstar glamour are fascinating.

Rock & Roll Never Forgets is the first book of Grabien's new series, and by the time you turn the last page, you'll be dying to read the next one.

Also, make sure you check out the video trailer at the author's page (deborahgrabien dot com).

Dinosaur rock band, Blacklight, is still touring and going strong, playing arenas in front of thousands of screaming fans. Guitarist JP Kinkaid hasn't escaped the rock'n'roll lifestyle unscathed, however. He's had his turn with cocaine and heroin and alcohol and teen-aged fans and deportation. Then there's a notorious tabloid "biographer" wanting to write about the band, and things only go downhill when he's found dead in JP's dressing room during a concert.

JP isn't an amateur sleuth, but the murder mystery involves him and those he cares about anyway. He tells the story in first person, and he's got a distinctive voice and an engaging personality. Those around him also are interesting and sympathetic, even the police detective. And the rock and roll setting is just priceless. I enjoyed reading this book immensely and will certainly seek out any and all sequels.