While My Guitar Gently Weeps: A JP Kinkaid Mystery (JP Kinkaid Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Deborah Grabien (Author)

Book Description

Series: JP Kinkaid Mysteries | Publication Date: September 15, 2009

Blacklight’s recent tour has been rough on guitarist JP Kinkaid: a heart attack in Boston and a significant ramp-up of his multiple sclerosis have left him more physically fragile than usual.

With the tour over, JP is relaxing by sitting in as second guitarist for a new CD by his longtime local friends, the Bombardiers. The Bombardiers are breaking in a new frontman, singer/guitarist Vinny Fabiano. Self-absorbed and abrasive, Vinny is new to the Bay Area music scene. All anyone seems to really know about him is that he has some very expensive instruments, but no obvious source of income to pay for them.

A few weeks into the sessions, Vinny is found dead in the Bombardiers’ rehearsal space, smashed over the head with a custom guitar. The murder leaves the Bombardiers--who are already in hot water with their record label--without a singer or a regular guitar player. JP, calling in a favor, asks Blacklight’s legendary frontman, Malcolm “Mac” Sharpe, to step in and sub for Vinny. But then Vinny’s cousin and guitar tech is found murdered in Marin County, and Vinny’s most valuable guitar---a $75,000 custom Zemaitis pearl-top--is missing.

In the second book of this exciting, atmospheric series, Deborah Grabien shares her insider knowledge of the world of rock ’n’ roll, spinning a terrific mystery in the process.

 

 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Grabien's diverting second mystery to feature witty Brit rock musician JP Kincaid (after 2008's Rock and Roll Never Forgets), someone bashes in the head of vocalist Vinny Fabiano with Vinny's own guitar in a San Francisco rehearsal hall. While no one's shedding a lot of tears for the loutish Vinny, who'd recently insulted Bree Godwin, JP's old lady, JP and Bree still want to know what idiot would use a guitar custom-made by luthier Bruno Baines as a murder weapon. Missing from Vinny's stash after the murder is his fabulous pearl-top Zemaitis guitar, similar to one stolen from the Rolling Stones' Ron Wood. After another murder—a blunt instrument breaks the neck of Vinny's guitar tech, Rocco Galliano—JP and mates pool their detecting skills. Readers may learn more about guitars as well as JP's ongoing battle with multiple sclerosis and Bree's cancer scare than they care to know, but JP's perky narration and his love for Bree keep the pages turning. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps keeps up - and, in some areas, exceeds the standards Deborah Grabien set with Rock & Roll Never Forgets.  As a mystery fan, I was fascinated by the plot itself; as a writer, I was delighted to encounter JP Kinkaid and Bree Godwin (not to mention Mac Sharpe!) once again; as an acoustic guitarist, I was constantly intrigued by the folklore, technical skills, and legendry that surround the creation of the perfect solidbody electric instrument. The unique dimension that JP's descriptions of living with multiple sclerosis gave Grabien's earlier novel remains as haunting, scary and inspirational as ever. You won't forget this one."--Peter S. Beagle, award-winning author of The Last Unicorn, Tamsin, and A Fine and Private Place

"Everybody knows there are dirty goings-on in the world of rock music, but nobody has ever captured them as excitingly or convincingly as Deborah Grabien's ingenious JP Kinkaid mysteries. Her storylines keep you guessing up to the end. I've met these people, and her inventive characters and background details are authentically 'right', down to the last plectrum. I loved Rock & Roll Never Forgets and she's done it again with While My Guitar Gently Weeps--a brilliant marriage of backstage skullduggery and suspense that draws you right in. Rock On, JP!"--Julian Dawson, recording artist and author of the upcoming Definitive Biography of Nicky Hopkins, The World’s Greatest Session Man

"As both a professional rock'n'roller and a die-hard fan of the mystery genre--especially when presented in unusual and unpredictable formats--I thoroughly enjoy Ms Grabien's authentic look at the place where murder and rock'n'roll collide. Whether it's the crazy backstage world of big rock shows, the intimate interaction of the session world, or the intimate and dysfunctional world of a local music scene, the author has an uncanny knack for dialogue and relationships, making her stories and characters extremely engaging and believable. The JP Kinkaid mysteries are a breath of fresh air in the mystery novel genre and a rockin' good read."--Mark Karan, recording artist and lead guitarist for Bob Weir and Ratdog

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (September 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312590962
• ISBN-13: 978-0312590963
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,419,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rock on, September 23, 2009

By 

G. DeCandido "LadyHawk" (Bronx, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: While My Guitar Gently Weeps: A JP Kinkaid Mystery (JP Kinkaid Mysteries) (Hardcover)

It's a good mystery, and a fine story, and has vivid characters you love to be around. What makes it extraordinarily compelling though, is the rock and roll: how do session folk sit in? How do famous rockers turn up on each other's recordings? There's a great amount - all of it fascinating - about rock guitars, who makes them, how they work, and how they sound. There's a lot about coping with middle age and illness when all you want to do is rock & roll. It culminates in Bree and JP's wedding, and I hope with all my heart that this series gets to film so we can see and hear it live. Just fabulous.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart of Rock and Roll Still Beating in Second JP Kinkaid Mystery, November 8, 2009

By 

Scrivenera "constant-reader" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: While My Guitar Gently Weeps: A JP Kinkaid Mystery (JP Kinkaid Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Last year, I was pleasantly surprised by "Rock and Roll Never Forgets," the first of Deborah Grabien's mystery series featuring aging rocker JP Kinkaid, his longtime girlfriend Bree Godwin, and his bandmates from the legendary group Blacklight. The second entry, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," delivers on the promise of the first.

While the mystery--involving the murder of an egotistical singer/guitarist for a local San Francisco band--is perfectly serviceable, with some clever twists, it's Grabien's depiction of the music world that makes this series compelling. The ability to convey the excitement and power of music in words is a rare talent. Whether debating the merits of certain classic guitars or describing the differing approaches individual singers take to a song, Grabien really captures the kinetic energy that goes into performance and creation. Her well-realized cast of characters also add color and vibrancy, from the gifted, somewhat lazy, but basically decent JP whose distinctive voice fuels the narration to the stalwart Bree to the outrageously sexy Mac Sharpe, Blacklight's lead singer who--at fifty-eight--is still "hotter than the surface of the sun."

The only caveat I would offer regarding "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is that it gains much more from being read after "Rock and Roll Never Forgets," just as a good song sounds better when you hear it from the beginning rather than when you come in on the middle. Highly recommended for any reader who loves mysteries and music, especially rock and roll.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this book rocks!, September 16, 2009

By 

Szandara (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: While My Guitar Gently Weeps: A JP Kinkaid Mystery (JP Kinkaid Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I've been a fan of Grabien's work for years, and her latest, the second of her Kinkaid Chronicles series, is just as good as I've come to expect from her. The sheer excitement of rock and roll, an insider's look at the life of a superstar rock band, and a complex mystery are all wrapped together, narrated by guitarist J.P. Kinkaid. The main characters introduced in this series' first book continue to develop as unique personalities, while the new characters are well-rounded and interesting. J.P. and his longtime companion, Bree, deal with a longterm relationship that hasn't settled into a rut, as well as medical issues (multiple sclerosis and cancer) while helping solve a brutal murder.

If you like rock & roll, well-made guitars, mysteries, or love stories--buy this book. You won't be disappointed, but you will be looking forward to the next volume of the Kinkaid Chronicles.