Karen spent 30+ years as a Civil Servant, mostly in Revenue which is where she developed my absolute hatred of poor writing skills! Her favourite genre is now crime/thriller/police procedural/legal genre with the occasional foray into chick-lit and general fiction.
In 1967 four
members of the British rock band Pearl Harbour, die within days of each other
but in different ways and at different locations; consequently the deaths are
not connected and not seen as suspicious.
In the present day an unknown man is involved in an
accident in Brussels and after being unconscious, suffers with locked-in
syndrome. They name him X Midi, after the station his accident occurred. An
Irish journalist decides the deaths in 1967 are suspicious and gets involved
with the present-day accident victim telling his story in flashback.
It is really
well written, with flowing short chapters. The author has done an
excellent job of keeping the reader wondering how these two threads will come
together and he wrapped it all up well. The books draws heavily on the music
and I suspect the author is a huge fan such was the depth of knowledge
displayed. Locked-in syndrome is becoming increasingly popular in crime books
these days, but I felt this author dealt with it incredibly well., much better
than others that I have read.
I’m not a fan of the music of that era and the
associated drugs scene is not something I enjoy reading about. However, I was
drawn in from the first page and thoroughly enjoyed the book. It is a must for
anyone who loves the music of that period and it will appeal to anyone who
enjoys a good thriller which brings something different to the genre.
Credit to the translator Louise Rogers Lalaurie.
