Heartless by Pallbearer
Album Watch
Pallbearer's third album, 'Heartless', is an inspired collection of monumental rock music. The band...
metal
Ronnie Wood: Artist
Ronnie Wood and Richard Havers
Book
Ronnie Wood is one of the foremost rock guitarists in the world, but his artistic talents extend...
Biff Byford recommended Argus by Wishbone Ash in Music (curated)
Frank Turner recommended Everything Sucks by The Descendents in Music (curated)
Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone by The Walkmen
Album
Containing three former members of much-lamented New York buzz band Jonathan Fire Eater, who...
The Edge of the World
Book
Shay Maloney is living his dream—on tour with his pirate/folk-rock band. But you can’t know...
Contemporary MM Romance
The Armageddon Rag
Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin comes the ultimate novel of...
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Dead Girl Walking in Books
Nov 12, 2019
Parlabane has been a victim of the Leveson enquiry into press standard and phone hacking. Hung out to dry as a scapegoat to save the real guilty parties (not that he would be above a little phone hacking but more that he would never get caught doing it) he has fallen out of the bottom of journalism and is seriously considering what else he can do.
Enter Mairi, the sister of a childhood friend who manages a band. The band are very much the 'next big thing' and following a successful European tour are now heading to the United States. The only problem is that their lead singer and songwriter has gone missing. Mairi needs her found and figures Jack's investigative skills are what is needed.
The narrative more-or-less alternates between following Parlabane as he tries to work out where the singer is and the private blog/diary of the band's new violinist, parachuted into the band and feeling very much out of her depth. The Parlabane thread contains its fair share of action and humour in equal measures. The diary entries seem very authentic in their descriptions of the closed and self-regarding world of a rock music tour.
The plot is not complex but compelling as both strands come together at the end. The reveal is hardly devastating or a huge twist but is entirely satsifying and in keeping with the work. As usual with Brookmyre there are inside jokes and nifty throw away band and song references littered throughout. It is also easy to read with short snappy chapters making it hard to put down without wanting to read just another one.
In in all I thought this was a great book from Brookmyre and it was so good to see Parlabane back in action.
The Blood Of Gods by Gwar
Album Watch
The story of GWAR is carved across the history of this barren and hopeless planet, but GWAR...
thrash metal
Foo Fighters: Learning to Fly
Book
Everyone from Sir Paul McCartney and Jimmy Page to Queens of the Stone Age now relishes the chance...