A rock band’s reunion is looking more like a farewell tour in a captivating mystery by New York Times bestselling and award-winning crime master Max Allan Collins.No sooner do Hot Rod and the Pistons reunite for their induction into the Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, than two band members take a final bow. Both alleged suicides. A tragic way to go out. A bum way for one-hit wonders to be … one-hit wonders to be remembered. But it’s Labor Day weekend. The show must go on.
With replacements at the ready, the Pistons are back on home turf to headline the first ever Rock and Country Music Fest. Police Chief Krista Larson and her father, Keith, are there listening. And watching. Because they suspect there may be more to the band members’ untimely deaths than anyone else can see.
As Krista and Keith navigate the investigation, a dark picture of the band’s rocky history begins to take center stage. As betrayal, revenge, and blackmail start playing out in the present, the father-daughter team fear that this encore may be the band’s finale.
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This is the second book in Max Allan Collins’ Krista Larson series and it was just as enjoyable as the first one. It’s a lighter thriller which is perfect for breaking up those heavier, darker reads that I tend to gravitate towards.
I think what I really enjoy the most about this series is the relationship between Krista and her father. In this particular installment, they are working out their own dating relationships and how that works now that they are living in the same house. It was equal parts comical and sweet. But on top of that, they are a good working team, despite the fact that Keith is technically retired. He once again gets permission to help out on this case. He truly lives up to that old adage – once a detective, always a detective.
While I am not a big music fan, I did like the way Max Allan Collins used the rock band’s reunion tour as his story line. Just as the previous book was all about a high school reunion, this one was all about the band and how they were getting together. It seems someone has a major grudge to settle with some of the band members and is not going to be happy until they are all underground.
I love that we get some chapters from the murderer – I love getting into this person’s mind and understanding a little bit of their motivations, but I never once put two and two together to figure out who this person was. What a surprise when it was finally revealed!
This is turning out to be a fun series. Each book is quick and fast-paced, I am really enjoy the characters. I am looking forward to seeing what comes next!
Audio thoughts: This was a fun audio to listen to. I was so glad to see that Dan John Miller was once again narrating. His consistency made it feel as if I had just listened to the previous book and then jumped right into this book. He brought the characters to life and gave each one a unique voice and personality. I hope he continues to narrate this series for as long as it goes on.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this arc book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
This follow up in the Krista Larson series is a stand alone read for the most part. The history and situation from the first novel have no impact or relation to this storyline.
In the first book you are introduced to Krista Larson who has become the youngest female Police Chief in Galena, IL at 28 years old. It seems she is following in her father Keith’s footsteps as he recently retired at 58 from his position as Chief Detective at Dubuque PD. Krista has her father move back to the family home in Galena months after her mother passes away.
This second novel involves a murder mystery surrounding a popular rock band, Hot Rod and the Pistons. They were written about in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald as reuniting for their induction performance into the Iowa Hall of Fame.
The book describes a lot of music history as related to rock and roll of the past. Of course the group takes a look down memory lane of all the wild nights and crazy performances. By now most of them are married and have moved on with their lives. There are a few who wish they could rekindle the old days and some who wish they could erase evidence of the past.
Some members of the band seem to be dying unexpectedly as Detective Larson begins to learn of a missing video tape with potentially incriminating evidence of the past. It seems like a race to uncover and catch the killer before another victim is found.
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first book. It seemed to drag and contain too much information about music history in my opinion. I didn’t find the main character and her father as instrumental in the storyline as the first book.