Day the Music Died by
Edward Gorman
hbk out June 04
Published by Hale
at £18.99
As the title suggests, the action of this fifties-based novel takes place in the immediate
aftermath of the death in a plane crash of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big
Bopper. The story is told by Sam McCain, a legally trained private eye who works for
the demanding Judge Esme Anne Whitney. Sam's instinct tells him (on rather slender
grounds at first, it must be said) that there is more to an apparent case of wife-murder
followed by suicide than meets the eye. As Sam investigates further, Gorman creates
a compelling picture of his setting, in a small town in Iowa. The period detail is rich
and credible and after a careful start, with a host of characters and relationships
introduced, Sam discovers another body. The action speeds up before reaching a
dramatic and skilfully contrived climax in which not only Sam's life, but also that of
his sister, are at stake. Sam's troubled family and romantic life forms an important
part of the book, cleverly integrated with the murder mystery. Gorman is a prolific
and successful writer of novels and short stories (his collection 'Famous Blue
Raincoat' is especially worth seeking out) who is as yet relatively unknown in the
UK. One hopes that the appearance of this mystery will attract readers to the rest of
the work of a writer whose talents it showcases most enjoyably.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
Day the Music Died by
Edward Gorman
