Brendan Phelan, rock star, is playing in a stage show that includes guns and whips. As it reaches its climax, a shot rings out—but it’s not part of the show. The body of Oliver Joplin, one of the road crew, lies lifeless outside the stage door.
Detective Inspector Angela Costello and her team investigate, but they quickly discover that several stage hands, and Phelan himself, are adept with firearms—and that Joplin was widely disliked and distrusted. So why had Phelan kept him on, despite the reservations of his crew? Joplin’s emails reveal the presence of a shadowy figure stalking the dead man. Who might profit from Joplin’s death?
Little by little, Costello unpicks the web of lies. But unless one key person opens up, she can’t crack the case. And that is not going to happen.
Elizabeth Flynn is a Londoner of Anglo-Irish parentage. An ex-actress, she currently works in a hospital. However she has always written and has a particular interest in crime fiction. For several years she has also been a keen tennis fan and is very happy that her first novel is a murder mystery set in the tennis world, located at the famous tennis tournament, Wimbledon.
My Impressions:
For those of you who love a British mystery, End of The Roadie is a great choice. A police procedural, this novel enters into the glitzy world of rock n’ roll. But beneath the bright lights and special effects is a seedy world of ticket fraud, blackmail and murder. Detective Inspector Angela Costello, along with her dedicated team of homicide investigators, is a determined, intuitive and intelligent policewoman who will not stop until she gets her man or woman.
I liked the very British flavor of End of The Roadie. Set in London, D. I. Costello visits the poor and posh neighborhoods. Small working-class pubs and extravagant theaters are also used as settings. The reader gets the whole London experience. Dialog is sprinkled with British slang — but not anything an American reader would have trouble translating. Angie and her colleagues come across as professional, yet with quirks that make them true-to-life. Suspects abound among the roadies and band members, and the motives are as complex as the crime. There are lots of clues for the reader, but Flynn does not give everything away during the course of the book. The detectives have information that is not shared until the very end. I guessed quite a bit, but was pleasantly surprised by the ultimate reveal of whodunit.
End of The Roadie is targeted towards a general audience. There is a bit of language, but it is mostly clean. It is also part of a 3 book series, but can easily be read as a standalone novel.
Recommended.
Audience: adults.
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(Thanks to the publisher for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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