Rating: 2 1/2 stars
In the sequel to A Hard Day's Death, Rockin' Security's PI Spike Berenger gets a phone call from his past; guitar virtuoso, Zach Garriott, needs his help finding -- and hopefully, stopping -- a killer methodically working down the original line-ups of several 60's-70's Chicago progressive rock bands.
Time is short and the list is getting shorter by the day; five down, six to go. As a founding member of a "prog" rock band called The Fixers and friend to several of the musicians, Berenger has more than a passing interest in the case and jumps on a plane to Chicago.
No sooner does Spike and his sidekick, Suzanne, wrap up their interviews with the potential targets when suddenly Zach is capped by a woman in a trench coat and floppy hat; the bullet narrowly missing Spike. Mysteriously, the shooter has been dead for 30 years. So, how does a PI catch a killer, when that killer is a ghost?
For those of you not into music before the year 2000, let me give you a starting point on "prog" rock: Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Since my taste in music predates the year 2000, this novel's concept is right up my alley and, at the very least, I knew I wouldn't get lost in the woods when it came to name-dropping and gossip; however, that ends up being more of a hindrance due to my vast, useless knowledge of musical legend and lore.
Back in the day, underground rock n' roll bands changed members like they changed socks. The roster of characters in Dark Side of the Morgue is no different and although the author was kind enough to provide a family tree of the bands in question, it was a confusing trip down Chicagoprog's memory lane. The plot is packed full of characters, but none with any sort of personality to speak of; each of them forgettable, except the killer and only because it's a blatant copycat of a famous musician -- even Spike, the main character, came across as two-dimensional.
At its core, the second in the Spike Berenger Rock 'n' Roll Hit series has a unique angle by using the music industry -- and its stars -- as a backdrop. The pacing is rapid fire and the content is appealing for fans of rock 'n' roll; readers will notice the use of "liner notes" as opposed to acknowlegments and rather appropriate song titles instead of chapters. But this isn't enough to save Dark Side of the Morgue from being an off-key addition to the mystery genre. I won't be in the front row for the next one.
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Publisher: Dorchester Publishing Company
Pub. Date: March 2009
ISBN-13: 9780843961980