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This is another of the books I bought at Murder in the Magic City in Birmingham Alabama. Don was one of the panelists. Jamaica Blue, as the title implies, has an exotic background. It starts out in Jamaica then moves to Miami, but the exotic background I'm referring to is a reggae/rap band--a group of Jamaican musicians led by charismatic Jamaican singer Derrick Lyman, said to be like the second coming of Bob Marley. About to become involved with this band is Mick Sever, a divorced rock journalist who has just published a bestselling book on the murder of another rock star. Talked into hearing the band, with a view to writing about Derrick and his fellow musicians, Sever is persuaded to go to Jamaica by the marginally sleazy Bobby Vane, who "always has a new artist, a new recording contract, a new tour to promote," each one guaranteed to be bigger than the one before. One of the first things Mick learns is that two Jamaican girls have been murdered after a Derrick concert. Supposedly nothing ties these murders to Derrick and his band, but then a third girl is murdered after the band's first concert in Florida and Mick walks into the room to discover Roland, one of two brothers who work security for Derrick, holding a knife over the dead girl. Roland insists that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but.... Mick becomes involved in the investigation, during which he gets help from his ex-wife Ginny, and becomes a target himself. He's a different kind of sleuth, that's for sure, and a very interesting one. Don Bruns is a songwriter and musician himself and his expertise shows in the characterization of Mick Sever. There are plenty of twists and turns in this fascinating story, and I didn't guess the identity of the murderer. There's also some very intriguing information about the Rastafarian religion and its link to Haile Salasse. Jamaica Blue is the first in a series and a debut novel for the author. It has deservedly won praise from Lee Child, Steve Hamilton and Kent Krueger. Sue Grafton comments on the cover: "Don Bruns has staked out his turf...sex, drugs, rock & roll, and murder. What more could you want?" Exactly. I enjoyed Jamaica Blue a whole lot. Next up is Barbados Heat, due out in November. Cheers
Reviewed by Meg Chittenden, February 2003
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