A British female punk rock band called the Blue Tits recorded a vinyl album decades ago. But, Blue Tits’s guitarist, Helene Hilditch (aka, Howling’ Hellbitch), produced solos that the producer thought were “too good” so that pressing was deposed of and the Blue Tits recorded the album again without those amazing guitar solos.
Fast forward to today when the Vinyl Detective is hired by Helene Hilditch’s new boy friend who want to pay a fortune for a copy of that rare first pressing of the Blue Tits’s album with his girlfriend’s solos. The complication that makes this search difficult is that someone is trying to kill Helene.
When the Blue Tits decide to put on a reunion concert, the prospect that the murderer will strike increases. Like all of the Vinyl Detective series, Low Action features plenty of searching, quirky characters, and clever plotting. GRADE: A-
Love “Howling Hellbitch” as a nickname. I’m reading book three in between all the news updates, short stories, and the new Longmire book.
Jeff, Andre Cartmel always throws in some quirky names in his VINYL DETECTIVE books. Like you, I feel overwhelmed by all that’s going on right now!
As I said when you last reviewed one of these, I read the first couple, then got waylaid by other shiny books. This one sounds like fun.
Rick, all of the VINYL DETECTIVE books provide plenty of fun. They deliver great relief in these Troubled Times.
A Blue Tit is a small bird! I have a model kit of one!
Bob, you never fail to amaze me!
He’s right, I thought the band was named for the bird.
The notion that virtuosity was ever Forbidden in punk is so much, to borrow the UK term (even though punk was birthed mostly in the States), bollocks. Listen to the Bad Brains, who co-founded hardcore punk after service as a jazz-rock fusion band, or the likes of Bad Religion or Jawbox or Fugazi or even Bikini Kill or Spitboy (bands not usually noted for their instrumental dexterity, but it’s there). It’s not as if the MC5 and the Velvet Underground hadn’t laid down some of the basics the Stooges and the Ramones, among others, would run with…and the MC5 and VU were ready to kick out the jams, while delivering the gift…
That aside, cute concept for the novel.
Todd, you would enjoy the entire VINYL DETECTIVE series, but especially LOW ACTION.
I enjoyed this one a fair bit. Loved the British punk scene and found the various historical digressions quite fun. But now I’ve got at least a year until the next book.
Scott, I’m with you on waiting for the next VINYL DETECTIVE mystery! I’m counting the days!