One Helluva Gig
by Kevin R. Doyle
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GENRE: General/romance
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BLURB:
Rob Jeffers has it all: fame, money, and the
life of a rock and roll star. Frank Peters is a regular guy, a newspaper
reporter who just happens to have a passing acquaintance with the Great
Jeffers. As Jeffers's career shoots up, Peters's fortunes follows in his wake.
And when Jeffers passes away at the height of his
fame, Peters’s life begins a steady unravelling. Until a chance encounter on a
minor story gives him a new outlook on the celebrity lifestyle, and new hope
for his own future.
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Excerpt One:
Off to my right, a slight, average-sized guy came running along. He was wearing the pants and vest of a denim leisure suit, a garish, flowered polyester/Hawaiian shirt with the first five buttons opened up and sandals. Skidding to a stop in front of me, he looked about as confused as I felt at the moment.
“’Scuse me,” he said, “is this the place for the concert?”
I looked around at all the people flocking in our direction, listened to the squealing of the collection of cuties on the other side of the door.
“Yeah,” I said, “but good luck getting in. The place is packed.”
“Really? Cool!” He took off his mirrored sunglasses, and for the first time, I saw the eyes that, in years to come, would stare out from a billion or so album covers.
“Hey,” he said, “you a student here?”
“Yeah, but…”
“You think you can show me how to get in? Like there’s a service entrance or something, isn’t there? I’m with the band, and I’m running late.”
I clenched up. One of the oldest con lines in the world is “I’m with the band.” But something in the man’s look told me to take a chance.
“I think I can get you in, but I need something in return.”
“Yeah?” Now the “guy with the band” seemed uneasy. “What’s that?”
“Well, you see,” I said, “I’m with the student paper…”
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Review: A man commiserates over the death of a legendary rock star—“one of the biggest deaths in the world”
At the beginning, Jeffers started out in a garage band, playing for student unions, and our main character was the journalism student covering the story for the school paper. He reminisces on his life, taking on the grunge work, as it correlates to the singer’s rising stardom.
“While he had all that going on, here I stood in a run-down office with actual, honest-to-goodness fly specks on the wall, watching my work get shredded.”
The diary style narrative is clever and witty. I enjoyed the candid and snarky humor.
“Big time rock star begins to feel maudlin and, rather than bore any of his hangers on with his problems, reaches out to a nobody.”
In time, the inquisitive reporter sees something: an unhappy star. And this marked the star’s downfall. Towards the end of his career, he was a celebrity joke,
After his death, “public interest in the man began to wane, and once the fervor tamped down, he assumed a more sedate, if constant, place in a popular culture.”
Well-versed and engaging! Story chronicles the rise and fall of a rock star with “a certain parallel between the trajectory of his career and [the reporter.]”
An interesting, short read with a shocking conclusion!
Rating: 5 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A high-school teacher, former college instructor and fiction writer, Kevin R. Doyle is the author of numerous short horror stories. He’s also written three crime thrillers, The Group, When You Have to Go There, and And the Devil Walks Away and one horror novel, The Litter. Recently, he’s begun working on the Sam Quinton private eye series. The first Quinton book, Squatter’s Rights, was nominated for the 2021 Shamus award as Best First PI Novel. The second book, Heel Turn, was released in March of 2021, while the third in the series, Double Frame, is due out March of 2022.
www.facebook/com/kevinrossdoyle
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-helluva-gig-kevin-r-doyle/1113786303?ean=2940160852997
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GIVEAWAY :
Kevin R. Doyle will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteGood morning,
ReplyDeleteI'd like to add my thanks for your hosting and reviewing my story. I'm going to be at work all day today, but will be checking in later for any comments or questions. Thanks so much.
Sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteRita,
DeleteI certainly hope it is.
I like the excerpt and cover. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSusan,
DeleteCompliments on the cover go to the artist, Jennifer Greef. Yes, she did a good job.
Great excerpt and cover.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your review of One Helluva Gig, I like the cover, blurb and excerpt and I am looking forward to reading this story myself
ReplyDelete