Swing: A Mystery - Softcover

Holmes, Rupert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0812970977 ISBN 13: 9780812970975

Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2006

Synopsis

“Swing just might be the best historical thriller of the year. Certainly it is the most creative.”
–Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In the swinging big band era, jazz saxophonist and arranger Ray Sherwood is haunted by personal tragedy. But when Gail Prentice, a beautiful and talented Berkeley student, seeks his help in orchestrating an original composition slated to debut at the newly created Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, Ray is diverted from his worries and drawn to the beguiling coed. Within moments of their first meeting, however, Ray witnesses a horrifying sight: a woman plunging to her death from the island’s emblematic Tower of the Sun.
Ray soon finds himself trapped in a coil of spiraling secrets in which nothing is certain, including Gail’s intentions toward him and her connection to the dead woman. And as events speed toward the shocking climax, Ray must unlock an ominous puzzle with sinister implications that stretch far beyond anything he could imagine.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Two-time Edgar Award winner Rupert Holmes-author of the critically acclaimed "Where the Truth Lies and creator of the Tony Award--winning musical whodunit "The Mystery of Edwin Drood-now fuses gripping suspense and evocative music in an innovative novel of intrigue set in 1940, during the very heart of the Big Band era. "Swing is a multimedia mystery that spills off the printed page and into the musical tracks of the enclosed CD.
Jazz saxophonist and arranger Ray Sherwood, touring with the Jack Donovan Orchestra, is haunted by personal tragedy. But when a beautiful and talented Berkeley student named Gail Prentice seeks his help in orchestrating a highly original composition called "Swing Around the Sun, which is slated to premiere at the Golden Gate Exposition on the newly created Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, Ray finds himself powerfully drawn to the beguiling coed. Within moments of first setting eyes on her, Ray also witnesses a horrifying sight: a young woman plunging to her death from the island's emblematic Tower of the Sun.
As the captivated Ray learns more about Gail and her unusual family, he finds himself trapped in a tightening coil of spiraling secrets- some personally devastating, all dangerous and deadly- in which from moment to moment nothing is certain, including Gail's intentions toward him and her connection to the dead woman who made such a grisly impact upon the stunning island. As events speed toward a shocking climax, Ray must use all his physical daring and improvisational skills to unlock an ominous puzzle whose sinister implications stretch far beyond anything he could imagine.
"Swing is a brilliant historical thriller-with an extra twistthat extends beyond its pages. Accompanying the novel is a CD of original songs and music that feature prominently in the story, within which the reader may find additional clues to the mysteries of "Swing.

"From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Twice a recipient of the Mystery Writers of America’s coveted Edgar Award, Rupert Holmes is no stranger to the worlds of mystery or music. His first novel, Where The Truth Lies, has been made into a major motion picture by director Atom Egoyan starring Kevin Bacon, Colin Firth, and Alison Lohman. For his Broadway musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Holmes became the first person in theatrical history to solely win Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Music and Lyrics, while Drood itself won the Tony Award for Best Musical. His comedy-thrillers for the stage include Broadway’s Accomplice and Solitary Confinement. His most recent work for Broadway, Say Goodnight, Gracie, earned Holmes the 2004 National Broadway Theatre Award and a Tony nomination for Best Play. He also created and wrote all four seasons of the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning television series Remember WENN, set in 1940. Swing's musical milieu is a reflection of another part of Holmes's career: He received a Drama Desk Award for Best Orchestration and arranged and conducted Barbra Streisand’s classic album Lazy Afternoon. The Los Angeles Times has called Rupert Holmes “an American treasure.”

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0812970977
• ISBN 13: 9780812970975
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384