The Musician's Daughter

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A good mystery story - Rated
I'm not sure what I expected of a mystery from seventies songwriter Rupert Holmes, who went on to enjoy success as a playwright on Broadway and as a TV writer, but it was an enjoyable read.

This story is set in San Francisco just before the US entry into WW2. The main character is Ray Sherwood, a member of a touring big band.

The story unfolds with lots of red herrings and some incredible co-incidences amongst the impressive period detail. Sherwood is a touring musician who wrestles with the skeletons in his cupboard and whilst his character is engaging, he seems somewhat naïve at times to be truly credible as the sleuth he turns out to be.

Although slow to start, the story reaches its crescendo through a number of twists, switchbacks and musical references that introduce espionage and intrigue.

The pace of the story quickens in the last quarter of the book and whilst the action scenes didn't always work for me, I found myself with a real page-turner.