joan merrill,
author of the
Casey McKie mysteries
murder and
mayhem in the world of jazz
And All That Madness - A Casey McKie Mystery
When the New York Jazz Society acquires a fifty-year old letter from Georgia Valentine, questions arise over the legendary vocalist’s death.
Did she give herself a fatal dose of heroin, as the original investigators ruled, or did someone kill her? And if it was murder, what was the motive?
Casey moves her operation from San Francisco to New York to investigate the cold case, interviewing Georgia’s musician friends, her widower, a drug dealer, a Broadway actress, a mafia boss and the authorities who declared the death a suicide.
This quest takes Casey to New York’s most venerable jazz clubs, a Harlem nursing home, a mob-owned Italian restaurant, a lesbian bar and the NYPD. She joins forces
with an attractive detective from the Organized Crime unit, and, as the case progresses, so does their relationship.
With no shortage of suspects, Casey ultimately uncovers evidence revealing a surprising killer.
COMMENT BY CAROL SLOANE, jazz singer and writer, carolsloane.com:
Author Joan Merrill has produced yet another captivating mystery as part of her on-going detective series featuring SF detective Casey McKie. As usual, Ms. Merrill has masterfully woven her love of jazz and its practitioners into a tale of intrigue and revenge, all set to the beat of the blues and be-bop. A colorful, exceptionally intelligent thriller, most highly recommended.
COMMENT BY
BRUCE CROWTHER, crime novelist and jazz writer:
A well-constructed,
slickly-told detective story that follows Casey as she encounters
now-ageing people who were involved in the singer’s life, among them
musicians, agents, former lovers, criminals, cops, archivists, fans, all
of them realistically portrayed. (By the way, the author keeps the
reader guessing and I was agreeably surprised at the identity of the
killer.) For fans of crime fiction and jazz, the solid background will
be a distinct plus. For readers unfamiliar with the jazz world, the
unusual background and richly-drawn characters will be a refreshing
change. This is Merrill’s fourth Casey McKie tale (previous books
reviewed here in January and June 2011 and September 2012) and this one
emphatically underlines the writer’s many qualities, among which are her
secure knowledge of jazz, her believable settings, and her light touch
with dialogue. Definitely a good read.
---reprinted from Jazz Journal
International www.jazzjournal.co.uk
READ A SAMPLE CHAPTER click here
NOW
ON AUDIO.
DOWNLOAD FROM audible.com or order CD FORMAT FROM THIS
SITE.
HEAR A SAMPLE (BELOW)
“Through
the excellent and nuanced narration of KCSM’s Alicia Clancy, the
characters of this fifty- year-old cold case become vividly alive.
What a
thrill for my first audio book experience! It was well worth the six-
hour-plus listening time.”
---
Denise Perrier, jazz singer, San Francisco, deniseperrier.com
“Joan Merrill’s leading character, jazz-loving private
eye Casey McKie, recounts events in a first-person narrative that lends
itself admirably to an audio rendition. The reader is Alisa Clancy,
radio host of Morning Cup of Jazz at KCSM Jazz91, who has a warm, husky,
thoroughly engaging voice. The author’s words and Alisa’s voice
effortlessly conjure up the atmosphere, then and now, of New York’s jazz
scene.”
– Bruce Crowther, novelist and jazz historian. JazzMostly.com
“Listening to the audio
“And all That Madness” was like watching a good movie with my ears.
Loved it!!!! Outstanding work from Alisa Clancy!”
-- Afrikahn
Jahmal Dayvs, JaZzLine Radio and TV,
jzl1.wordpress.com
“I was enthralled! Such a fantastic topic and setting for
a mystery! I had planned to listen to it in the car for my daily trek to
work but found myself bringing it into the house and finishing it in one
day. Having been listening to audio books since childhood, I am quite an
expert at the fine art of storytelling and I have to say Ms. Clancy is
the best I've heard.”
-- Demos Petropoulos
“The story kept building in suspense and tension, the sign of a
well-written novel. The narrator seamlessly portrayed all kinds of
different characters, regardless of ethnicity or gender. The atmosphere
was very effective, expertly capturing the essence of jazz.”
–- Jason Valdes, jazz fan and collector
TO PURCHASE:http://www.amazon.com/
GO TO: amazon.com,
both paperback and Kindle (go
to amazon,com and put title into search menu)
Also from this site, see Purchasing
The audio book, narrated by KCSM host, Alisa Clancy, is available at
audible.com. Go to
audible.com
, Mysteries and Thrillers, and put title in search
menu. (You don't have to be a member to purchase.)
For the CD version, contact joan@joanmerrillcom
MORE CASEY MCKIE MYSTERIES:
All available at amazon.com, both in paperback and Kindle. Audio books are in production.
Also available from this site, see Purchasing.
