Back Up

Belgian author Colize’s intricate crime novel takes a while to pull the reader into its rhythm, but it’s worth the wait. One plot thread begins with the 1967 deaths of all four members of Pearl Harbor, a British rock band, at the same time but in different locations. Oddly, the police attribute all the deaths to natural causes. Another starts with a car accident involving a nameless victim in Brussels in 2010. The Pearl Harbor story line and the related first-person narrative provide a window into the excitement engendered by the earliest days of a musical revolution, creating a living history of how the music shaped a culture that included drugs and sex along with rock and roll. The later narrative unravels the mystery of the earlier one, revealing a dark and well-orchestrated (and sometimes far-fetched) scheme in which the only winners may be those with secrets to keep. Those interested in last century’s European rock scene will be enthralled. [em]Agent: Pierre Astier, Astier-Pécher Literary & Film Agency (France). (Mar.) [/em]