Crescendo

by Robert J. Harris

A lost Hitchcock film. A deadly secret. It's murder in Hollywood. Hollywood, 1959. When struggling mystery writer Bobby Burgoyne is hired by Alfred Hitchcock to work on the script for his new film Crescendo, he thinks his future success is assured at last. Instead he is swept into a swirling maelstrom of madness and murder. Someone, it seems, is willing to kill to keep the film from being made and Hitch needs Bobby to find who or what is behind the sabotage.

With a ruthless killer in pursuit, Bobby discovers that behind the obscure novel Hitch has based his movie on lies a true tale of abduction, amnesia and death. To save his own life as well as Hitch's career, Bobby must penetrate to the heart of the mystery and confront a final, shocking revelation.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Fiction

240 pages, Hardcover

Published August 4, 2026

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Robert J. Harris (Bob) is a Scottish academic and author of children's fantasies and historical novels, best known for his collaborations with Jane Yolen. He also designed the fantasy board game Talisman. Recently Bob released his sequel to Talisman, Mythgardia. He lives in Scotland and is married to American author Deborah Turner Harris.

Reviews

[Cheryl Hanzidiakou]

3.5⭐️….maybe 4? Harris totally nailed the 1950’s Hollywood vibe in this clever mystery.

[Dusidu]

2 stars feels rough but although this book was entertaining, and I was hooked, I wouldn’t necessarily say I enjoyed this book. I had a couple of issues with it, primarily, the one-dimensionality of the main character. He’s just a dude that just spews out one-liners for the entire book, and it makes for a bit of an unbearable read. Secondly, he mentions he went to Michigan U for school. As a proud Wolverine, this is an affront to the University of Michigan. Third, although I applaud the portrayal of Hitchcock and the research that went into his character, the absurdity of the plot took me out of this book. I understand this was meant as a fantastical tale, but it was presented so seriously that I just couldn’t get over how implausible this story was. Despite all of this, this book was an easy read and it kept me guessing. The twists and turns were unpredictable, but I feel like the ultimate reveal at the end was cheap and felt like it was just thrown in for shock value. However, I did enjoy the cheeky little nod at Psycho.

[Kathy Bennett]

Crescendo is a stylish and thoroughly entertaining mystery thriller that captures the glamour, paranoia, and suspense of classic Hollywood with impressive confidence. Robert J. Harris crafts a story that feels unmistakably Hitchcockian while still delivering an original and highly engaging mystery of its own.

The 1959 Hollywood setting is one of the novel’s greatest strengths. From studio politics to creative sabotage and hidden agendas, the atmosphere is rich with old school cinematic intrigue. Alfred Hitchcock’s presence adds enormous charm and energy to the story, but Harris wisely ensures that Bobby Burgoyne remains the emotional and investigative center of the novel.

Bobby is an especially effective protagonist because he feels both ambitious and vulnerable. His excitement at being pulled into Hitchcock’s world quickly transforms into fear and obsession as the sabotage surrounding Crescendo intensifies. The deeper he digs into the mystery behind the lost story, the more dangerous the situation becomes, creating a narrative that steadily escalates in tension.

The novel also excels in the way it layers its mysteries. What begins as a behind the scenes Hollywood thriller gradually opens into a darker story involving abduction, memory, deception, and murder. The unfolding revelations are handled with precision, maintaining suspense while rewarding the reader with satisfying twists and atmosphere.

Elegant, cinematic, and deeply readable, Crescendo is a love letter to classic suspense storytelling while still feeling fresh and compelling for modern thriller readers.

[Jessica Daniels]

As soon as I saw that this story involved Alfred Hitchcock, Hollywood, and a murder mystery, I knew I had to pick it up.

What I enjoyed most was the atmosphere. The book does a fantastic job of capturing the glamour, intrigue, and underlying tension of late-1950s Hollywood. It felt like stepping into a classic mystery where every conversation might be hiding something important and every clue leads to even more questions.

Bobby Burgoyne is an engaging protagonist, and I found myself completely invested in his search for answers. The mystery unfolds at a satisfying pace, revealing just enough to keep the pages turning without giving too much away.

I also appreciated how naturally the film industry setting was woven into the story. It added a unique layer to the mystery and made the whole premise feel fresh and entertaining.

If you're a fan of classic crime fiction, old Hollywood, or mysteries filled with twists and intrigue, this is well worth your time. It has all the ingredients of a great page-turner and kept me hooked from beginning to end.

A thoroughly enjoyable mystery and one I would happily recommend.

[Dave]

A very good detective/thriller,set in 1959 Hollywood.
Alfred Hitchcock is filming his latest picture and hires a struggling mystery writer,Bobby, Burgoyne to help write the screenplay.
Bobby soon learns there have been accidents on the set. Someone seems determined to stop production for good.
Then Bobby starts looking into the original novel, on which the film will be based. And the danger rises up to another notch.
This was a lot of fun. It was interesting to see Alfred Hitchcock as a character in a mystery novel.

[Willo Johnston]

If the author's intention was to write what one character in the book calls "cheap pulp nonsense", he has succeeded. Predictable yet implausible plot, incredibly lame "wise cracks" and the one redeeming feature, Hitch, disappears for 75% of the story.

[Moo]

Fun read

[Eva Steepe]

While this was an interesting concept for a book, I felt like it fell short in execution. It just felt a bit too disconnected from the characters to really do it for me.

[Courtney]

I read this in 1 evening and I really enjoyed it.