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Old Guy Music: A gripping, twist-filled mystery perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Lee Child and Tom Hindle.
'A delightful read that will appeal to fans of music, humor, and stories about finding your place in the world. If you're looking for a book that's both funny and heartfelt, look no further' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
When Cougar Bill, lead guitarist and founder of the iconic pop group The Cougars, is found hanging from the rafters of his sprawling country home by a curious schoolboy, Detective Chief Inspector Max Bellamy is called in to investigate.
Was it suicide—or something far more sinister? What links Bill’s death to a string of mysterious drownings from years past? And how much does Josie, Bill’s wife and the band’s manager, Eric Irwin, really know?
As Bellamy digs deeper, he finds himself navigating a tangle of suspects, secrets, and those eager to dismiss the death as a suicide. But when threats are made against his wife, MP Louise Bellamy, the case becomes personal — and the stakes turn deadly.
Will Bellamy uncover the truth before it's too late?
When Cougar Bill, lead guitarist and founder of the iconic pop group The Cougars, is found hanging from the rafters of his sprawling country home by a curious schoolboy, Detective Chief Inspector Max Bellamy is called in to investigate.
Was it suicide—or something far more sinister? What links Bill’s death to a string of mysterious drownings from years past? And how much does Josie, Bill’s wife and the band’s manager, Eric Irwin, really know?
As Bellamy digs deeper, he finds himself navigating a tangle of suspects, secrets, and those eager to dismiss the death as a suicide. But when threats are made against his wife, MP Louise Bellamy, the case becomes personal — and the stakes turn deadly.
Will Bellamy uncover the truth before it's too late?
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 28, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley and The Book Guild for an advance reader copy. If you want a synopsis, click on the book.
This book has a great title. (I'm an old guy who loves music.) I found some of the characters to be a bit over the top but that didn't detract from the story. The main character is intelligent, thoughtful and you want him to succeed in this police procedure drama. Overall, this is a good, easy read with a satisfying ending.
This book has a great title. (I'm an old guy who loves music.) I found some of the characters to be a bit over the top but that didn't detract from the story. The main character is intelligent, thoughtful and you want him to succeed in this police procedure drama. Overall, this is a good, easy read with a satisfying ending.
March 12, 2026
I really wanted to like this book and was intrigued by the informatie about the plotline. Unfortunately it fell short for me. This was mostly to do with the way the book was written, rather than chapters, the book is in sections which were long. In these parts, the narrator chopped and changed a bit and that added to the confusion. About half way different timeperiods are introduced and an older event is described which is in some way related to the death of the musician. After this, my curiosity was stimulated so that I wanted to see how it all panned out .
In the decription, the book was described as gripping, which I did not really relate to., I found the first half of the book, in particular a slog to read. I did not take to the main detective, he came across as arrogant and I was not impressed by the irrelevant information about his lovelife or his repetitive assertions that he was a senior detective. Gut feelings are all well and good, but you need some evidence to convince your readers of your feelings . A few f-words thrown into the mix from some characters did not impress me either (and I am very open minded) . So the pace finally started to increase towards the end and the plot started making more sense . Max kept control of everything throughout, which was irritating . The bones of the plot were interesting and had a lot of potential, I'm afraid that the book didn't live up to its promise for me.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC
In the decription, the book was described as gripping, which I did not really relate to., I found the first half of the book, in particular a slog to read. I did not take to the main detective, he came across as arrogant and I was not impressed by the irrelevant information about his lovelife or his repetitive assertions that he was a senior detective. Gut feelings are all well and good, but you need some evidence to convince your readers of your feelings . A few f-words thrown into the mix from some characters did not impress me either (and I am very open minded) . So the pace finally started to increase towards the end and the plot started making more sense . Max kept control of everything throughout, which was irritating . The bones of the plot were interesting and had a lot of potential, I'm afraid that the book didn't live up to its promise for me.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC
March 5, 2026
I would give this book 3.5 stars.
This book was a solid story that I enjoyed. The story opens when a local teenager finds a man hanging from the rafters of his studio. Cougar Bill, a former band member of a once-famous band, has committed suicide. A local Inspector surmises that might not be true/the whole story. As the Inspector investigates the case, we learn about the relationships between the former bandmates and their seedy manager.
The story follows two timelines: Cougar Bill's death AND recently found bodies on the band's former property and, a period ten years earlier when Cougar Bill witnessed the disposal of the ten bodies. There is a lot to wrap your head around but the author did a decent job of keeping it simple.
I wish that this book had more text breaks. It was divided into 7 sections which made finding a stopping point difficult. Each time I picked up this story, I had to reread several pages to pick up the story.
This book was a solid story that I enjoyed. The story opens when a local teenager finds a man hanging from the rafters of his studio. Cougar Bill, a former band member of a once-famous band, has committed suicide. A local Inspector surmises that might not be true/the whole story. As the Inspector investigates the case, we learn about the relationships between the former bandmates and their seedy manager.
The story follows two timelines: Cougar Bill's death AND recently found bodies on the band's former property and, a period ten years earlier when Cougar Bill witnessed the disposal of the ten bodies. There is a lot to wrap your head around but the author did a decent job of keeping it simple.
I wish that this book had more text breaks. It was divided into 7 sections which made finding a stopping point difficult. Each time I picked up this story, I had to reread several pages to pick up the story.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to The Book Guild and Netgalley for this eARC.
Bruce Harris delivers a compelling mystery with Old Guy Music, with in the murder (disguised as a suicide) of a former well known musician. The plot deepens as the murder of "Cougar Bill" is revealed to have ties to other killings.
A solid, well-written, enjoyable mystery, I will watch for more books written by this author.
Bruce Harris delivers a compelling mystery with Old Guy Music, with in the murder (disguised as a suicide) of a former well known musician. The plot deepens as the murder of "Cougar Bill" is revealed to have ties to other killings.
A solid, well-written, enjoyable mystery, I will watch for more books written by this author.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews