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Evan Horne #2

by Bill Moody, Николай Киров (Translator), Валерия Стоименова (Translator)

Tenor sax player Wardell Gray died in Vegas back in the fifties, but his legend lives on. Moonlighting from his job playing piano at the Fashion Show Mall, Evan Horne is doing a favor for a scholar by asking questions about Wardell Gray        s death. As Evan circles in on a little-known history of a 1950s black jazz club, the heat, glitz, and pay-back of Vegas come down hard--with the power to swing, smoke, and kill.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Music, Jazz

253 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Bill Moody is a mystery author and professional jazz drummer. He is the author of Shades of Blue, Looking for Chet Baker, Bird Lives! and three other Evan Horne novels.

Reviews

[Jakub Drewniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the writing and pacing of this book. It is able to draw really well on the history and ambiance of Las Vegas as well as the music culture of the city. It is one of those mystery novels where even once you think you know what the answer is you still feel compelled to keep reading because you want to know how the characters react. While I do feel that people looking for a major triumphant ending may feel let down; I think mystery novels that end with some messy realism are my favorite. Worth picking up in my opinion!

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book, and the fact that it is my favorite type of book, mystery, intertwined with one of my passions, music, instantly makes it a favorite. I have not gotten to the very end yet, but so far it is very interesting and a great book. I like the two main characters a lot also. They work well together and i love how for the first part of the book there was a hidden problem with the main characters hand that keeps you wondering what happened to it, but it doesn't tell you until much later to keep you drawn in. The mystery aspect of the book is better than I expected. I thought it would be mediocre mystery compared to other books I have read, but it actually on the same level. I also love the music part of it, it gives me something to relate too and I have even learned some new things about music. There really isn't a theme in this book, its hard to put a theme in mystery. The closest thing to a theme I could think of is, if you give up on doing what you love because of n accident, you will never be happy. This is because the main character loved playing piano and was a great musician, but had a serious accident with is hand that caused to to be unable to play for a long time and when he started too again, he loved it.
Overall this is a great book and any musician who likes mystery or a good story should read it.

[David Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moody has definitely hit his stride with the second Evan Horne mystery. The writing is tighter and the plot is more engaging. It helps that Moody has built the plot upon a real-life mystery, the death tenor saxophonist Wardell Gray (found dead in the Las Vegas desert decades ago, supposedly of a drug overdose) and the real history of the Moulin Rouge, the first interracial club in Las Vegas (unfortunately short-lived, only 6 months, probably because the mob was ruthlessly skimming the take and never really intended for it to be successful business anyway). Evan is merely helping his old pal, UNLV professor "Ace" Buffington, do research on Wardell Gray for an academic paper. But in doing so, he peels back layers of Las Vegas history, opening old wounds that someone is willing to kill to keep covered. As in Solo Hand, Bill Moody assembles a vivid cast of characters, as well as a handful of subplots that Moody deftly ties together in a coolly musical climax. I'm most definitely hooked, read the whole thing over the weekend, and ready to burn through the rest in the Evan Horne series. Highly recommended!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horne is in Las Vegas visiting a friend and testing his piano chops two hours a day at an upscale shopping mall. In his spare time he is researching the death of tenor sax player Wardell Gray (real person) who's body was found dumped in the desert.

He was there in Vegas for the opening of Moulin Rouge (real place) but only lasted two days. Since he used heroin speculation was it was a drug deal gone bad. One of the dancers admitted they were together when Gray accidentally died.

Others peculated he had a run in with a mobster over a woman.

Horne risks further damage to his hand when that local mobster objects to his research, even if it is for research for an UNLV paper his friend is writing.

Smooth writing, good narrative and a nice plot.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While recuperating from an accident which has left Evan barely able to play piano, he agrees to investigate the death of a jazz artist back in the 50s.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jazz and mystery, blended well. Our protagonist attempts to solve a decades-old cold case for a friend's academic paper, and ends up with more trouble than expected. A fun read.