Bright Midnight

by Chris Formant

Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Peter Ham—all of them iconic rock stars, all of them dead at age twenty-seven. How could a group of great musicians all die at the same age? All evidence points to the deaths being unrelated, but were they really?

Gantry Elliot is a relic of rock and roll era still writing for Rolling Stone magazine—covering “classic” rock and roll and struggling for relevance in the age of hip-hop and electronic dance music. Even though he’s an encyclopedia of music trivia, Gantry can’t compete with the new kids on the block and is now reduced to watching the clock tick down on his once dynamic career. But Gantry’s vast knowledge may be the only thing that can unravel the mystery of 27.

When anonymous packages start showing up at his office and then his home, Gantry initially shrugs them off as another Club of 27 conspiracy nerd trying to get attention. But as the clues became more intimate, more personal, more sinister, he realizes this is not a game: someone knows the truth, and the truth may put Gantry’s life in serious danger.

Aptly called, “'The Da Vinci Code' for rock and roll fans,” author Chris Formant has written a terrific debut novel that creatively and deftly takes readers on a dangerous cold case hunt to uncover the mystery behind these deaths. Truth or fiction, lies or conspiracy, 'Bright Midnight' will keep you guessing until its final chorus.

Genres: Music

270 pages, Paperback

Published November 9, 2016

About the author

From his early “garage band’ days, to a seat on the Board of Trustees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Chris Formant has been a student of rock and roll his whole life.

A collector of rock memorabilia and an avid reader of rock histories, he has absorbed the stories of rock legends in much the same way as his lead character, Gantry Elliot in Bright Midnight.

As an executive in a leading global company, running a multi-billion dollar business, Formant is the unlikeliest of authors of a murder mystery.
But the continued unanswered questions surrounding the deaths of our most iconic rock legends led Formant to first speculate and then re-imagine what would happen if cutting edge technology were applied to these famous cold cases.

Doing his own research into the archives of the Hall of Fame, studying advanced forensics techniques and gaining creative insights from top doctors, FBI investigators and a former editor of Rolling Stone Magazine, Formant crafted what is being referred to as the “Da Vinci Code for Rock and Roll Fans”.

Reviews

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe because I was a kid when all these deaths took place they have always intrigued me. All artists all dead at 27 all in the same frame of time. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, the list goes on and on. While I read this book I was informed there were within a month of each other. What a starting place for a serial killer concept.

The facts that were dropped into the chapters were so interesting and the involvement of Quantico made the book spring to life for me. I do not know if all the technology they discussed exists or not but wow what technology it is. When I saw the blurb on Netgalley I knew I had to request it I was thrilled when the publishers agreed to let me read and review.

A fantastic read If you love history and rock and roll.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bright Midnight
By Chris Formant

Sex, drugs, rock n roll and a mind-boggling mystery take center stage in this unique, exciting debut by Chris Formant. Using a mesmerizing mix of facts, fiction, urban legend and pop culture he builds a true-crime worthy mystery/thriller from the “myth of 27”, (the untimely death of rock star icons all at the age of 27) in his amazing debut, Bright Midnight. His characters are all award worthy especially his aging reporter star, and his use of hard-boiled investigation techniques keeps the story engaging, reader’s pulses pounding and the pages turning. With Rock N Roll as a constant even using Jim Morrison song lyrics for the title and a Pandora’s box for a plot he brings his audience a riveting extraordinary, keeper shelf, read!

Gantry Elliot has spent over 40 years writing for Rolling Stone magazine, he’s gone from headliner to at 65 the butt of the younger writer’s jokes and is wondering if its time to hang up his credentials. When he starts receiving anonymous packages containing “clues” that the rock n roll legends all who died at 27 didn’t die from their addictions but were in fact murdered he thinks he may be onto something big. He knew all of these infamous rockers some intimately and he wants this story more than he wants his next breath so now he just has to convince his boss to let him pursue it and convince the FBI to investigate it. No problem!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like music and I can honestly say that I have heard of some of the iconic rock stars that were featured in this book, yet not all of them. Of course, though these artists were way before I was born. What really won me over with this book was the author's love for music. He respected and honored the artists in this book. Thus in turn I was digging the story. It helped that Gantry shared such a passion as well for music. I enjoyed reading about his connection with Janis Joplin. As I was reading this book, I felt as if the artists had come alive and I could hear their voices. Even if this was just a story about music I would have enjoyed it. Yet, the mystery surrounding all of the artists' murders was great. I kept trying to solve the mystery before the reveal but I could not. I was not disappointed in how the story ended either. I am looking forward to reading more books by Mr. Formant. Music fans will enjoy Bright Midnight as will readers who are looking for a great book to read!

[Bryan Winchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the concept behind this book: an aging music critic gets some mysterious messages suggestion that the members of rock's infamous "27 club," such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin may have all been killed by a serial killer.

And the author mostly pulls off the story, but about 2/3rd of the way through it just sort of lost its steam for me, so I can't give it a higher rating. I'm reviewing this several months after finishing it, so wish I had a better explanation of why.

Still, if you like rock n roll history tied with criminal investigations, this book is worth checking out.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horrible title, half assed cover, absolutely fantastic read. Loved it! Read it in one day because I couldn’t put it down . Action packed until the end. Fun! I hope someone picks up the movie rights.

[Abe Shocket · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought it would be more about the music and musicians but it got very frenetic and pretty wacky. Raced through it though, but came off as a cheesy crime story.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have any interest in the mystery of-the deAths of many rock stars that died at age of 27 you would find this an interesting read even if it is fiction.

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly paced (except that it never stops moving) and clumsily written. But, if you're a music fan, it's entertaining enough, as long as you promise not to fall for any of the made-up conspiracy.

[Hyacinth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. I wish I could give this book 10 stars. From the cover forward it was a ride. When I opened it, I had this "feeling" and it didn't fail me. The team of Gantry and Melendez was amazing. It was nail biting in parts. The myth of 27 and the whole Rock and Roll era and the 60s was so captivating. I kept thinking it was Daniel, lol. I was surprised to see that Alex didn't cave in and stuck to his guns. I stopped reading ten pages to the conclusion because I didn't want to book to end. I was sorry for Dennis because he tried to right a wrong too late. When is the next book coming?

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Bright Midnight, debut author Chris Formant presents an intriguing scenario about the deaths of several iconic rock and roll musicians from the late '60s and early '70s. What if, instead of accidental deaths or suicide, these rock and roll stars were actually murdered? And if this is the case, what possible reason would someone have for killing them just as they were at the pinnacle of stardom?

Veteran reporter Gantry Elliot is practically a legend at Rolling Stone magazine where after a forty year career, he feels a little underappreciated by the younger staff members. With an encyclopedic knowledge of rock stars whose careers began during the Age of Aquarius, he immediately understands the significance of the anonymous messages and clues he begins receiving that assert that rock and roll greats such as Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin were murdered. Delving deeper into these clues, Gantry becomes convinced there is truth to the allegations and he turns to close friend and record expert, Dennis Briganty and FBI Agent Raphael Melendez to aid his investigation into these long ago deaths.

Gantry not only wrote about these rock legends; he was personal friends with many of them. He has always believed there might be a kernel of truth to the so-called Myth of 27 which suggests there is something more sinister to the deaths of the pioneers of rock and roll who all died at the age of 27. The first of the messages he receives centers on a little known collaboration between Hendrix and Jones and the personal effects included in the missive points to someone who intimately knew one or both musicians. After another envelope containing similar information and relics is delivered to him, Gantry's research backs up his almost unbelievable theory that a serial killer might be responsible for these long ago deaths.

The first person Gantry reaches out to is longtime friend and classic record store owner Dennis Briganty. Between the two of them, they work out the significance of some of the information Gantry has received. Dennis also reveals he owns personal memorabilia from one of the rock stars that might shed valuable light on Gantry's investigation but he needs time to track it down.

While waiting for Brigantry to get back to him, Gantry receives yet another package that leads him to two terrifying conclusions: the killer not only knows where he lives but has also must likely bugged his apartment. This knowledge makes it imperative he convince FBI Agent Melendez to help him investigate these long ago deaths. Once Melendez is on board, he takes their suspicions to his contact in Scotland Yard since some of these musicians died in Britain. Re-opening decades old cases that were given only cursory investigations is complicated but Melendez and Gantry remain hopeful that the evidence has been preserved well enough to glean new information that will help them figure out the truth.

Bright Midnight is a fast-paced and engrossing mystery with a unique and compelling storyline. Chris Formant presents an inventive (and plausible) theory for the long ago deaths of these famous rock and roll legends that is guaranteed to appeal to classic rock fans and conspiracy buffs. An all around fantastic mystery that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend to fans of the genre!

[Nikki Kitchen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book. I couldn't even get 100 pages into this book. It's horrible. The main character is the definition of a loser. He spends his days dreaming in his office about how great his job used to be (a job he only still has because one of his few friends owns the magazine), and his nights sitting in his apartment, listening to records, getting drunk and high, and reminiscing about his glory days. I think we found the reason he has no friends.
The description promised a mystery about the myth of 27, multiple musicians who died at 27, but at 80 pages or so there wasn't even enough there to catch my interest.
I kept telling myself I needed to finish, then, that I needed to get at least half way through, but I couldn't. I would read 20 pages or so and have to take a break reading a different book. This last time, after reading 6 or 7 books, and not being able to force myself to even pick it up, I gave up.

I won this book in a goodreads giveaway.

[Steve Kemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won an advance copy of this in a Goodreads giveaway .
Anyone who is intrigued about the 27 Club , Hendrix, Joplin , Brian Jones , Pigpen ,Chief Mojo Rising , or Badfinger will really dig the ride ! You simply can't put this thing down , once you get going ! I highly recommend it !

[Wanda]

Did not finish. Just could not get into the story or the characters.