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Mojo Hand
It's 1977, ten years after Big Rock Beat, and Beau Young is back. Now he's playin' the blues-literally. As he tours smoky dives with blues legend Oakland Slim, he uncovers an evil voodoo plot to assassinate the remaining blues masters. But disco rules, so who cares about a few dead blues greats?
Then legendary blues martyr Robert Johnson turns up alive forty-three years after his reported death, a victim of a New Orleans witch's zombie poison, not a jealous husband as originally reported. Beau knows Johnson could be the key to the murders. But Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil decades ago. With Beau's help he must return to the infamous crossroads of fate and seize his destiny. And both of them must confront the awesome power of the Mojo Hand.
Then legendary blues martyr Robert Johnson turns up alive forty-three years after his reported death, a victim of a New Orleans witch's zombie poison, not a jealous husband as originally reported. Beau knows Johnson could be the key to the murders. But Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil decades ago. With Beau's help he must return to the infamous crossroads of fate and seize his destiny. And both of them must confront the awesome power of the Mojo Hand.
- GenresFiction
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
1 person is currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Greg Kihn
16 books39 followersRock radio DJ, rock musician, songwriter, screenwriter, and novelist. Kihn is known as the pioneer of the rock thriller genre.
Kihn’s first novel, Horror Show, was a nominee for the 1997 Bram Stoker Award. Big Rock Beat is the sequel, and Mojo Hand is the sequel to Big Rock Beat.
In the early 1980’s The Greg Kihn Band had a top 20 Billboard hit with “The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)” and a top 10 Billboard hit “Jeopardy”. The music video for “Jeopardy” was a MTV favorite and showed his fascination with rock n’ roll and zany horror.
Kihn’s first novel, Horror Show, was a nominee for the 1997 Bram Stoker Award. Big Rock Beat is the sequel, and Mojo Hand is the sequel to Big Rock Beat.
In the early 1980’s The Greg Kihn Band had a top 20 Billboard hit with “The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)” and a top 10 Billboard hit “Jeopardy”. The music video for “Jeopardy” was a MTV favorite and showed his fascination with rock n’ roll and zany horror.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 4, 2021
My third trip to Greg Kihn's world. It's 1977, a decade after Big Rock Beat and two decades after Horror Show. Only Beau Young, the soulful Hippie guitarist, returns in any substantial way from the previous two books. Truthfully, I missed the colorful band of misfits and miscreants that followed Landis Woodley, but this is not their milieu. The decade since becoming a one hit wonder was not kind to Beau, but he's recovering, having found a new gig as guitarist for blues harpist Oakland Slim. Then master bluesmen start dying in a horrific manner. Meanwhile, in California, blues legend Robert Johnson is revealed to still be alive.
Once again the stakes have shrunk. Only a handful of aging blues musicians are threatened, but as the stakes are more personal, they seem magnified. Greg Kihn once again crafts a narrative that just pulls you along. The story is heavily seasoned with that combination of christianity, voodoo, and hoodoo (they're different) that was particular to the Mississippi Delta and that whole melange of pain, unfaithfulness, prison, rambling, and all those other things that inform the blues. I myself went through a maniacal blues phase, so I got it. As the author is also a musician, it's pretty obvious this is coming from a place of affection for these men and women who invented a fair chunk of modern popular music and have been largely forgotten.
Overall, this was a good book. Objectively. I don't think it was as good as the first two, but as a blues fan, it was pretty darn effective. Recommended for those who get it. You know who you are.
Once again the stakes have shrunk. Only a handful of aging blues musicians are threatened, but as the stakes are more personal, they seem magnified. Greg Kihn once again crafts a narrative that just pulls you along. The story is heavily seasoned with that combination of christianity, voodoo, and hoodoo (they're different) that was particular to the Mississippi Delta and that whole melange of pain, unfaithfulness, prison, rambling, and all those other things that inform the blues. I myself went through a maniacal blues phase, so I got it. As the author is also a musician, it's pretty obvious this is coming from a place of affection for these men and women who invented a fair chunk of modern popular music and have been largely forgotten.
Overall, this was a good book. Objectively. I don't think it was as good as the first two, but as a blues fan, it was pretty darn effective. Recommended for those who get it. You know who you are.
July 12, 2019
Excellent book! A mystery, voodoo, Rock n' Roll, Robert Johnson and plenty of action.
January 26, 2009
I read Mojo Hand by Greg Kihn based on my enjoyment of Shade of Pale. It had a cool sounding premise: Beau Young, now playing the blues with Oakland Slim discovers a voodoo plot to kill off the remaining blues masters. As it turns out, the novel is the sequel to Big Rock Beat (which I haven't read).
One thing the book excels at is its blues geekery. Greg Kihn's rock background pays off. He knows music and he clearly loves the blues. I'm a fan of the blues but obviously not as much as Kihn. I had to stop a few times to Google details mentioned in the book for historical context.
Like Shade of Pale, the book assumes that magic work. In this case, voodoo. The mojo hand of the title is shriveled remains of a hand that has a life of its own. One of the things it can do is help the bearer absorb all the musical skills of the person it has killed. The vacuuming up of all this blues talent is the reason behind the murders.
The most entertaining piece of the novel, and one I wish Kihn had developed more that of Robert Johnson, living out his life in San Lorenzo. Robert Johnson is the Delta blues guitarist who supposedly sold his soul to the devil to further his musical skills. Johnson died August 16, 1938 but Kihn has a voodoo story that gives him an out from that death. It was really fun to see events play out as Johnson is convinced to do a come back album and tour in 1977!
Greg Kihn provides enough information for Mojo Hand to stand alone as a horror / comedy novel. All the characters, their back stories and other relevant plot information is provided in a timely manner. Beau Young touring with Oakland Slim and proving himself as a blues musician, the murders and their aftermath and the man with the mojo hand feel like three separate novels until near the end of the book. I wanted to see the threads come together quicker. My misgivings with the book have nothing to do with its status as a sequel. What's missing here is the edgy humor and tight pacing that Shade of Pale has.
One thing the book excels at is its blues geekery. Greg Kihn's rock background pays off. He knows music and he clearly loves the blues. I'm a fan of the blues but obviously not as much as Kihn. I had to stop a few times to Google details mentioned in the book for historical context.
Like Shade of Pale, the book assumes that magic work. In this case, voodoo. The mojo hand of the title is shriveled remains of a hand that has a life of its own. One of the things it can do is help the bearer absorb all the musical skills of the person it has killed. The vacuuming up of all this blues talent is the reason behind the murders.
The most entertaining piece of the novel, and one I wish Kihn had developed more that of Robert Johnson, living out his life in San Lorenzo. Robert Johnson is the Delta blues guitarist who supposedly sold his soul to the devil to further his musical skills. Johnson died August 16, 1938 but Kihn has a voodoo story that gives him an out from that death. It was really fun to see events play out as Johnson is convinced to do a come back album and tour in 1977!
Greg Kihn provides enough information for Mojo Hand to stand alone as a horror / comedy novel. All the characters, their back stories and other relevant plot information is provided in a timely manner. Beau Young touring with Oakland Slim and proving himself as a blues musician, the murders and their aftermath and the man with the mojo hand feel like three separate novels until near the end of the book. I wanted to see the threads come together quicker. My misgivings with the book have nothing to do with its status as a sequel. What's missing here is the edgy humor and tight pacing that Shade of Pale has.
April 16, 2014
This book wasn't as wacky as the Horror Show and Big Rock Beat but it was certainly entertaining. Its very apparent that the author has a very high respect for music and is extremely knowledgeable in the subject. It was a very interesting and enjoyable read. It was very nice to see Beau back in action and see him mature. I am looking forward to reading other Greg Kihn books.
July 6, 2012
Though it's something of a sequel to BIG ROCK BEAT and HORROR SHOW, in this one Kihn examines the blues rather than rock, and the B-movie theme isn't extant. It's still a lot of fun and surprisingly well written. Read it in a dim room with Robert Johnson on the stereo.
September 21, 2012
Love this book gave my copy to my friend , its good exciting fiction, would recomend to music lovers.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews