Bold as Brass

Stockwell Park Orchestra Series #2

by Isabel Rogers

Community music projects always spread harmony… don’t they?

When players in Stockwell Park Orchestra fear they may be getting out of touch with the community, they invite children from two nearby schools to join them for a season.

Supercilious, rich Oakdean College pupils have never mixed with the rough Sunbridge Academy kids, and when things go missing and rumours spread, the situation threatens to turn ugly. DCI Noel Osmar has to tread after all, he’s off duty. Step forward, Carl the trombonist.

Can music heal social rifts? Who has been stealing and why? And will the orchestra’s newly-composed fanfare turn out to be fantastic… or farcical?





“ I was charmed...  a very enjoyable read.” Marian Keyes

“Friendly insults between musicians, sacrosanct coffee-and-biscuit breaks, tedious committee   welcome to the world of the amateur orchestra .”  BBC Music Magazine

“ … a witty and irreverent musical romp , full of characters I’d love to go for a pint with. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Stockwell Park Orchestra and  can't wait for the next book in the series .” Claire King, author of  The Night Rainbow

“ Sharp, witty and richly entertaining. ” Lev Parikian, author of  Why Do Birds Suddenly Disappear?

“With its  retro humour bordering on farce , this novel offers an escape into the turbulent (and bonkers) world of the orchestra.” Isabel Costello, author of  Paris Mon Amour

“... a very funny tale of musical shenanigans  set in the febrile atmosphere of the Stockwell Park Orchestra” Ian Critchley

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 11, 2019

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conductor of the amateur orchestra decides it would be a good idea to get some of the local students involved--after all, both the musicians and the audiences tend to be middle class, middle aged, and white. There's the rundown public school where they rehearse--Sunbridge Academy, which provides several musicians, plus music teacher Kayla, who's glad to play bass for the orchestra and also join trombonist Carl in his jazz gigs, and then there's fairly prestigious Oakdean college, which provides snobby, wealthy students and Old Boy composer Sir Marmaduke, who promises an original composition for their concert, to feature his godson, French horn player Tarquin. Rogers is clearly on one side in the coming cultural conflict, that ends up involving the musicians' friend policeman Noel. Quite delightful. This is the third in the Stockwell Park orchestra series, and the only possible criticism is that it doesn't feature enough time with their pretentious American benefactors, Mr and Mrs. Ford-Hughes.

[Jack Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Musical misadventures with the Stockwell Park Orchestra

An entertaining tale with great characters, excellent dialogue and convincing orchestral doings. I haven't read the first one but will go back and do so.

[Josephine Corcoran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book as a gift for my husband and he was very pleased with it. During a difficult year, it was lovely to hear him chuckling away as he read. He wanted something light-hearted and funny that would take his mind off the global pandemic and this book hit the spot! I will look for more books by this author.

[Maureen Hetzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolute delight! Clever, funny, well developed characters that populate the local amateur symphony. And this episode. Students from two local academies are invited to join them for a performance. Let the fun begin! Well written and the third in the series is sitting on my book shelf!

[Louise E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series continues to delight. I love the characters and “hearing” the music!

[Jamie VanMersbergen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series!

[Verity W · Rating 4 out of 5]

If possibly even more fun than the first book but in a different way. This has a gaggle of rival children as well as the band antics and I think it really starts to develop running plot lines for the series too.