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FISTFUL OF RAIN, A
by Greg Rucka
Bantam Books, July 2003
305 pages
$23.95
ISBN: 055380135X


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

There's a stereotype about the world of rock and roll that depicts the musicians as living a wild lifestyle with all the drugs, booze and sex that they could ever want available to them at a snap of the fingers. It's certainly true of the band "Tailhook"-the lead singer is sleeping with everyone who attracts her in the least; and the lead guitarist, Mim Bracca, is in an alcoholic haze most of the time. The situation becomes so bad with her that the other band members have ejected her from their current tour so that she can clean up her act.

That's easier said than done for Mim. The roots of her problem go back to her childhood, with an alcoholic father who killed her mother with his vehicle-accidentally? on purpose? And now that she's achieved celebrity, she has to live with being in a microscope and dealing with the kinds of things that fame attracts, including stalkers and blackmailers. Even her home is not a refuge, as it has been penetrated by someone who is watching her every move. When the watcher posts some obscene pictures of Mim on the Internet, she feels she has to do something to regain control over her life.

Rucka propels the narrative along at supersonic speed, all the while ratcheting up the suspense. There's no doubt that Mim is in extreme danger; yet she continues to engage in self-destructive behavior while trying to handle the situation. She's quite good at lying to herself and everyone around her, so the reader is never sure that she will ever be able to move past her addiction, especially as people close to her are being hurt and the past is mowing her down. Rucka has done a superb job of creating a character who is complex, vulnerable, unsympathetic and appealing all at the same time.

If ever they create a dictionary definition for the word "unputdownable", all they need to say is "See A Fistful of Rain by Greg Rucka". Truly, the reader is thrust into the book head first, unable to breathe until the very last word. This is not a book you should pick up an hour or two before bedtime, because you will find that you will need to stay up all night to finish it.

The title of the book comes from the lyrics of a song by the late rock-and-roll songwriter/poet, Warren Zevon. To me, that added a bittersweet flavor to this excellent work. From the wonderful prologue to the wistful ending, I was well and truly hooked by A FISTFUL OF RAIN.

Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, September 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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