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Rosemary Martin rockets out of the gate with this solid foundation to a new series. It's 1964, the Beatles have just hit America, and thanks to her secretarial job at Rip-City Records, Bebe Bennet has a front-row view of the British invasion. Her dreamy boss Bradley (whom she is determined to marry when he's ready to settle down) has just signed another hit English band, Philip Royal and the Beefeaters. Even more excitingly, Bebe's stewardess roommate made friends with the lead singer on the flight over, leading to the two of them having dates with the band. But when Bebe and Darlene show up, Philip's corpse is sharing the tub with a plugged-in electric guitar, with the chorus of his latest song written on the wall. Suspicion soon settles on Darlene. Bebe, loyal to the end, decides to investigate the crime herself and clear her buddy's name. It's a hard task for a young girl fresh out of school in the sticks; not only did every member of the band hate Phillip for one reason or another, there's also trouble inside the record company over the now failed recording contract. Bebe falls into the category of plucky girl detective; she's naive but determined, provincial but not stupid, and given to misreading people. Ordinarily I wouldn't appreciate that much unworldliness in a heroine, but she is very much a product of her time, and when viewed objectively is pretty brave and smart in a sexist world that doesn't expect true capability from a mere female. This even works in her favor; when all the other men in her life blow her off in one way or another, it makes sense for Bebe to think it's up to her to find out the truth. This book is loaded with period detail; the furnishings, the fashions, the brand names (a few too many brand names, really), and definitely the music. I know there are a few musical in-jokes that went over my head. Light your lava lamp and put on your go-go boots and settle down for an excellent read. I expect great things from the Murder-a-go-go series, particularly since Martin has wisely set up a conceit that will keep the stories from becoming stale. Bradley's uncle plans on moving him from family company to family company to judge his worth as successor to the business empire, and Bradley plans on taking his devoted, besotted secretary with him on every move.
Reviewed by Linnea Dodson, May 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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