Play Audiobook Sample
Swing: A Mystery Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.10) - 220 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Two-time Edgar Award winner Rupert Holmes–author of the critically acclaimed Where the Truth Lies and creator of the Tony Award—winning musical whodunit The Mystery of Edwin Drood–now fuses gripping suspense and evocative music in an innovative novel of intrigue set in 1940, during the very heart of the Big Band era. Swing is a multimedia experience, it contains musical tracks which give clues to the mystery.
Jazz saxophonist and arranger Ray Sherwood, touring with the Jack Donovan Orchestra, is haunted by personal tragedy. But when a beautiful and talented Berkeley student named Gail Prentice seeks his help in orchestrating a highly original composition called Swing Around the Sun, which is slated to premiere at the Golden Gate Exposition on the newly created Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, Ray finds himself powerfully drawn to the beguiling coed. Within moments of first setting eyes on her, Ray also witnesses a horrifying sight: a young woman plunging to her death from the island's emblematic Tower of the Sun.
As the captivated Ray learns more about Gail and her unusual family, he finds himself trapped in a tightening coil of spiraling secrets– some personally devastating, all dangerous and deadly– in which from moment to moment nothing is certain, including Gail's intentions toward him and her connection to the dead woman who made such a grisly impact upon the stunning island. As events speed toward a shocking climax, Ray must use all his physical daring and improvisational skills to unlock an ominous puzzle whose sinister implications stretch far beyond anything he could imagine.
Swing is a brilliant historical thriller–with an extra twist that extends beyond its pages. Accompanying the novel is a CD of original songs and music that feature prominently in the story, within which the reader may find additional clues to the mysteries of Swing.
Download and start listening now!
"A jazz musician, playing a gig in San Francisco, witnesses a woman's death. She falls from a tower in what appears to be a suicide. This is set in 1940, with considerable detail about the World's Fair on the newly constructed Treasure Island. There's murder and espionage here, and I usually avoid spy thrillers. Something about them always confuses me and here (according to my notes) it is the motivations of the participants. Overall, I liked it. Especially impressive that the author composed music to accompany the book."
— Janice (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Imaginative, smart, and impressively elaborate, a sophisticated foray into musical mystery plotting.”
— New York Times -
“It’s the people, living and dead, who stay in the memory after the last page has been turned, the last letter-perfect description of a vanished world has touched a chord, the last note of swing music has been played.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“Swing just might be the best historical thriller of the year. Certainly it is the most creative.”
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Swing Listener Reviews
-
" A great read, a great period piece, and a great book for the musically knowledgeable. The central mystery was not bad, but not at the level as the rest, which lost it a star. Many years ago, before cacophony drowned out music and when I was young, I played in a swing band. It was wonderful, and my eternal gratitude to Rupert Holmes for bring back the memory of it. "
— Kendall, 2/17/2014 -
" kind of a poor man's devil in the white city but keeps up a cute "maltese falcon"ish dialog between characters and is fun because it's in oakland/sf. "
— Elizabeth, 2/11/2014 -
" 3.5 stars. I really liked the era and locale of this book (I did go to Berkeley after all), but the undercurrent of the book relates to the death of the main character's young daughter. It was a difficult theme to be reminded of (my daughter is 20 months), but the story was well written and had great twists and turns. It was a fast read and I couldn't put it down. I think I would have loved the book (or liked it more) if I knew more about musical theory (what key different instruments' music is written in, etc.), which is integral to the story. The story was fast paced and had some great twists. "
— Maxtourtelot, 2/9/2014 -
" Clever and fun but not edge-of-my-seat gripping. It was a nice period piece with a satisfying twist and resolution. "
— Mairi, 1/26/2014 -
" I thoroughly enjoyed this. A light-hearted noir-inspired jazzy mystery. Won't change your life, but it's a fun read. "
— Elizabeth, 1/18/2014 -
" Not as good as Where the Truth Lies--but entertaining! "
— Chrissie, 12/26/2013 -
" I listened to this as a book on CD. It was fun to listen to. The mystery does not appear until the very end. Story is set in 1940, so the mystery centers on pre WWII issues. If you stick with it to the end, it's worth it. "
— Barb, 12/19/2013 -
" A really fun mystery set at the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco. A great combination of mystery, music and history. "
— Priscilla, 12/12/2013 -
" Adding to my interest in historical fiction. Not the best writing, but an interesting story with great descriptions of San Francisco World's Fair. "
— Michelle, 11/10/2013 -
" This book gave me a good understanding of the Pan-Pacific Exposition held on Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay. It included a lot of historical detail about neighborhoods in Berkeley and Oakland as well. The hardcover even included a CD with music themed to the book. "
— RuthG, 9/3/2013 -
" Special. Noir about a swing band player in the Bay Area during the 1939 Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco. Includes a CD of the music that the plot centers around. "
— Merry, 7/27/2013 -
" A fun mystery centering on a student from Berkeley and a musician who will be playing at the 1940 Golden Gate Exposition on the newly constructed Treasure Island. "
— Kari, 7/26/2013 -
" Listened to tape with music of the story. "
— Deanna, 4/15/2013 -
" big band mystery includes CD "
— Debbie, 3/28/2013 -
" This book was a little slow to get started, but once it did, it was pretty good! I thought that the plot was very clever, albeit predictable. It was a decent mystery, and I'd pick up another one by Holmes. "
— Chris, 10/23/2012 -
" A pretty good mystery with a great soundtrack. Try and get the version that has the accompaning CD. "
— Laurie, 4/2/2012 -
" This is a great period book with likeable characters and snappy dialogue. This is a mystery novel that takes place in the Bay Area during the 1940's. This is a must read. "
— Michele, 1/2/2012 -
" this is the british version of the us book "swing." "
— Jef, 9/14/2011 -
" Nazis in San Francisco set to a jazz soundtrack. Great read! "
— Bernadette, 6/5/2011 -
" I thoroughly enjoyed this. A light-hearted noir-inspired jazzy mystery. Won't change your life, but it's a fun read. "
— Elizabeth, 3/13/2011 -
" A fictional (somewhat complicated) murder mystery that takes place during the San Francisco World’s Fair on Treasure Island in 1915. The main character is a jazz musician traveling with a swing band. The story is so-so, but the glamour of the time and place is well done. "
— cristina, 12/29/2010 -
" Nazis in San Francisco set to a jazz soundtrack. Great read! "
— Bernadette, 9/26/2010 -
" Excellent period mystery with great local color (pre-WWII Bay Area) that only stumbles with a ridiculous, overly complex "solution." "
— John, 5/10/2010 -
" Special. Noir about a swing band player in the Bay Area during the 1939 Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco. Includes a CD of the music that the plot centers around. "
— Merry, 1/13/2010 -
" Nicely paced, well researched, fun with snappy dialogue and a great setting (Bay Area during the 1939-40 World's Fair). Plus the CD of music is a great listen (and full of clues). I've loved Rupert Holmes work since I saw a preview of The Mystery Of Edwin Drood. "
— John, 8/28/2009 -
" Listened to tape with music of the story. "
— Deanna, 2/7/2009 -
" Adding to my interest in historical fiction. Not the best writing, but an interesting story with great descriptions of San Francisco World's Fair. "
— Michelle, 10/21/2008 -
" A really fun mystery set at the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco. A great combination of mystery, music and history. <br/> <br/> "
— Priscilla, 8/21/2008 -
" kind of a poor man's devil in the white city but keeps up a cute "maltese falcon"ish dialog between characters and is fun because it's in oakland/sf. "
— Elizabeth, 7/12/2008 -
" I listened to this as a book on CD. It was fun to listen to. The mystery does not appear until the very end. Story is set in 1940, so the mystery centers on pre WWII issues. If you stick with it to the end, it's worth it. "
— Barb, 6/25/2008 -
" A pretty good mystery with a great soundtrack. Try and get the version that has the accompaning CD. "
— Laurie, 5/31/2008
About Rupert Holmes
Rupert Holmes has received two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America and multiple Tony® and Drama Desk Awards for his Broadway mystery musicals. His first novel, Where the Truth Lies, was nominated for a Nero Wolfe Award for Best American Mystery Novel, was a Booklist Top Ten Debut Novel, and became a motion picture starring Colin Firth and Kevin Bacon. He has adapted works by authors Agatha Christie, John Grisham, and R. L. Stine for the Broadway and international stage. His short stories have been anthologized in such collections as Best American Mystery Stories, Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop, and On a Raven’s Wing. His earliest story-songs were published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. He is also the writer/vocalist of several Billboard Top 10 hits.
About Patrick Lawlor
Patrick Lawlor, an award-winning narrator, is also an accomplished stage actor, director, and combat choreographer. He has worked extensively off Broadway and has been an actor and stuntman in both film and television. He has been an Audie Award finalist multiple times and has garnered several AudioFile Earphones Awards, a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and many starred audio reviews from Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews.