South Beach Shakedown

July 10, 2006
Bruns substitutes exotic locale for suspense in his lukewarm third beach-based mystery (after 2003's Barbados Heat
) featuring music journalist Mick Sever. Based in Chicago, Mick heads to Miami when he hears from his ex-wife, Ginny, that her client, legendary rocker Gideon Pike, has vanished. Pike's sudden disappearance leads Ginny, who's editing his forthcoming memoirs, to fear for his safety. Mick has saved Gideon's life before, and he turns detective once again to track him down, a quest that leads him to a seamy underworld of Korean gangsters and recording industry corruption. Bodies, gunfire and betrayals abound, but superficial characters and flat writing make for an unconvincing depiction of Sever's transformation from scribe to action hero.

August 1, 2006
In his third outing, rock-music journalist and amateur sleuth Mick Sever looks into the disappearance of Gideon Pike, whose legendary status comes as much from his offstage shenanigans as from his performing skills. Pike, who is writing his autobiography, has a fistful of enemies, any of whom might want him permanently silenced. Bruns, a veteran musician, clearly knows the music biz, and readers are sure to enjoy the behind-the-scenes material. Others may be less thrilled with the author's narrative style, which can swing dramatically from smooth to clunky. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)