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constantreader471's review
4.0
3.5 stars
I won this book from LibraryThing/Akashic Books. Thank You Akashic Books.
D. Hunter, bodyguard for musicians and R&B music lover, travels from NYC to LA to attend his grandfather's funeral. Daniel Hunter, D's granddad, is known as Big Danny. He was murdered and D decides to find out who killed him. The plot meanders a bit as D discusses various songs and artists with friends and family. Some of this was boring for me, since I don't like hip hop or rap.
The mystery unravels slowly, as D peels back unknown layers in his Grandad's life. Big Danny ostensibly ran a grocery store, but was also a loan shark on the side. Big Danny had connections to various musicians and Korean shop owners.
Some characters in the book:
Walli Hunter, another grandson to Big Danny
Red Dawg, devoted to Big Danny and possibly a grandson
Dr. Funk, legendary black R&B musician
The Pak family, Korean business owners
Two quotes:
"And, like the melodies he'd just played, Dr. Funk evaporated into the moist Santa Monica night."
"Traffic and distance determined the intensity of your friendships like daybreak defined working lives."
I won this book from LibraryThing/Akashic Books. Thank You Akashic Books.
D. Hunter, bodyguard for musicians and R&B music lover, travels from NYC to LA to attend his grandfather's funeral. Daniel Hunter, D's granddad, is known as Big Danny. He was murdered and D decides to find out who killed him. The plot meanders a bit as D discusses various songs and artists with friends and family. Some of this was boring for me, since I don't like hip hop or rap.
The mystery unravels slowly, as D peels back unknown layers in his Grandad's life. Big Danny ostensibly ran a grocery store, but was also a loan shark on the side. Big Danny had connections to various musicians and Korean shop owners.
Some characters in the book:
Walli Hunter, another grandson to Big Danny
Red Dawg, devoted to Big Danny and possibly a grandson
Dr. Funk, legendary black R&B musician
The Pak family, Korean business owners
Two quotes:
"And, like the melodies he'd just played, Dr. Funk evaporated into the moist Santa Monica night."
"Traffic and distance determined the intensity of your friendships like daybreak defined working lives."
readincolour's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this. Now I need to go back and read from the beginning of the series.
conceptuallysound's review against another edition
4.0
D. Hunter is a man with a lot a pain and passion. Family and business are 2 things you cannot mess with for him. I truly enjoyed this series, just wish I knew they were a series when I got hooked on The Plot against Hip Hop. The author does a wonderful job of intertwining music into the story line, so much so that I could sing the songs as I read them. ....To live and die in LA.....
If and when another is written, I am ready!!!
If and when another is written, I am ready!!!
tonstantweader's review against another edition
3.0
To Funk and Die in LA is the fourth D Hunter story in Nelson George’s series featuring the music industry security specialist who frequently finds himself playing detective. This time the mystery hits home, his grandfather Big Danny is murdered, shot at the intersection of Crenshaw and Wilshire in L.A. D goes for the funeral and stays to find out who killed his grandfather as well as work with his friend Night, the musician, who has moved to LA.
The investigation revealed a lot he did not know about Big Danny, such as a loan-sharking business D did not know about that may have been the motive for his murder. Meanwhile, he is tasked with seeking out Big Danny’s old friend from his club days, Dr. Funk, the famed musician who appears to be living on the streets. Professionally, he is looking after Night and fielding a range of propositions that strike him as dubious.
Music lovers will love To Funk and Die in LA for the musical references alone. Fully inhabiting the LA music scene and the various communities of LA, Nelson George is brilliant at creating a sense of place and time. Brands and bands are on point. It makes the story immediate and authentic. That sort of topicality is almost cinematic, excellent at creating a book for the “now.”
It’s a tradeoff, though. Stories with so much reliance on brands to create the scene become dated in a decade. There’s no intention of writing something that lasts which is too bad. Without that ambition, the story gets short shrift. D does more deal-making or deal-avoiding than detecting and in the end, the identification of the murderer and even the punishment is outsourced. The mystery doesn’t seem to interest George nearly so much as the music industry and that is the part of the story that is good and interesting.
George is at his best and most passionate when writing about music and about the city of LA, about gentrification, about ethnic competition and struggle among Koreans, Blacks, and Latinos, and the effects of racism. In a way, the mystery seems a vehicle for him to write about what really interests him.
To Funk and Die in LA will be released September 5th. I received an ARC through a promotional raffle at LibraryThing.
To Funk and Die in LA at Akashic Books
Nelson George Author Site
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2017/09/02/to-funk-and-die-in-la-by-nelson-george
The investigation revealed a lot he did not know about Big Danny, such as a loan-sharking business D did not know about that may have been the motive for his murder. Meanwhile, he is tasked with seeking out Big Danny’s old friend from his club days, Dr. Funk, the famed musician who appears to be living on the streets. Professionally, he is looking after Night and fielding a range of propositions that strike him as dubious.
Music lovers will love To Funk and Die in LA for the musical references alone. Fully inhabiting the LA music scene and the various communities of LA, Nelson George is brilliant at creating a sense of place and time. Brands and bands are on point. It makes the story immediate and authentic. That sort of topicality is almost cinematic, excellent at creating a book for the “now.”
It’s a tradeoff, though. Stories with so much reliance on brands to create the scene become dated in a decade. There’s no intention of writing something that lasts which is too bad. Without that ambition, the story gets short shrift. D does more deal-making or deal-avoiding than detecting and in the end, the identification of the murderer and even the punishment is outsourced. The mystery doesn’t seem to interest George nearly so much as the music industry and that is the part of the story that is good and interesting.
George is at his best and most passionate when writing about music and about the city of LA, about gentrification, about ethnic competition and struggle among Koreans, Blacks, and Latinos, and the effects of racism. In a way, the mystery seems a vehicle for him to write about what really interests him.
To Funk and Die in LA will be released September 5th. I received an ARC through a promotional raffle at LibraryThing.
To Funk and Die in LA at Akashic Books
Nelson George Author Site
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2017/09/02/to-funk-and-die-in-la-by-nelson-george
readincolour's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this. Now I need to go back and read from the beginning of the series.
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