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A review by rowingrabbit
Bobby March Will Live Forever by Alan Parks
4.0
I know we’re only at book #3 but this series has quickly become a favourite. The time period, the setting, the characters…..all these elements add so much colour, atmosphere & personality to each instalment. Mix this distinctive vibe with compelling drama & you have a series that stands out in a crowded genre.
It kicks off with a prologue that is the stuff of parents’ nightmares. Twelve year old Alice Kelly has disappeared without a trace. It seems like every cop in Glasgow is on the case…except Harry. He had a run-in years ago with the man who is temping as his boss & apparently he has a long memory. While colleague Wattie runs down clues, Harry is assigned a hopeless robbery case that is going cold. Then he takes a call from a local hotel & finds Bobby March.
Contrary to the title, there’s zero chance of Bobby becoming immortal. At least not in the physical sense. What Harry finds instead is a sad cliché……an almost-was/has-been rock star in a cheap hotel room with a needle in his arm. Back in the day, Bobby came so close but eventually he was just another one hit wonder. In alternate chapters we go back & follow the arc of his career, from his first high to his last.
In the present, his demise looks pretty straightforward but don’t worry. As usual, Harry has a buffet of problems. His boss may become a permanent fixture, the search for Alice has gone horribly sideways, his old boss needs a favour & old pal Cooper needs a babysitter. He’s like one of those circus performers who is in perpetual motion to keep their spinning plates in the air.
The result is an entertaining & gripping read. The author’s style & story telling skills have been incredibly self assured from book #1 & that continues here. Characters appear on the page fully formed and come out swinging. At the centre of it all is Harry, a likeable & sympathetic guy who’s like a cross between Rebus & Bosch. But make no mistake…he is his own man. He may look the other way from time to time but his loyalty to Cooper is a testament to the personal tenets that drive his decisions.
The pacing is bang on & for the first time in a while, I found myself happily immersed in a good story. The only thing missing is a soundtrack. The classic bands & songs mentioned in Bobby’s chapters had me head bobbing along to old favourites (yes, I am that old
It kicks off with a prologue that is the stuff of parents’ nightmares. Twelve year old Alice Kelly has disappeared without a trace. It seems like every cop in Glasgow is on the case…except Harry. He had a run-in years ago with the man who is temping as his boss & apparently he has a long memory. While colleague Wattie runs down clues, Harry is assigned a hopeless robbery case that is going cold. Then he takes a call from a local hotel & finds Bobby March.
Contrary to the title, there’s zero chance of Bobby becoming immortal. At least not in the physical sense. What Harry finds instead is a sad cliché……an almost-was/has-been rock star in a cheap hotel room with a needle in his arm. Back in the day, Bobby came so close but eventually he was just another one hit wonder. In alternate chapters we go back & follow the arc of his career, from his first high to his last.
In the present, his demise looks pretty straightforward but don’t worry. As usual, Harry has a buffet of problems. His boss may become a permanent fixture, the search for Alice has gone horribly sideways, his old boss needs a favour & old pal Cooper needs a babysitter. He’s like one of those circus performers who is in perpetual motion to keep their spinning plates in the air.
The result is an entertaining & gripping read. The author’s style & story telling skills have been incredibly self assured from book #1 & that continues here. Characters appear on the page fully formed and come out swinging. At the centre of it all is Harry, a likeable & sympathetic guy who’s like a cross between Rebus & Bosch. But make no mistake…he is his own man. He may look the other way from time to time but his loyalty to Cooper is a testament to the personal tenets that drive his decisions.
The pacing is bang on & for the first time in a while, I found myself happily immersed in a good story. The only thing missing is a soundtrack. The classic bands & songs mentioned in Bobby’s chapters had me head bobbing along to old favourites (yes, I am that old