denisebaer 's review for:

Five Night Stand by Richard J. Alley

4.0

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This book isn’t a page-turner in the way most of us think of a page-turner. It is character-driven with lost characters struggling with pain in one form or another. Alley has written a great story and he makes it easy to get lost in his words. There’s a smooth rhythm throughout the book, just like the jazz legend of the main character, Oliver Pleasant. His music brings all the characters together. They love what the music does to them, how they find solace and happiness in it. The flaws of each character are revealed while they grasp the music, drowning in the harmony of piano, saxophone, drums. As the story unraveled, I too, began to feel the melody, words propelling me to another time and place where segregation ruled, yet the music continued to play on.