By: Allan McFadden
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Never get sexually involved with a client. I should’ve heeded my own advice. But one look at Mandy and you’d have fallen too. She was a real ball breaker. Serving divorce papers shouldn’t get a private investigator shot. But it happened to me. But life goes on, right? I was summoned upstairs to Rock ‘n’ Roll Heaven. Someone was trying to sabotage the upcoming big gig. A humorous tale of music and intrigue on a fantasy world.
Allan McFadden is an Australian music theatre composer. He trained as a secondary school music teacher and has worked as a teacher, actor, musician, music director and an orchestrator. With a fellow Australian, Peter Fleming, he has written several stage musicals: Airheart, Madame de, Frank Christie, Frank Clarke and Noli me Tangere. As he approached his sixty-ninth birthday, he decided to write fiction. Big Gig in Rock ’N’ Roll Heaven is his first published novel.
I really liked this book. I had to ask my mom who some of the old rock and rollers were. My mom actually took the book from me before I got to finish it, lol! My grandma heard about it and said I should listen to some of the old songs referred to. She's coming over next weekend and we're having a rock n roll get-together.
I only liked the book a lot. My mom said she loved it!
Very impressed, a story with a difference. Certainly, takes you back to the rock & roll era - a trip down memory lane for sure.
Well-written and definitely recommend it.
I believe it is the sign of a good book when it inspires you to research topics within the text. I read the “Big Gig in Rock ‘N’ Roll Heaven” in 2 hours and then spent many more hours researching all the things that intrigued me. For example, I just had to find out the significance of The Beatles’ “Rocky Racoon” and the Gideon Bible. This book was a lot of fun to read with many ‘laugh out loud’ moments to enjoy. It introduced me to new words, like sackbut and ongehoord, with which I hope to dazzle my opponents during future Scrabble games. The glossary of musical terminology was helpful to explain meanings in simple terms. This would have been helpful long ago when I was attempting to learn theory of music. If only I’d kept my stilettos from the old days when it seemed sensible to wear these shoes (which were obviously very bad for ankles….although great for developing calf muscles), I could try out the ‘Mandy walk’ with an understanding about the crotchet and quaver. Hopefully, there will be a prequel to this book as I am left wondering what mysteries involving corpses and smoking guns lay in our hero’s past, and what were the circumstances where he acquired the Les Paul?
A very different but enjoyable read.
I loved all of the old Rock and Rollers being in heaven. It would be magical if this was true. The author clearly loves and understands their music. It was a real buzz when I realised that Harry Chapin was the Taxi driver as I absolutely love that song. Great read. Highly recommended.
What a great read! Very witty and clever. Can’t wait for more from this author.
Have just read this book again and enjoyed even more. Thanks for all the rekindled memories. Sad, happy and funny all wrapped up in one really great story. Please write more!!
Film noir style with classic one liners and music trivia all rolled into one - What's not to love about this book. Also learnt a lot thank you!
This is such a good read.
Allan was my high school music teacher, and really the person who showed me music was a profession. A songwriter, performer creator. Without him I would probably never have written a song. I blame Allan McFadden for my dabbling in music.
For rock n roll tragics this is such a gem. An easy and fun read.
Take the chance and give it a go.
