YOU'VE LOST THAT LIVIN' FEELIN'

A pair of retired rock stars solves the murder of the celebrity impersonator known as Blue-Eyed Soul Squared.

After decades as recording artists, married couple Adam Parrall and Shawna James have left the glamour of the music industry for a quiet retirement in the sleepy California coastal town of Cordoba. It’s been a long time since Parallax topped the charts, but fond fans still accost them from time to time. Adam owns B-Sides at the Seaside, a record store, and hosts a local radio show, while Shawna diligently studies at the Cordoba Culinary Institute. George’s third novel is a cozy that introduces a community of amiable characters before the inevitable murder of Barry Haddon, who cobbles together a living by impersonating both of the Righteous Brothers. The initial investigators are Police Chief Teri Cortez and her deputy, Matt Barnes (Adam’s nephew), whose new wife, Heather, is expecting a baby. The tight community brings Adam and Shawna close to developments in the investigation. Barry’s memorial service doubles as a gathering of prime suspects. Chief among these is Barry’s troubled teenage son, Billy Bob, who has a knife that might be the murder weapon. The couple aren’t so sure about that, and their empathy for Billy Bob slowly draws them in. The whodunit is middling, but the cast of quirky Cordobans is enjoyable, and delightfully detailed references to bygone music stars are peppered throughout.

Nostalgic comfort food for mystery fans of a certain age.