Book of Days

JP Kinkaid Chronicles - Book 5

The release of Blacklight's double CD, Book of Days, looks like business as usual. The relaxed tour showcases a revolutionary new set design, as well as Bombardiers keyboard ace Tony Mancuso along as a guest. No one can predict what happens next: the CD goes multi-platinum, generating the need for a very different kind of tour.

At first, everything seems fine. It takes a while before guitarist JP Kinkaid realises something very dark is going on: a string of deaths, following Blacklight show nights.

Things come to a head when a longtime member of Blacklight’s extended touring family is killed. At the band's request, Homicide detective Patrick Ormand investigates, but uncovering the reason behind the deaths may be a lot easier than healing the wounds those deaths have caused.

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Graceland

Order from Amazon! Publishing date:21 April, 2011 from Plus One Press

JP Kinkaid Chronicles - Book 4

When JP Kinkaid is asked by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominating committee to suggest an inductee under the"Early Influences" category, he has no hesitation in naming his childhood idol, delta bluesman Farris"Bulldog" Moody. Bulldog, alive and living in the southern Ohio town of Ofagoula, meets with JP - and the two form a deep and immediate bond. With the help of music historian and fellow heart patient Chester Kobel, JP prepares the speech that will officially enshrine Bulldog in the Hall of Fame.
But when Ches dies during his morning jog outside the Hall in Cleveland, JP begins to realise that something is very wrong. That impression is confirmed by Bree's mother, surgeon Miranda Godwin; she knew Ches, knew his medical history, and believes that there is no reason for Ches to have died.

A possible reason surfaces almost at once: Ches has made some cryptic notes about a biography of Bulldog, and the notes he's left don't match the story Bulldog himself insists are the truth. And JP must swallow his dislike of Patrick Ormand, and ask him to find the truth, not only of Bulldog's own life, but of Ches Kobel's death.

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London Calling

JP Kinkaid Chronicles - Book 3

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Book Three of The Kinkaid Chronicles takes JP and Bree first to London for their honeymoon, and then to the Cannes Film Festival - and leaves their happiness and safety in danger from unfinished business.

A quarter-century ago, legendary director Sir Cedric Parmeley filmed a documentary about three bands, called Playing in the Dark. One of those bands was Blacklight. At the time, Blacklight refused permission for Parmeley to release it. Now living in the South of France, Parmeley has edited the film and gained approval. All three bands have agreed to play a promotional concert at the Roman amphitheatre at Frejus, near Cannes.

But when the film the band screens before the concert turns out to be different from the version they approved, all hell breaks loose. When Parmeley tries to rape Blacklight guitarist Luke Hedley's teenaged daughter, lead singer Mac Sharpe's Jamaican bodyguard, Domitra Calley, prevents it. Parmeley's two bodyguards step in - and make it clear that there are old, ugly race issues at work in beautiful Provence.

The night of the screening, Parmeley's villa is blown sky-high. When Domitra and Bree are arrested, JP makes a frantic call to detective Patrick Ormand - now working for San Francisco Homicide - to ask for help with a problem that's beginning to look like an international terrorist conspiracy. What JP doesn't know is that they're about to flush a ghost from Patrick's own past. And Patrick's obsession is going to put Dom and Bree in the sights of a sniper's rifle, on the red-carpeted steps at Cannes.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

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"As both a professional touring rock'n'roller and a die-hard fan of the mystery genre - especially when presented in unusual and unpredictable formats... I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Grabien's authentic look at the backstage world of big rock shows, and her successful weaving of a murder mystery into that world. Grabien has an uncanny knack for dialogue and relationships, making the story and characters extremely engaging and believable. The JP Kinkaid Chronicles are a breath of fresh air in the mystery novel genre, and a rockin' good read."
- Mark Karan, recording artist and lead guitarist for Bob Weir and Ratdog

"In the second entry in the JP Kinkaid mystery series (after last year's Rock and Roll Never Forgets), JP has just come off a tour with his decades-old, enormously successful rock group, Blacklight. As a favor to his friends in the band the Bombardiers, he has agreed to sit in as guitarist while they break in their new lead singer, Vinny Fabiano. Unfortunately, Vinny proves to be something of a prima donna, with pricey gear, “a bad hairpiece, and a huge sodding ego.” Nonetheless, the members of the group are shocked when Vinny is found dead in the studio, his head bashed in with a flaming red, custom-made guitar. Despite the hassles of dealing with the investigation of the murder and flare-ups from his multiple sclerosis, JP determines it's the perfect time to wed his longtime love, Bree Godwin. Indeed, their emotional romance and the characters' obvious love of music widen the scope of this novel. From spirited discussions of blues-based rock to inspired moments of band camaraderie, this is definitely a mystery that will also appeal to rock fans."
- Joanne Wilkinson