Yvonne
For all you ‘First Page Browsers’
GIRL CAN’T HELP IT by MAX ALLAN COLLINS
BOOK BEGINNINGS / FIRST LINES
CHAPTER ONE
“Murder was the last thing on her mind.
Really, it hadn’t even been on her mind at all.
But saying the side trip to Arnolds Park had been a whim would be a lie. Two things had come together to bring her here, really, on this warm Sunday evening of a Labor Day weekend.
First had been that write-up in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald about Hot Rod and the Pistons making it into the Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, and how members of the band would be regrouping after over three decades to appear at the induction concert at the newly rebuilt Roof Garden at the famous amusement park.
Second, a wholly unrelated function in Sioux City came up that would put her less than two hours away from Arnolds Park, an event that would be over by Sunday afternoon. She wouldn’t even have to decide whether she really would go to the concert until the gathering was over, and she could see if the urge had hit her.
But she’d known it would.”
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So you have taken a look, will you read the book?
Let me know what you think in the comments section below.
Just to give you an extra helping hand, here is the book’s premise …
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GIRL CAN’T HELP IT – (Krista Larson #2)
No sooner do Hot Rod and the Pistons reunite for their induction into the Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, than two band members take a final bow. Both alleged suicides. A tragic way to go out. A bum way for one-hit wonders to be remembered. But it’s Labor Day weekend. The show must go on.
With replacements at the ready, the Pistons are back on home turf to headline the first ever Rock and Country Music Fest. Police Chief Krista Larson and her father, Keith, are there listening. And watching. Because they suspect there may be more to the band members’ untimely deaths than anyone else can see.
As Krista and Keith navigate the investigation, a dark picture of the band’s rocky history begins to take center stage. As betrayal, revenge, and blackmail start playing out in the present, the father-daughter team fear that this encore may be the band’s finale.
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You might also like to visit Gilion, over at ‘Rose City Reader‘, where you can share links to the book beginnings from her own reading schedule and that of many of our fellow bloggers. There are always plenty of new authors and titles to be discovered.
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Despite seeing some negative reviews of this series (maybe folks are comparing it to some of his earlier work?), I find the premise of both this and the first one to be quite interesting. I believe I’ve already put book one on my wishlist.
Hope you’re finding plenty of time to read, Yvonne!
Hi Kelly,
I have to admit that reviews for this series, have been a bit mixed. However the general consensus of opinion seems to be that this, the second book in the series, is better than its predecessor.
It sounds from reading just the first few opening pages as I was preparing this post, that there is quite a substantial emphasis on the rock ‘n’ roll and rock music elements of the storyline, as befits Max’s obvious personal long-running involvement in the movement.
Given your own very varied interest and enthusiasm for music of all genres, this book may be a worthwhile addition to your list, as I am almost certain that you decided to add ‘Girl Most Likely’, when I reviewed it last year.
I have plenty of time right now, we are on day 5 of suggested 12 week isolation, because of hubbie’s underlying health condition. Am I, or are we, going to make it all the way, I have my doubts!! At the moment everything seems a little surreal and downright scary, when I needed to step out this morning to collect a prescription from the pharmacy.
I have plenty of things to keep me occupied, including some much needed chores around the house, however I am struggling with establishing anything like a new regular routine and find myself physically crossing the days off the calendar, where I am having trouble simply keeping track of time.
How are you both faring? I hope that you are managing to stay safe and sound 🙂
Surreal is the word I keep using. I ventured out yesterday to volunteer at our local food pantry and will do that on a weekly basis, but it was the trip to shop at Walmart that had me a little on edge. Everyone seemed to be keeping their distance, though, and it ended up being an okay experience.
I honestly don’t worry for myself as much as I do some of my family members. Some are having to go to work and that makes me uneasy. Alas, I can’t control any of this, so I’m trying to stay positive and take it all in stride. I’ve clearly been self-soothing by posting nature photos to Instagram, so stay tuned – I’m sure I’ll share more on my blog before too long!
I too, feel really anxious for family members who are having to go to work still. It’s not them who don’t take all the care necessary, it’s all the other idiots around them who think they are invincible!
Thanks for being part of the volunteer army, I wish I could be out there helping out in my community too!
Take Care! 🙂
This is going to sound a bit odd but one of the book themes I rarely enjoy and thus avoid, are those to do with the music industry. I have no idea why, just not my thing. We all have our little quirks. 🙂
Hope you’re doing ok, Yvonne? These are very strange times, I’m reminded of unpleasant science fiction novels which I never really thought could happen in real life. It seems I was wrong.
Hi Cath,
It doesn’t sound odd at all, as the music industry is not one of my all time favourite genres either, in fact I had to refuse the opportunity to review a couple of music related biographies earlier this week, which was a little disappointing in these times of publishing austerity. However I just know that I probably wouldn’t have been able to offer the fair and even-handed reviews they deserved.
I did enjoy the first book in the Krista Larsen series, which I reviewed last year and everyone who has read ‘Girl Can’t Help It’, says that it is even better, so I’m giving it a go for myself!
Strange times indeed, Cath! We are only at the end of week 1 of 12 and neither of us hold out much hope of making it to the finishing line! Dave is thinking of begging if he can go back to work next week, as he is classified ‘key’ worker, however being in civil service, he doesn’t hold out much hope of bucking the system!
Someone at work was talking about a book having been written some time ago, which foretold that there would be an event such as this in 2020 and more or less plotted the sequence of events pretty much as they have happened – wish I could remember what it was called!
We did watch the re-screening of the film ‘Contagion’ this week though, with that too having an almost identical pattern to the events of coronavirus (even down to the theory about the bats and pigs as the original carriers), although it was first screened back in 2011! Spooky and a little scary to watch!
Enough doom and gloom. I am determined that next week will be happier and more productive. So until then Stay Safe 🙂