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"I even got a taste of being behind the scenes for a major act when the J. Giles Band played at our school (Penn State)." McDonnell said. "The PA system for that show was provided by the Clair Brothers - best known for providing the sound system for Woodstock. It was during this particular event that McDonnell gained a real sense of authenticity for his fiction writing. "Reading through the J. Giles contract stipulations helped me with Rock & Roll Homicide," McDonnell said. "The victim was a rock star who was in the middle of renegotiating the band's contract with their record company, which had an unhealthy tie to the Russian Mafia."

Rock Around the Town

"Rock & Roll Homicide by RJ McDonnell, set in San Diego’s rock underworld ... The investigation takes Duffy to a Mission Beach bar that resembles London’s West End in PB, a T.G.I. Fridays in El Cajon, Jake’s restaurant in Del Mar, and a Steve Poltz concert at the Belly Up. He also makes trips to Rancho Santa Fe, Cardiff by the Sea, Alpine, and Southeast San Diego.”

Welcome to Hot Off The Press!. This page will be dedicated to music news like CD Release shows, new CD's, new Artists. Or whatever pops up and needs attention.

This Month:
A book that's been released on Murder in the San Diego Music Scene
Rock & Roll Homicide by R.J. McDonnell

Terry's widow hires Jason Duffy, a former San Diego club musician, who has less than a year of experience as a private investigator. This is Jason's first murder case and he needs all of the help he can get. His first move is to seek out the advice of his mentor, a club owner whose venue resembles the old "Bacchanal" on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. He also brings his band, Tsunami Rush, out of retirement to help him get close to the victim's band.

"Since its release in May 2008, Rock & Roll Homicide has drawn numerous positive comments about addressing areas of interest to music fans," says author RJ McDonnell. The victim was in the middle of a bitter record contract negotiation when he was killed. As part of the investigation, Jason gets into how Internet piracy, download sales, and cuts in CD promotional budgets have impacted the industry. He also gets into roadies, groupies, record contracts, touring, and drug use.

"When I read a novel, I expect to be entertained, but I also expect to learn something," said McDonnell. "Most of my readers are music fans who enjoy taking a look behind the scenes." The novel received five star ratings and rave reviews from two very different sources. One was from Beverly Ford, former Media Relations Director for the Boston Police Department. The other was from Robbie Walsh, an East Coast lead guitarist who formed a band with Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist, Noel Redding, in the early 90s.

"I found the band members and the way they interact with each other to be very believable," said Walsh, who once filled in on lead guitar for Jethro Tull. "I don't usually read fiction, but Rock & Roll Homicide remained true to form and held my interest throughout the whole book."

"San Diego music fans send me the most enthusiastic e-mail because of all of the local references," said McDonnell, a 26-year resident of San Diego. The story settings range from a Rancho Santa Fe estate to a rundown house in East San Diego; from the Belly Up Tavern up to a band practice garage in Alpine; and, numerous points of interest in between.

The book is also, at times, very funny. "For me, the centerpiece to this intriguing whodunit is the laugh-out-loud humor that happens in between the action scenes and serious sleuthing," said Amazon reviewer John Luczak, who also gave the book a five star rating.

If music, mystery, and a little comedy with a San Diego slant sounds interesting to you, take a look at www.rockandrollhomicide.com. The website gives a summary of the novel, background on the detective, and an excerpt with a couple of sample chapters. In San Diego County, you can find it at: Bay Books, Coronado; Fahrenheit 451 Books, Carlsbad; The Grove, San Diego; Mysterious Galaxy, Kearny Mesa; Nina's Books, SDSU area; and Upstart Crow & Co., downtown San Diego.

Even people who rarely read books agree: If you love music, mystery, and a bit of comedy, you'll love this book. Beverly Ford, a 20-year veteran reporter for the Boston Herald, titled her review, "A 'Must Read' for All Murder and Music Fans."

Here's a description of the book:

Just as the rock band, Doberman's Stub, was about to reach stadium tour status, its leader was brutally murdered when his headphones exploded during a recording session. The widow, who inherits $5 million, is the San Diego Police Department's number one suspect. She hires Jason Duffy, a 27-year-old PI in his first year of private practice, in spite of his background as a former musician. Jason learns that the victim was also a very skilled contract negotiator, who was in the middle of an acrimonious renegotiation with the record company at the time of his death. He also finds that the record company has a very unhealthy tie to the Russian Mafia.
As an inexperienced detective, Jason does not yet have the contacts within the police department to gather vital information. He is forced to mend fences with his estranged father, an opinionated ex-SDPD detective.
While Jason investigates the record company, he also takes a close look at the three surviving members of the victim's band. One is an alcoholic/drug addict drummer, on the verge of being kicked out of the group. The second is a bass player who camouflages his rock star status by living in an ordinary house in a lower middle-class neighborhood. Third is a lead guitarist and writer of half of the band's songs, who lives well beyond his means.Jason has not yet become hardened to the very real dangers of his new profession. We experience his inner conflict as his girlfriend, staff, and family are drawn into the danger zone.
After Jason's part-time employee is severely beaten during a stakeout, he sells the story of the Russian Mafia's involvement in the record business to a tabloid journalism TV show in a misguided effort to protect his employer and coworker. This serves to drive the case to new heights of danger and suspense.Jason goes behind the industry veneer of sex & drugs & hedonistic lifestyles. He shows us how the 21st Century world of downloads, file sharing, and image demographics need to be considered in a case of Rock & Roll Homicide.

About the Detective:

Most people go through a trial and error process when it comes to finding a suitable career. I am no exception. My name is Jason Duffy. I run a detective agency in La Jolla, California.
I thought I was destined to become a rock star. By the age of 14 I was a working musician and, four years later, the lead singer/rhythm guitarist for a top San Diego club band. But, eventually I realized that I had no aptitude for songwriting.
So, I hedged my career bets by earning degrees in Psychology and Counseling, then went on to work as a mental health counselor for two years. But, detective work was in my blood. You see, my father was one of the most decorated detectives in the San Diego Police Department. There was no shortage of intriguing crime stories at our dinner table and always an abundance of Irish-American cops visiting our home on weekends.
But, the Duffy household was no Shangri-La. Dad hated the idea that I was a rock & roll musician and blamed Mom for buying my first guitar. Most of his spare time during my teenage years was spent at his favorite cop bar, and I experienced a lot of guilt over my mother's alienation. When we were at home together, the only thing that kept us from bickering was our mutual enjoyment of TV crime shows. Dad would invariably do a post mortem on the plots and characters, and I was always enthralled.Almost everyone I know was shocked when I quit my counseling job and my band to start an apprenticeship as a PI three years ago. Dad retired from the force around that same time. Last year I started Duffy Investigations. My assistant, Jeannine, is a former mental health client who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Another former client, Cory, works for me part-time as a photographer and stakeout specialist.
We may not be anyone's idea of a normal business. But, after a year of working cases in the high society of La Jolla, I've decided that normality is now just a cozy ideal of past generations. My girlfriend, Kelly, thinks I'm well adjusted. But, then again, she describes herself as the Marilyn Munster of her family.So, here I am in beautiful downtown La Jolla. Jeannine keeps my office neat as a pin, and Cory spares me the depressing indignity of spying on unfaithful spouses. I read in this morning's paper that a rock star was just killed in a local recording studio. My first murder case could be just around the corner.

If this pique's your interest then check out R.J.'s website for more info and where to purchase the book.

Cover Art:

Recent Media Coverage

RJ McDonnell, author of Rock & Roll Homicide jams with Critical Mick on "The Irish Mafia," The Dufus Detective, the escape tunnel and the seventeen sub-genres of HEAVY METAL. An unruly email interview, November 2008.

Critical Mick's review of RJ McDonnell's Rock & Roll Homicide

Rock Around the Town

Rockin’ Book Reviews, plus Concert Crasher Manifesto, Bands (Barely)Reunited, & more