Bahama Burnout
Don Bruns
Oceanview, $24.95, 242 pages, ISBN: 9781933515205
reviewed by Barry Hunter

It seems that no matter where Mick Sever is sent to write a story about rock and roll and the interesting characters and locations, he seems to get involved in mystery and murder. This volume is no exception and shows his talent for entertaining the reader with a well written, fast moving tale.

Highland Studios was the stuff of legends. It was the home of magic music that burned up the charts with hits. That is until an unexplained fire destroyed the studio and left an unidentified body in the ruins.

Mick is there to write the story of the rebirth of the new Highland Studios, but strange things are causing headaches for Jonah and Rita Britt. There seems to be a ghost haunting the place. Guitars are smashed or missing, tracks recorded at night are mysteriously erased the next day, and other mysterious happenings occur behind locked doors.

To this we add May Etta, who lives next door, with her disturbed son and a Cadillac she says was owned by Elvis; Johnny Run is in the studio trying to recapture the magic and recover from their last failed album – recorded at Highland Studios; and, a murder or two.

Bruns has written another novel of the things that go on in the world of rock and roll. He does a terrific job of maintaining interest and pulls off a surprise or two to keep the read turning the pages until they reach a satisfying and somewhat subtle ending. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.