Clubbed to Death

by Grant Hill

Two men. One Dream. No Clue. Andy Brennan feels fate dealt him a bad hand. Trapped in a job he hates, he can pinpoint exactly where things began to go wrong. It was when Melody Maker closed down. When Andy's father suddenly dies of a lifelong Scottish diet, his grieving son decides it's time to make his mark on the world and create his own musical utopia. So he and his brother-in-law Cornelius, an eternal opponent of common sense, buy a nightclub. But not just any nightclub. One in a small post-industrial Scottish city. With a highly suspect safety record. That has never made a profit. And keeps shutting down and re-opening under a new name. And during the worst economic downturn since the 1930s. But Cornelius has somehow discovered the world s greatest undiscovered disc spinner the soon-to-be-famous DJ Quantum and identified that structural investment, refurbishment etc all play second fiddle to buying the world s biggest mirrorball. If you build it, they will come. Provided by they you mean organised crime syndicates, an adverse local press, Savile-worshipping DJs, pseudo-intellectual bouncers and borderline-sex-pest barmen, that is. Welcome to Club Quantum, where mind-melting music expands horizons like a demented cross between the Hacienda and Haight-Ashbury. But sandwiched between the bus station and homeless shelter in Dundee.

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 20, 2014

About the author

I was born three months after Thatcher swept to power so bear no responsibility for her election or subsequent actions. I have a degree in English and a tenuous grasp of the language. I've mainly worked in journalism and public relations, alongside numerous service occupations, all the while daydreaming about football and music.

Dundee FC, The Smiths, Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Specials and Sleaford Mods are very important to me. As are my wife and son.

'Clubbed to Death' was my first novel and 'AK-86: Two Shots In The Heart of Scottish Football' represented my first foray into non-fiction. I'm currently writing a screenplay for Clubbed to Death and thinking about maybe beginning work on a possible second novel while dealing with the whims of the young lad and the despair that all DFC followers experience.

Reviews

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this crude, rude and absolutely hilarious book in a Goodreads giveaway. I am still reeling from Gibby's toilet habits but possibly the less said the better. This book is a fast paced laugh out loud read with musical references a plenty. A thoroughly enjoyable easy read.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my best reads of 2016 so far and so want Grant Hill to write a sequel. Not asking much Grant! I love how grieving Andy decides to buy a club that has not succeeded time after time, so what could possibly go wrong with that idea? All the characters are hilarious in their individual ways and bounce off each other, which caused me to laugh out loud on a number of occasions. You can feel the passion and commitment to the club from all and Gibby never stopped surprising me with his sub plots too. If I ever hear chief in the future, I will certainly be thinking of Gibby. There are plenty of music references to amuse, however you do not need music knowledge to still enjoy the book. Full of adult humour that keeps you wanting more. Disclaimer: please note I was lucky enough to win this book on a Goodreads giveaway, but this is still my own honest view on the book. Go get it now, you won't regret.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt like I was reading from a sit com script with its mixture of inept males and strong females there was always some other disaster just around the corner. The toilet humour is for younger readers and did not really appeal but the story its self held my interest and it kept moving with new twists and turns.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as a good reads giveaway
Definitely a younger persons read (late teens early twenties)
I didn't find the humour to my taste at all.
Although I can imagine I would work very well as a film... To a certain audience.

[Greg Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous debut novel, brilliant read, at times it was funny, at others very, very funny. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am Looking forward to his next tale.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Scottishness, particularly the humour, makes this story work. The trials and tribulations of, quite frankly, heid the baws as they attempt to reopen a club that had failed under several previous owners. Pure mental min!

Ray Smillie

[Daniel Smith]

Won in the Goodreads Giveaways