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In The Mood... For Murder

D.E. McCluskey (Goodreads Author),

Tony Bolland

4.14 · Rating details · 28 ratings · 11 reviews

Liverpool in 1946, post war and swinging…
The Rialto theatre is a hotbed of the Big Band Swing scene, with bands playing most nights to full crowds of youngsters looking to forget the drudgery of everyday life, rations and the ruins of the blitz.
The Downswing Seven are The Rialto’s house band who are in the need of a new singer, much to the annoyance of George Hogg, the d ...more

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Kindle Edition, 311 pages

Published October 17th 2017 by Dammaged Comics

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· 28 ratings · 11 reviews

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Mar 07, 2018 Barbara Beswick rated it liked it · review of another edition

I liked the look of this book. Looked promising, - 1946, Big Band Sound, 'In The Mood' title, aw makes me think of my Dad. Glenn Miller was his fave and I still can't hear Moonlight Serenade without feeling tearful... So, good start - onwards! The sailors who made a brief appearance at the beginning was surely another good 'omen' as yet another link to my Dad. Sadly however, this posse of motley mariners, were, like the rest of the characters, - wrong'uns! Bit of an enigma to me this book soon b ...more

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Mar 05, 2018 Jaqui rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I was attracted by the promise of the great cover and blurb of this book. In truth, I was expecting a different kind of book to the one I read, something somehow upbeat and cheery with a cosy kind of murder at its heart. I was attracted to by the era.

It has all the right elements. Dance, the setting of The Rialto Theatre in Liverpool, swing music, the internal issues of a band: The Downswing Seven, who are auditioning for a new lead singer. They don't want George the drummer - despite his talent I was attracted by the promise of the great cover and blurb of this book. In truth, I was expecting a different kind of book to the one I read, something somehow upbeat and cheery with a cosy kind of murder at its heart. I was attracted to by the era.

It has all the right elements. Dance, the setting of The Rialto Theatre in Liverpool, swing music, the internal issues of a band: The Downswing Seven, who are auditioning for a new lead singer. They don't want George the drummer - despite his talent .... He has a disability and and a temper as well as a wicked past. He is manipulative and cruel.

It starts off okay. "Hold it there, gents,... a huge hand reaches out to curb five sailors entering The Rialto for mischief ." But these sailors in the opening scene have nothing whatsoever to do with the story They never reappear. Good descriptive writing but after that opening scene, it was all downhill for me. Carl, the singer they choose, has bad phrasing, awful timing, and isn't a great singer but he gets the job. George is jealous and vindictive from the start when Carl gets the job and the stage is set for murder.

There were hardships sure, but we had won the war as one character says, and despite spivs, Petty crime, rationing, Britain was rebuilding. There was a promise of better times. to come. But in this book, all is despair and disappointment , drugs, and gratuitous violence. which escalates fast.

I enjoyed the very infrequent flashes of humour, but my main problem with this book was how nasty, unhappy and unpleasant all the main characters were Not one of them was a sympathetic character you could warm to, care about or root for. They were cruel, shallow selfish and horrid. The main character was extremely unsympathetic - a monster. And there was little depth or redeeming features or characteristics to any of the others. But.... Especially.... the manipulative main protagonist George..

The book wallowed in gore and guts, gruesome detailed descriptions of murder and multiple deaths, a total bloodbath that stretched credulity - four horrible deaths in the space of two hours. Maybe the book should have come with a warning .. Not for the squeamish or faint hearted.. I found it dispiriting and downbeat.. There was not one warm relatable character ... They were all unlikable to different degrees Depressing

The book was like an elongated episode of Minder without the humour, and the twist at the end which may have been meant to be ironic or tongue in cheek or clever was something which didn't work for me at all. I like my villains to get their comeuppance not get away with brutal multiple murders. And why oh why did nobody go to the Police? It is beyond credible .

I think this may work as a short story rather than a novel. I found the ending as well as the characters unpalatable. Very dispiriting. ...more

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Mar 06, 2018 Karen Peterman rated it liked it · review of another edition

In The Mood For Murder is set in Liverpool in 1946 where the Rialto is the place to go. The Downswing 7 are the house band and George the drummer is the villain of the story. I am afraid that I didn’t like this book at all - it didn’t feel like it was set in 1946 - and the characters were all unlikable.

It’s a violent tale of fights, drug dealing and unpleasantness. I was surprised that there were coke (cocaine) dealers in 1946 but I am sure the author will have checked. The plot itself isn’t bad ...more

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Jul 25, 2018 Joanne Barrell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I'm not really one for horror/murder stories but I really enjoyed this. Of the 3 stories I've read by this author this was my favourite and I enjoyed the not so traditional unhappy ending! (No spoilers). I thought it was clearly well researched and loved that I was familiar with the local references! You really got to know the characters and were rooting for them all the way through. Overall, I can't wait for the next one 😊 ...more

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Mar 21, 2018 Sue Purbrick rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This tale was set in the swinging 40s in Liverpool and the authors certainly captured some of that era. While I felt compelled to finish the book, to see what would happen, I really struggled with the verbose writing style, clichés and hyperbole. I’m sure the two authors had great fun writing this – making the protagonist, George Hogg, as exaggeratedly awful as possible, and piling on the murders from about halfway through. It was unfortunately all just a little too unbelievable for me.

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Jul 16, 2018 Becky Smith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I don't think I've ever been so torn about characters throughout a book, sometimes I liked them, others I hated them. They each have their own little pieces of humanity and relatability that pop up. An entertaining read, the first half sets the scene nicely for the second, during which I struggled to put the book down. ...more

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Feb 28, 2018 Annette rated it it was ok

I'm sorry but I didn't enjoy this book at all. It was supposed to be set in the 1940's but the descriptions and atmosphere seemed all wrong for that time period, it didn't hold my attention and I wasn't interested in the characters or the storyline. Thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC ...more

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Jul 07, 2019 Michelle Whitham (curled_up_with_a_good_book) rated it it was amazing

This is my second book by Dave, and since I loved The Twelve so much…..I was intrigued to see if this would have me as gripped as the last one…and IT DID!

The story is set in the 1940’s in Liverpool and is based around the house band of The Rialto – The Downswing Seven. Their front man is getting old and needs to retire so they’re looking for someone new….much to the indignation of the drummer, George Hogg. He has an amazing voice – he knows it and the band know it but they won’t let him have the This is my second book by Dave, and since I loved The Twelve so much…..I was intrigued to see if this would have me as gripped as the last one…and IT DID!

The story is set in the 1940’s in Liverpool and is based around the house band of The Rialto – The Downswing Seven. Their front man is getting old and needs to retire so they’re looking for someone new….much to the indignation of the drummer, George Hogg. He has an amazing voice – he knows it and the band know it but they won’t let him have the job……he says it’s because he’s ‘a cripple’…..but is that the real reason?

They find a new singer in Carl….and I think it’s fair to say that him and George don’t hit it off in the slightest! And then George meets Carl’s sister, Marnie and things start to go downhill……but will George really resort to murder?! You’ll have to read to find out!!

This was brilliant….I have to say I’m NOT a fan of George. Despite the fact that he has a physical ailment and has had his fair share of bullying over the years he has completely learned how to turn this around in his favour and play on it! At first I did feel kinda sorry for him but the more you get to know him, the more you change your mind….he’s not a nice person! All the band members have completely different personalities and it’s great to learn about each of them…..all who have their own secrets to hide, and how the work together (or not!).

It’s also good to get a glimpse into 1940’s Liverpool and it’s gangsters! It always amazes me that this sort of thing really did happen! Being a history geek, I enjoyed the historical elements to the story which were described in such a way that you could really see it in your minds eye.

The story is FULL of suspense and keeps you gripped as you want to keep reading to find out what happens next. Will some of the characters really stoop as low as you’re expecting?! And the ending…….(that’s all I’m saying!).

Overall another FAB book and I can’t wait to move on to the next one by this author! ...more

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Feb 24, 2021 Ian Rooney rated it it was amazing

fact or fiction ? This book is a little bit of both and superbly written.
For those of a certain age, who sat listening wide eyed to their parents or grandparents regaling stories about the dance halls and clubs they frequented in this time and their experiences of the blitz in wartime this book is like reliving those memories.
For those of a younger generation this gives you a great insight into life in this era.
The historical journey accompanied by the excellent storyline and some extremely p ...more

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Aug 03, 2019 Hela rated it it was amazing

I went into this one a little unsure as I'm not usually one for set in the past type fiction, but I like McCluskey's writing style so jumped in anyway. Boy am I glad I did! The local references were spot on & the main character George is the kind of guy you love to hate. The whole story was very engaging & had an unexpected ending. I'd recommend this book for sure... you won't be disappointed ...more

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Jan 05, 2020 Olivia rated it it was amazing

Really enjoyed this book! Lots of twistaband turns and the attention to detail is wonderful. I dont usually read this genre, but it's won me over ...more

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About D.E. McCluskey

D.E. McCluskey

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I love horror, and I love Christmas. Some would say that the two are not mutually conjoined, others would tell you different.

Anyways... I started writing, one Christmas, back in the days of yore. I was reading The Night Before Christmas, by Clement Clarke Moore to my daughter who was just too excited to sleep. But, I used my secret weapon, my boring voice to send her off... As I tiptoed out of th ...more