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Trevor Galloway #2
Record Scratch
"There are two types of men you must fear in this world: Men who have everything to lose--and men like me."
It's a case Trevor Galloway doesn't want. It's certainly a case he doesn't need. The client--the sister of a murdered musician--seems a bit off. She expects Galloway to not only solve her brother's homicide, but recover a vinyl record she believes could ruin his reputation. Galloway knows he should walk away. He should simply reach over the desk, give back the envelope of cash that he admittedly needs, and walk away. However, when the client closes the meeting by putting a gun under her chin and pulling the trigger, his sense of obligation drags him down a path he may not be ready to travel.
As Galloway pieces together the final days of rock and roll legend Jimmy Spartan, he struggles to sort through his own issues, to include having the occasional hallucination. He's not certain how bad his condition has deteriorated, but when Galloway is attacked in broad daylight by men he assumed were figments of his imagination, he realizes the threat is real and his condition is putting him and anyone nearby at risk. The stoic demeanor that earned Galloway the nickname The Tin Man is tested as he reunites with an old flame, becomes entangled in a Secret Service investigation, and does battle with old enemies.
A story divided into twelve songs from Jimmy Spartan's final album.
A detective unsure of his own reality.
Find out who has the stronger motivation: The man with everything to lose, or the man who has nothing to lose?
It's a case Trevor Galloway doesn't want. It's certainly a case he doesn't need. The client--the sister of a murdered musician--seems a bit off. She expects Galloway to not only solve her brother's homicide, but recover a vinyl record she believes could ruin his reputation. Galloway knows he should walk away. He should simply reach over the desk, give back the envelope of cash that he admittedly needs, and walk away. However, when the client closes the meeting by putting a gun under her chin and pulling the trigger, his sense of obligation drags him down a path he may not be ready to travel.
As Galloway pieces together the final days of rock and roll legend Jimmy Spartan, he struggles to sort through his own issues, to include having the occasional hallucination. He's not certain how bad his condition has deteriorated, but when Galloway is attacked in broad daylight by men he assumed were figments of his imagination, he realizes the threat is real and his condition is putting him and anyone nearby at risk. The stoic demeanor that earned Galloway the nickname The Tin Man is tested as he reunites with an old flame, becomes entangled in a Secret Service investigation, and does battle with old enemies.
A story divided into twelve songs from Jimmy Spartan's final album.
A detective unsure of his own reality.
Find out who has the stronger motivation: The man with everything to lose, or the man who has nothing to lose?
- GenresFiction
318 pages, Paperback
Published October 22, 2018
4 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
J.J. Hensley
14 books112 followersJ.J. HENSLEY is a former police officer and former Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service. Mr. Hensley is the author of the novels RESOLVE, MEASURE TWICE, CHALK'S OUTLINE, BOLT ACTION REMEDY, RECORD SCRATCH, FORGIVENESS DIES, and several shorter works. He is originally from Huntington, WV and currently resides near Savannah, GA.
RESOLVE was a Thriller Award finalist and was named one of the Best Books of the Year by both Suspense Magazine and Authors on the Air. Record Scratch was an honorable mention for Suspense Magazine's Best of 2018.
He is a member of the International Thriller Writers.
Email: contact.hensleybooks@gmail.com
RESOLVE was a Thriller Award finalist and was named one of the Best Books of the Year by both Suspense Magazine and Authors on the Air. Record Scratch was an honorable mention for Suspense Magazine's Best of 2018.
He is a member of the International Thriller Writers.
Email: contact.hensleybooks@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 21, 2018
Record Scratch, the second novel in the Trevor Galloway series, is every bit as enthralling and exhilarating an experience as Bolt Action Remedy. What makes this series more authentic feeling than most is that J.J. Hensley infuses his fiction with his experiences from his time working as both a police officer and a U.S. Secret Service Special Agent. Masterfully crafted, perfectly paced and wonderfully written, this belongs on every crime buffs bookshelf. One of the aspects I thought was inspired was that each chapter is named after a song and hints at what is about to happen in each particular chapter. I have never seen this before and felt it added to the intrigue.
With surprises and action aplenty and an ending that will truly shock, this is one of my favourite reads of the year. I am always on the lookout for unique protagonists as quite a lot of those in crime fiction are stereotypical but you certainly can't accuse private investigator and former police officer Trevor Galloway of being that way. He is a fascinating and highly developed character who you join on his journey of ups and downs and feel all he feels. If you enjoy unpredictable novels then this is up there with some of the best, and although this does work fine as a standalone, because Galloway's struggle and trials and tribulations make up a substantial part of the plot, I would recommend reading the first book before this one so that you can understand how he ended up where he currently is. If hard-boiled, street-smart crime fiction is your bag, this is certainly worthy of your time.
Many thanks to Down & Out Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
With surprises and action aplenty and an ending that will truly shock, this is one of my favourite reads of the year. I am always on the lookout for unique protagonists as quite a lot of those in crime fiction are stereotypical but you certainly can't accuse private investigator and former police officer Trevor Galloway of being that way. He is a fascinating and highly developed character who you join on his journey of ups and downs and feel all he feels. If you enjoy unpredictable novels then this is up there with some of the best, and although this does work fine as a standalone, because Galloway's struggle and trials and tribulations make up a substantial part of the plot, I would recommend reading the first book before this one so that you can understand how he ended up where he currently is. If hard-boiled, street-smart crime fiction is your bag, this is certainly worthy of your time.
Many thanks to Down & Out Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
September 25, 2018
I was fortunate to read an early copy of this book, and I enjoyed every word. J.J. Hensley’s tale of a stoic PI investigating the murder of a has-been rock star is equal parts classic whodunnit and gritty noir, peppered with high-octane action scenes that will leave you breathless. Record Scratch is like a throat punch: powerful, shocking, and unapologetic, but the surprising poignant ending will stay with you a long after you’ve finished the book. This is a thriller that crackles from the first page to the last.
January 21, 2019
Trevor Galloway has a lot of things working against him. He's an ex-police detective living as a pariah to most members of the department. The reason for this is because he was kidnapped and tortured by a drug cartel and he broke, giving up names of undercover officers that led to their deaths.
He ended up addicted to the drugs he was tortured with and he has hallucinations. Talking to his therapist barely helps. And he's living with a target on his back from the cartel who still wants him dead. Between his pension and work as an unlicensed private detective, he manages to just make ends meet.
It is his work as a private detective that brings him into content with the sister of a murdered famous musician. She wants him to not only solve the mystery of her brother's murder, which the police haven't been able to do, she also wants him to find the only copy of his final album. The album in question was rejected by the record label and is reportedly bad enough to harm the artist's legacy. Galloway is resistant to taking the case but feels drawn to solving it after the sister ends their meeting by committing suicide right in front of him.
As he begins investigating, his initial path brings him into contact with an old acquaintance from his days on the force. If there's anyone who would have some information about the murdered musician, it would be this guy.
And that decision proves to be a catalyst for a deeper and darker story to unfurl as Galloway is attacked. He thinks it is the cartel out to finally take him out, but when he's saved by his ex-girlfriend, Trevor finds himself embroiled in a Secret Service investigation while trying to fend off multiple attacks against him and trying to reconnect with the ex-lover and maintain a semblance of balance and stoicism that led to his nickname "The Tin Man".
I picked up this book because of a recommendation from the BOLO Books mystery blog and I have to say that I was duly impressed with the storytelling from author J.J. Hensley. If life isn't pretty, Record Scratch is a prime example of that ugliness. There's not much in the way of gussied up goodness in the plot. It's is pretty dark and, dare I say, more than a bit noir-ish.
Galloway is trying to live his life, but you can see that every day, perhaps every minute, is a struggle. I suppose living with a target on your back and the object of disdain and scorn from nearly everyone that knows you would do that to a person.
As events unfold in the book, you get the feeling that a happy ending might not be in the cards and that feeling manages to draw you into the story that much more. Galloway ends up being beset on all fronts and this sets him on a path that leads to an explosive and tragic set of actions that leave no doubt that you don't want to mess with "The Tin Man", even as you feel more than a bit sympathetic for the toll his actions take.
This was some prime storytelling from J.J. Hensley. I don't know if there's anywhere for this series to go following the end of the story, or even if there should be somewhere to go. But I do know that, regardless of any future stories featuring Trevor Galloway, Record Scratch was a dark and disturbing thrill ride of a read.
He ended up addicted to the drugs he was tortured with and he has hallucinations. Talking to his therapist barely helps. And he's living with a target on his back from the cartel who still wants him dead. Between his pension and work as an unlicensed private detective, he manages to just make ends meet.
It is his work as a private detective that brings him into content with the sister of a murdered famous musician. She wants him to not only solve the mystery of her brother's murder, which the police haven't been able to do, she also wants him to find the only copy of his final album. The album in question was rejected by the record label and is reportedly bad enough to harm the artist's legacy. Galloway is resistant to taking the case but feels drawn to solving it after the sister ends their meeting by committing suicide right in front of him.
As he begins investigating, his initial path brings him into contact with an old acquaintance from his days on the force. If there's anyone who would have some information about the murdered musician, it would be this guy.
And that decision proves to be a catalyst for a deeper and darker story to unfurl as Galloway is attacked. He thinks it is the cartel out to finally take him out, but when he's saved by his ex-girlfriend, Trevor finds himself embroiled in a Secret Service investigation while trying to fend off multiple attacks against him and trying to reconnect with the ex-lover and maintain a semblance of balance and stoicism that led to his nickname "The Tin Man".
I picked up this book because of a recommendation from the BOLO Books mystery blog and I have to say that I was duly impressed with the storytelling from author J.J. Hensley. If life isn't pretty, Record Scratch is a prime example of that ugliness. There's not much in the way of gussied up goodness in the plot. It's is pretty dark and, dare I say, more than a bit noir-ish.
Galloway is trying to live his life, but you can see that every day, perhaps every minute, is a struggle. I suppose living with a target on your back and the object of disdain and scorn from nearly everyone that knows you would do that to a person.
As events unfold in the book, you get the feeling that a happy ending might not be in the cards and that feeling manages to draw you into the story that much more. Galloway ends up being beset on all fronts and this sets him on a path that leads to an explosive and tragic set of actions that leave no doubt that you don't want to mess with "The Tin Man", even as you feel more than a bit sympathetic for the toll his actions take.
This was some prime storytelling from J.J. Hensley. I don't know if there's anywhere for this series to go following the end of the story, or even if there should be somewhere to go. But I do know that, regardless of any future stories featuring Trevor Galloway, Record Scratch was a dark and disturbing thrill ride of a read.
October 8, 2018
Trevor Galloway is hired to solve the murder of rock star Jimmy Spartan by Jimmy's sister, who ends the hiring process by killing herself. At a loose end with no living client, Galloway knows no other way than to proceed with the investigation. Galloway puts himself at risk to conduct the case as he stops taking his medication that stops hallucinations brought on by a heroin addiction, which came about when Trevor was tortured by an Eastern European gang into giving up details on undercover police investigations by way of injecting him with the drug.
It's this second detail that's the most important as the past continues to haunt Galloway in more ways than one and the book is really about his struggle to get free of it in both reality and spectrally. The hallucinations are well done and feel vivid rather than dreamy and mirage-like. Rather being a simple A-to-B investigation, this novel is wildly unpredictable, but never crumbles into delirium.
This is an action packed thrill ride, which manages to examine the nuts and bolts of its main character. It wasn't the book I expected, but it was great all the same.
It's this second detail that's the most important as the past continues to haunt Galloway in more ways than one and the book is really about his struggle to get free of it in both reality and spectrally. The hallucinations are well done and feel vivid rather than dreamy and mirage-like. Rather being a simple A-to-B investigation, this novel is wildly unpredictable, but never crumbles into delirium.
This is an action packed thrill ride, which manages to examine the nuts and bolts of its main character. It wasn't the book I expected, but it was great all the same.
July 18, 2019
Trey Galloway is a down on his luck ex-cop with a tarnished badge, a history that include drug addiction, and he's haunted by ghosts. He has an Eastern European drug gang still after him and he has severe PTSD. Sometimes he isn't sure if what he's seeing is real and if he's not. That can lead to some pretty nerve wracking situations. He's a lone wolf, a disgraced cop with a chip on his shoulder, and no PI license. And things are just going to get dicier as he gets involved in a case where nothing makes any sense. But, like the classic down on his luck PI, Galloway is forever getting his butt kicked. This is a realistic, thrill ride of a crime story that is well-plotted and absorbing.
June 24, 2019
In JJ Hensley’s compelling Record Scratch, Trevor Galloway takes a case from the sister of a murdered superstar musician, who expects him not only to solve her brother’s eight-month-old homicide, but to recover a vinyl record she believes could ruin his reputation and his legacy. The client closes the meeting by putting a gun under her chin and pulling the trigger. Galloway’s sense of obligation drags him down a path he may not be ready to travel.
This is the second in the Trevor Galloway series, beginning with Bolt Action Remedy (2017), and following up later this year (Oct. 14) with Forgiveness Dies.
I’m a bit late to the party, not having read the first Galloway thriller, but I never felt lost in the plot, and Hensley keeps the action going. The writing is crisp and direct, with wit, humor and darkness as the trail to what really happened to rock star Jimmy Spartan unfolds. It probably isn’t a spoiler to note that things get violently out of hand for Galloway, but I’ll leave it at that.
As Galloway pieces together the final days of rock and roll legend Jimmy Spartan, he struggles to sort through his own issues, which include having the occasional hallucination. He’s not certain how bad his condition has deteriorated, but when Galloway is attacked in broad daylight by men he assumed were figments of his imagination, he realizes the threat is real and his condition is putting him and anyone nearby at risk. The stoic demeanor and ironic distance that earned Galloway the nickname The Tin Man works well as a device for carrying the story forward, even as that detachment is tested.
Pittsburgh, PA, itself plays a role in this thriller. Like Stephen Mack Jones’s Detroit (August Snow), the author guides us through the city, its neighborhoods and its denizens with familiarity, exasperation and love. I enjoyed every page of Record Scratch, and I read the final third in one night. The picture of a man slowly coming unmoored from the codes to which he had adhered and that gave his life meaning is fascinating, compelling and darkly satisfying. The novel begins and ends ominously: “There are two types of men you must fear in this world: Men who have everything to lose—and men like me.”
The stakes and the conflict are real. Recommended for anyone who likes forceful, intelligent thrillers.
This is the second in the Trevor Galloway series, beginning with Bolt Action Remedy (2017), and following up later this year (Oct. 14) with Forgiveness Dies.
I’m a bit late to the party, not having read the first Galloway thriller, but I never felt lost in the plot, and Hensley keeps the action going. The writing is crisp and direct, with wit, humor and darkness as the trail to what really happened to rock star Jimmy Spartan unfolds. It probably isn’t a spoiler to note that things get violently out of hand for Galloway, but I’ll leave it at that.
As Galloway pieces together the final days of rock and roll legend Jimmy Spartan, he struggles to sort through his own issues, which include having the occasional hallucination. He’s not certain how bad his condition has deteriorated, but when Galloway is attacked in broad daylight by men he assumed were figments of his imagination, he realizes the threat is real and his condition is putting him and anyone nearby at risk. The stoic demeanor and ironic distance that earned Galloway the nickname The Tin Man works well as a device for carrying the story forward, even as that detachment is tested.
Pittsburgh, PA, itself plays a role in this thriller. Like Stephen Mack Jones’s Detroit (August Snow), the author guides us through the city, its neighborhoods and its denizens with familiarity, exasperation and love. I enjoyed every page of Record Scratch, and I read the final third in one night. The picture of a man slowly coming unmoored from the codes to which he had adhered and that gave his life meaning is fascinating, compelling and darkly satisfying. The novel begins and ends ominously: “There are two types of men you must fear in this world: Men who have everything to lose—and men like me.”
The stakes and the conflict are real. Recommended for anyone who likes forceful, intelligent thrillers.
October 5, 2018
If you haven't read JJ Hensley's Trevor Galloway series yet and you like police procedurals, then you need to get on these books right away. If you're not a fan of police procedurals like me, then these books are for you. All the problems with TV cops and their renegade brethren in book form are no here. Read BOLT ACTION REMEDY first and then read RECORD SCRATCH. Hensley writes in a quick literary style that make these books fast reads. You can't go wrong with these books, you really can't.
Side note: Five star reviews from me are few and far between.
Side note: Five star reviews from me are few and far between.
September 24, 2018
I waited several days after reading Record Scratch to give myself time to think about what I read. Trevor Galloway was a good police officer who was kidnapped by drug dealers, forcibly injected with heroin and became addicted. He gave up information about the narcotics undercover operation and the identities of their confidential informants. Needless to say, he now suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.and is a pariah to the department personnel.
Trevor now works as an unlicensed private investigator. He has been hired by the sister of Jimmy Spartan, a musical legend, to find out what really happened when he was murdered. The case was closed many months ago without a suspect arrest. Things go wrong pretty quickly in the investigation but Trevor has been payed and Jimmy deserves justice.
One thought kept going through my mind as I read, How hard it must be to live the life of Trevor Galloway. The characters are well written and the story felt real. The mystery developed into more than I expected and that's always a positive. This is a little more hard boiled than I usually read but it's a solid four star book.
Trevor now works as an unlicensed private investigator. He has been hired by the sister of Jimmy Spartan, a musical legend, to find out what really happened when he was murdered. The case was closed many months ago without a suspect arrest. Things go wrong pretty quickly in the investigation but Trevor has been payed and Jimmy deserves justice.
One thought kept going through my mind as I read, How hard it must be to live the life of Trevor Galloway. The characters are well written and the story felt real. The mystery developed into more than I expected and that's always a positive. This is a little more hard boiled than I usually read but it's a solid four star book.
September 18, 2018
I was lucky to have the opportunity to review an advance copy of Record Scratch. I absolutely loved it. Here's my review: In Record Scratch, Hensley, a former secret service agent, gifts us with a bounty of goods: a solid mystery, a damaged but lovable main character, and swift plotting that weaves a compelling, compulsive tale of music and death and the demons carried by those in law enforcement. Bring me more Trevor!
July 4, 2019
RECORD SCRATCH is a great follow-on to Book 1: BOLT ACTION REMEDY. Contains some of the dark humor, but Galloway's situation is even more bleak in this installment, with the line between imagination and reality becoming ever more blurred. Perhaps it's inevitable that just as things look like they may be turning around for Trevor, life deals him the most devastating blow of all. I can't wait for Book 3!
November 20, 2018
This is a super fast paced thriller. It will grip you from the very start to the very end. It will keep you guessing who the killer is as well as who and what is actually real. I highly recommend, I could not put it down, read it all in a day.
March 27, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyed this and a lot of it has to do with Trevor Galloway and his gigantic flaws. You end up questioning so much about what is occurring throughout this book for all the right reasons. I cannot wait to see what Hensley does with Galloway in his next book.
August 9, 2019
J. J. Hensley always gives the reader a great thriller but I am so sorry that Trevor Galloway has to endure so much.
March 18, 2023
Superb ending.
Read
April 1, 2019Review available at Foreword Reviews.
September 13, 2019
A fantastic follow-up to Bolt Action Remedy - I just love the dark humor. Given how this book ends, I can't wait for book #3!
October 29, 2018
After anxiously awaiting the release of JJ Hensley’s latest, I truly could not put it down once it arrived. The story pulled me in from the start and kept me rooted in my chair until the end. The final scene was so perfectly written, I had to read it twice and it has stayed with me for days. I have many favorite authors with recurring characters I enjoy reading and in only two books, Trevor Galloway has reached the top of my list!
June 14, 2021
Loved this book! Trevor is an amazing character. In fact all of Hensley characters are fantastic.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews