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A fifteen-year-old boy firebombs a building as he listens to Vivaldi’s Winter Concerto splicing behind a red hot R ‘n’ B track. A veteran musician is found dead in an alley with the pulse of an old time reggae classic playing in his pocket. Rap sensation Lord Tribulation discovers his new found stardom threatened when he finds himself in the middle of both incidents.
His music is accused of inciting the firebombing, and the dead musician is his father. With the beat of the media and government blasting down his neck, LT’s search for the truth about his father’s death takes him back to an old flame, and on a retro trail to 1976. A time when music was politics and politics was music. A time when the heat-drenched streets of Notting Hill burst into open rebellion. A time that, as LT gets closer to the truth, could lead straight to his own murder . . .
An exciting, must-read, atmosphere-drenched novel set against the world of rap and East London.
His music is accused of inciting the firebombing, and the dead musician is his father. With the beat of the media and government blasting down his neck, LT’s search for the truth about his father’s death takes him back to an old flame, and on a retro trail to 1976. A time when music was politics and politics was music. A time when the heat-drenched streets of Notting Hill burst into open rebellion. A time that, as LT gets closer to the truth, could lead straight to his own murder . . .
An exciting, must-read, atmosphere-drenched novel set against the world of rap and East London.
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Reviews
'As good as it gets . . . Mitchell is English fiction's brightest new voice'
'KILLER TUNE is a sharply observed, incisive and moving story of radical politics, conflicting loyalties and unfinished business.'
'An interesting, original novel, worth reading, even if you don't get half the references and in real life would block your ears to the noise'
'Dreda Say Mitchell is an exciting new talent and her second novel, KILLER TUNE, shows her distinctive take on current urban noir.... The narrative throbs with energy and has a refreshing directness'
'KILLER TUNE is a sharply observed, incisive and moving story of radical politics, conflicting loyalties and unfinished business.'
'I look forward to Dreda Say Mitchell's timely new novel, which switches between the contemporary hip-hop scene and the l976 carnival - a time when music was politics and politics was music.'
'I look forward to Dreda Say Mitchell's timely new novel, which switches between the contemporary hip-hop scene and the l976 carnival - a time when music was politics and politics was music.'
'An interesting, original novel, worth reading, even if you don't get half the references and in real life would block your ears to the noise'
'Mitchells' plot is elaborate but tightoy played, with a backbeat of racial abuse. Killer Tune lays the breezy muscial name-checking of Hornby's High Fidelity over a well-crafted murder mystery.'
'Mitchells' plot is elaborate but tightoy played, with a backbeat of racial abuse. Killer Tune lays the breezy muscial name-checking of Hornby's High Fidelity over a well-crafted murder mystery.'
'Publishing folklore has it that second novels are generally weaker than their predecessors - not Killer Tune, which is a big step up from Running Hot. It makes it encouragingly clear that Dreda Say Mitchell will be a figure in the crime-writing world for the forseeable future.'
'Publishing folklore has it that second novels are generally weaker than their predecessors - not Killer Tune, which is a big step up from Running Hot. It makes it encouragingly clear that Dreda Say Mitchell will be a figure in the crime-writing world for the forseeable future.'
'Dreda Say Mitchell is an exciting new talent and her second novel, KILLER TUNE, shows her distinctive take on current urban noir.... The narrative throbs with energy and has a refreshing directness'
'As good as it gets . . . Mitchell is English fiction's brightest new voice'
Praise for RUNNING HOT
'Vividly portrays London's black music scene and confirms the promise of her prize-winning debut'
'With piercing descriptions of London and its intriguing characters the novel is also brilliantly interwoven with musical references that will bring a smile to your face as you read it. There are also twists and turns that will also make you think and spectacular cliff-hangers which make this novel not only an exciting read but a fascinating social and cultural commentary. It is well worth the read and not solely for the music references but also the way in which this story is told. Sad at times but also exhilarating.'
An exciting new voice in urban fiction . . . a memorable and striking debut
Packed with suspense and fascinating detail about a culture rarely portrayed in fiction . . . We need more art like this
'Edgy, evocative and heartfelt, Killer Tune is a novel with soul and a compelling music all its own'
Very sharp . . . an impressive first book with a strong sense of place and community
Confidently-paced tale, told in language both lyrical and salty
A book's "voice" is what determines its greatness and Mitchell's voice is unmistakably great. This is a great London story.
Dreda Say mitchell confirms her position as a hot new name in crime writing with this taut novel. It's set among London's black music community and has vivid descriptions of the music and a winning central character in rap sensation Lord Tribulation.