Black's Beach Shuffle
Corey Lynn Fayman
Reviewed by Sabrina Williams
When emerging Internet success EyeBitz.com seeks out private detective
Rolly Waters to investigate a missing "Magic Key" that is an integral
part of their business, he can't seem to shake off the feeling that
their interest is more than just a coincidence. Just the night before
at a gig, Rolly came across a dead body floating in the pool of a
high-ranking EyeBitz employee. Of course, Rolly had nothing to do with
the death, as he was only retrieving his beloved 1965 Gibson ES-335
Thinline guitar after his band's performance at the owner's party. But
someone could have easily been watching Rolly while he recovered his
lost instrument. And that someone could be the killer.
When Rolly finds the Magic Key, which is actually a USB mini-disk,
hidden in his guitar case, he knows there must be more to the story
than the execs at EyeBitz are telling him. Rolly needs to find out who
knows he has the Key and why it is worth a human life before he loses
his own life to an unknown murderer.
Black's Beach Shuffle is the reader's first taste of Rolly Waters, a
character to be realized in a trilogy by Corey Lynn Fayman. Rolly is an
aging musician, recovering from his rock and roll past of drugs and
alcohol through his day job as a private investigator, while feeding
his artistic needs playing small gigs at night with his band. An
interesting aspect of the novel is that while Rolly Waters is a brand
new character for mystery fans, the storyline is filled with people
from Rolly's past. There are many characters who play an essential role
in the investigation that only surface through Rolly's past
connections, but Fayman does a superb job of familiarizing the reader
with their stories. They are as recognizable as if they are reappearing
from a previous volume.
The story centers around the technology culture of San Diego,
capitalizing on the possibilities of corruption within a community
inundated with overnight dotcom millionaires. It is a tale of how
easily good intentions can develop into greed and crime. It is a
mystery that keeps the reader guessing, but not one of such intensity
that it requires deep concentration. A light thriller featuring a
struggling musician beating down his own demons, Black's Beach Shuffle
would make an excellent airport or vacation read due to chapter brevity
and pace.