HEARTBREAKER
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All Johnny Burns ever wanted was to be in a band. When he and his best friend Tom Watson founded Heartbreaker, they realised their wildest dreams a hundred times over.
If the sixties was a naive and charming flower child, then the seventies was her big, bad older brother; darker, more worldly, less giving … and the eighties was his garishly-painted and promiscuous girlfriend. It's no wonder against such a backdrop that things could become confused — and that dreams could turn to heartbreak.
When Alex Weston is hired to ghostwrite a book about the life of Johnny Burns and his band — from playing down-and-dirty pubs and clubs in the sixties, through the excesses of seventies stadium rock to eighties meltdown — even she isn't prepared for the depths of excess, betrayal and guilt that she uncovers.
At the heart of the Heartbreaker story lies the tragic deaths of two members of a band at the very summit of its success — deaths wrapped in a web of secrets and lies. As Alex sets out to learn more and digs deeper into the past, she is forced to realise that she may have to confront Johnny's part in the devastating events of all those years ago …
If the sixties was a naive and charming flower child, then the seventies was her big, bad older brother; darker, more worldly, less giving … and the eighties was his garishly-painted and promiscuous girlfriend. It's no wonder against such a backdrop that things could become confused — and that dreams could turn to heartbreak.
When Alex Weston is hired to ghostwrite a book about the life of Johnny Burns and his band — from playing down-and-dirty pubs and clubs in the sixties, through the excesses of seventies stadium rock to eighties meltdown — even she isn't prepared for the depths of excess, betrayal and guilt that she uncovers.
At the heart of the Heartbreaker story lies the tragic deaths of two members of a band at the very summit of its success — deaths wrapped in a web of secrets and lies. As Alex sets out to learn more and digs deeper into the past, she is forced to realise that she may have to confront Johnny's part in the devastating events of all those years ago …
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Sample chapters from Heartbreaker
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Buy Heartbreaker by Julie Morrigan
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Praise for Heartbreaker
'With Heartbreaker, Morrigan has taken a completely fictional band and brought them to life more realistically than many actual rock biographies I've read managed to do. Her obvious knowledge and love of rock and blues is infused throughout the book, adding little details, references and layers of realism that makes Heartbreaker a pleasure to read on several levels ... Heartbreaker is the best new band I've discovered in a while … and a hell of a book.'
— Elizabeth A. White
'If you have not read any of Julie Morrigan's writing, you don't know what you are missing ... I can't put it down. Even though Heartbreaker is a fictional band, Julie has brought them to life. If you know anyone who digs rock 'n' roll, this will knock their socks off.'
— Sean Patrick Reardon, author of 'Mindjacker'
'Along with being an excellent chronology of blues based rock 'n' roll, there are a few nice sub-plots, as well as a damn good mystery that runs throughout and kept me guessing until the end. An excellent introspection into the behind the scenes world of all that is real rock 'n' roll ... the good, the bad, and the ugly ... Highly recommend this to both music and mystery fans.'
— Amazon.com review
'Some writers are natural storytellers and like an expert musician they make it look easier than it is. Julie is such a writer ... If you like fictional rock biographies such as Espedair Street by Iain Banks then you will surely enjoy Heartbreaker. Another triumph for Julie Morrigan the master storyteller who deserves to be a household name.'
— Darren Sant, author of 'Flashes of Revenge'
'Morrigan paints a compelling and realistic picture of a touring rock band's excesses, recalling to mind the heyday of Led Zeppelin in the 70s. The author's own love of rock and blues shines through ... Part rock biography, part mystery, even a little nod to romance, Morrigan displays a versatility often lacking in the works of more established authors.'
— Leon Steelgrave, author of 'White Vampyre'
'The sixties and seventies. It was an enticing era for rock, when social norms and inhibitions were shed more quickly than clothes at a nudist camp and the antics of a hard rock band were truly shocking to the general population. The novel deftly explores this era, and its excesses, through the eyes of a young writer and fan ... It’s a compelling blend of rock music history, romance and mystery that seemed utterly believable.'
— Cate Carson, Minneapolis Book Club reviewer
— Elizabeth A. White
'If you have not read any of Julie Morrigan's writing, you don't know what you are missing ... I can't put it down. Even though Heartbreaker is a fictional band, Julie has brought them to life. If you know anyone who digs rock 'n' roll, this will knock their socks off.'
— Sean Patrick Reardon, author of 'Mindjacker'
'Along with being an excellent chronology of blues based rock 'n' roll, there are a few nice sub-plots, as well as a damn good mystery that runs throughout and kept me guessing until the end. An excellent introspection into the behind the scenes world of all that is real rock 'n' roll ... the good, the bad, and the ugly ... Highly recommend this to both music and mystery fans.'
— Amazon.com review
'Some writers are natural storytellers and like an expert musician they make it look easier than it is. Julie is such a writer ... If you like fictional rock biographies such as Espedair Street by Iain Banks then you will surely enjoy Heartbreaker. Another triumph for Julie Morrigan the master storyteller who deserves to be a household name.'
— Darren Sant, author of 'Flashes of Revenge'
'Morrigan paints a compelling and realistic picture of a touring rock band's excesses, recalling to mind the heyday of Led Zeppelin in the 70s. The author's own love of rock and blues shines through ... Part rock biography, part mystery, even a little nod to romance, Morrigan displays a versatility often lacking in the works of more established authors.'
— Leon Steelgrave, author of 'White Vampyre'
'The sixties and seventies. It was an enticing era for rock, when social norms and inhibitions were shed more quickly than clothes at a nudist camp and the antics of a hard rock band were truly shocking to the general population. The novel deftly explores this era, and its excesses, through the eyes of a young writer and fan ... It’s a compelling blend of rock music history, romance and mystery that seemed utterly believable.'
— Cate Carson, Minneapolis Book Club reviewer