Thursday, March 05, 2009

Serials and Scenarios ~ Terri Blackstock-Double Minds







Book Description:

Struggling to succeed in the Nashville music scene, talented singer/songwriter Parker James finds the competition fierce – even deadly. A young woman’s murder, industry corruption, and a menacing stalker draw Parker into danger and intrigue. Nothing is as it appears, and unraveling the truth challenges everything Parker believes about her talent, her future, and her faith.

The young girl with the Bohemian style was on the floor where she’d fallen, between Parker's comp
uter case and her file cabinet. She wore a long, flowing skirt—lavender, the color of calm—and camel-colored Uggs. She lay on her back, her long, wavy blonde hair matted with blood.

For struggling singer/songwriter Parker James, the music business has just turned deadly. Her desk in the reception area of a busy recording studio has become a crime scene, and Parker finds herself drawn into a mystery where nothing is as it seems.

Unraveling the truth puts her own life at risk when she uncovers high-level industry corruption and is terrorized by a menacing stalker. As the danger escalates, Parker begins to question her dreams, her future, and even her faith.

Double Minds is a double treat—combining a compelling suspense novel with an inside look at the world of the Christian music industry in Nashville. Terri Blackstock grabs readers at page one and keeps them riveted until the final plot twist is untangled.

READ THE FIRST CHAPTER

My Review:

Blackstock introduces readers to the darker side of Christian music in Double Minds. Not all is dark, of course, but the scenario she weaves includes murder, investigation, stalking and a cast of unusual characters. The underlying theme of grown-up children who've experienced horrible or painful lives ends up being an interesting thread.

Parker James, the main character, is a songwriter/performer who is at the very brink of making a name for herself. Her best friend, the girl who has made some of Parker's songs hit the charts, struggles with an eating disorder and a past that haunts her. Parker's own past is still a lingering presence in the loving divorce status of her praying mother and her alcoholic father.

A murder of a girl who was sitting at Parker's desk rattles the tight-knit community of musicians. Fortunately, Parker's brother Gibson is one of the detectives assigned to the case. But as things unravel and are revealed, the tension increases. Parker begins to fear for her life. It seems the murderer isn't finished yet.

A solid story full of humanity in its beauty and ugliness that will take readers on a roller coaster ride to the very end. A strong faith thread that may challenge readers to consider motivation and to see people in a different light.