Murder, mayhem and music.
It’s not the usual combination, but there is some sense in it.
Mystery writers who specialize in crime thrillers have created characters for whom music helps define their personality and possibly is an inspiration.
Peter Robinson has titled several of his books after rock albums or songs.
Ian Rankin has a little music standoff between his character John Rebus and Rebus’s associate, Siobhan Clarke.
A Russian detective who likes Creedence Clearwater Revival is assisted in an investigation by a kid who is into exercising and heavy metal in that order.
A Scandinavian author has her heroine step up as a potential rock critic when she confesses that she used to be a fan of Margo Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies, but now finds Timmins and The Junkies dull. Where did that come from? Where does it fit in the story?
It doesn’t matter. The point is that music is an influence.
Robinson’s newest novel is When the Music’s Over, which is the title of a Doors song. Previous titles include Children of the Revolution (T. Rex), Watching the Dark (Richard Thompson), Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead), Piece of My Heart (written by Erma Franklin), Strange Affair (Richard Thompson again), Aftermath (Rolling Stones) and more.
His Inspector Banks listens to jazz and classical music in the car on his way to a crime scene. He goes with his daughter to see The Unthanks, a sister group currently causing a stir in England.
Ian Rankin is only slightly behind with his Black and Blue (the Rolling Stones), Rather Be the Devil (blues nugget), The Beat Goes On (Sonny & Cher), Beggar’s Banquet (Rolling Stones), The Hanging Garden (The Cure), Let It Bleed (a third Rolling Stones title).
Rebus is clearly comfortable with 70s rock and tends to judge victims or suspects by their record collection. In The Falls, he remembers hearing a song about standing by a waterfall and that gets him thinking. It’s by New Zealand’s Mutton Birds and is one of the CDs loaned to him by Clarke, who is trying to bring him up to date. In the same book, Rebus and a potential girlfriend attend a concert by Lou Reed.
Music is an important part of their lives. What about the authors?
Writing is a solitary pursuit. Often, the only thing to keep you company is what’s on the record player. It provides comfort, possibly direction, plausibly inspiration.
A song or album title can trigger a plot, or keep you on it. Compared to a 500-page novel, a song is a few words lasting three or four minutes. The mood and the gist of the thing become important.
As you write, you become more familiar with the music, one reinforcing the other.
And when the music’s over, you turn out the light.
