First Chapter Review: Lady Blues: forget-me-not by Aaron Paul Lazar

Lady Blues: forget-me-not is the latest Gus LeGarde mystery from Aaron Paul Lazar.

BLURB: Past and present collide when an Alzheimer’s patient’s fragile memory holds the key to solving mysteries dating back to World War II—including a long lost secret love affair.

Music professor Gus LeGarde is just doing a favor for a friend when he agrees to play piano for church services at a local nursing home. He doesn’t expect to be drawn into a new friendship with an elderly Alzheimer’s patient dubbed “the music man” or to stumble across a decades-old mystery locked inside the man’s mind.

Octogenarian Kip Sterling doesn’t know his own name—but he speaks Gus’s language, spouting jazz terms like “cadence” and “interlude” and “riff.” He’s also obsessed with “his Bella,” but nobody knows who she is.

When Kip is given a new drug called Memorphyl, he starts to remember bits and pieces of his life. Gus learns Bella was Kip’s first and only love, but their relationship was shrouded in scandal. Intrigued, Gus agrees to help search for her. Could she still be alive?

Horrified when the miracle drug suddenly stops working and patients begin to backslide, Gus panics. Can he help Kip find his beloved Bella before all the memories disappear?

COVER: What a neat cover. As you probably remember, I like people on covers, so I'm drawn to this feather-clad jazz singer. The airplane in the top corner speaks to the plot of an unsolved mystery. I also like the blue color and font used for the title.

FIRST CHAPTER: Siegfried and Gus are walking along a New York street when Siegfried's sixth sense kicks into high gear. He takes off at a fast clip with Gus following confusedly behind. They come to a building, the top apartment of which has black smoke streaming from it.

KEEP READING: Absolutely. Like everything else I've read by Lazar, this story captures you quickly and fully. A leisurely walk turns into a race to save lives. Within a few short pages, Lazar's masterful storytelling draws you in to the point you must discover what happens to the people you've only just met. I look forward to reading the rest of this latest Gus LeGarde mystery.

File Size: 443 KB
Print Length: 261 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Aaron Paul Lazar; 1 edition (March 3, 2014)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00IS6EXG0

I received a free copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

This post first appeared at The Book Connection.