Sep 2008. 336 p. Kunati, paperback, $14.95. (9781601641595) .
In a sleek, absorbing narrative, Gallinger easily moves between two seemingly disparate worlds. Peter Jameson is on the brink of true success with his talented rock band, about to move to headliner status, when his mother commits suicide. There is also evidence that she murdered an elderly man from Ohio, rumored to be a former Nazi commander. Devastated by his mother’s death, Peter lets his bandmates drift away and becomes obsessed with finding out more about his secretive mother’s background. What he learns about her existence during World War II goes a long way toward explaining her mysterious behavior, including her remoteness, her facility with weapons, and her depression. Gallinger essentially gives readers two exciting story lines here, one following Peter’s exhilarating rise to the top of the charts and one following his mother’s daring wartime exploits. He has a real feel for describing the creative process and the enthusiastic give-and-take of rock concerts, and yet he can also render the unspeakable brutality of the Nazis with chilling realism. An unusual plot given bravura treatment.
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