{"product_id":"crescendo-its-murder-in-hollywood-9781846977008","title":"Crescendo: it's murder in Hollywood","description":"\u003cp\u003eHollywood, 1959. When struggling mystery writer Bobby Burgoyne is hired by Alfred Hitchcock to work on the script for his new film Crescendo, he thinks his future success is assured at last. Instead he is swept into a swirling maelstrom of madness and murder. Someone, it seems, is willing to kill to keep the film from being made . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA lost Hitchcock film. A deadly secret. It's murder in Hollywood.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eHollywood, 1959. \u003c\/i\u003eWhen struggling mystery writer Bobby Burgoyne is hired by Alfred Hitchcock to work on the script for his new film \u003ci\u003eCrescendo\u003c\/i\u003e, he thinks his future success is assured at last. Instead he is swept into a swirling maelstrom of madness and murder. Someone, it seems, is willing to kill to keep the film from being made and Hitch needs Bobby to find who or what is behind the sabotage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith a ruthless killer in pursuit, Bobby discovers that behind the obscure novel Hitch has based his movie on lies a true tale of abduction, amnesia and death. To save his own life as well as Hitch’s career, Bobby must penetrate to the heart of the mystery and confront a final, shocking revelation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCrescendo\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e is a pitch-perfect pastiche that will delight fans of Raymond Chandler as well as those of Hitchcock...comes to a fittingly swoony climax when revelation upon revelation leads to romance. Now all we need is someone to film it.’ – Mark Sanderson, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Harris brings 1950s Tinseltown to life with sparkling dialogue and Easter Eggs galore, and the core mystery is gloriously unpredictable. For film buffs this is a sure thing.’ – \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (US)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Harris clearly had a great time writing his latest mystery ... an entertaining romp through noir’s most recognisable tropes, from femme fatales to wise-cracking dames, as well as hard drinking, car chases, gangster goons, family secrets and lucky escapes.’ – \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eScotland on Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Well-paced, ably-plotted and with characterisation, dialogue and writing all working. Deserves much attention and, to take the spiral further, a film.’ – Jeremy Black, The Critic\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘With witty yet preceptive dialog, Harris captures Hollywood’s brassy soul and Hitchcock’s magnetic mastery. This slam-dunk novel is sure to make Harris, alongside Hitchcock, a household name for mystery fans of all ages.’ – Barbara Conaty, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal (US)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘[A] swaggering stylish historical thriller set in Hitchcock’s Hollywood...Harris is adept at bringing history to vibrant life.’ – Liz Robinson,\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e LoveReading\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Harris is adept at smart guy interior monologues in the spirit of Raymond Chandler. Hitchcock aficionados will enjoy spending time with the big man and fans of Chandler will enjoy the wise guy exchanges as Burgoyne and Tess track the villain across Tinseltown and into a climactic resolution worthy of any noir thriller.’ – \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHistorical Novel Society\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781846977008\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 240\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 01 Oct 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: Birlinn General\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: Edinburgh, United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 19.8(H)x12.9(L)x2.2(W)210\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 210\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRobert J. Harris\u003c\/b\u003e was born in Dundee and studied at the University of St Andrews where he graduated with a first class honours degree in Latin. He is the designer of the bestselling fantasy board game \u003ci\u003eTalisman\u003c\/i\u003e and has written numerous books including \u003ci\u003eLeonardo and the Death Machine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWill Shakespeare and the Pirate's Fire\u003c\/i\u003e, and more recently \u003ci\u003eThe Artie Conan Doyle Mysteries\u003c\/i\u003e, a series featuring the youthful adventures of the creator of Sherlock Holmes. His first Richard Hannay novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Thirty-One Kings\u003c\/i\u003e, was acclaimed by critics and readers alike and was listed by \u003ci\u003eThe Scotsman\u003c\/i\u003e as one of the fifty best books of 2017. He lives in St Andrews with his wife Debby.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003e'\u003cem\u003eCrescendo\u003c\/em\u003e is \u003cstrong\u003ea pitch-perfect pastiche that will delight fans\u003c\/strong\u003e of Raymond Chandler as well as those of Hitchcock ... comes to a fittingly swoony climax when revelation upon revelation leads to romance.\u003cstrong\u003e Now all we need is someone to film it\u003c\/strong\u003e'\u003c\/p\u003e -- Mark Sanderson * The Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Harris brings 1950s Tinseltown to life with \u003cstrong\u003esparkling dialogue and Easter Eggs galore\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003ethe core mystery is gloriously unpredictable\u003c\/strong\u003e. For film buffs this is a sure thing'\u003c\/p\u003e * Publishers Weekly *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Harris\u003cstrong\u003e clearly had a great time\u003c\/strong\u003e writing his latest mystery ...\u003cstrong\u003e an entertaining romp through noir’s most recognisable tropes\u003c\/strong\u003e, from femme fatales to wise-cracking dames, as well as hard drinking, \u003cstrong\u003ecar chases, gangster goons, family secrets and lucky escapes\u003c\/strong\u003e'\u003c\/p\u003e * Scotland on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'\u003cstrong\u003eWell-paced, ably-plotted\u003c\/strong\u003e and with characterisation, dialogue and writing all working.\u003cstrong\u003e Deserves much attention\u003c\/strong\u003e and, to take the spiral further, \u003cstrong\u003ea film\u003c\/strong\u003e'\u003c\/p\u003e -- Jeremy Black * The Critic *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'With witty yet preceptive dialog, \u003cstrong\u003eHarris captures Hollywood’s brassy soul and Hitchcock’s magnetic mastery\u003c\/strong\u003e. This slam-dunk novel is \u003cstrong\u003esure to make Harris, alongside Hitchcock, a household name for mystery fans of all ages\u003c\/strong\u003e'\u003c\/p\u003e -- Barbara Conaty * Library Journal (US) *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'[A] \u003cstrong\u003eswaggering stylish historical thriller\u003c\/strong\u003e set in Hitchcock’s Hollywood ... Harris is adept at \u003cstrong\u003ebringing history to vibrant life\u003c\/strong\u003e'\u003c\/p\u003e -- Liz Robinson * LoveReading *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'\u003cstrong\u003eA lot of smart fun: a well-plotted, briskly-paced sprint \u003c\/strong\u003ethrough a seedy L.A. familiar from films like Chinatown, L.A. Confidential and Barton Fink'\u003c\/p\u003e -- Alastair Mabbott * Herald *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A love letter to the late, great Alfred Hitchcock, and \u003cstrong\u003ehas enough twists and turns to make the master of mystery movies proud\u003c\/strong\u003e'\u003c\/p\u003e -- Sally McDonald * Sunday Post *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Harris is \u003cstrong\u003eadept at smart guy interior monologues\u003c\/strong\u003e in the spirit of Raymond Chandler. \u003cstrong\u003eHitchcock aficionados will enjoy spending time with the big man\u003c\/strong\u003e and fans of Chandler will enjoy the wise guy exchanges as Burgoyne and Tess track the villain across Tinseltown and into \u003cstrong\u003ea climactic resolution worthy of any noir thriller\u003c\/strong\u003e'\u003c\/p\u003e * Historical Novel Society *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A \u003cstrong\u003eclassic mystery with a touch of movie glamour\u003c\/strong\u003e, fast-paced and well-researched, this is \u003cstrong\u003ea fun thriller\u003c\/strong\u003e'\u003c\/p\u003e -- Maxim Jakubowski * Crime Time *","brand":"Robert J. 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