Rubber Soul: A Novel

by Greg Kihn

Overview

1980s rock icon Greg Kihn spins a magical mystery tour headlined by the Beatles, who find themselves in jeopardy when murder rocks their world.  
 
For Bob “Dust Bin” Dingle, R&B is a passion his roughneck brothers don’t understand. But when a mop-haired group of Liverpudlians named John, Paul, George, and Ringo stumble into Dust Bin Bob’s secondhand shop on Penny Lane and gawk at his sparkling collection of 45s, everyone’s in perfect harmony.
 
Stirred by the thumping backbeats of Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Bo Diddley, the Fab Four rocket to stardom. As Beatlemania catapults them from the Cavern Club to The Ed Sullivan Show in record time, the lads show they’ve also got a talent for getting into trouble. Fortunately, Dust Bin Bob has a way of showing up just in time to lend them a hand.
 
But when the world tour for Rubber Soul lands in the Philippines, trouble turns deadly. Exhausted from an eight-days-a-week schedule, the fab four snub a personal invite from Imelda Marcos, who just won’t let it be. Suddenly, thousands of fans turn menacing, and murder is in the air. It’s up to Dust Bin Bob to sort out the mess if they to get back on the plane alive . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781497660991
Publisher:	Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
Publication date:	07/01/2014
Series:	Dust Bin Bob , #1
Pages:	306
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

NBC called Greg Kihn “Rock’s true renaissance man.” His career stretches from the dawn of punk and indie rock to the discos of the 1980s to the glory days of MTV. As a pioneer with the legendary Beserkley Records, he helped write the book on revolutionary West Coast rock ‘n’ roll.

In the 1990s, Greg turned his attention to writing fiction. He published four novels and a handful of short stories in various anthologies, and edited a compilation of original fiction by famous musicians. Horror Show was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel.

Editorial Reviews

"Kihn well captures the enthusiasm and joy generated in the early years of the supergroup, and boomers, especially, will enjoy reliving those heady days.” —Booklist

“There’s no one more qualified to write a rock-and-roll novel than Greg Kihn. He’s the real deal and at his Kihntillating best in this book.” —Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist of Apple

“Rubber Soul is a magical mystery tour de force by Greg Kihn, a rocker who obviously has a way with words as well as music. His imagined story about the Beatles is fast-moving, full of twists and tension, and musical nuggets and insights. Great story-telling set to a Fab-four beat.” —Ben Fong Torres, former senior editor of Rolling Stone

“Rubber Soul captures what Rock-n-Roll is all about—and Greg Kihn would certainly know! This nearly-true story of the Beatles is pure magic and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.” —Eddie Money

“Greg Kihn is the most compelling author who ever had a top five singing career. Rubber Soul is a fantastic story by Greg, with an historical back beat. I urge you not to miss this.” —Joan Jett

“While the RIAA may not be able to certify Kihn’s work with a gold disc, fans of Kihn and The Beatles, as well as those who long for the simpler yet magical time of the 1960s will thoroughly enjoy and fall in love with Rubber Soul. They certainly don’t write ’em like this anymore.” —Chris Shapiro, RetroPulse

“I’ve known Greg Kihn for decades and he’s never ever run out of amazing tales, stories, and recollections. I never knew which ones were real, true, folk-lore, imagined, or of pipe dreams, Kihn-a-sized. It’s all to his readers’ benefit he writes fiction.” —Rick Nielsen, Cheap Trick

From the Publisher

12/16/2013
Liverpudlian Bobby "Dust Bin Bob" Dingle's carefully scavenged collection of R&B singles, procured from visiting Merchant Marines, provides an escape from his loutish step-brothers, two thugs destined for jail or worse. The records also provide a common bond between Bobby and the members of a group then called Long John and the Silver Beatles, a bond that will endure across two decades. As the years pass, Bobby and the Beatles cross paths many times. Bobby finds love and true family in America while the Beatles embrace fame across the world. Bobby's past and the Beatles' hubris will unite in a violent climax in Ferdinand Marcos' Philippines. Kihn's affection for his subject matter is undeniable, as is his knowledge of the Beatles, but that combination is not enough to create a convincing and engaging narrative. Inserting a fictional character into the lives of well-documented celebrities like the Beatles can be tricky. Bobby's relationship with the Beatles never feels authentic, his step-brother's recurring role as antagonist to the musicians feels forced, and the prose is mediocre. The unconvincing narrative combined with the historical details suggests the author's talents might be best focused in non-fiction. Agent: Judy Coppage, The Coppage Company. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly