Music City Mayhymn

De: Billy Sprague

Narrado por: Billy Sprague

How do you handcuff an invisible hit man?

Meet Max Malone—Nashville’s #1 homicide detective, barbecue aficionado, and consummate jackass. In just one week in May, a series of suspicious deaths propels Max to unravel a time-critical mystery. Aided by his ukulele-wielding partner, Vince Wilson, and brilliant beat cop, Helen Hanover, they pursue a self-righteous vigilante playing judge, jury and cunning executioner of targets in high and low places. A select task force scrambles to protect the public and prevent the relentless reapers's next hit.

Like so many in Nashville, Max is a frustrated songwriter. His vast collection of vinyl records and savant-like memory of hit songs provide a soundtrack to the race for answers through staggering revelations and the detective’s own crossroads.

In this extraordinary debut novel, award-winning songwriter and recording artist, Billy Sprague, exposes the layered M.O. of a human soul, and paints detective Max Malone, along with the reader, into the same desperate corner—where the only way out—means a risk-it-all leap of faith.

©1992 William Luz Sprague (P)1993 William Luz Sprague

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A non-stop action page-turner with amazing twists and turns. Billy Sprague’s writing is spot-on and his storytelling superb. Told with the deft hand of a true Nashville insider.” (Brett James, Songwriting Hall of Famer with 27 #1 hits, including a Grammy for "Jesus Take the Wheel" sung by Carrie Underwood)

Extraordinarily effective Christian fiction

Christian fiction is one of the most difficult genres, in my opinion. To communicate sacred truth in such a manner that the reader stays fully engaged is a rarity, yet Billy Sprague does just that. I only knew of his songwriting prowess, and was curious when I found out he had written a book. Since crime fiction is one of my favorite genres, I purchased Music City Mayhymn and dived in.

The characters were well developed, likable, and behaved like real humans. I mention this because many Christian authors have a tendency to have one dimensional, illogical, and saccharine characters which feel plastic and fake from the first paragraph. Not here. We are allowed to experience things and feel emotions that lead somewhere without being preached at or insulted by contrived scenarios with force-fed truths shoved at us. The author handles these scenes extraordinarily well, and I never felt like I was being told how to feel or what to think as much as allowed to experience and identify with what the characters were going through.

The ending was satisfying, and suited the story, the characters, and real life limitations of what is known versus inferred. I appreciated that.

There is so much to like here, and while I won’t call it flawless, it is one of the best Christian fiction books I have read in over twenty years. I hope Billy Sprague writes more, and I hope others will read and tell others about this most enjoyable novel.

And my parting comment is that I was genuinely impressed with the narration by the author. So many authors should never be allowed to read their own books, but Billy Sprague was exceptional.