Book Feature

CAST OF CHARACTERS

(In order of appearance)

BOB DORIAN—He’s been hailed a poet, a prophet, the voice of a generation. But Bob Dorian never wanted to be any of these things. Bob Dorian always hated the attention fame brought. Funny how turning up dead attracts the most attention of all.

COMMISSIONER TIRESIAS—He may turn a blind eye to fraud and corruption, but Elysian Row’s top cop knows a good con when he sees it. And this one’s shaping up to be the best he’s seen in a long time.

JACK FROST—Dorian’s manager for the last 20 years, Frost knew the rock deity better than anyone. Which, of course, raises the question: If the two were so close then why did Dorian leave Frost out in the cold?

DELA CROIX—Rumored to be the last to see Dorian alive, she’d make a credible witness—but first they have to find her. After all, this isn’t the first time Dela’s gotten tangled up with the men in blue.

DR. REICH—Transvestites, extortionists, tightrope walkers—the only thing shiftier than his clients just might be the good doctor himself.

MISTER JOHNS—When they were looking for someone to take the fall, this pitiful poser fit the profile perfectly. Johns was set up the minute he walked into the room—and he never had a clue.

SOPHIA—Dorian’s first true love, for the last 40 years she’s been known as the woman spurned by Bob Dorian. He gave her his heart, trouble is she wanted his soul. Perhaps he should have thought twice before crossing her.

MR. TREMOLO—Nobody goes back further with Bob Dorian than Tremolo. But what really happened on that cross-country trip in ’64?

ELIJAH BLUE—A perennial favorite of the folk set, his influence on an impressionable young Bob Dorian was immeasurable. But after Fairport, it was all over for Elijah Blue.

PENNY—Everyone knows Penny was the brains behind Bob Dorian’s early success. But when Dorian got tired of scrubbing the floor for dimes, it was Penny who had to pack up the farm.

LONESOME TOM—Produced the biggest hit of Bob Dorian’s career, only to be dropped in favor of someone else who was willing to make a deal.

TINY BOBBITT—No one held Bob Dorian in higher regard than the man who ran his final recording session. But you put a man on a high enough pedestal, sooner or later he’s bound to fall.

MINNESOTA SLIM—Minnesota Slim’s big mouth may have made him everybody’s favorite informant, but it’s also the thing that probably got him killed.

MEMPHIS BLUES—Says he saw three men down by the tracks the night of the murder. But everyone knows you shouldn’t get mixed up with railroad men—especially one who can’t seem to tell the story the same way twice.

HUSK THE SIBERIAN—A cold-blooded killer who lives out among the lumberjacks, Husk will be the first to tell you all about the joint—just don’t ask him what he was in for.

RHIANNON—An acrimonious breakup with Dorian years ago inspired some of the greatest tracks of his career, but in the process he bled her dry. Has the time come for the former Mrs. Bob Dorian to return the favor?

HANNAH—If Bob was the king of the ‘60s folk scene, Hannah was his queen. Some say Dorian rode her coattails all the way to the top. But what goes up must come down. And you know what they say about the fall—it’s a killer.

TOMMIE THE MAKE & JULIUS THE SQUEEZE—Hired to promote Dorian’s heralded return to Elysian Row, it’s not their abilities that are suspect—it’s their motives. After all, nothing sells better than death.

JUDAS—Once considered Bob Dorian’s closest confident, the word on the street is the man who made Bob Dorian a star wants back in the game. But who will he betray this time?

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