Book Review in Suspense Magazine
November 1st, 2016
Chris’s new book, Bright Midnight, was recently reviewed in the November issue of Suspense magazine. Read the full review below:
“Bright Midnight” is definitely a work of fiction, yet the fiction certainly matches the factual and incredibly “strange” stats we have concerning stars we’ve lost. For example, the unfortunate loss of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and others who all died at the age of 27. Then, in 1994, Kurt Cobain committing suicide at the same age. It was only after Cobain’s demise that the “27 Club” theory crept up, making people wonder how it could be that such a talented group of icons could eerily die at the same age. Evidence, of course, makes the deaths completely unrelated. But Formant puts out the theory…what if they weren’t?
In this story, readers meet Gantry Elliot, a genuine rock-and-roller who’s been around the block for a long time and doesn’t exactly deal well with the modern music era of rap, etc. His job is writing for Rolling Stone magazine. Gantry has gotten older, of course, and misses his once “cool” seat among the true rockers. The gift Gantry has, however, is his extensive, encyclopedic knowledge of the rock-and-roll world. Knowledge that could actually bring to light the real reason behind the mystery of the “27 Club.”
Packages begin to arrive at Gantry’s home and office, which he ignores. But another “27” plot is in the works and the little “gifts” sent to Gantry soon become personal. Realization dawns that he’s not part of a game and no innocent idiot with a bad sense of humor is pulling the strings behind these deliveries. In other words, Gantry’s life is either in danger, or someone wants him because in his encyclopedic brain, he harbors secrets everyone would like erased.
Saying anything more would be downright wrong here, because this is a fantastic debut that everyone should read. And I wouldn’t want to give one single hint away. Extremely creative, using fact to parallel fiction, readers will find themselves completely enthralled with this hunt to unveil the truth about rock-and-roll’s earliest departures.
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About Chris
From his early “garage band’ days, to a seat on the Board of Trustees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Chris Formant has been a student of rock and roll his whole life.
As an executive in a leading global company, running a multi-billion dollar business, Formant is the unlikeliest of authors of a murder mystery. But the continued unanswered questions surrounding the deaths of our most iconic rock legends led Formant to first speculate and then re-imagine what would happen if cutting edge technology were applied to these famous cold cases. Doing his own research into the archives of the Hall of Fame, studying advanced forensics techniques and gaining creative insights from top doctors, FBI investigators and a former editor of Rolling Stone Magazine, Formant crafted the Da Vinci Code for Rock and Roll fans.