All The World's A Stage
The Comeback Trail Book 3
eISBN 9781738444854
ASIN B0DZ17R4MX
I picked up the first volume in this series for a few reasons. First some author and publishing friends call me a ‘completionist’; in that when I find an author I love I try and read everything they have in print. Second I have been absolutely loving Hale’s Shakespeare Murders Series. Third I absolutely love the artwork. Including the album of songs inspired by the book that has limited availability. But I am again getting ahead of myself. About the author on his site we are informed:
“Guy Hale lives in rural Worcestershire with his wife and son. He spent his early life avoiding serious employment as a professional golfer. He then spent several years trying to end it by racing motorcycles. Having failed, he then concentrated on business, which proved to be a safer and more suitable destination for his talents. He sold up and retired in 2018, and then started a record label in Texas. This led him to becoming a songwriter, and writing novels was a natural progression. He confesses to having a low boredom threshold.”
The description of this volume is:
“In the final installment of The Comeback Trail trilogy, Jimmy Wayne has set off on his major tour of Europe, selling out the likes of the Royal Albert Hall and Zenith, Paris.
While Jimmy's fame is reaching dizzying heights, behind the scenes crime bosses Jack Lantern and George Digbeth are scheming ways to bring him crashing back down to earth. But it's not just these two he should be worried about. Jimmy's adventures in Europe have drawn the attention of crime families across London, Paris, southern Italy and Madrid and everyone is battling for a piece of the action. From recovering valuable stolen artwork to his mother's romantic escapades, will Jimmy survive the mayhem of this whirlwind tour or will the dubious, murderous circumstances to which he owes all his success be exposed, for once and for all...?”
The dedication in book 1, Killing me Softly, states:
“MIKE ZITO This book came out of a conversation Mike and I had in a restaurant in LA. The character of Jimmy Wayne is based on Mike … without the murdering … I think. As an aspiring musician, Mike had played venues like the Riviera and he told me that he had an idea about a down-on-his-luck singer who accidently kills someone and then discovers the ability to write a song whenever he kills. The idea blew my mind, and I asked him if I could turn it into a novel. The soundtrack that I wrote to go with the novel is performed by Mike and he arranged all the music. Mike is like a brother to me … his talent and generosity seem to have no bounds and I am forever grateful that we have got to work on so many great records and now the Jimmy Wayne saga together.”
The chapters in the work are:
1: Dog Daze
2: Interesting Prenup
3: Nothing but a Hound Dog
4: Not Quite a World Tour
5: Beware the Ides of May
6: The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend
7: Art for Art’s Sake
8: In Sickness and in Premature Death
9: Till Death Do We Part
10: Going Back to Blackjack
11: All That Glitters
12: Best Laid Plans
13: Military Campaign
14: And So It Begins
15: The Grand Tour
16: D-Day Revisited
17: An American in Paris
18: A Moveable Feast
19: Brave New World
20: All Roads Lead to Rome, Eventually
21: Duet for One
22: Singing for His Supper
23: Karaoke for Killers
24: Sole Survivor
25: The Field of Dreams
26: Eulogy for Tony C
27: The Longest Day
The track list for the album is:
Vacant Stare
Safe
To Your Scattered Bodies Go
Hanging Around
Lonely Old Lady
Rage
Too Much
When The Day Is Done
Late Blossom
Stairway To Hell
Déjà vu
Cold Winds Blowing
Yet again, I will say pay close attention to the chapter titles some are terribly clever. And play a key role in the story. This story follows Jimmy Wayne and the Second Chance, was almost a has-been, he was up the charts and just sort of never converted. Then after accidentally killing his girlfriend he writes a song that could become a hit. In the first volume as the bodies pile up so do the great new songs. In this volume Jimmy and the band head to LA to record. Then Jimmy is doing a media junket, visiting Las Vegas to prep for the residency there for the band, and trying to find a way to write songs without killing. But soon Jimmy has some new songs, and the mysterious Mister John R. Deal, he is popping up all over the place, and appears to be trying to guide Jimmy and the band to even greater success. That greater success takes place as a world tour. Or realistically a European tour. But all is not all concerts and room service. Thigs are heading to a serious confrontation in France. You have gangster Jack Lantern and his mom Ma Lantern, her new husband Big George Digbeth, the Trench Twins, Pierre Sobriquet, Luigi Meselama, Hector Diaz and his henchmen and more. A lot is going on in this story. Jimmy and the band are on tour. George and Jack are using it to smuggle art back into Europe. Local criminals fear a hostile takeover. And Jimmy just want to plan music and enjoy life.
This is an excellent conclusion to this trilogy. This book and series is dark, disturbing and yet also very humorous. The characters in this story and series are a strange mix. Jimmy gets handed 10 songs by his long time hero, and writes enough for another album on top of that. The plot has lots of twists and turns, but in a good way, and the story stays fresh. The book leaves wondering if more albums might appear in the future. Sever things wrap up, but there are still a lot of lose ends. After reading the first I ordered a copy for my father and recommended it to a few friends. There are some friends that would just not get the humour. It is sort of a mashup of Dexter and Get Smart, with a musician in the leading role. And I cannot but help picture a younger Bruce Campbell in the leading role, And Helena Bonham Carter as Wendy. This is another great read, it was fun, and dark, and darkly amusing. I can easily recommend the book and series.
Books by Guy Hale
Comeback Trail Series:
1. Killing Me Softly (2022)
2. Blood on the Tracks (2022)
3. All The World's A Stage (2023)
…
Shakespeare Murders Series:
1. The Croaking Raven (2024)
2. All Our Yesterdays (2025)
3. Put Out the Light (2025)
4. Sleep No More (2025)
…
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