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Crescendo

it's murder in Hollywood
By Robert J. Harris
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Brief Description
A lost Hitchcock film. A deadly secret. It's murder in Hollywood. Hollywood, 1959. When struggling mystery writer Bobby Burgoyne is hired by Alfred Hitchcock to work on the script for his new film Crescendo, he thinks his future success is assured at last. Instead, he is... Read More
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Hollywood, 1959. When struggling mystery writer Bobby Burgoyne is hired by Alfred Hitchcock to work on the script for his new film Crescendo, he thinks his future success is assured at last. Instead he is swept into a swirling maelstrom of madness and murder. Someone, it seems, is willing to kill to keep the film from being made . . .

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A lost Hitchcock film. A deadly secret. It's murder in Hollywood.

Hollywood, 1959. When struggling mystery writer Bobby Burgoyne is hired by Alfred Hitchcock to work on the script for his new film Crescendo, he thinks his future success is assured at last. Instead, he is swept into a swirling maelstrom of madness and murder. Someone, it seems, is willing to kill to keep the film from being made and Hitch needs Bobby to find who or what is behind the sabotage.

With a ruthless killer in pursuit, Bobby discovers that behind the obscure novel Hitch has based his movie on lies a true tale of abduction, amnesia and death. To save his own life as well as Hitch’s career, Bobby must penetrate to the heart of the mystery and confront a final, shocking revelation.

Crescendo is a pitch-perfect pastiche that will delight fans of Raymond Chandler as well as those of Hitchcock...comes to a fittingly swoony climax when revelation upon revelation leads to romance. Now all we need is someone to film it.’ – Mark Sanderson, The Times

‘Harris brings 1950s Tinseltown to life with sparkling dialogue and Easter Eggs galore, and the core mystery is gloriously unpredictable. For film buffs this is a sure thing.’ – Publishers Weekly (US)

‘Harris clearly had a great time writing his latest mystery ... an entertaining romp through noir’s most recognisable tropes, from femme fatales to wise-cracking dames, as well as hard drinking, car chases, gangster goons, family secrets and lucky escapes.’ – Scotland on Sunday

‘Well-paced, ably-plotted and with characterisation, dialogue and writing all working. Deserves much attention and, to take the spiral further, a film.’ – Jeremy Black, The Critic

‘With witty yet perceptive dialogue, Harris captures Hollywood’s brassy soul and Hitchcock’s magnetic mastery. This slam-dunk novel is sure to make Harris, alongside Hitchcock, a household name for mystery fans of all ages.’ – Barbara Conaty, Library Journal (US)

‘[A] swaggering stylish historical thriller set in Hitchcock’s Hollywood...Harris is adept at bringing history to vibrant life.’ – Liz Robinson, LoveReading

‘Harris is adept at smart guy interior monologues in the spirit of Raymond Chandler. Hitchcock aficionados will enjoy spending time with the big man and fans of Chandler will enjoy the wise guy exchanges as Burgoyne and Tess track the villain across Tinseltown and into a climactic resolution worthy of any noir thriller.’ – Historical Novel Society

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781846977008

Publisher: Birlinn General

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 June 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 210g

Pages: 240

Collections

Crime & Thriller Fiction General Fiction Historical Crime & Mystery Historical Fiction Psychological Thriller Robert J. Harris

About the Author

Robert J. Harris was born in Dundee and studied at the University of St Andrews where he graduated with a first class honours degree in Latin. He is the designer of the bestselling fantasy board game Talisman and has written numerous books including Leonardo and the Death Machine, Will Shakespeare and the Pirate's Fire, and more recently The Artie Conan Doyle Mysteries, a series featuring the youthful adventures of the creator of Sherlock Holmes. His first Richard Hannay novel, The Thirty-One Kings, was acclaimed by critics and readers alike and was listed by The Scotsman as one of the fifty best books of 2017. He lives in St Andrews with his wife Debby.

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