Julie Morrigan is one of the most prolific indie writers out there. In the last year I have read two novels and two short story collections penned by Julie. The versatility and ease with which she switches between genres is enough to leave most writers green with envy.
I eagerly await each new release by Julie, as I am now a huge fan of her work. Some writers are natural storytellers and like an expert musician they make it look easier than it is. Julie is such a writer. She never wastes a word and never includes words that don’t belong. Her prose flows along at a great pace but is never rushed, always measured and considered.
Heartbreaker is Julie’s latest novel. I am a huge music fan so I was keen to see what Julie did with the fictional band Heartbreaker. When Alex Weston is hired to ghost write a book about lead singer Johnny Burns and his band she couldn’t predict what effects this would have on her own life. The story is told from the perspective of ghost writer Alex. The story is nicely layered with flashbacks to events in the bands past. These flashbacks help us build up a picture of the band. Believability is something Julie always gets right and you find her insights about the band to be totally credible. I could just as easily be reading about Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin.
If someone else had written this it might have been quite a sedate story. However, Julie always keeps her prose interesting with humour, heart and soul – the stuff of life. With any tangled web of a band there are always secrets and you can expect the same of Heartbreaker but I’m not about to give anything away. You will just have to read this excellent book for yourselves. If you like fictional rock biographies such as Espedair Street by Iain Banks then you will surely enjoy Heartbreaker.
Another triumph for Julie Morrigan the master storyteller who deserves to be a household name. A great five star read.
