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    To Funk and Die in LA
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    To Funk and Die in LA
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    To Funk and Die in LA
    Ebook339 pages4 hours

    To Funk and Die in LA

    By Nelson George

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    "Ex-bodyguard D Hunter travels from Brooklyn to Los Angeles to investigate the circumstances surrounding his grandfather's murder in the fourth entry in this series by critic and journalist George...read this for its passionate and unresolved argument about the still-beating heart of R&B."
    --Kirkus Reviews

    "George explores funk in his fine fourth novel featuring D Hunter, New York bodyguard and, by virtue of his jobs and interests, music historian."
    --Publishers Weekly

    "Critic and journalist George knows the streets and his work has a gritty feel that will hold readers' attention. Name-dropping of 1970s and 1980s performers such as the Dazz Band, Shalamar, and Chaka Khan adds spice to this well-crafted mystery."
    --Library Journal XPress Reviews

    "A must-read!"
    --BookRiot

    "To Funk and Die in LA is a supercharged spin through the dynamic, ever-changing neighborhoods of urban LA. Nelson George's new book is full of music, secrets, heart, and more than a little heartbreak."
    --Nina Revoyr, author of Southland

    "Inventive and well-written...I really enjoyed To Funk and Die in LA."
    --Don Winslow, author of Savages

    Praise for the D Hunter Series:

    "D Hunter is as world weary, yet steadfast, as Philip Marlowe, Spenser, Dave Robicheaux, or Easy Rawlins."
    --Library Journal (starred review, Pick of the Month)

    "Written in the spirit of authors such as Walter Mosley and Donald Goines...The book blends music from the past with thug appeal of the present to appeal to young and old alike."
    --Baltimore Times, on The Lost Treasures of R&B

    To Funk and Die in LA, the fourth book in the D Hunter crime-fiction series, brings the ex-bodyguard to the City of Angels on a very dark mission when his grandfather, businessman Daniel "Big Danny" Hunter, is shot dead in a drive-by. Why would someone execute a grocery store owner? D soon finds there was more to Big Danny's life than selling loaves of bread. The old man, it turns out, was deeply involved with Dr. Funk, a legendary musical innovator who has become a mysterious recluse.

    Most of the novel takes place in the LA neighborhoods of Crenshaw, Koreatown, and Pico-Union--areas where black, Asian, and Latino cultures intersect away from the glamour of Hollywood--and echoes of the 1992 riots play a significant role in D's investigation. In the tradition of Raymond Chandler and Walter Mosley, D Hunter rides through the mean streets of Los Angeles seeking truth and not always finding justice.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAkashic Books
    Release dateAug 21, 2017
    ISBN9781617756023
    Unavailable
    To Funk and Die in LA
    Author

    Nelson George

    Nelson George has written several classic black music histories, including Where Did Our Love Go? The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound, The Death of Rhythm & Blues, and Hip Hop America. He also coedited The James Brown Reader: 50 Years of Writing About the Godfather of Soul. His most recent novel is The Plot Against Hip Hop. He has also contributed articles to the New York Times. George directed the HBO film Life Support as well as the VH1 documentary Finding the Funk.

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    Reviews for To Funk and Die in LA

    3.5/5

    4 ratings11 reviews

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    • 5/5
      To Funk and Die in LA is a great book! It is a story about young man who goes to LA for his Grandfathers funeral and helps in the investigation of the death and helps the family deal with the things they discover about the Grandfather, and himself. Great story ! Made me interested in reading the previous books!
    • 4/5
      Music and murder go hand in hand the latest D Hunter mystery. This is a taut and riveting ride that also has an emphasis on family. All in all a solid and musical mystery.
    • 4/5
      A long drawn out murder mystery of the death of Daniel "Big Danny" Hunter, a businessman that owned a grocery store and did a little loan sharking on the side. His grandson, D Hunter comes to L.A. for his funeral, while he's here, he takes interest in his grandfather's death. The main character is Dr. Funk, an old black music man, aka Maurice Stewart, that plays on the streets for spare change. Dr. Funk relationship with "Big Danny" goes back many years, suddenly goes missing. What will D Hunter uncover about his grandfather's death is the big question.
    • 3/5
      Ex-bodyguard D Hunter travels from New York to Los Angelas to attend his grandfather's funeral and help his aunt and cousin settle his grandfather'a business affairs. He finds himself in the middle of a long drawn out mystery surounding his grandfather's murder. His grandfather was a local businessman who owned a neighborhood grocery. He also makes loans to the neighbors, but D discovers that there he may have also been in the loan sharking business. D's grandfather Danny has a long time relationship with Dr. Funk, a once well known musician. Dr. Funk is the main character in the book. He shuns publicity, while leading a nomadic exsistance under the warchful eye of Danny.
    • 3/5
      Nelson George takes the reader on a tour of the history of funk and a look behind the scenes of the music business as the mystery of who killed Big Donny Hunter plays out. His writing style intrigued me at first, but I soon became bogged down and had some problems following who was who. The changing nature of Los Angeles neighborhoods as ethnic minorities move in and out provides another interesting history lesson for the reader, one that I found helped keep me engaged. In the end, I enjoyed the story and was satisfied with the outcome. While I gave the book three stars, I would read another if it crossed my desk.
    • 4/5
      3.5 starsI won this book from LibraryThing/Akashic Books. Thank You Akashic Books.D. Hunter, bodyguard for musicians and R&B music lover, travels from NYC to LA to attend his grandfather's funeral. Daniel Hunter, D's granddad, is known as Big Danny. He was murdered and D decides to find out who killed him. The plot meanders a bit as D discusses various songs and artists with friends and family. Some of this was boring for me, since I don't like hip hop or rap.The mystery unravels slowly, as D peels back unknown layers in his Grandad's life. Big Danny ostensibly ran a grocery store, but was also a loan shark on the side. Big Danny had connections to various musicians and Korean shop owners.Some characters in the book:Walli Hunter, another grandson to Big DannyRed Dawg, devoted to Big Danny and possibly a grandsonDr. Funk, legendary black R&B musicianThe Pak family, Korean business ownersTwo quotes:"And, like the melodies he'd just played, Dr. Funk evaporated into the moist Santa Monica night.""Traffic and distance determined the intensity of your friendships like daybreak defined working lives."
    • 4/5
      A murder mystery from a new point of view (for me): African-American hip hop scene in LA. The fourth in a series of mysteries, the first of which were set in Brooklyn, the protagonist D heads to Los Angeles, where his grandfather has been killed in a drive-by shooting. He explores the music scene in LA from high to low as well as the Korean community in K-town. Interesting takes on how a multi-cultural LA works, with blacks, Latin American immigrants, and Koreans intersecting; yes, there is conflict, but a lot more mutual appreciation than meets the eye. People who know hip hop better than I will likely appreciate the references, and mystery lovers will get into it too, as well as people who love Los Angeles. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      I have long been a fan of Nelson George as a music critic but I was a bit suspect of him as a mystery writer. I shouldn't have been. This book is as good as anything out there and a pleasurable read. Better than that, it did what Noel Monk's Van Halen book failed to do, it sent me scrambling to find the music referenced. TFADILA has a deep soul back beat and the music plays a role like LA does in the Bosch series. I recommend you check this one out...you'll dig it.
    • 1/5
      "To Funk and Die in LA" is touted as a "very dark mission". I assumed that meant a mission to investigate the death of a close relative, however, if you are primarily interested in a murder investigation this book fails miserably. The investigation is a mere side note to an unending litany of rap, hip-hop, R & B, neo-soul, trap music, electro beats and punk funk references not one caucasian in a thousand could possibly understand or relate to. Reading this book was akin to Chinese water torture, except instead of a drop by drop agony it was more of a ceaseless rain shower of black music information, descriptions and references. About 80% into the story the protagonist says: "I think it's time I really did find Dr. Funk". Ya think? The action necessary to identify the perpetrator occurs in the last thirty pages. I had to force myself to finish reading this book as it contained absolutely nothing in which I was interested. Unless you have a great interest in the intricacies of rap, hip-hop and other forms of black music I doubt you will enjoy this painful journey. Don't waste your precious time, there are many other books out there eminently more enjoyable...
    • 4/5
      I was ecstatic to read another D. Hunter mystery. D is not just an average investigator. He works security for high profile clients, is a sometime music producer and an all around interesting guy. This time, he leaves his home confines in Brooklyn to head out to Los Angeles. His grandfather has just been killed and D goes out for the funeral, to help his Aunt and young cousin settle the estate and to figure out why his grandfather was killed.As far as D knows, Big Danny Hunter is just a well known grocer in Crenshaw and one of the last black businessmen in an area that is changing it’s profile. He once owned a nightclub that hosted an array of black performers including one known as Dr. Funk. Think a combination of Prince, George Clinton etc. Dr. Funk is now a recluse and people are trying to find him.As D delves into why his grandfather was murdered, he finds out more about Danny than he bargained for. Danny, in addition to his business interests runs a loan sharking business and acts as a protector for Dr. Funk. When Funk goes to big Danny’s wake, D’s nephew You Tubes an impromptu performance by the recluse. This puts D in the eye of the storm as people descend on him to locate Funk for a futuristic music project.After I read the first D Hunter mystery, I was impressed. I hadn’t realized that I had seen Nelson George on Unsung where he frequently guest stars as a music historian. I love how he weaves his musical knowledge into these mysteries and makes it work. It would seem difficult to do but he does it well.D Hunter is also an interesting character. Not your average PI but at the same time, he has all the hallmarks of one that make them great fodder for the mystery genre. If you haven’t read any Nelson George, do it. You’ll be glad you did.
    • 4/5
      TO FUNK AND DIE IN LA: A D HUNTER MYSTERY by Nelson George was sent to me by Akashic Books as an ‘advance reading copy’ to be read and reviewed.Mr. George is an author and filmmaker. He has written 3 previous D Hunter mysteries and several nonfiction books spotlighting R & B and Hip Hop.TO FUNK AND DIE IN LA is the 4th book in the D Hunter crime-fiction series. Ex-bodyguard, D Hunter, returns to LA when his grandfather, Daniel ‘Big Danny’ Hunter, is killed in a brutal drive-by shooting. As D investigates, he peels back several layers of his grandfather’s life - store owner, night club owner and friend of the legendary music innovator, Dr. Funk.I enjoyed this book very much. Mr. George writes with dignity, sensitivity and insightfulness. His short chapters smoothly and seamlessly segue into new conversations, locales and situations. His characters are treated with respect, even though some lack any endearing or humane characteristics.His words describing music, tones, sounds and voices are so descriptive and emotional.“When he (Dr. Funk) opened his mouth to sing, a magnificent sound emerged: it was the choir in a Southern backwoods church; working people drinking in a midwestern bar; the rustle of sequined shirts and star-spangled pants; the chemical stink of Jheri-curl juice; the wind in Africa; and the prayers of those kind beings who left us the pyramids.” (p.15)I’m not sure how it is possible to portray such a formidable, bad-ass character as D in a sympathetic light, but Mr. George’s writing is filled with empathy, sensitivity and dignity. I feel like i should be leery of D, but I’m not - I quite like him.And the music - always the music - descriptions of music; the layerings of tracks; the evolution of music; the performers - who was better?; distinctive voices and rhythms.The author transports you to LA, introduces you to these characters (music being a main character in this story) and you start to think about staying for awhile.