RADIO ACTIVITY by Fitzhugh, Bill - 2004

Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.: William Morrow & Co, 2004. First Edition, First Printing 1st Printing. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Signed by author on half-title page in blue fountain ink. Rick Shannon is an unemployed FM rock DJ considering a change in career. But just as he begins selling off his record collection, a job offer comes from a small station in Mississippi, where a DJ recently stopped showing up for work. After discovering an audiotape that might explain the fate of the missing DJ, Rick decides to look into the matter. Sensing a new career path, he assumes another identity: Buddy Miles, PI, naming himself after the one-time drummer for Jimi Hendrix. The result is classic Fitzhugh. A wickedly funny amateur investigation that turns up blackmail, murder, arson, and a major FCC violation. The suspects literally come out of the woods, ranging from a divorcé who rents construction equipment to a former local beauty pageant queen (Miss Tire & Auto Parts) to the station's general manager and the president of a local personal finance company (who has peculiar ideas about collateral). This smart, satiric, southern romp of a novel draws heavily from the author's own experience as a Mississippi-born FM radio disc jockey from the 1970s. An offbeat and hilarious whodunit that redefines the meaning of classic rock. Author of HEART SEIZURE, FENDER BENDERS, CROSS DRESSING, THE ORGAN GRINDERS, and PEST CONTROL. Fine, in fine, mylar-protected dust jacket. MBS