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Rating: 
Summary: Mr. Levinson does it again -- Even better!
Review: "The John Lennon Affair" by Robert S. Levinson, whisks us back in time to John Lennon's murder, when his recurring characters Neil Gulliver and Stevie Marriner are 20 years younger. This trip down memory lane is a perfect set-up for Neil and Stevie's present day adventure and we join them as they attend a rock festival honoring Lennon at an Indian reservation in the California desert.The story practically zooms along -- I couldn't put the book down. The character are remarkably diverse and tremendously appealing. There are federal agents, a crime boss, scheming gamblers, and an Indian mystic. And if that isn't enough for you, Stevie's ex-boyfriend and Neil ex-girlfriend show up to cause havoc. Read this book. You'll love it! And if you somehow missed the author's earlier books, remedy that by getting your copies of "The Elvis and Marilyn Affair" and "The James Dean Affair." All three books are so superb, they'll keep you on the edge of your chair. What's next Mr. Levinson? I can hardly wait!
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Levinson does it again -- Even better!
Review: Being a Southern California-based mystery writer who counts Robert S. Levinson among my friends, I freely admit that I might be biased here. Regardless, I believe THE JOHN LENNON AFFAIR is Mr. Levinson's strongest work. As I read the previous statement, I realize it is quite strong. After all, Mr. Levinson's previous mystery, THE JAMES DEAN AFFAIR, camped at the top of the LA TIMES Bestseller List so long that everyone stopped counting the weeks. In THE JOHN LENNON AFFAIR, Mr. Levinson draws upon his vast experience in the recording industry to give this work's backdrop a realistic feel. Being of the generation that can tell you what I was doing when I heard John was shot--listening to a Wings LP--I enjoyed the novel's opening sequence involving the events immediately following John's murder. Mr. Levinson then brings us to the present day and involves his series characters Neil, the journalist, and Stevie, the soap opera star, in a complicated scheme involving a music festival. The festival is being held in John's memory in a small desert town near Palm Springs, yet not all with the festival is on the up and up. The plot twists and turns. The characters are loads of fun. The Gulliver-Marriner divorce continues to stumble along; their divorce seems not to be finalized. The dialog is crisp. The setting is so realistically rendered that I instantly identified the actual locations in the fictionalized locales. THE JOHN LENNON AFFAIR is a top-notch mystery, Robert S. Levinson's best.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Neil Gulliver and Stevie Marriner Affair
Review: Being a Southern California-based mystery writer who counts Robert S. Levinson among my friends, I freely admit that I might be biased here. Regardless, I believe THE JOHN LENNON AFFAIR is Mr. Levinson's strongest work. As I read the previous statement, I realize it is quite strong. After all, Mr. Levinson's previous mystery, THE JAMES DEAN AFFAIR, camped at the top of the LA TIMES Bestseller List so long that everyone stopped counting the weeks. In THE JOHN LENNON AFFAIR, Mr. Levinson draws upon his vast experience in the recording industry to give this work's backdrop a realistic feel. Being of the generation that can tell you what I was doing when I heard John was shot--listening to a Wings LP--I enjoyed the novel's opening sequence involving the events immediately following John's murder. Mr. Levinson then brings us to the present day and involves his series characters Neil, the journalist, and Stevie, the soap opera star, in a complicated scheme involving a music festival. The festival is being held in John's memory in a small desert town near Palm Springs, yet not all with the festival is on the up and up. The plot twists and turns. The characters are loads of fun. The Gulliver-Marriner divorce continues to stumble along; their divorce seems not to be finalized. The dialog is crisp. The setting is so realistically rendered that I instantly identified the actual locations in the fictionalized locales. THE JOHN LENNON AFFAIR is a top-notch mystery, Robert S. Levinson's best.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant Surprise
Review: I just lost a night's sleep because I couldn't put down "The John Lennon Affair" by Robert S. Levinson. Levinson evokes the world of "the biz" when Rock and Roll wasn't canned and stars were more than hype. For those of us who were there, it's a vivid flashback to scary times. For those who weren't, it's an exciting ride. But the real flip comes when the past impinges on the present. Levinson's characters Neil and Stevie are drawn into a thrill ride of murder and intrigue at a Lennon memorial festival in the desert. Good plotting, colorful characters and some thoughts to chew on. Five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: John Lennon would spit on this
Review: Stupidly, I judged a book by its cover. During a recent jaunt to [a local bookstore], I saw this book and the words "John Lennon" shining like a beacon in the sea of paperbacks. "Why, this must be good. No one would dare write a bad book with the words 'John Lennon' in the title," I thought to myself. I was wrong. After several failed attempts to finish this monstrosity, I finally tossed it into the fireplace, where I will relish the opportunity to burn it when winter commences. The writing is stilted, the descriptions cliche at best, and the author needs a thorough lesson in writing a complete sentence. That being said, I read almost halfway through the book without noting even an iota of plot or action. I winced during every mention of John Lennon and the tacky attempts to mimic his accent and humor. Yuck.
Rating:
Summary: John Lennon would spit on this
Review: Unhappily, this book is a mishmash of characters who are difficult to distinguish at times, and the confusion is made
considerably greater by the frequent shifting of decades in
which the story developes.
For me, it was punishment to even finish the book, and I simply
cannot recommend it.
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