‘Nailing perfectly what it was like to be a young music-obsessed kid in the 70s … depth and narrative thrust.’ Andy BasirePunk rock blew everything away including Cal Carter’s life and Frankie Dane’s soul.

1978: Cal Carter strides onto the post punk rock scene with an easy grin. Beatle fringed, Elvis obsessed, he and sidekick Frankie Dane are hailed the Lennon and McCartney of the new wave. Within two years he’s dead from an overdose, the band disintegrating…

‘A funny and assured story… there’s a neat twist in the final pages of this promising first novel.’
Jerry Brotton, Amazon.co.ukToday Frankie Dane is a shining star, cooler than Carter ever was. But still he’s haunted by the death of the best friend he’ll ever have. And needing to catch up with the past before it catches up with him.

Jim Pollard’s first novel reads like a thriller, it has pace, bite and great humour. It turns the music industry, punk rock and growing up inside out.

‘Strong storytelling with surprising twists; a true portrayal of friendship and rivalry.’ Jane Rogers

But it’s a book about frailty as much as fame; about a man coming to terms with who he is, with the values of friendship, his own vulnerability and search for self-expression. Merciless yet honest.

This sparky but tender novel is cut with humour – a sex and drugs and rock and roll mystery that takes friendship, fame and the 1970’s gently apart.

‘Funny and fast-moving. A talented new writer: one to watch.’ Mark IllisRotten in Denmark was shortlisted for an Amazon.co.uk bursary for new writers.