Description:

Jonny Hooker has been picked as a WINNER! and all he has to do to claim his prize is to solve the Da-da-de-da-da Code. Jonny knows that beat; it always turns up in popular music - like 'Waltzing Matilda', or the National Anthem. And it has something to do with the Devil's Chord. And with Robert Johnson (who sold his soul to the Devil), whose blues influenced a generation of musicians. And it definitely has something to do with Elvis, who is still alive and rocking (of course). And with the Secret Parliament of Five, who meet in Gunnersbury Park to dictate world affairs. And when he solves the Da-da-de-da-da Code, Jonny will also discover why all the most famous rock musicians die aged twenty-seven, the truth about raising an ancient god, and the destruction of the world. It's all right there in the music. All Jonny has to do is to crack that code. Before he dies on Monday. ### From Publishers Weekly Although the American fondness for British humor is well-documented, this demented musical conspiracy thriller from U.K. comic fantasist Rankin (*The Toyminator*) doesn't quite make the leap. Jonny Hooker, a 27-year-old musician tormented by hallucinations, wins a competition and is told to collect his prize at da-da-de-da-da. Now he must solve the Da-da-de-da-da Code, helped only by his imaginary friend, Mr. Giggles the Monkey Boy. Jonny soon winds up in a mental hospital, but that doesn't stop him from pursuing the puzzle. En route he encounters the secret cabal that rules the world and learns why all the best rock musicians die at age 27. Despite some truly inspired bits scattered throughout, Rankin comes across as more condescending than ironic and more disorganized than surrealist. *(Feb.)* Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ### Review "One of the rare guys who can always make me laugh."  —Terry Pratchett, author, Discworld series "Attention-deficit SF humor: like Douglas Adams on a sugar high.”  —*Kirkus Reviews* on *The Witches of Chiswick* "Rankin's whimsically dense sing-song patter reads like Douglas Adams crossed with Aaron Sorkin by way of Mother Goose."  —*Entertainment Weekly* on *The Witches of Chiswick*