Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson (Century, £20)
After working his way through a small army of co-authors, including Bill Clinton, James Patterson’s latest collaborator is none other than Dolly Parton, who draws on a lifetime’s experience of the country music scene for this distinctive rags-to-riches thriller. When tiny but determined wannabe singer-songwriter AnnieLee Keyes hitchhikes into Nashville (dirt roads, ol’ blue jeans and trucks abound), she’s not only seeking stardom but hoping to outrun her (fairly easily guessable) past. Befriended by Ethan Blake, a handsome army veteran turned musician, and Ruthanna Ryder, retired country legend and, one suspects, Parton’s mouthpiece, AnnieLee learns how to deal with predatory agents and managers and begins to climb the ladder to stardom. Although the mystery runs a distant second to the fascinating details of the country scene, in particular how it treats female artists, the likable trio will have you rooting for them all the way – and Parton has released an album of songs to accompany the book.
