Chasing Charlie

 

5 out of 5 stars

Tremendous family saga

By Robin Houghton  August 22, 2015 

​

Tremendous family saga spanning several generations and covering many socially contentious issues and prejudices. The book goes deeply into each characters psyche and will run you through your full range of emotions. It is a rollercoaster of light and dark moments, tears of joy and happiness and tears of sadness, love and romance. Underlying the main storyline is an air of mystery, suspense and the supernatural. A long story but easy to read, it starts with the tale of wealthy dysfunctional and bigoted family life and continues into the strengths of their disinherited, musically talented children as they struggle with and overcome their own demons and deal with the hand life has thrown them. Interwoven richly with the strong, close, lifelong, loving family and friendship bonds. It has many plot twists and turns throughout to keep you guessing.

​

Chasing Charlie

An epic novel that spans three generations and a continent of music, Chasing Charlie is a monumental debut that is nonetheless told in an everyday vernacular that leaves a mark. Long after you've put the book down, you'll be remembering Charlie and the band of blues artists who've followed him around the U.S. blues circuit while, unbeknownst to them, he chases his own demons down. The story combines meticulous character studies with just a whiff of the supernatural to question our sense of fate, our meaning of ambition and our recipes for success. Whether you are looking for an inspiring story of redemption, or simply a great read on a lazy Sunday afternoon, Chasing Charlie's mix of musical adventure, sexy shenanigans and familial longing will surely leave you immensely satisfied, and anxiously anticipating the sequel.

 

By Kerry Corrigan

​

​

Chasing New York

 

5 out of 5 stars

An exceptional follow on from Chasing Charlie

By Robin Houghton  November 20, 2015 

​

I have to applaud DJ Sherratt’s sheer genius, talent and ability in creating such a brilliant and very different follow on from Chasing Charlie’s generations’ wide family saga. Amazingly, combining Chase’s celestial and turbulent rise to fame with Campbell’s background and history, part sequel, part entirely new mystery/thriller/crime story, a unique combination in my reading experience, it can even be read as a standalone book in the series, quite an achievement. New in this story is the unfolding of the darker elements of human nature, DJ Sherratt delves deep into the human psyche again, this time including the criminal elements with their greed, corruption and perversions at all levels in society.
An easy to read, yet complex, insightful and observant masterpiece, this rip-roaring rollercoaster ride of epic proportions starts with a rush and continually twists, turns, rises and falls. More is unearthed as we ride along on Chase’s success, only to find murder, mayhem and deceit is around the corner. It held me, it shook me, it surprised me and it brought tears of happiness and tears of sadness. This will live with me for a long time.

​

Chasing New York

D.J. Sherratt's latest novel allows everyone who'd become enamored of the Morningstars, the first family of modern U.S. blues, in her debut novel Chasing Charlie to continue their journey with the lives of these talented traveling musicians. But where the first installment of this trilogy wore its sense of history like a well-worn windbreaker, this second book brings us firmly into the present with the aggressive sexuality and distressed-functionally of a black leather jacket. For just as Charlie was putting his demons to rest at the close of Chasing Charlie, younger brother Chase was only just beginning to face his own, in a relocation to the Big Apple with a fat recording contract to boot.

That's where Chase, like his brother Charlie in the earlier book, finally learns about his fraternal heritage, his potential for artistry and his capacity for love. And his path is littered with the same unexpected plot twists and shady dealings that we now expect from Sherratt. Don't be surprised when major Hollywood stars are vying to play these fascinating people when the book's rights are snapped up for an extended movie or TV treatment.

 

By Kerry Corrigan

​

​

Chasing the Morningstar

​

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant 'Must Read' Finale

By Robin Houghton 20 November 2020 

​

Wow, wow, wow, this grabbed me straight away from the get go, swept me in, and kept me avidly reading all the way through to the end. What an amazing third book, bringing both the second book, Chasing New York, to a conclusion and bringing the first book, Chasing Charlie full circle. Brilliantly executed with a great balance of breadth and depth rarely found in books today. I've been looking forward to the release of this and it has been well worth the wait.
What a joyous and expressive journey it takes you on, an excellently developing saga blending a mix of genres, it toys with the senses, the emotions and the imagination to great affect, and talks to you intimately in the language of the heart.
I would love to see this made into an excellent film or TV series, or both.
If you've read the first two this is a 'must read'. I am so looking forward to reading more by this author.

​

​

Chasing The Morningstar

Review by Kerry Corrigan, February 10, 2020

​

If you immersed yourself in D.J. Sherratt’s story of brothers, and rock legends, Charlie and Chase Morningstar in Chasing Charlie and Chasing New York, you’ve been eagerly awaiting the third and final installment. In Chasing the Morningstar, father and daughter are reunited; old ghosts are laid to rest while new ones emerge in Sherratt’s inimitable style which fuses atmospheric tension with easy humour and a love of the Blues.

Fans of the first two installments of the Morningstar Trilogy might have suspected the conclusion would wrap around the legacy of Chase’s long-lost daughter, Poppy, who carries the rare musical talent genes already apparent in her pop and his older brother. After her appearance at the end of Book Two, the stage was set for her own feature story. Sherratt doesn’t disappoint, with the signature, fast-paced dialogue and meticulous back story that made the first two books such a refreshing read.

And no worries if you’re new to the saga; reading Chasing the Morningstar will definitely make you want to check out the first two installments

 

​