Hi Suby,
One of the nicest things about the package is the detail and care with which it was put together- very much a labor of love from artists who are also Rory fans, and that is really special. I bet Rory is proud of it.
As for the story line, it was cleverly done, the way Ian Rankin wove Rory's songs throughout. And graphic artist Timothy Truman was very clever in his Rory references throughout his drawings. Notice in the drawing of the meeting between the detective and the victim's sister, right behind her you can see the headstock of an acoustic guitar, a Gallagher. No, I don't think there are any photos of Rory playing one, but one of Rory's favorite players, Doc Watson used to play Gallagher guitars, and anyway, I liked the reference.
In the back of the little book, there is a section of those really cheesy ads that you could find in the back of those pulp fiction/ true crime mags that were so prevalent in the 50s and 60s, and I thought the little ad "Learn to Play Guitar the Rory Gallagher Way," was a cute touch.
As for the ending- Okay,
1. It's a mystery, so if you haven't read it this is a major spoiler alert- proceed no further!
2. It's the only criticism I have of the story, but I have to be honest, and I am uncomfortable with the ending.
The only thing I did not like was the ending, in some ways the story had a similar plot twist as the plot of the genre movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, or Chinatown, where a major character is the victim of abuse by her own father. (no graphic details). It was particularly similar to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, where there is a body deliberately placed to fake another's death, where one sister is trying to protect her other sister from being continually molested by their father. But unlike those stories, the abuser did not meet the punishment he deserved. Instead it ended with the private detective leaving the room while the real villian, the girls' father, beats one of his daughters, who is herself a victim. It was an excellent story, but that last page was anti-climactic to put it mildly.