Desert Songs Review

I just finished reading Desert Songs by debut author Daniel Gard’ner, and I really enjoyed it. Gard’ner builds a world that feels like the shadowed backstage of a classic 80s rock and roll scene, raw, hopeful, chaotic, and worn at the edges. I especially appreciated how he threaded in the band’s history and the personal stories behind each member. You don’t just see the band form; you feel the long nights, early dreams, and the cracks that start forming under pressure.

The pacing kept me pulled in from start to finish. Every chapter had that steady sense of movement you want in a noir-driven story, where you know something is going to go wrong, you just aren’t sure how or when.

For a noir, Gard’ner absolutely nails the tone. This is a world where people are not fully good or fully bad, just human, making messy choices in a system where corruption is part of doing business. Fate hangs over the characters in a way that makes every decision feel heavy. No matter how hard they try, they cannot quite outrun who they are or the traps they find themselves in.

If you like stories where talent collides with trauma, where ambition and loyalty are constantly at odds, and where friendship is tested against the darker side of success, Desert Songs is absolutely worth picking up.

Press Release:
Close To The Bone Publishing presents Desert Songs, the debut novel by Daniel Gard’ner, a rock-and-roll noir set where the music business meets the Los Angeles underworld. Desert Songs releases November 28. Gard’ner is the former drummer for the Melbourne-based band The Glorious.