As this evocative novel opens, former jazz great Ronnie Reboulet hasn't picked up his horn in more than five years. Ronnie, a charming but emotionally distant man, struggles to make a life free of drugs and outside the music business. With the support of his soulful companion, Betty, and his once-estranged daughter, Rae, an aspiring singer, Ronnie attempts a comeback that will have readers rooting for him every step of the way.Set against the backdrop of Patty Hearst's kidnapping in 1970s San Francisco and composed in short, sensual scenes that segue into one another like a song-man's medley, Blue Bossa sparkles with a swinging, lyrical prose that reflects the protagonist's lush playing style. In the tradition of jazz literature such as Michael Ondaatje's Coming Through Slaughter and John Clellon Holmes's The Horn, Schneider's debut is also a family story that explores how parents, children, and lovers support each other in the ceaseless struggle to rebuild broken lives.