New York, NY, Dec. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Imagine a murder mystery that involves one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest artists. Imagine Murder: A John Lennon Mystery is a fun, gripping crime novel that imagines a situation where John Lennon and Yoko Ono help solve a mystery set in the spring of 1972. This fictional glimpse at the actual film company–Joko Films–owned by John and Yoko in 1970s New York City was written by Dean Thompson, a member of the original company’s staff.
It’s the spring of 1972: the U.S, is deeply involved in the Vietnam War, and demonstrations are being organized across the country. New York City is beginning to slide toward bankruptcy. It’s been nearly two years since the Beatles broke up, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono are establishing themselves as New York residents and artists. John’s biggest solo album, Imagine, hit the charts late the previous year, and he continues to record. However, his and Yoko’s newest passion is film, the result of which is Joko Films, housed at an undisclosed location in SoHo. There, on the eve of the Watergate break-in, one of Joko’s editors, Stephanie Bradley, is brutally murdered, and the hunt for the killer – amidst a publicity storm – is on.
Conceived by one of Joko’s actual employees, Imagine Murder is the first book in a series, based inside the little-publicized New York City world of John Lennon during the 1970s. Publication date is December 2025, which also marks the 45th anniversary of John’s death.
- Author: Dean Thompson
- Publisher: Fayetteville Mafia Press
- Distribution: Hachette
- Publication date : December 2, 2025
- Format: Trade Paperback
- Price: $19.99
- Print length: 200 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-1959748236
- Press contact: Owen Phillips Thought Gang Media [email protected]
About the Author:It is easy to confuse Dean Thompson with Imagine Murder’s fictional David Johnson. Both have experience working with John Lennon at his Joko Films’s SoHo NYC location. Both came to New York City in the 1970s from Ohio, and both live in a Tudor-style house on Staten Island, which overlooks New York Harbor. In between his time with Lennon and writing Imagine Murder, Dean continued to work in film and television, while his coauthors — wife Victoria Hallerman and best friend Thom Moon – have remained a steady part of his life. “I was approached by many people to write a book about my time working with John,” Thompson said, “but I didn’t want to be someone who wrote another ‘I knew John Lennon best’ book. While it is fiction, I think this book gives readers a chance to experience the John Lennon I knew in a unique and personal way.”
About the Publisher: Fayetteville Mafia Press/Tucker DS Press is an award-winning independent publishing house distributed worldwide by Simon & Schuster and Hachette. Founded in 2018, it publishes ten books a year, including both nonfiction (pop culture, true crime, sports) and fiction (mysteries, suspense). FMP/Tucker’s authors include Peabody- and Emmy-winning writer/producer Joseph Dougherty (thirtysomething, Pretty Little Liars); Charles Segars and Oren Aviv (National Treasure); Adam Lorenzo (Everybody Hates Chris); Neal Lipschutz (former deputy managing editor, The Wall Street Journal); and Lee Owens (former football coach, Ohio State, University of Akron, Ashland University). More info at Fayettevillemafiapress.com.
- Imagine Murder: A John Lennon Master Cover
- Dean Thompson, author of Imagine Murder
