Saturday, January 25, 2020

Ten top books about the mysterious world of audiophiles

Luke Geddes's new novel is Heart of Junk.

At CrimeReads he tagged "ten of the many mystery and mystery-tinged books about audiophiles," including:
The Big Rewind by Libby Cudmore

The conceit of this novel is classically hardboiled—wannabe music journalist Jett Bennett discovers her friend’s dead body on her own kitchen floor and turns gumshoe when the wrong man is fingered by the police—but it is its Brooklyn hipster milieu that sets it apart and earns it a spot on this list. For the central clue to unraveling this mystery is a mixtape of tastefully curated love songs ranging from sappy AOR hits like Stevie Wonder’s “Knocks Me Off My Feet” to The Magnetic Fields’ arch “Nothing Matters When We’re Dancing.” The eclecticism of the book’s musical references reflects Cudmore’s all-encompassing sensibilities as a writer; The Big Rewind is at once a cynical satire of millennial cultural mores, an earnest though quirky rom-com, and a rollicking good mystery.
Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue