Joined in 2023 
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How long did you work on Written in Dead Wax before you were satisfied that it was ready for publication?
What I didn’t reckon on, though, was that it would take a number of years for the books to see the light of day. The Vinyl Detective and Nevada are asked to help as well as find the recording of their first record. The Vinyl Detective and his crew solve the mystery of who is trying to kill-off members of a defunct, but influential all female punk band. It’s easy listening crime, with some funny bits - like a storage unit being described as ‘ divine - like a multi-story car park, but with less charm’ Or maybe more charm? Another thing about this book which is both surprising and interesting is the historical element, sure it is a made-up history, but it adds depth and introduces secondary characters who you care about almost as much as our protagonist and his friends.I know the idea in this kind of series is that everyone does their bit when they appear for that comforting-old-sweater feeling, but parts of it feel lazy.
If it’s not by an author of the caliber of Janet Frame or ZZ Packer or Philip Roth, I’m not going to read it. Nevada and Agatha are two of my favorite female characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading (and I maintain that Gail Ann Dorsey should play the latter if this ever gets adapted for the screen), and every book brings around a new cast of characters that are wildly interesting. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I have a well used Audible account and am addicted to podcasts. The series follows an unnamed narrator–referred to only as the Vinyl Detective (VD)–who hunts down rare records for money. Along the way, The Vinyl Detective meets some very strange and passionate characters, puts himself and his friends live in danger and has a romance or two.Moving into the fifth book of this series and the pace is constant, the humor is tight, and each new character a key ingredient to a successful plot. She did, however, take me on my first visit to a public library where a whole new world quite literally opened up to me. The crime mysteries that the Vinyl Detective becomes embroiled in all have a music connection - and enough twists, turns and red-herrings to keep the reader fascinated. The true enthusiast - the one whose obsession brings real and heartfelt happiness - is usually far from being a nerd - they are in fact some of the coolest people on the planet.
Narrowly avoiding a killing spree, negotiating deranged fans and being pursued by hack celebrity Stinky Stamner, they discover that perhaps all was not as it seemed on Halig Island – and that in the embers of that fire are clues of a motive for murder…. There are not lots of esoteric references to previous stories, which means any of them can be your entry point. Since the police don't seem to believe that this is the case, they turn to the Vinyl Detective and his partner/girlfriend Nevada. For instance, I gamely worked my way through the novels of Thomas Pynchon, including Gravity’s Rainbow).The only person who isn't a suspect is Delia Lispector, the Blue Tit's bass player who has already been murdered. What follows is an investigation with many twists and turns and the plot actually kept me guessing right until the end, although it was entirely possible to figure out the solution much earlier.
Erik Make Loud's new girlfriend Helene Hilditch was a member of the pioneering all girl punk bank The Blue Tits. Along the way the Vinyl Detective finds out what happened to the missing child, and it wasn’t what anyone expected – or wanted – to hear. I heartily agree and would only add "and without the bruises, gobbing and physical mayhem the we all went happily went through"!I don’t know if I’ll jump into Agatha Christie and Ayelet Waldman right away, but I’m certainly excited to read the next Vinyl Detective.
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