I was thrilled to receive a copy of "Negative Girl" from Netgalley and Datura Books. This captivating book masterfully intertwines a neo-noir murder mystery, unfolding through the distinct perspectives of Martin and Valerie. The characters are richly developed, adding profound complexity to the narrative, although I occasionally felt the pacing was a bit sluggish, requiring extra effort to stay engaged. The incorporation of music throughout the story resonated deeply with my background in the music industry, which I found particularly delightful. While the plot at times felt a touch disjointed, I couldn't help but be fascinated by the quick succession of events and the portrayal of the victim, Overall, "Negative Girl" is an intriguing and thought-provoking read that offers a fresh take on the noir genre, making it a truly engaging and rewarding experience.

#ThrilledRead #NoirMystery #CharacterDevelopment #EngagingPlot #MusicIncorporation #FreshPerspective #CaptivatingStorytelling #ThoughtProvoking #ImmersiveExperience #BookReview

This was a fast paced and exciting mystery, I read the whole thing in one sitting. The characters had interesting backstories and they alternated POVs but sometimes felt too similar that I forgot which POV I was reading. There were a few things that were left unanswered, and some things that resolved a little too neatly. It was a short book but I could have done with more in some places and less in others

Thanks to Datura Books, Netgalley and Libby Cudmore for this e-arc

The book is suspenseful and mysterious. The characters are multifaceted. They kind of have a past and something they have escaped from. This is a poignant neo noir thriller. The author has shared about the drug addiction and dark underbelly of America. A young woman approaches Martin because she needs protection from her biological father. The father turns out to be old bandmate. Unthinkable happens and it brings out secrets, obsession and buried truth.

Thanks to the Publisher for giving me early access.

Martin and Valerie tell this Neo-noir murder mystery that will likely be more enjoyed by those familiar with the bands and music quoted liberally throughout. The plot is basic but the characters are good. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

I really liked the distinct neo-noir style of writing in this crime thriller. Every other chapter switches between the first-person POV of Martin and his assistant Valerie, and I like a good dual POV story, but these two characters are so alike that they don’t each feel like their own person. Their voices are too similar and I often found myself glancing back or checking the last page for a clue as to whose chapter I was reading.

Everyone in the book is either in a band, used to be in a band, plays an instrument, and/or is super into music, which is cool, but Martin and Valerie both talk about music and name drop a lot of bands and songs to the point that it felt like a bit too much.

The plot was a little predictable but enjoyable, and I loved the relationship between Martin and Valerie. As mentioned before, they’re very alike so they ultimately have a lot in common, including similar toxic situations with old friends. Their friendship, however, was lovely even when it was rocky. It was nice to read a book with a purely platonic male/female best friendship, where they loved and took care of each other but there were no underlying sexual motivations or tension.

I really liked this detective story!

Read if you like traumatic pasts, addiction issues, found family

#NetGalley

Do old Rockstars ever retire if their fame dies? After all, their recordings will survive and Not Fade Away. The “French Letters” were big in the late eighties/early nineties Punk scene until drugs and booze ruined their fourth album and they fell apart. Martin Wade who, under the name Basil Wise, was the keyboards, lead vocals, and songwriter for the band went into rehab. This was partly because the album crashed and burned and partly because his artist girlfriend, Celeste, left him and disappeared. Now he’s a Private Investigator in the small town of Perrine in upstate New York; divorces, minor domestics, nothing too complicated.
Valerie Jacks, freelance stringer for music journals, has fled home to Perrine from Memphis, after a violent, possibly lethal, fight with her lover, Katy. Interviewing Martin for an article, they had discovered they were sympatico, and so Valerie had ended up as his assistant.
One morning a young woman, purporting to be Janice Archwood, hires Martin to ‘warn off’ her junkie father, who she believes has come to town with a view to inveigling money from her. He contacts the father, who turns out to be Ron Lockwood, former lead guitar in the band. This means that ‘Janice’ is actually Janie, daughter of Ron and his late wife, Sharon, who overdosed when Janie was just a toddler. Janie is now a classical violin player, seemingly far removed from the Rock and Roll drug scene, while Ron is still immersed. Martin is riddled with guilt, feeling he let her down when her mother died, and worried that Ron will drag him back into the Scene. He decides that the agency should cut off all ties, but Valerie has other ideas and keeps the file open. Then Janie is found dead!
This is at heart a whodunnit, but its main attraction for the reader is likely to be an insight into the world of Punk and Postpunk music, using copious references to real groups and their songs. The title ‘Negative Girl’ comes from a Steely Dan song and I think it’s referencing Janie, but the lyric could fit with Valerie. The language and general ambience of the story feels real (not my scene but I can relate). The murder-mystery element is not particularly complicated, although it does its best to mislead. I think It’s worth 3.5 stars, rounded to 4.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Negative girl is a brilliant book by Libby Cudmore. The two main characters are really well written and the story moves on well. Highly recommended.

A very enjoyable modern noir set in the musical world, with its musical accompaniment too! Music, drugs, alcohol, addiction, broken relationships and a lot of heartbreak! Martin and Valerie are broken, complex characters, but so very likeable, developing nicely along the narrative line. From this point of view, Negative Girl feels like the beginning of a series, featuring the two; and If that is the case, I'd love to read another instalment! I'd say the mystery is a tad predictable, but Cudmore does throw in a few red herrings and nothing is revealed too soon, resulting in an entertaining and gripping read!

Thank you for the copy I tried to get into this one but it just wasn’t for me. That’s more about me as a reader rather than the book.
The premise was great but I just wasn’t immersed in the story.
I suggest people that love the music industry give this a try.

I am rating based on writing and fairness.

Ordinarily neo-noir and heartwarming feel like they should be oxymorons but that's exactly what this book provides: a moody, atmospheric tale of murder, music, and found family. Martin and Valerie make up the Wade detective agency. They run background checks, scour pawn shops for hocked jewelry, and catch philandering spouses in the act. When a woman walks in with a familiar face that Martin can't quite place, it's the first step in a sequence that will lead to him facing down demons from deep in his past.

If you're a music nerd, this will be right up your alley. The references scatter throughout write their own playlist to accompany the story.

This isn’t a unique story and there’s nothing new here but the way the author used music simply elevated everything about it.

I will have to recommend it to everyone I know as it is like a secret shorthand throughout the book. A must read for any fan of Rock.

Thanks to NetGalley & Datura for allowing me to read the ARC for this book coming out on September 10th.

This book was an average read. I enjoyed the connection to music throughout a lot. If you know music, then the way the author used it to describe emotions would make sense to you. As someone who works in the music industry I did really enjoy that portion of it. As for the plot itself, it felt very all over the place to me. I feel like things were happening extremely quick and there was no smooth flow as things were revealed. I did enjoy the Hannah Montana-esque feel to the character who is the victim in the book. Definitely interesting seeing that from a mature point of view.

Valerie was honestly such a hard character to like. She just seemed so unsure of herself constantly and it really just bothered me. I understand why she was like that but I feel like it was just too much non stop throughout the book. I did like the character of Martin a lot. He is definitely the ideal anti-hero.

Martin Wade is the former hard-living, barely-made-it-out-alive lead singer of a punk band, now in recovery and working as a private investigator in a similarly bedraggled city in upstate New York. He’s training an assistant, Valerie, who has abruptly returned to town, covered in tattoos and scarred, hiding something. When a young woman hires Martin to follow her estranged father to see if he is still using drugs, Martin is thrown off his game to learn the father is his former bandmate. As his life comes back to haunt him, his demons arrive too.
This noir, with lots of alternative rock references, builds momentum slowly then throws the reader for loop after loop. If you like noir, and especially if you like alternative music, you’ll love this edgy suspense novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Datura Books for an opportunity to read an advance review copy.

The girl is negative, but the review is not! Libby Cudmore has written a very interesting story that for sure will hook the reader and keep them enthralled until the story is over.

Negative Girl took me about 1/2 the book to get into but once I was in it; I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the characters and it was very character driven. Unfortunately the constant references to songs, bands, and albums had me a little lost; I didn’t understand a lot of the references and they overwhelmed the novel for me. Also, I feel the ending was predictable. I guessed what happened before I read it and I like a good surprise or twist ending. Overall, a solid 3 stars.

Thank you @daturabooks, @record_saturday, and NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased review!

I had to look up the definition of a “neo-noir thriller” which has been applied to this book as I had not come across it before. Seems to refer to themes with lots of sex and violence. Having read the book I do not think it really fits into this category. And I might not have read it if I had read this definition beforehand.
I really enjoyed the book however. A Private Investigator in a sleepy upstate New York town who was in a briefly successful band before drugs and booze wrecked things was a good backdrop for the lead character Martin. He and his assistant Valerie are fully fleshed out characters with plenty of secrets in the past and it is easy to feel empathy with them.
There are lots of quite detailed musical references in the book which verged on becoming a bit too much for me even though I am also an Elvis Costello fan. Music and music themed establishments are a big part of the book.
A new client for Martin has connections with his past and she is soon found dead, drowned in a river. The police feel there is no crime but Martin and Valerie come to think otherwise and doggedly pursue the case, despite the dangers of reconnecting with some of their past. There are not a vast numbers of characters to be suspects so it is not a big surprise to find out who the killer is at the end. But it is a very enjoyable read getting there.
Thanks to NetGalley and Datura for the ARC.

Sorry didn't quote know what to make of this book

What I do know was that it was not for me at all. Thank you for the opportunity to review

A dark crime novel set in the forgotten landscape of American society. Though well written, I could not engage with the story and failed to finish.

Negative Girl is a brilliant exploration of redemption, obsession, and the dark underbelly of forgotten America. If you're looking for a thriller that combines deep character study with an intense, fast-paced plot, this is the book for you. Highly recommend!