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!