MYSTERY

Negative Girl

Datura: Angry Robot. Sept. 2024. 400p. ISBN 9781915523310. pap. $18.99. M
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This engaging detective mystery brings together two people who are bound in their love of music and their commitment to atoning for their pasts. Martin Wade is a private investigator who runs his own detective agency in upstate New York. His cases primarily consist of relocating missing items and surveillance of wayward spouses. He is assisted by his talented associate Valerie. The pair found each other when they each needed a friend the most. Martin lived a fast and loose rock-and-roll lifestyle that nearly killed him, while Valerie’s relationship with a drug user left her fleeing for her safety. Despite their past turmoil, Martin and Valerie work well together. A new case appears clear-cut, but when Martin probes a little further, he discovers a connection to his tormented past. He decides to bail on the case, but when the client is found dead, he can no longer avoid a dance with destiny.
VERDICT Cudmore’s (The Big Rewind) neo-noir is a well-crafted story that not only functions as an ode to great music but also assembles a plot that is consistently entertaining and satisfying.
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