FICTION

The Big Rewind

by Libby Cudmore
Morrow. Feb. 2016. 256p. ISBN 9780062403537. pap. $14.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062403520. F
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Jett Bennett's music journalism career hasn't taken off yet, so she temps at a PI firm while subletting her grandmother's rent-controlled apartment in Brooklyn. When she tries to deliver a misdirected package containing a mixtape to her neighbor KitKat, she finds a howling cat, burning pot brownies, a rolling pin, and a very bloody, very dead KitKat. KitKat's sister asks Jett to investigate; Jett begins with the mysterious cassette—after she unearths that relic called a tape deck. Along the way, Jett revisits some of the music and ephemera in her own "boyfriend box," deals with the ghosts of her romantic past, and pines after her vinyl record-loving friend, Sid.
VERDICT Cudmore's debut is a murder mystery, romance, coming-of-age story, and exercise in 1980s and 1990s music appreciation. The song-titled chapters are a nice touch, and the author adds wry humor and realistic emotion to angsty Jett's thoughts. However, the author packs many characters and subplots into less than 300 pages, which might set some readers spinning, just like a record. Recommended for Generation Xers who like fast-paced, hip, and seminostalgic reads.
Reviewed by Samantha Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY , Jan 01, 2016
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