Negative Girl

by Libby Cudmore

For fans of Cottonmouths by Kelly J. Ford comes Negative an evocative, moody, neo-noir thriller that explores obsession and people dying across America's forgotten spaces.Martin Wade lived hard in his youth, but unlike many of his former bandmates and roadie friends, he didn’t die young. Instead he hit the recovery path, cleaned up his life, and became a private investigator in a dying city in upstate New York.When his heavily tattooed and scarred assistant Valerie sets up an appointment with a young woman who needs help keeping her biological father away from her, none of the three realize that the father is Martin’s old bandmate, still using, and on a destructive path that will soon be headed straight for Martin’s clean life. As Martin struggles, Valerie becomes increasingly obsessed with their new client’s life.Then the client is found dead in a riverbank, and duty, nostalgia, and lifetimes of regret find Martin and Valerie on the case for the young woman’s killer. As Martin struggles to hold onto his sobriety, Valerie becomes increasingly obsessed with their dead client.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, LGBT, Murder Mystery

256 pages, Paperback

Published September 10, 2024

About the author

Libby Cudmore worked at temp agencies and record stores before settling down in Upstate New York to write full time. Her forthcoming debut novel, THE BIG REWIND (William Morrow, February 2016) is being hailed as "smart, poignant, and addicting," (Kristi Belcamino, BLESSED ARE THE DEAD). Her short stories have been published in PANK, THE BIG CLICK, THE STONESLIDE CORRECTIVE and BIG LUCKS. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and makes all her own notebooks.

Reviews

[Lou Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Negative Girl
Libby Cudmore
reviewed by Lou Jacobs


readersremains.com | Goodreads


Sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, and murder formulate the matrix of this immersive noir mystery thriller, delving into the far-reaching ramifications of addiction and deceit. It offers an intriguing glimpse into the pathos of our two protagonists, Martin Wade and Valerie Jacks, told through their viewpoints in alternating chapters.

Penned by Shamus and Black Orchid Award-winning writer Libby Cudmore, these characters were initially introduced in short story format through Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

Martin Wade, aka Basil Wise, was the infamous frontman for the briefly popular punk band, The French Letters. They unceremoniously crashed and burned after their fourth album, Bullets For Breakfast, flopped amidst the turmoil of jealousy, addiction, and interpersonal stress. Ron Carlock, guitarist, and Victor Van Owen, drummer, followed their own destructive paths, while pianist Basil Wise snuck out like a fugitive in the night to attempt sobriety in the small upstate New York city of Perrine. He has successfully remained sober for decades, attending frequent meetings and running a small private investigator agency. His clients are usually “small potatoes” and low-profile cases, but nonetheless, he stays busy ferreting out cheating husbands or finding lost jewelry. He is still haunted by the sudden disappearance of his beloved fiancée, Cecelia, who vanished without a trace.

Valerie Jacks is on the run. In the middle of the night, she flees Memphis, afraid she may have seriously hurt or killed her live-in friend and lover, Katy. She also flees to Perrine, which she describes as halfway between annihilation and redemption. This is the city where she and her brother Deacon were raised by Aunt Gina after their parents died. She now resides in a small apartment with a foldout couch, a tiny kitchenette, and a small bathroom—enough space for a girl and her laptop. She tends bar at Aunt Gina’s establishment and writes insightful articles for an online music zine. She does a deep dive interview with Martin and discovers his uniqueness and underlying frailty. Understanding his ongoing recovery process, she chooses to shelve her probing piece and maintain his privacy. Later, she finds herself accepting a position as Martin’s assistant to maintain their contact and possibly foster her own growth and self-actualization. The dynamics are set in motion for their developing partnership, interdependence, and respect.

A new client, Janice Archwood, is buzzed into the agency office. She requests Martin’s help in dealing with a pestering deadbeat dad. Martin swears he knows her from somewhere. This drug-addict dad abandoned her and her mother decades ago. He has reconnected with her and is begging and pressuring her to move back with him. Her mother died from ovarian cancer two years ago. Janice is currently studying violin at Raines College and is the first chair at the local orchestra. She asks Martin to call her father and insist that he back off. (This is the “White Knight” part of his job.) Upon calling the number, Martin soon realizes that her father is none other than Ron Carlock, and she is his daughter, the image of her mother. Fast forward: Janice (“Janie”) turns up dead, awash on the shore of the local river. Initially, it is ruled as drowning by accident. However, multiple extenuating circumstances bring up the consideration of suicide or murder.

Valerie becomes obsessed with the possibility of murder, and her initial attempt at investigating gradually draws Martin into the investigation. Martin struggles to maintain his sobriety as he’s drawn into the web of investigating Ron Carlock. They quickly learn that Janie led a second, hidden life as a lead in a Goth band. Her usual get-up included black leathers, a Mohawk haircut, and black electrical tape covering her nipples. There are multiple possible suspects: a jilted boyfriend, a potential stalker, jealous associates, an angry photographer, and even a “deadbeat dad.”

Libby Cudmore proves to be an amazing storyteller as she weaves together a colorful ensemble cast of flawed characters in a twisty, complex narrative that slowly unravels a wide path of deceit and treachery as the intrigue and tension mount. There is a continuous relevant playlist of songs and artists that set the appropriate mood and tone of the ongoing mystery. The novel explores the destructive and far-reaching effects of addiction, jealousy, and deceit through meaningful and poignant dialogue that propel the mystery to a startling denouement. As the author points out, “Junkies will always break your heart.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Datura Books for supplying an Advance Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review. Hopefully, there will be further glimpses into the partnership between Martin and Valerie.
.... Published at MysteryAndSuspenseMagazine.com ....

[Balthazarinblue · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having escaped a traumatic situation in Memphis, Valerie is relieved to be back home in Perrine in Upstate New York. She works as an assistant to for Martin Wade at his private investigation firm.

Martin, during his hard-living youth, was known as Basil Wise, the former frontman to a short-lived post-punk band The French Letters. After he cleaned up, he got his license and opened his firm, Wade Agency, performing background checks and work for divorce cases, at which Valerie proved to be competent and hardworking.

The book opens with the arrival of a new case: a young woman, whom Martin finds strangely familiar, wants his help keeping away from her biological father. To his concern, Martin eventually learns the dad is his former bandmate Ron Carlock. That's when Martin realizes that he knew this client when she was a child, and that her real name is Janie Carlock.

Martin decides not to take the case because of a conflict of interest: Ron is his best friend, and is in town. And though they're both clean, Martin knows he needs to stay away from his former bandmate for his own sobriety. Janie accepts this, but then turns up drowned, and Martin and Ron fall apart, with Valerie told by Janie's bandmates (turns out the young woman is a musician) that they want to hire her to look into Janie's death, which they feel is possibly murder.

Valerie begins digging on her own, as Martin refuses, as he's grieving and feeling guilty, and falls off the wagon with Ron. Valerie finds out much more about Janie's life, or double life, as Janie was studying classical violin, while performing in secret with punk band Machine Gun Snatch. Janie had been living with Nora, her guardian, and longtime friend of the French Letters bandmates. Nora provided Janie with a stable life after Janie's mother died years earlier, and Ron was addicted.

Music is woven throughout this satisfying story, as Cudmore uses songs to chart the mood of investigation's progress, as well as the struggle between Valerie and Martin. Cudmore competently creates flawed characters who are just trying to make it through each day, who are swift to run from connection and to strike out in anger. Valerie and Martin seemed to work reasonably well together at the beginning of the novel, but their professional relationship is severely tested by Martin's dysfunctional friendship with Ron and all the memories and yearning for drugs it brings back. Cudmore also does a wonderful job of evoking the atmosphere of the French Letters' heyday in all its glory and self-destructiveness.

I loved the way Cudmore explored the corrosive effects of addiction on relationships and how it took openness and support for Martin and Valerie to get past their demons and make forward strides in their mental health, investigation, and business. When the identity of the murderer is revealed, it's sad and terrible and obvious and tied partially to old jealousies, but it's also an important turning point for the two central characters. I did not know what to expect going into this novel, but it's fair to say that I liked it and its two main characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Datura for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[OutlawPoet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one grew on me.

When it started, it didn't feel noir enough. And, while it never reached that grim, edgy, noir feeling, it ended up being a good read.

I loved our characters and really loved how the author approached the difficult subject of addiction.

Before I knew it, I was really into the book and hoping it would end well for our characters.

Would read the author again!

[Nessa’s Book Reviews]

Title: Negative Girl

Author: Libby Cudmore

Rating: ★★★★

Martin Wade, once a hard-living rocker, has cleaned up his act and now works as a private investigator in a dying upstate New York city. His assistant, the heavily tattooed and scarred Valerie, sets up a meeting with a young woman who needs protection from her biological father. Little do they know, the father is none other than Martin’s old bandmate, still on a destructive path and now barreling towards Martin’s newly sober life.

As Martin grapples with his past and strives to maintain his sobriety, Valerie finds herself increasingly obsessed with their client. The tension mounts when their client is found dead on a riverbank. Duty, nostalgia, and a lifetime of regrets propel Martin and Valerie into a relentless pursuit of the young woman's killer.

Libby Cudmore masterfully weaves a tale where duty collides with the ghosts of the past. Martin's struggle with sobriety and Valerie's obsession add layers of depth to this already gripping thriller. The dynamic between the characters is reminiscent of a dark episode of CSI, filled with twists that keep you on the edge of your seat.

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!

For fans of gritty, evocative neo-noir thrillers, Negative Girl by Libby Cudmore is a must-read.

Thank you to The Publisher Datura Books & the author Libby Cudmore or an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

[Stacy (stacsofbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The past is supposed to remain the past for Martin Wade, a famous musician turned private investigator. Until he makes the mistake of taking on a case that dredges up said past. He isn’t the only one with a rough past though. His assistant Valerie has secrets too 👀.

This one was the perfect start to my spooky read season 🙌🏼. It was such a quick read and I’m always a sucker for an investigative mystery! I liked that we get good background of the characters right at the beginning so there’s no confusion. It also had so many musical references that at times I thought could be too much, but I love music so I wasn’t entirely mad about it. There were some hard topics like addiction that made this novel a very emotional read, so keep that in mind!

Highly recommend if you like:
Dual POV
Investigative mysteries
Very short chapters
Music

Pub date is September 10th so be sure to snag you a copy! Thank you so much Kayepublicity and Libby Cudmore for a gifted copy in exchange for a review! 🫶🏼

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid noir. Libby Cudmore did a great job of building the MC’s and giving them completely different voices; especially while writing a female and male character. The story was interesting and engaging and there were many beautiful passages throughout the book. All around a great read. Will definitely read more of Libby Cudmore’s books.

[Holly M Wendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping from start to finish, Negative Girl is an encompassing detective story with a great deal of heart. Come for the contemporary noir and stay for the way Cudmore brings a thoroughly enjoyable musical pulse to the novel.

[Naty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid if you enjoy noirs!

[Brett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this on an Audible daily deal and turns out it was not a good decision. The book was not engaging or about anything I am interested in and just not my type of book, at all.

[Nikki Dolson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been reading Cudmore’s Martin Wade stories for a long time and this novel is the best entry yet.

[BiblioPeeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Life expects a lot of a woman - be pretty, be patient, don't bother the men, don't get hurt and if you do, don't cry. Because you must never cry over something you could have prevented, and you must always be ready to prevent everything: a rape, a closed fist, an earthquake, a tsunami."

Martin is a former rock band member turned private investigator, who is 19 years sober. His assistant Valerie has a troubled past of her own, and an incident so traumatic she doesn’t talk about it or the visible scar it left. When the daughter of Martin’s former band member winds up dead after hiring him, Martin struggles with his sobriety while Valerie is intent on investigating the death.

What a simply sublime neo-noir packed with all the dark and moody zest that makes noirs sizzle. The vivid, poetic descriptions and colorful metaphors created the perfect atmosphere. What I didn’t expect and was pleasantly surprised by, was the ode to music. You could make an outstanding playlist from all the songs mentioned. The mystery aspect kept me intrigued with a vibrant cast of suspects and so many hidden secrets!

Character driven with just the right amount of mystery surrounding the death, the alternating viewpoints of Martin and Valerie were first person which I LOVE! In addition to being inside their thoughts, we get to know how they see each other while in the same situation. What really shined for me was the interactions between them and how they develop a deep understanding of each other. If dealing with addiction or alcoholism, either personally or having been close to someone who has, is a trigger for you, please be warned the struggle and feelings associated with these diseases are laid bare. Libby Cudmore has written such beautifully flawed and genuine REAL people, they virtually jump off the page!

I got a little choked up near the end. Martin and Valerie really grew on me and I had no idea how much I’d gotten attached to them until I was teary. This is a duo I can root for and I’d love to see them handle more cases!
____

Thank you Kaye Publicity & Datura Books for the gifted copy. All opinions are mine.
____

Potential spoiler content warnings below.

































⚠️Content warnings by me: language, drug addiction, drug overdose, alcoholism, Mention of: stalking, assault, & suicide

[El | libro.vermo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d like to thank both NetGalley and Datura Books, from whom I received an ARC of Negative Girl.

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.

[Rob Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libby Cudmore puts heart and soul into Negative Girl. I’ve been a fan of her Martin Wade stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine so I was jazzed to get a novel full of the ex-rock star turned private detective. But this isn’t just a Martin Wade book alone. Oh no, if Martin is the scarred soul of Negative Girl, then Valerie Jacks is its pulsing heart. Together they make a formidable investigative tandem swept up solving a murder that may tilt Martin’s hard-earned sobriety off its axis. Lovers of noir fiction and rock music should take that deep dive into Negative Girl’s depths.

[Denis Wheller · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story surprised me. I wasn't expecting to be so quickly engrossed in it and then couldn't stop reading it wanting to see how Martin Wade and Valerie Jacks solve a murder. Of whom you'll need to read the story.

Cudmore describes Martin and Valerie so well that we get to care for them deeply and want for them to succeed. Both have been doing it tough. Martin, a former hard rocker, drug addict has reformed himself as a small town Private Investigator. He does the cases no one else wants, the 'marriage wrecking' cases that he's accused of.

Valerie Jacks is a runaway from Memphis. She's scared she accidentally killed her best friend and runs. She returns to her roots in Perrine. Martin offers her a job as his assistant. But she's savy and street smart. She has a nose for solving crime and she pursues a death the police have called an accident. A young woman washed up on the shore. A woman known to both Valerie and more significantly, Martin.

The story is gritty. You can see the small office Martin and Valerie work in, the tiny apartment Valerie calls home and the bars she frequents having good friends work them. They take breakfast at a diner run by Joan, it's nothing fancy, just that typical American diner you'll find in a small town. But the locals love it, including Martin.

Cudmore kept me guessing throughout. And I was genuinely surprised by the culprit at the end. Didn't see that coming. It's barebones, dark and seedy, the work Martin and Valerie do to solve this case.

The story has a soundtrack. 1980s and 1990s rock and grunge. Martin, played piano and keys in a grammy-nominated band French Letters. He's always tinkering at his piano and whistling tunes. The local punk scene adds some more context to the soundtrack. The soundtrack added depth to the story.

I'm pleased I read this story. It's relatively short so can be read in a day or so.

[Ridgerunner · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warnings for Negative Girl include: addiction, suicide and parental death.
☆
☆
Within the first chapter I was interested to see where the story was going to go. I am ashamed of myself that it took me so long to pick up this book because I'm really empathising with these characters.
~
• "Deacon used to joke that I was a music empath – that I absorbed everyone else's tastes – and it was true, to a certain extent." - This is sorta to some extent the same thing I do. I tend to stop listening to music I used to listen to in favour of new playlists or bands people make for me or music people recommend I listen to.
~
"When all my walls had come down, when my soul was ugly and raw and hungry, she was the one who cared enough to hold me together." - This quote caused a bit of a reaction. This line hurt me, because it's true. There are few people I want to see me hurting, few people I'm content to have see me fall apart.
~
"Junkies will always break your heart" - This is a concept I can relate to, but not in the same way. I know I hurt a lot of people. I know I did, because they told me so. And I've tried to make amends for the hurt I caused in the depths of my despairAnd that's one reason things have to stay as they are. I can't fall into that fire again. It'll hurt too many people, people I care too much about to let it happen.
•
Thank you to NetGalley and DaturaBooks for sending me an ARC copy of this book.

[Jeff Buick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could give this book 6 stars.
Ever had this happen? You're reading and you stop and reread a sentence, or a paragraph, or a page, just to savour it again and again. The words are like silky smooth chocolate, without the calories. That's Libby Cudmore. There's a brilliance in her writing that backlights the gritty noir scenes she seems to know so well.
Negative Girl is a gem, and the only thing I can see that's keeping it from exploding on the NYT bestseller list is the inherent darkness in the genre Cudmore uses to deliver her story. The two main characters, Martin and Valerie, are so saddled with demons, addictions, and doubts, that as a reader you struggle to believe they'll actually prevail and manage to survive what's getting thrown at them. But that's what makes this book so real. For some reason, Cudmore understands what it's like to see life from the underbelly of society, and she hammers you with what is, in essence, reality.
The plot line is strong and believable, the pacing perfect, the settings a masterclass in immersing the reader into a new and strange world. But it is the characters that will keep you awake at night, thinking "there are people out there, living these lives". And it will haunt you. In a good way.
Grab this book and get through it, because although it's dark and scary, it's beautiful.

[Olivia Binczewski · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Piper · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Dan Slattery · Rating 5 out of 5]

"One of my favorite detective novels of the last few years." - S. A. Cosby

I was already eager to read this one as a fan of Libby Cudmore's podcast work. But when freakin' SA COSBY gave it a shout-out, it moved to the top of my list.

Libby Cudmore's second novel is a love letter to the noir detective genre. She already has her gritty private eye voice fully formed and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Also, I know she's a huge fan of TV show The Shield, and there are so many fun Easter eggs throughout this book! Martin's former bandmates are named Vic, Ron, and Kurt, and she even sneaks in a "You gotta be sh*tting me" for good measure.

She was even able to get the absolutely phenomenal voice of actor Jay Karnes to narrate the audiobook with her.

This story is filled with gritty dialogue, flawed but sympathetic characters, a genuinely intriguing whodunit mystery, and enough music references to fill a grungy dive bar. If you're looking for a great pulpy detective story with fantastic audiobook narration, look no further.

[Louise Hite · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a contemporary murder mystery. All the elements of a mystery are there and easy to follow. The characters and what they deal with in their personal lives makes it contemporary. One of the main characters (Martin) is a recovering drug addict and backslides when he runs into an old friend. The other main is Valerie whose brother is a tattoo artist and she is a walking example of his work. The plot was very good with believable red herrings of which the murderer was one. Several characters (mentioned and in the book) overdose either on the page or off-page. Music was a theme throughout. Martin was a beautiful pianist, former band member. References were made to band names and songs of which I have not heard. I don't know if the reason was my age, or my preference in music. The author did a great job with the relationship of the two main characters. It is very believable. Both are very likable. I would read more of the author's books.

[C.W. Blackwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m always looking for a fresh take on the P.I. genre, and I’m happy to have found it in NEGATIVE GIRL. It doesn’t take long to feel kinship with Martin and Valerie from the Wade Detective Agency, as Cudmore draws them with such fine strokes you feel like you know them both on and off the page. Martin’s wild days in a punk band have left him in recovery, and his old demons draw closer with every new chapter. Valerie’s verve, resilient energy, and traumatic past deepen the story and help propel the agency forward as Martin’s personal trials mount. Floating through each scene is the ubiquitous sound of punk and new wave music to seal the ultra-cool vibe. But when events take a dark turn, it’s the masterful plotting and Cudmore’s poetic, noir stylings that drive the book as much as the central mystery. If you’re remotely a fan of P.I. mysteries, you need this book on your shelf!

[Eileen Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Ross Savill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable plot and captivating interactions between characters. Didn't quite feel much of a difference between characters in general however, and sometimes had to flick back to the start of the chapter to remember which of the two protagonists was in control of the chapter. (Both seemed to quite enjoy saying "hell" on a regular basis).

Phenomenal amount of references to artists, albums and songs of which I think I had actually heard one, seemed to be the case that we had to picture all the songs every character had playing in the background in every scene.

Didn't quite believe the ways characters reacted to each other in certain scenes, varying from OTT to ignoring actions, to being overly generous.

Still, enjoyed the read, have a go if you like an easy read and enjoy a mystery or noir.

[Catalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

*Novel from NetGalley with many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read it!

[George Hovis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the pairing of these two private investigators--Martin Wade, the middle-aged ex-rocker, and his break-all-the-rules apprentice, Valerie Jacks, both of them running from past demons and trying to make a home in this upstate New York town, with its familiar Rust Belt problems but also a thriving music scene both in the concert halls of the local college and the dive bars along Main Street. When a promising young musician--Janie on campus (a.k.a. Joyride with her punk act) is found floating in a nearby river, Martin and Valerie interrogate both sides of the community in search of clues. There's suspense a plenty and a 90s-era soundtrack running all the way through. A delight from start to nail-biting finish!

[Kandice Bentley · Rating 3 out of 5]

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!

[Rudrashree Makwana · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.