What do you think?
Rate this book
Play It In Reverse
There are hidden messages in the music . . . messages that can drive a person to commit murder.
Addison is no stranger to life-and-death situations. She has seen her share of trauma as a critical care nurse, yet nothing could have prepared her for the cryptic words whispered by her John Doe patient just moments before he went into cardiac arrest. Exhausted and emotionally drained, she feels a strong pull toward his personal belongings, and with no family to claim them, she decides to take them home in search of answers. What she uncovers plunges her into a decades-old mystery of murder, deception, and secrets that point to a cult from the 1970s—a cult that believed secret messages were buried within music. Messages that compelled them to kill in exchange for wealth, power, and influence. All they had to do was play it in reverse.
Amidst navigating her dating life, Addison begins to piece together the clues, and her world is thrust into chaos. Threatening texts and ominous letters arrive from an unknown sender, and she becomes unsure of whom she can even trust.
Can Addison uncover the secrets in time? Or will she become yet another victim in the long line of sacrifices?
In this pulse-pounding mystery, the line between good and evil blurs. Perfect for fans of dark conspiracies, this novel will leave you questioning what’s real—and whom you can trust.
Addison is no stranger to life-and-death situations. She has seen her share of trauma as a critical care nurse, yet nothing could have prepared her for the cryptic words whispered by her John Doe patient just moments before he went into cardiac arrest. Exhausted and emotionally drained, she feels a strong pull toward his personal belongings, and with no family to claim them, she decides to take them home in search of answers. What she uncovers plunges her into a decades-old mystery of murder, deception, and secrets that point to a cult from the 1970s—a cult that believed secret messages were buried within music. Messages that compelled them to kill in exchange for wealth, power, and influence. All they had to do was play it in reverse.
Amidst navigating her dating life, Addison begins to piece together the clues, and her world is thrust into chaos. Threatening texts and ominous letters arrive from an unknown sender, and she becomes unsure of whom she can even trust.
Can Addison uncover the secrets in time? Or will she become yet another victim in the long line of sacrifices?
In this pulse-pounding mystery, the line between good and evil blurs. Perfect for fans of dark conspiracies, this novel will leave you questioning what’s real—and whom you can trust.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2024
7 people are currently reading
2081 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Angelique
3 books10 followersVictoria is a critical care nurse with a passion for writing. She began her writing journey as a young kid, writing lyrics to accompany her guitar playing. Eventually, she began writing fiction stories, completing her first novel in 2017 during NaNoWriMo. She developed a particular love for Science Fiction and Mystery/Thriller genres. Her debut Mystery/Thriller novel, Play It In Reverse, was self-published on November 1, 2024. Now she lives in California with her husband and Goldendoodle, Scoey.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 4, 2024
Thank you to Goodreads, the author and publisher for choosing me to be your Goodreads Giveaway Winner!
This book was great. Truly a 5 star read within the first 80%, ya lost me a little in the ending when it got a bit too far fetched but the shocking twist at the end was NOT what I expected. I need to know how that happened.
I feel like this book could’ve had a little more back story with Hannah. A sequel with her version of events would make for a fantastic read.
This book was great. Truly a 5 star read within the first 80%, ya lost me a little in the ending when it got a bit too far fetched but the shocking twist at the end was NOT what I expected. I need to know how that happened.
I feel like this book could’ve had a little more back story with Hannah. A sequel with her version of events would make for a fantastic read.
December 15, 2024
I had the pleasure of snapping up Play it in Reverse as a Reedsy reviewer and was drawn in by the catchy blurb promising throwback cult murders set, in part, in the seventies.
Backmasking is the art of embedding messages in something when played backward. Songs like The Beatles’ “Revolution 9,” Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” and The Eagles’ “Hotel California” are all rumored to have them. The author uses backmasking to solid effect to engage the sense of dread characters experience throughout the novel.
The novel opens with Addison (Addy) treating a patient whose life hangs in the balance. The hospital is understaffed. A strange new hire assists her in a failed attempt at CPR. Before the patient dies, he instructs Addy to keep his things safe, setting off a bit of a moral dilemma for her at a time when she’s struggling with the number of deaths she’s recently attended. Somehow, she feels like honoring this last patient’s request is the least she can do since he has no family or emergency contacts on file.
Enter Hannah, a young woman struggling to fit in with her 1970s peers. She isn’t as pretty as the other girls, is inexperienced in life, and though she wants to become a musician, her father has pushed her toward law school. When a campus tour lands her in the company of the gorgeous and musically talented members of The Dark Side of the Rainbow cult, Hannah is faced with some pretty tough decisions. What would she do to have the life of her dreams? Too much, it turns out, because every choice is made at a cost.
The novel initially goes back and forth between Addy and Hannah’s perspectives as the decades-old mystery unfolds. Who was Addy’s last patient? Is he tied to her personally, or is she the unfortunate recipient of belongings that put her in the crosshairs of a cult that seems to be everywhere? She can’t go to the police because she doesn’t want to risk her nursing license or be considered a thief, so who can she turn to for help as an anonymous stalker begins monitoring her every move and more murders occur? She could be framed. She might be killed. No one should be trusted. The author has crafted a clever and compulsively readable novel that should keep readers guessing, as when it seems all twists are revealed, yet another happens.
I thoroughly enjoyed Play it in Reverse, finding Addison a likable main character with a genuinely interesting mystery to solve. The author has done a commendable job going above and beyond with formatting within the e-book including cutout magazine letters and text conversation bubbles. The cover is eye-catching, as is the pitch. There is a trigger warning associated with this novel about violence against animals, which did cause me to hesitate to read it but for the sake of soothing anyone’s fears on this point, the scene in question is not a domestic animal and reads like what, cruel hunting, maybe? It’s not overly gratuitous, and I can see the reason the author might have chosen to include it for context on the inner workings of The Dark Side of the Rainbow, though perhaps there were other ways. A journal entry or something since a lot of the mystery-solving involves letters and written evidence. To that point, I enjoyed getting to know Hannah, but her point of view is abandoned at the point that the mystery really ramps up for Addison. I would have liked to learn all she gained from her participation in the cult and how she felt about what she lost. Given that the novel clocks in on the shorter side, I think there was room to develop her further for a grander payoff, but that’s maybe a nit-crit. Play it in Reverse is Addison’s story, and it is an enjoyable one. Each chapter called me back. I enthusiastically recommend this novel for fans of cult crimes, the 70s, and the nostalgia of an era defined in part by the existence of things like The Manson Family. Congratulations to the author on a fantastic debut novel.
Thank you to Reedsy Discovery and the author for the free ARC of Play it in Reverse in exchange for an honest review which can be found here: https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/pla....
Backmasking is the art of embedding messages in something when played backward. Songs like The Beatles’ “Revolution 9,” Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” and The Eagles’ “Hotel California” are all rumored to have them. The author uses backmasking to solid effect to engage the sense of dread characters experience throughout the novel.
The novel opens with Addison (Addy) treating a patient whose life hangs in the balance. The hospital is understaffed. A strange new hire assists her in a failed attempt at CPR. Before the patient dies, he instructs Addy to keep his things safe, setting off a bit of a moral dilemma for her at a time when she’s struggling with the number of deaths she’s recently attended. Somehow, she feels like honoring this last patient’s request is the least she can do since he has no family or emergency contacts on file.
Enter Hannah, a young woman struggling to fit in with her 1970s peers. She isn’t as pretty as the other girls, is inexperienced in life, and though she wants to become a musician, her father has pushed her toward law school. When a campus tour lands her in the company of the gorgeous and musically talented members of The Dark Side of the Rainbow cult, Hannah is faced with some pretty tough decisions. What would she do to have the life of her dreams? Too much, it turns out, because every choice is made at a cost.
The novel initially goes back and forth between Addy and Hannah’s perspectives as the decades-old mystery unfolds. Who was Addy’s last patient? Is he tied to her personally, or is she the unfortunate recipient of belongings that put her in the crosshairs of a cult that seems to be everywhere? She can’t go to the police because she doesn’t want to risk her nursing license or be considered a thief, so who can she turn to for help as an anonymous stalker begins monitoring her every move and more murders occur? She could be framed. She might be killed. No one should be trusted. The author has crafted a clever and compulsively readable novel that should keep readers guessing, as when it seems all twists are revealed, yet another happens.
I thoroughly enjoyed Play it in Reverse, finding Addison a likable main character with a genuinely interesting mystery to solve. The author has done a commendable job going above and beyond with formatting within the e-book including cutout magazine letters and text conversation bubbles. The cover is eye-catching, as is the pitch. There is a trigger warning associated with this novel about violence against animals, which did cause me to hesitate to read it but for the sake of soothing anyone’s fears on this point, the scene in question is not a domestic animal and reads like what, cruel hunting, maybe? It’s not overly gratuitous, and I can see the reason the author might have chosen to include it for context on the inner workings of The Dark Side of the Rainbow, though perhaps there were other ways. A journal entry or something since a lot of the mystery-solving involves letters and written evidence. To that point, I enjoyed getting to know Hannah, but her point of view is abandoned at the point that the mystery really ramps up for Addison. I would have liked to learn all she gained from her participation in the cult and how she felt about what she lost. Given that the novel clocks in on the shorter side, I think there was room to develop her further for a grander payoff, but that’s maybe a nit-crit. Play it in Reverse is Addison’s story, and it is an enjoyable one. Each chapter called me back. I enthusiastically recommend this novel for fans of cult crimes, the 70s, and the nostalgia of an era defined in part by the existence of things like The Manson Family. Congratulations to the author on a fantastic debut novel.
Thank you to Reedsy Discovery and the author for the free ARC of Play it in Reverse in exchange for an honest review which can be found here: https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/pla....
October 29, 2024
For fans of gripping, fast-paced mysteries, Play It In Reverse by Victoria Angelique is a must-read. The story revolves around Addison, a burnt-out critical care nurse who feels deeply about helping her patients. When a mysterious John Doe arrives in her ICU suffering from septic shock, his final words to her are cryptic: “Darkside must die.” He asks her to keep his belongings safe. Addison thought that she couldn't save his life but she could honor his dying request.
After discovering an old tape among John’s things, Addison listens with her friend Chris and realizes the recording was purposely made backward. When they play it in reverse, a chilling message from John emerges, warning that dangerous people are after him and hinting at a path Addison must follow, symbolized by the “yellow brick road.” With intrigue and uncertainty pulling her forward, Addison embarks on a journey to reveal secrets concealed in music and navigate a hidden danger.
Angelique’s storytelling shines with its brisk pace, and her vivid character development brings Addison to life as an unforgettable protagonist. The captivating cover design and suspenseful twists kept me glued to every page, and the story’s surprises were thoroughly engaging. If you’re looking for a mystery with suspense, dynamic characters, and a plot that keeps you guessing, Play It In Reverse won’t disappoint.
After discovering an old tape among John’s things, Addison listens with her friend Chris and realizes the recording was purposely made backward. When they play it in reverse, a chilling message from John emerges, warning that dangerous people are after him and hinting at a path Addison must follow, symbolized by the “yellow brick road.” With intrigue and uncertainty pulling her forward, Addison embarks on a journey to reveal secrets concealed in music and navigate a hidden danger.
Angelique’s storytelling shines with its brisk pace, and her vivid character development brings Addison to life as an unforgettable protagonist. The captivating cover design and suspenseful twists kept me glued to every page, and the story’s surprises were thoroughly engaging. If you’re looking for a mystery with suspense, dynamic characters, and a plot that keeps you guessing, Play It In Reverse won’t disappoint.
August 1, 2025
I REALLY ENJOYED READING THIS BOOK 🔥🔥
Oh! One more thing—I forgot to mention that I also kind of wish the occult aspect had been explored more. Like, why is the "God" figure actually able to perform miracles? Or the smaller details that I think had so much potential to be developed further. It could’ve made the story even spookier. But… okay lahh 😀
By the way,
The backmasking that inspired this story is honestly super interesting.
The Beatles' song Revolution 9 or Number 9 has a conspiracy theory behind it.
They say if you play the “number nine” part backward, it supposedly sounds like “turn me on, dead man.”
Oh! One more thing—I forgot to mention that I also kind of wish the occult aspect had been explored more. Like, why is the "God" figure actually able to perform miracles? Or the smaller details that I think had so much potential to be developed further. It could’ve made the story even spookier. But… okay lahh 😀
By the way,
The backmasking that inspired this story is honestly super interesting.
The Beatles' song Revolution 9 or Number 9 has a conspiracy theory behind it.
They say if you play the “number nine” part backward, it supposedly sounds like “turn me on, dead man.”
January 30, 2025
If you like a good cult thriller with timeline splits, then you’ll love this. Really good twists and turns, and has you guessing until the very end. Recommended 👍
October 25, 2024
I received an early ARC copy of this book. I really enjoyed reading this and think this is a great debut novel! The pacing was good and the chapters were on the shorter side which made it so I couldn't put it down. There are some scenes with gore but the author does put trigger warnings at the beginning of the book. I loved the plot twists . . . there was one that I didn't see coming at all which was great. Overall I would definitely recommend this book for people who love mystery, creepy occult stuff, music, and love a book that gets your heart racing. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more books by this author in the future.
April 14, 2025
As a music lover I thought this was a very interesting story idea that combines music with the occult. I enjoyed the chapters that are set in the 1970s. Loved that the main character is a nurse. There were a lot of twists throughout that kept me on the edge of my seat. Definitely would recommend this to anyone who is into cults, Manson family type stories, music, and twisty/spooky thrillers.
February 6, 2025
I really enjoyed this cult book! It was such a different take on the topic than other cult books I’ve read with SO many twists and turns I didn’t see coming.
March 20, 2025
This book surprised me so much. I loved the twists and turns that this book took. The book kept me engaged from start to finish.
April 15, 2025
This book was a wild entertaining ride 😂
May 23, 2025
This was an amazing story, I loved the thrill of the entire story. It had twists that I did not see coming at all, and in my opinion that's what makes for a epic mystery thriller.
August 21, 2025
One of the best books I've read in a while! Entertaining, gripping, great character development, and every page kept me wanting more. I can't wait to see what Victoria writes next!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews