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A Song for Katy Shayne
When a music critic learns a talented young singer might have been murdered, he delves into the past, only to find peril in the present.
For the first time in his life, journalist Jack Fiorello is out of work. The sixty-five-year-old music critic is adrift; not even his wife, Molly, can lift him from his funk. Then a reader calls with a tip, and Jack is thrust into a story involving Katy Shayne, a long-dead singer-songwriter, and what might very well be her murder.
Traveling across Greenwich Village and down to Nashville, Jack unravels long-forgotten facts that led to Katy’s death. In doing so, he puts himself at mortal risk for the first time in his career. Is it worth the effort? All this for an unknown singer and her songs? Though beaten and battered, Jack answers with a resounding “yes.”
A Song for Katy Shayne is both a pulsing crime story and a heartfelt drama of personal resilience, very much in the style of Fusilli’s The Price You Pay and his masterpiece, Narrows Gate. As Katy and her music come alive on the page, the story’s ring of authenticity is heightened by anecdotes ripped from his lengthy career as the Wall Street Journal’s Rock & Pop Critic. In A Song for Katy Shayne, violence and tenderness, corruption, and dedication to high values collide, explode, and drive toward a remarkable conclusion.
For the first time in his life, journalist Jack Fiorello is out of work. The sixty-five-year-old music critic is adrift; not even his wife, Molly, can lift him from his funk. Then a reader calls with a tip, and Jack is thrust into a story involving Katy Shayne, a long-dead singer-songwriter, and what might very well be her murder.
Traveling across Greenwich Village and down to Nashville, Jack unravels long-forgotten facts that led to Katy’s death. In doing so, he puts himself at mortal risk for the first time in his career. Is it worth the effort? All this for an unknown singer and her songs? Though beaten and battered, Jack answers with a resounding “yes.”
A Song for Katy Shayne is both a pulsing crime story and a heartfelt drama of personal resilience, very much in the style of Fusilli’s The Price You Pay and his masterpiece, Narrows Gate. As Katy and her music come alive on the page, the story’s ring of authenticity is heightened by anecdotes ripped from his lengthy career as the Wall Street Journal’s Rock & Pop Critic. In A Song for Katy Shayne, violence and tenderness, corruption, and dedication to high values collide, explode, and drive toward a remarkable conclusion.
214 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 15, 2025
About the author
Jim Fusilli
53 books46 followersJim Fusilli is the author of nine novels including “The Mayor of Polk Street” and “Narrows Gate,” which George Pelecanos called “equal parts Ellroy, Puzo and Scorsese” and Mystery Scene magazine said “must be ranked among the half-dozen most memorable novels about the Mob.”
Jim’s debut novel “Closing Time” was the last work of fiction set in New York City published prior to the 9/11 attacks. The following year, his novel, “A Well-Known Secret” addressed the impact of 9/11 on the residents of lower Manhattan. Subsequent novels include “Tribeca Blues” and “Hard, Hard City,” which Mystery Ink magazine named its Novel of the Year. “Closing Time,” “A Well-Known Secret” and “Tribeca Blues” were reissued by Open Road Media in October 2018. Lawrence Block provided a new foreword for “Closing Time.”
Jim has published short stories that have appeared in a variety of magazines as well as anthologies edited by Lee Child, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman and other masters of the mystery genre. He edited and contributed to the anthologies “The Chopin Manuscript” and “The Copper Bracelet.” His “Chellini’s Solution” was included in an edition of the Best American Mystery Stories and his “Digby, Attorney at Law” was nominated for the Edgar and Macavity awards. The novel “Narrows Gate” was nominated for a Macavity in the Best Historical Fiction category.
The former Rock & Pop Critic of The Wall Street Journal and an occasional contributor to National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” Jim is the author of two books of non-fiction, both related to popular music. “Pet Sounds” is his tribute to Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys’ classic album. It was translated for a Japanese language edition by Haruki Murakami Combining his interests, Jim edited and contributed a chapter to “Crime Plus Music: Twenty Stories of Music-Themed Noir,” published in 2017.
His novel for young adults “Marley Z and the Bloodstained Violin” was published by Dutton Juvenile.
Jim is married to the former Diane Holuk, a global communications executive. They currently reside just north of New York City. Find out more about them at https://jimfusilli.com/.
Jim’s debut novel “Closing Time” was the last work of fiction set in New York City published prior to the 9/11 attacks. The following year, his novel, “A Well-Known Secret” addressed the impact of 9/11 on the residents of lower Manhattan. Subsequent novels include “Tribeca Blues” and “Hard, Hard City,” which Mystery Ink magazine named its Novel of the Year. “Closing Time,” “A Well-Known Secret” and “Tribeca Blues” were reissued by Open Road Media in October 2018. Lawrence Block provided a new foreword for “Closing Time.”
Jim has published short stories that have appeared in a variety of magazines as well as anthologies edited by Lee Child, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman and other masters of the mystery genre. He edited and contributed to the anthologies “The Chopin Manuscript” and “The Copper Bracelet.” His “Chellini’s Solution” was included in an edition of the Best American Mystery Stories and his “Digby, Attorney at Law” was nominated for the Edgar and Macavity awards. The novel “Narrows Gate” was nominated for a Macavity in the Best Historical Fiction category.
The former Rock & Pop Critic of The Wall Street Journal and an occasional contributor to National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” Jim is the author of two books of non-fiction, both related to popular music. “Pet Sounds” is his tribute to Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys’ classic album. It was translated for a Japanese language edition by Haruki Murakami Combining his interests, Jim edited and contributed a chapter to “Crime Plus Music: Twenty Stories of Music-Themed Noir,” published in 2017.
His novel for young adults “Marley Z and the Bloodstained Violin” was published by Dutton Juvenile.
Jim is married to the former Diane Holuk, a global communications executive. They currently reside just north of New York City. Find out more about them at https://jimfusilli.com/.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 10, 2026
Okay Enough To Finish But Disappointing, Overall!
Jim Fusilli effectively captures the protagonist’s diminished sense of worth after he is displaced from his long-held position as a music critic. Further, his descriptions of the music scene are another strength, reflecting Fusilli’s deep familiarity with the subject.
Nonetheless, unlike my positive experiences with some of the author’s other books, I was disappointed in A Song For Katy Shayne, which I consider to be, at best, an okay read.
My disappointment is due to the following two main reasons. One, is that I had mixed feelings about the protagonist and never became fully invested in him; and I felt that the cast of supporting characters were adequate to advance the plot but they lacked the depth needed to make me care about them. Second, and equally important, as a mystery, the novel is very slow-moving and, unfortunately, very predictable. The premise has potential, but the story never generated enough suspense or momentum to become truly compelling.
Jim Fusilli effectively captures the protagonist’s diminished sense of worth after he is displaced from his long-held position as a music critic. Further, his descriptions of the music scene are another strength, reflecting Fusilli’s deep familiarity with the subject.
Nonetheless, unlike my positive experiences with some of the author’s other books, I was disappointed in A Song For Katy Shayne, which I consider to be, at best, an okay read.
My disappointment is due to the following two main reasons. One, is that I had mixed feelings about the protagonist and never became fully invested in him; and I felt that the cast of supporting characters were adequate to advance the plot but they lacked the depth needed to make me care about them. Second, and equally important, as a mystery, the novel is very slow-moving and, unfortunately, very predictable. The premise has potential, but the story never generated enough suspense or momentum to become truly compelling.
April 14, 2026
A Song for Katy Shayne by Jim Fusilli is a compelling blend of music infused mystery and introspective character study. At its center is Jack Fiorello, an aging music critic grappling with personal and professional displacement, who finds renewed purpose in investigating the life and possible murder of an overlooked singer songwriter.
Fusilli brings authenticity and depth to the narrative through his clear familiarity with the music world, allowing Katy Shayne’s story to resonate with emotional and artistic weight. The novel unfolds across evocative settings like Greenwich Village and Nashville, weaving past and present into a layered mystery that steadily intensifies.
What sets the book apart is its balance between suspense and reflection, as Jack’s investigation becomes as much about rediscovering meaning as it is about uncovering truth. With its rich atmosphere and emotional undertones, A Song for Katy Shayne will appeal to readers who appreciate character driven crime fiction with a strong cultural and musical backdrop.
Fusilli brings authenticity and depth to the narrative through his clear familiarity with the music world, allowing Katy Shayne’s story to resonate with emotional and artistic weight. The novel unfolds across evocative settings like Greenwich Village and Nashville, weaving past and present into a layered mystery that steadily intensifies.
What sets the book apart is its balance between suspense and reflection, as Jack’s investigation becomes as much about rediscovering meaning as it is about uncovering truth. With its rich atmosphere and emotional undertones, A Song for Katy Shayne will appeal to readers who appreciate character driven crime fiction with a strong cultural and musical backdrop.
May 27, 2025
You don't just read this book, you get drawn into a conversation with it. Like catching up with an old friend who has fascinating tales of the music business, this heartwarming and panic-filled thriller feels as comfortable as it is exciting.
If you've ever been downsized, laid off, made redundant, or even fired, the opening pages will grab you with the visceral feels of "ooh, been there. It was just like that." Even if you haven't, you've witnessed it. The main character captures you right off. From there, the story gathers steam and drives ever deeper into a nasty alleyway in the sparkling business we call music.
This isn't Jim Fusilli's first rodeo, he twirls the pace and description with expertise not often seen these days. Without diving into excessive literary-speak, he delivers everything you need to know to see, hear, feel, and even smell the action.
I highly recommend this book.
--Seeley James
If you've ever been downsized, laid off, made redundant, or even fired, the opening pages will grab you with the visceral feels of "ooh, been there. It was just like that." Even if you haven't, you've witnessed it. The main character captures you right off. From there, the story gathers steam and drives ever deeper into a nasty alleyway in the sparkling business we call music.
This isn't Jim Fusilli's first rodeo, he twirls the pace and description with expertise not often seen these days. Without diving into excessive literary-speak, he delivers everything you need to know to see, hear, feel, and even smell the action.
I highly recommend this book.
--Seeley James
August 6, 2025
An elegy to some lost worlds - the music scene of the Seventies and journalism that sought to inform rather than titillate. Jim Fusilli has created a memorable, dogged character in Jack Fiorello, a talented and passionate man being forced out to pasture. As it turns out, his journey is just beginning.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews