Nothin' Left to Lose

by Carl T. Smith

NASHVILLE 1968. John Ryan Stone, ex-army officer, ex-teacher, ex-husband and wannabe songwriter has been pushing his music for three years with no success. Down and out, his luck changes when he is invited to audition his songs for Don Hendrickson, one of Nashville's top producers. Although he is a reluctant performer, the raw earthiness of his voice and his sensual lyrics suggest a new direction in country music.

Stone is suddenly catapulted into a whirlwind of cutting demos, and making career plans that he has little say in. Soon he is flying to New York to sign a contract with Trayhorn International, a recording giant making its first foray into Nashville music. At Trayhorn he meets Kate Belden, a beautiful and focused promotion manager who is assigned to direct his career. What he doesn't know is that Trayhorn is infused with members of the Tedesco Crime Family, which is trying to take over the company and targets the rising star as the key to that end. All too soon, John Ryan and Kate find themselves enmeshed in the dark side of the music business involving bribery, threats, counterfeit records, cut-out schemes, and murder.

Carl T. Smith's first novel seamlessly moves from the recording studios of Nashville to the underworlds of New York and Philadelphia. Through a variety of colorful, romantic and dangerous characters, he skillfully weaves a tale of rising stardom, suspense, new-found love and innovation in the music industry.

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1999