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Written in dead wax
2016
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He is a record collector — a connoisseur of vinyl, hunting out rare and elusive LPs. His business card describes him as the “Vinyl Detective” and some people take this more literally than others.

Like the beautiful, mysterious woman who wants to pay him a large sum of money to find a priceless lost recording — on behalf of an extremely wealthy (and rather sinister) shadowy client. 

Given that he’s just about to run out of cat biscuits, this gets our hero’s full attention. So begins a painful and dangerous odyssey in search of the rarest jazz record of them all… - (Random House, Inc.)

Author Biography

Andrew Cartmel is a novelist and screenwriter. His work for television includes Midsomer Murders and Torchwood, and a legendary stint as Script Editor on Doctor Who. He has also written plays for the London Fringe, toured as a stand-up comedian, and is currently co-writing with Ben Aaronovitch a series of comics based on the bestselling Rivers of London books. He lives in London. - (Random House, Inc.)

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Booklist Reviews

Jazz-loving mystery fans have plenty of similarly inclined sleuths to follow—from Bill Moody's Evan Horne through Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch—but this series debut, about an unnamed "vinyl detective," adds the crazy world of record collectors to the mix. Our hero, a failed London DJ turned LP finder, makes a meager living—just enough to keep his two rambunctious cats in kibble and him in high-end coffee beans—by tracking down whatever obscure vinyl recording his clients desire, though jazz is his specialty. So it seems like his ship has come in when a fetching Louise Brooks look-alike arrives on his doorstep, checkbook in hand, asking him to track down a 1950s recording on a small label by a piano player who died mysteriously shortly thereafter. It's off to the jumble sales, but soon enough it becomes clear that our guy and gal have competition who are willing to play dirty. The plot gets a little far-fetched (and Cartmel definitely overplays the now-you're-dead-now-you're-not card), but this one is all about mood (jaunty and clever, in swinging, four-four time) and frame story (jazz history mixed with geeky references to Ortofon Rohmann cartridges and Roksan Xerxes turntables). Vinyl fans, this one's for you. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

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