Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2016
256 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
Raymond Chandler meets Nick Hornby in this clever noir romp through hipster Brooklyn as a mysterious mix tape puts a young amateur sleuth on the hunt for a killer - and for the truths hidden within her own heart.
To listen to someone else's mix tapes is a huge breach of trust.
But KitKat was dead…and curiosity got the better of me.
When a mix tape destined for her friend KitKat accidentally arrives in Jett Bennett's mailbox, she doesn't think twice about it - even in the age of iTunes and Spotify, the hipster residents of the Barter Street district of Brooklyn are in a constant competition to see who can be the most retro.
But when Jett finds KitKat dead on her kitchen floor, Jett suspects the tape might be more than just a quirky collection of lovelorn ballads. And when KitKat's boyfriend Bronco is arrested for her murder, Jett and her best friend Sid set out to discover the real killer on an epic urban quest through strip joints and record stores, vegan bakeries and basement nightclubs. But the further into KitKat's past she goes, the more she discovers about her own left-behind love life - and the mysterious man whose song she still clings to….
"Starred Review. Debut novelist Cudmore balances the crime and romance well and infuses the story with the exhilaration of shared musical tastes and the way they can amplify emotions." - Kirkus
"Cudmore's debut is a murder mystery, romance, coming-of-age story, and exercise in 1980s and 1990s music appreciation... Recommended for Generation Xers who like fast-paced, hip, and seminostalgic reads." - Library Journal
"Like Nick Hornby's High Fidelity for women…The Big Rewind is smart, poignant, and addicting. Libby Cudmore is a writer to watch." – Kristi Belcamino, Anthony and Macavity-award nominated author of Blessed are the Dead
"An absolutely stunning debut ... I can't recommend this book enough. The narrative, is fast, funny, heartbreaking, soul-searching, and boasts more twists than Lombard Street (San Fran)." - Matthew Quinn Martin, author of Nightlife
"Irreverent yet intense, The Big Rewind mixes razor-sharp prose with graceful storytelling. To put it simply, Libby Cudmore rocks." - Hilary Davidson, Anthony Award-winning author of Blood Always Tells
This information about The Big Rewind was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Libby Cudmore worked in video stores, bookstores and temp agencies before settling down in Upstate New York to write. The Big Rewind is her first novel, and her short stories have appeared in PANK, The Stoneslide Corrective, The Big Click, Big Lucks, the HANZAI JAPAN anthology and others. She makes all her own writing journals and has a halfway-decent record collection.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
