Dead Wax
(2025)(The first book in the Vinyl and Victims Mystery series)
A Story by Maisy Marple and Sadie Wren
When the needle drops on this mystery, the music can be murder...
After thirty years producing chart-topping hits in Los Angeles, Melody Clarke is ready for her second act. Trading the cutthroat music industry for the peaceful shores of Harbor Point, Maine, she pours her savings into restoring a charming Victorian storefront and opening "Needle Drop," a vintage vinyl record shop.
But her grand opening strikes a sour note when music critic Liam Ross is found dead in his rented cottage the morning after the celebration. What initially appears to be an accidental fall takes a sinister turn when the medical examiner notices peculiar damage to the victim's inner ear—damage inconsistent with a fall.
When Police Chief Adrian Wells learns of Melody's industry background, he's intrigued by what insights she might offer. But as the town's newest business owner and the last person to publicly argue with the victim, Melody quickly becomes a person of interest.
Determined to clear her name and protect her fresh start, Melody begins her own investigation. Drawing on her producer's ear for discrepancies and extensive music industry connections, she discovers the victim had been researching a tell-all book exposing corruption in the music business—specifically surrounding Harbor Point's prestigious Wavelength Festival.
As Melody digs deeper, she uncovers a complex web of suspects:
• Festival founder Eleanor Whitman, whose cultural legacy is threatened by the exposé
• Rising indie star Jamie Nguyen, whose career could be destroyed by manipulated streaming data
• Sound engineer Dominic Foster, whose innovative audio technology might have been stolen
'' Melody's own shop assistant Zoe Parker, who harbors a mysterious connection to a decades-old tragedy
When Melody discovers a hidden code etched in the dead wax of a rare vinyl record found at the crime scene, she realizes she's tracking a killer who has been hiding in plain sight for forty years. The evidence is in the grooves, and only someone with a producer's ear can hear the deadly truth.
"Dead Wax" is the first book in the Vinyl & Victims cozy mystery series, featuring amateur sleuth Melody Clarke. With its charming coastal setting, musical intrigue, and a cast of colorful characters, this delightful mystery hits all the right notes for fans of small-town whodunits. No matter how carefully the needle is placed, some grooves cut deeper than others...
Genre: Mystery
After thirty years producing chart-topping hits in Los Angeles, Melody Clarke is ready for her second act. Trading the cutthroat music industry for the peaceful shores of Harbor Point, Maine, she pours her savings into restoring a charming Victorian storefront and opening "Needle Drop," a vintage vinyl record shop.
But her grand opening strikes a sour note when music critic Liam Ross is found dead in his rented cottage the morning after the celebration. What initially appears to be an accidental fall takes a sinister turn when the medical examiner notices peculiar damage to the victim's inner ear—damage inconsistent with a fall.
When Police Chief Adrian Wells learns of Melody's industry background, he's intrigued by what insights she might offer. But as the town's newest business owner and the last person to publicly argue with the victim, Melody quickly becomes a person of interest.
Determined to clear her name and protect her fresh start, Melody begins her own investigation. Drawing on her producer's ear for discrepancies and extensive music industry connections, she discovers the victim had been researching a tell-all book exposing corruption in the music business—specifically surrounding Harbor Point's prestigious Wavelength Festival.
As Melody digs deeper, she uncovers a complex web of suspects:
• Festival founder Eleanor Whitman, whose cultural legacy is threatened by the exposé
• Rising indie star Jamie Nguyen, whose career could be destroyed by manipulated streaming data
• Sound engineer Dominic Foster, whose innovative audio technology might have been stolen
'' Melody's own shop assistant Zoe Parker, who harbors a mysterious connection to a decades-old tragedy
When Melody discovers a hidden code etched in the dead wax of a rare vinyl record found at the crime scene, she realizes she's tracking a killer who has been hiding in plain sight for forty years. The evidence is in the grooves, and only someone with a producer's ear can hear the deadly truth.
"Dead Wax" is the first book in the Vinyl & Victims cozy mystery series, featuring amateur sleuth Melody Clarke. With its charming coastal setting, musical intrigue, and a cast of colorful characters, this delightful mystery hits all the right notes for fans of small-town whodunits. No matter how carefully the needle is placed, some grooves cut deeper than others...
Genre: Mystery
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