by Jonathan Coe
First published 1990
William watches his bandmates transform his carefully crafted melodies into crude imitations of Status Quo. The music he pours his heart into becomes unrecognizable, twisted into something that makes him cringe. Meanwhile, Madelaine remains frustratingly beyond his reach, cool and untouchable despite his longing. His artistic dreams seem dead, his romantic hopes crushed. Then William sees something he was never meant to see. A killing unfolds before his eyes, bizarre and shocking. Suddenly he carries knowledge that puts him in danger. The murder he witnessed threatens to upend his already chaotic existence. What started as disappointment over ruined songs and unrequited love becomes something far more serious. William must navigate this new reality where his safety depends on what he does with what he knows. His struggles with music and romance pale beside this deadly secret.
Genres: fiction, mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Hardcover · Fourth Estate
Content warnings: death, murder, violence