"The Big Rewind is entertaining and clever. And, to borrow from the novel: ''weird, twee and oddly appropriate.''" - Las Vegas Weekly Las Vegas Weekly The Big Rewind brilliantly captures the exhilaration of being young, untethered, and in love in the Big City. This music-infused debut is like Nick Hornby''s High Fidelity for women, as it earnestly explores how aspiring music writer Jett Bennett navigates leaving lost loves-in this case musical soul mates-behind in order to embrace living in the moment. This bittersweet, yet hopeful, story revolves around a murder mystery set in a modern-day hipster Brooklyn neighborhood where daily life is peppered by communal brunch dates, quirky temp jobs, and 80s-themed dance clubs. The Big Rewind is smart, poignant, and addicting . Libby Cudmore is a writer to watch. I loved it.
- - Kristi Belcamino, Anthony and Macavity-award nominated author of Blessed are the Dead 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 Cudmore''s funny, breezy first novel.deftly melds mystery, romance, and music. Jett makes for a very refreshing lead in a novel that will appeal to twentysomethings as well as those enamored with Warren Zevon and the Vapors. - Booklist Cudmore''s funny, breezy first novel features snappy narration by Brooklynite Jett Bennett, an aspiring music journalist and temp-agency worker. Jett finds a mix tape in her mail for her neighbor upstairs, bohemian baker KitKat.
But when she goes to deliver it, she discovers that KitKat has been murdered, her head bashed in with a marble rolling pin. When KitKat''s sweet boyfriend, Bronco, is arrested for murder, Jett decides to investigate, starting with the mix tape sent by KitKat''s secret lover. Accompanied by her best friend, southern gentleman Sid, who knows just how to comfort her (marathon sessions of Law and Order, Chinese takeout, mix tapes of 1980s music), the two visit vintage record stores and strip clubs in search of clues. Their journey gives Jett ample time for sardonic commentary on hipster culture and multiple music references. In short, punchy chapters named after song titles, Cudmore deftly melds mystery, romance, and music. Jett makes for a very refreshing lead in a novel that will appeal to twentysomethings as well as those enamored with Warren Zevon and the Vapors. - Booklist "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 The clues to a Brooklyn murder unspool on a mixtape in what might be a new mystery subgenre--the hipster cozy . 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 . Jett''s quests for justice and a decent boyfriend keep things suspenseful until the inevitable reveal of whodunit. - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "The clues to a Brooklyn murder unspool on a mixtape in what might be a new mystery subgenre--the hipster cozy . 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 Reviews (starred review) 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 "Cudmore''s debut assumes a different flavor - that of Raymond Chandler crossed with Nick Hornby, a blend of studied momentous craft and sterling silver cynicism." - Examiner.com "A hipster cozy! That''s a pretty irresistible idea, and Libby Cudmore''s debut novel delivers on it. The author''s anatomization of this milieu is a joy, funny, precise, and self-deprecating" - USA Today Heads up, vinyl-loving hipsters: Cudmore''s debut is for you. Jett Bennett is a young New York City temp who came to the big city with dreams of becoming a music journalist. Soon she''s griping, "I wish someone had told me print was dead." The rhythm of her life in her funky section of Brooklyn is disrupted when she discovers the battered body of a neighbor, and she sets out to find the killer. In the course of her investigation, Jett begins reexamining her own life.
She encounters a steady stream of friends, acquaintances, and hangers-on, but music is the glue that holds the story together: the Psychedelic Furs, Warren Zevon, Tom Cochrane, Talking Heads, Hall and Oates, Cindi Lauper--and this does not even come close to listing all the musicians mentioned in the song-laced text. Cudmore has preserved for all time a slice of current, hipster Brooklyn. - Publishers Weekly Funny and smart, Libby Cudmore''s debut novel is an old-fashioned whodunit with a new-fashioned heroine, the irreverent, romantic, music-obsessed Jett Bennett. - Peter Swanson, author of The Kind Worth Killing Heads up, vinyl-loving hipsters: Cudmore''s debut is for you . Cudmore has preserved for all time a slice of current, hipster Brooklyn. - Publishers Weekly Cudmore''s debut is a murder mystery, romance, coming-of-age story, and exercise in 1980s and 1990s music appreciation. The song-titled chapters are a nice touch, and the author adds wry humor and realistic emotion to angsty Jett''s thoughts. Recommended for Generation Xers who like fast-paced, hip, and seminostalgic reads.
- Library Journal 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 Set against the colorful background of New York City, this book will appeal to 20-somethings and serious music lovers. The writing is solid and the chapters are short and fast-moving. - Romantic Times BOOKclub.