Once More From The Top by Emily Layden:

In mid-noughties America, class misfit Dylan is befriended by fellow misfit Kelsey and they began making music together.  Shortly afterwards, Kelsey goes missing.  Fast forward twenty years and Dylan is the biggest star in the world, with fans obsessed with both herwork and relationships.  And then, Kelsey’s body is discovered at the bottom of a lake…

Of course, by now you’ll have sussed who Dylan Read is supposed to be.  If you need to look a little deeper at our ‘anti-hero’, she starts making country, then pop, then confessional.  Her partners include a label boss, a football player and a writer.  I know, I can’t ’shake it off’ either.  There’s also a queer relationship to satisfy the tinfoilers.  

Once you step aside that, this is a cracking murder-mystery, with an undertow of how geeky our teenage years are and how now, we’re all geeks.  Factor in that the idea of women artists having to subvert their character to succeed and hint of Me Too and this is a heady cocktail of nostalgia, obsession, sex and fame.  That’s enough for a satisfying read, but there is also the grit and twang of middle America.  Plus, Dylan’s continuing monologue with Kelsey.

In conclusion, the novel lands at a sweet spot: a mystery, with music and a masterful control of plot and character.  It’s published by 4th Estate on 1st August and I thank them for a preview copy.