NEGATIVE GIRL by Libby Cudmore – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Negative Girl by Libby Cudmore
Published by Datura on September 10 2024
Genres: Adult, Mystery
Pages: 400
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Libby Cudmore’s carefully plotted PI story mixes interpersonal drama, music and the emotional pitfalls of addiction.

“Junkies will always break your heart.”

I have to admit it was the cover of Negative Girl that first caught my attention, and after reading it, I think it perfectly fits this murder mystery that centers around a small town PI. This is a rather slow paced, character focused story with themes of friendship, family and addiction, and although it wasn’t what I was expecting, I still had a good time reading it. Also, I have to mention that Libby Cudmore is an excellent writer, and her top-notch prose brought the characters to life.

The story alternates between two main characters. Martin Wade is a PI in the small town of Perrine, New York. In his previous life, he was the front man for a popular band called the French Letters, but a drug overdose ended that career, and now he’s simply trying to stay afloat and make peace with his past. Valerie Jacks is in her thirties and is Martin’s assistant. Valerie has her own secrets, but the past two years working with Martin have been more or less happy and rewarding.

One day, a young woman named Janie knocks on the door of the Wade Agency, worried that her estranged father might be stalking her. Janie seems very familiar to Martin, and it isn’t until he does a little digging later that he realizes she’s the daughter of his former bandmate, Ron. Ron is also battling drug and alcohol addiction, but unlike Martin, he hasn’t been able to get clean. And when Janie is found dead, only days after she asked Martin for help, Valerie takes it upon herself to investigate. The coroner ruled her death an accident, but Valerie doesn’t believe it. Each clue they uncover gets them closer to the truth about what happened to Janie, but along the way, Martin and Valerie will have to face their own emotional pasts in order to solve Janie’s murder.

I thought all the characters were interesting and relatable, even the side characters, and this alone made Negative Girl worth reading. It was easy to get swept up in the lives of Martin, Valerie and Janie, as the author slowly reveals bits and pieces about each of their pasts. Martin has been clean for a few years, but when Janie’s body is found, he reconnects with Ron and his life begins to unravel. Ron is distraught over his daughter’s death and wants Martin there to drown their sorrows together, and unfortunately Martin isn’t strong enough to say “no.” I think readers who have dealt with addiction themselves, either personally or with a close friend or family member, will relate to what Ron and Martin are going through, and even though I haven’t had first hand experience myself, these parts were very emotional.

Valerie was a nice counterpoint to Martin. She’s younger and not as jaded, and she’s the one who insists they dig deeper into Janie’s death. They have a nice father/daughter type relationship, and while I’m sure the author could have shoehorned in a romance between the two, I’m glad she didn’t.

The one downside to the relationships was all the drama. At times I felt like I was reading the novel equivalent of a dramatic TV show (Virgin River comes to mind!), and sometimes the interactions were over the top. As more of each characters’ secrets are revealed, the drama increases, so while it was entertaining, it also became a little too much by the end.

As for the murder mystery, it didn’t really grab me. I was mildly interested in finding out what happened to Janie, but at the same time I didn’t really care. I was more invested in whether or not Martin was going to come to his senses and get his ass to an AA meeting before something terrible happened! By the end, the mystery is solved, although don’t expect any shocking twists. This just isn’t that type of story.

What I did love, though, were all the music references. Cudmore infused her story with so many band names and song references, including a lot of niche bands and songs. The author clearly knows a lot about popular music from the last 30-40 years, and I liked that most of the characters were musicians of one kind or another. There’s probably a playlist out there somewhere for Negative Girl, and I may have to track it down.

In the last few chapters, the author ties up all sorts of loose ends and gives each of her characters an emotionally satisfying ending. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy PI stories but like a heavy focus on characters and their relationships.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.