The Last Songbird
A Pacific Coast Highway Mystery
On behalf of: Kathy Robbins - The Robbins Office, Inc.
A CrimeReads Best of 2023 Notable Selection
A Sunday Times of London Best Mystery of 2023
Open Letters Review Best Mystery Books of 2023
“This is a story of murder, but also of vivid life.” —The New York Times
A gritty, fast-paced neo-noir and a poignant novel about love, obsession, the price of fame and the burden of broken dreams, with a shifting, twisting plot full of unexpected turns.
A struggling songwriter and Lyft driver, Adam Zantz’s life changes when he accepts a ride request in Malibu and 1970s music icon Annie Linden enters his dented VW Jetta. Bonding during that initial ride, the two quickly go off app—Adam becomes her exclusive driver and Annie listens to his music, encouraging Adam even as he finds himself driving more often than songwriting. Then, Annie disappears, and her body washes up under a pier. A grieving Adam plays amateur detective, only to be charged as accomplice-after-the-fact. Desperate to clear his name and discover who killed the one person who believed in his music when no one else in his life did, Adam digs deep into Annie’s past, turning up an old guitar teacher, sworn enemies and lovers, and long-held secrets. As he drives the outskirts of Los Angeles in California, Adam comes to question how well he, or anyone else, knew Annie—if at all.