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- over the next three years, 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. Left with a final, cryptic text- 'come to my arms'- 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 a long-held secret that spills into the dark world of a shocking underground Men's Rights movement. 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.
The Last Songbird is a poignant novel about love, obsession, the price of fame and the burden of broken dreams, with a shifting, twisting plot that's full of unexpected turns.
"Weizmann's music bona fidesinform the novel's tone and purpose, but it's equally clear how steeped he is in the styles of detective fiction past and present...This is a story of murder, but also of vivid life." -- The New York Times
"A confident, polished storyteller who honors his influences and while weaving his amateur detective through a complex mystery that will keep you turning the pages until you've reached the haunting finale. A sharp, memorable debut." -- Alex Segura, bestselling author of Secret Identity
A gritty, fast-paced neo-noir that explores the consumptive nature of fame, celebrity, and motherhood through the lens of a driver lost in the gig economy.
A struggling songwriter and Lyft driver, AdamZantz'slife 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- over the next three years, 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. Left with a final, cryptic text- 'come to my arms'- 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 a long-held secret that spills into the dark world of a shocking underground Men's Rights movement. 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.
The Last Songbird is a poignant novel about love, obsession, the price of fame and the burden of broken dreams, with a shifting, twisting plot that's 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- over the next three years, 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. Left with a final, cryptic text- 'come to my arms'- 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 a long-held secret that spills into the dark world of a shocking underground Men's Rights movement. 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.
The Last Songbird is a poignant novel about love, obsession, the price of fame and the burden of broken dreams, with a shifting, twisting plot that's full of unexpected turns.
"Weizmann's music bona fidesinform the novel's tone and purpose, but it's equally clear how steeped he is in the styles of detective fiction past and present...This is a story of murder, but also of vivid life." -- The New York Times
"A confident, polished storyteller who honors his influences and while weaving his amateur detective through a complex mystery that will keep you turning the pages until you've reached the haunting finale. A sharp, memorable debut." -- Alex Segura, bestselling author of Secret Identity
A gritty, fast-paced neo-noir that explores the consumptive nature of fame, celebrity, and motherhood through the lens of a driver lost in the gig economy.
A struggling songwriter and Lyft driver, AdamZantz'slife 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- over the next three years, 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. Left with a final, cryptic text- 'come to my arms'- 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 a long-held secret that spills into the dark world of a shocking underground Men's Rights movement. 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.
The Last Songbird is a poignant novel about love, obsession, the price of fame and the burden of broken dreams, with a shifting, twisting plot that's full of unexpected turns.
Daniel Weizmann is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Billboard, the Guardian, AP Newswire, and more. Under the nom de plume, Shredder, Weizmann also wrote for the long running Flipside fanzine, as well as LA Weekly, which once called him "an incomparable punk stylist." Most recently, Weizmann co-authored Game Changer by Michael Solomon and Rishon Blumberg (Harper Leadership, 2020). He lives in Los Angeles, California.
A CrimeReads Best of 2023 Notable Selection
A Sunday Times of London Best Mystery of 2023
Open Letters Review Best Mystery Books of 2023
"Weizmann’s music bona fides inform the novel’s tone and
purpose, but it’s equally clear how steeped he is in the styles of
detective fiction past and present...This is a story of murder, but
also of vivid life." -- The New York Times
"A moving neonoir cruise through Los Angeles…In hard-boiled
language with an added layer of humor and psychological insight,
Weizmann tells a tale reliant on the thrill, and pathos, of popular
music... At turns thrilling and poignant, this is fine, thoughtful
entertainment." -- Kirkus, STARRED review
"Failed dreams, unfulfilled ambition and past glory swirl through
the character-driven The Last Songbird...Weizmann adds an
intriguing look at the music industry and the personalities it
attracts, showing both its past and current vibe...Readers will
want to buckle up their seatbelts for Addy Zantz’s next drive on
the Pacific Coast Highway." --Oline Cogdill, South Florida
Sun-Sentinel
"Weizmann seamlessly weaves vibrant L.A. music industry
personalities into the suspenseful plot. This tense whodunit
deserves a sequel." -- Publishers Weekly
"The Last Songbird is an enthralling and often deeply amusing read;
it’s a novel that puts a 2020s spin on LA noir in the same way that
Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye gave Raymond Chandler a
sun-drenched ‘70s twist." --The Forward
"The Last Songbird takes the reader on a car ride through
the dark and lonely streets of Los Angeles as the driver tries to
find the murderer of a pop icon and discover who she
really was... Thanks to [Weizmann's] incredible knowledge
of pop music, he has written a terrific debut mystery
novel that looks like the beginning of a series." --The
Jewish Book Council
"Even if you’re not clued into the lore of South Bay punk, The Last
Songbird is a ripping-good story that is also a humorous but
heartfelt rumination on what it means to make art the world doesn’t
value. The set-up ensures that the story is always moving, the
characters always going places. The Last Songbird is everything you
want from a contemporary mystery and the novel even bears an
affinity to Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice." --Jim Ruland for
Razorcake
"a story of broken, damaged families and long-held secrets that’s
straight out of a Ross Macdonald novel. THE LAST SONGBIRD is also
an incisive examination of toxic masculinity..." --Bookreporter
"Props to Daniel Weizmann for respecting older women as artists and
for his clear dedication to writing about music in an evocative and
intelligent manner." -- CrimeReads
"The Last Songbird is the kind of novel that sneaks up on you.
Before you know it, what began as an ordinary run-out written in a
pedestrian style soon starts to show flashes of street-level
lyricism and incisiveness...one of the most entertaining crime
novels I’ve read for some time." --On the Seawall
"This debut mystery has a good storyline... worth the read." --
Library Journal
"The novel ends on a more positive note than the common
clenched-tooth stoicism of traditional noir. The two sexes are not
left in a state of wary antagonism...This Songbird may be the last
but one can certainly hope it is not the end of Adam." --Reviewing
the Evidence
"Weizmann’s updated L.A. noir storytelling is pitch perfect, so
this quirky investigator stands in for each of us, committing in a
fumbling fashion to doing what’s right even though we’re not
equipped for the journey." —New York Journal of Books
"A moody, L.A. noir that carries the city's twilight even during
the light of day." - The Hard Word
“The Last Songbird is my favorite kind of neo-noir - blending the
bright lights of celebrity and fame with the primal urges and
darkness that come with any good noir novel. Weizmann is a
confident, polished storyteller who honors his influences while
weaving his amateur detective through a complex mystery that will
keep you turning the pages until you’ve reached the haunting
finale. A sharp, memorable debut.” -- Alex Segura, author of Secret
Identity
"The Last Songbird is rock noir at its best. It sneaks up on
you like a hook line, and when it's over, you can't get it out of
your head. Hapless hero/songwriter Addy Zantz is witty, gritty and
determined to solve the murder of his idol and muse, the legendary
rock star, Annie Linden. Daniel Weizmann's L.A. is half Warren
Zevon and half Raymond Chandler. Bravo.” -- T. Jefferson Parker,
New York Times bestselling author
“Weizmann skillfully crafts a gritty, unstoppable detective
thriller rife with sleaze and sea foam and broken dreams set
against a crumbling LA backdrop. It’s Sunset Boulevard meets Once
Upon A Time in Hollywood.” --Katie Tallo, author of Dark August
“Weizmann’s fiction is informed by his past as a highly influential
and precocious young veteran of the punk scene, as well as by his
lifelong passion for music, his career in journalism and his love
of noir and Los Angeles. This book is funny, poetic, gripping, and
beautifully tackles themes of creativity, fame and family.”
--Francesca Lia Block, author of Dangerous Angels: the Weetzie Bat
Books
“A terrific ride through the troubled, tangled lives surrounding a
murdered LA music legend, told with the energy of the Germs, the
urgency of X, with a captivating narrator who drives headlong in
crime-fueled pursuit.” --Gregory Galloway, author of Just
Thieves
“Propulsive and pitch perfect, The Last Songbird is a smart,
fast-paced read about the costs of fame to both the spectacularly
gifted and those left dazzled and dazed in their wake. In crackling
prose, Daniel Weizmann masterfully takes the reader through the
midnight precincts of LA to tell a gripping story of human
fallibility – of triumph and failure, generosity and greed, love
and disappointment – and the drive, against all odds, to set things
right. A stunning debut.” --Joan Leegant, author of An Hour in
Paradise
"Daniel Weizmann’s The Last Songbird is a gripping, fast-paced,
neo-noir mystery whose intriguing characters populate the streets
of Los Angeles. When a ‘70’s music icon suddenly
disappears, her driver and friend, begins a frantic search that
leads him in pursuit of the truth. In turn, he will
discover just as much about himself. Weizmann has
written a smart, unforgettable, page-turner of the best kind." --
Gail Tsukiyama, author of The Color of Air
"Take everything you know about the noir detective and chuck it out
the window of a moving car on the Pacific Coast Highway. Weizmann's
Adam Zantz is a uniquely relatable amateur sleuth. His flaws and,
more importantly, his empathy make him a Lew Archer for the
millennial age. Fortunately, The Last Songbird only feels like the
beginning." -- Kyle Decker, author of This Rancid Mill
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