The music  I listened to while writing A CUTE LITTLE MURDER was a little less whimsical and a little more, well, murder-y. The story explores what happens when a teen sleuth's sidekick grows up and is given an opportunity to get even. 

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OUR STORY

As teens, Harlow Drake and Lainey Piper built an online fandom solving small-town crimes. Harlow was the star, Lainey the behind-the-scenes genius (and often, Harlow’s scapegoat). Years later, Harlow’s hosting a hit true crime tv show. Lainey? She’s working in forensics. Well, forensic accounting … from home.

 

In pajamas.

 

With her cat.​ 

 

But when Harlow faces significant backlash over fumbling a case, she needs a quick win—like a special investigation into the decades-old disappearance of a starlet from a once-glamorous, now decrepit island hotel. The catch? The "money guys" want: Lainey has to play the sidekick again, and they're willing to pay her a ridiculous "goodbye debt forever" amount of money to do it. ​With sabotage, hidden staircases, and a killer in their midst, Lainey steps into the spotlight and takes charge of the investigation. It’s up to her to crack the case— as long as she can stay alive.

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To frame this story, set in a Prohibition era hotel on a fictional island off the coast of Wisconsin, I used a mix of music from jazz and Big Band's golden era, modern songs twisted to sound like they were performed in  jazz and Big Band's golden era, music from when Lainey and Harlow were in high school together and music that made you feel like you were walking through a huge, isolated and strangely decorated hotel in the dark.

 

Scott Bradlee's PostModern Jukebox got it's own section because I used so much of their music, but also because it's very difficult to fit that much text in one line. Also, I listened to "Zombie" from the WEDNESDAY Soundtrack on repeat while revising. 

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I set up a YouTube playlist of the songs, which you can find here. I hope you listen while reading and get the alternating feelings of joy, nostalgia, eerie discomfort and romance I poured into the manuscript. 

 

A CUTE LITTLE MURDER will be released in print, eBook and audio in April 2026. Click here to preorder. ​​