This book was....hard to describe. It was part pop culture, part mystery, part meandering story. It took until almost the halfway point for me to properly envelopes into the story. I am not one for wandering tales and wanted to give up several times. Overall, be patient - it gets there eventually, and is good when it does, but if you want action immediately, skip this one. Three stars.

To me, this book is a good example of how a reader may sometimes have to be a little patient with a story and give it some time to hook them. Even though there were parts of it that I was enjoying, there were multiple times during the first several chapters of 'The Last Songbird' when I wasn't sure that I wanted to keep reading it. It wasn't until around the halfway mark of the book that the story finally grabbed ahold of me the way I wanted it to.

From there forward, I was pretty happy with it. While it was a little hard to follow at times, I was ultimately happy with how it turned out. In fact, the ending of it was quite good. The main mystery of the story was resolved in a clever way that I didn't at all see coming.

What I liked most about 'The Last Songbird' was how it was told in first person by the main character, Adam Zantz. I wasn't sure for a while whether or not I cared about the character, but he grew on me and I ultimately found myself rooting for him and liking him.

Even though I wish it had grabbed ahold of me sooner than it did, I liked 'The Last Songbird' and am now looking forward to reading the second book in the series, 'Cinnamon Girl,' when it is released in the spring of 2024.

NOTE: I received an advanced reading copy of this novel from the publisher.

A great mix of amateur sleuth and pop culture. The characters are fun and although periphery characters are pretty flat, the main characters are full of fun and classic stereotypes. It was a great setting well played. I loved that the sleuth was a guy and not the typical Miss Marple.

Adam Zantz is a Lyft driver who has been the exclusive driver of songwriter Annie Linden for the past three years. One night Adam receives a cryptic text to pick up Annie, but she's not there and instead later washes up on the beach. Adam had been tasked by Annie to find something for her, and now that she's dead, Adam is determined to fulfill her last request while also investigating if someone killed her. Adam meets the people of Annie's past and present and with each new person, tries to make sense of who Annie really was. Overall, a noir-style book that also explores the difference between someone's public persona and private past. The storytelling style was more stream of conscious, as it followed the various threads of Adam's investigation.

LA Confidential it is not ⭐️⭐️ A classic, LA noir whodunit sounded right up my alley, but this one did not deliver. It was a mixed-up charcters hodgepodge of red herrings that were intriguing at first, but then really pissed me off. An ending that was as unexpected as it was aggrivating. This may just be my last noir genre swan song. ✌️

Published by Melville House on May 23, 2023

The Last Songbird has the feel of a classic mystery in a modern setting. Adam Zantz is pushing 40. He drives for Lyft on the web of LA highways. He’s also Annie Linden’s personal driver; that is, she books him off app. Adam arrives a bit late in response to her most recent call, only to find that she’s missing. The police question Adam because her security guy, Troy Banks, is dead. So is Annie, as Adam soon learns when a jogger finds her body on a beach.

Annie was a popular singer-songwriter who was nominated for a Grammy in 1974. She was 73 when she died. Adam began driving for her after his mother “went batshit” and his girlfriend and songwriting partner dumped him. He feels Annie’s loss profoundly, in part because she praised his songs. She was the last person on Earth who believed in him.

Adam was once licensed as a private detective. He spent three weeks doing Google searches for a real detective before he quit. Annie wanted him to find someone and help her piece something together, but she didn’t give him any details before she was killed.

Annie had recently fired her personal assistant. Bix Gelden had known Annie since childhood and had been fired regularly, but the police think he had a motive to murder Annie so they arrest him because he’s convenient. Adam decides to use his meager detective skills to investigate his guilt.

Adam’s search leads him to Haywood Kronski, Annie’s not-quite-ex-husband and former producer; Eva Silber-Alvarez, Annie’s spiritual mentor; her fan club president; two young people who might be Annie’s drug dealer; the man who taught Annie to play the guitar; a jacuzzi salesman; a massage therapist/yoga practitioner; and a dead urologist. Playing detective also gets him arrested. He’s repeatedly threatened, his tires are slashed, he’s on the wrong end of a car chase. The Last Songbird isn’t a particularly violent novel, but what’s a detective story without an occasional fistfight?

Every lead Adam follows turns out to be productive, usually in improbable ways. That’s common to modern crime novels. I suppose writers fear that readers will be bored if detectives chase leads to dead ends, but it’s hard to believe that a random bookmark taken from hundreds of books in a storage shed, or a bootleg concert tape purchased on impulse from a hippy, would help Adam find Annie’s killer. Chalk it up to karma? It’s LA, after all.

With a little help from the guitar teacher, Adam muses about the nature of songs and songwriting. Older readers (and younger ones who know their pop music history) will appreciate the references to songs of Annie’s era. The story also features an interesting aside about the rise of the red pill movement, a collection of misogynistic incels who blame feminists, Jews, and people with dark skin for their inability to get laid.

Adam’s encounters with people in Annie’s life leave him with conflicting impressions of Annie. Some saw her as a totem, others as a user. Adam’s view of Annie evolves as he learns her secrets. The story suggests that artistic icons are never who we expect them to be. They’re just people, with all the complexity that defines human existence. Maybe we have no right to expect them to be anything other than creators of work we admire.

The novel’s intrigue comes from being an unconventional family drama, a story of family members who worship or detest each other. Adam’s own family gives Adam a bit of drama when he enlists their support for his investigation. His sister thinks he’s a loser. As a Lyft driver pushing 40, his circumstances suggest that the perception is valid if uncharitable. Whether Adam will use the investigation as a springboard to self-improvement adds to the intrigue that drives the story.

Daniel Weizmann invokes a classic confusion of identities to bring the novel to a close. Adam’s ability to piece together vague clues to catch the killer is improbable but the story follows a thread of logic that never breaks. Adam attains an awareness of the demons that have driven his own life as he solves the murder, bringing the story to a satisfying resolution. The Last Songbird is a good choice for fans of classic mysteries.

RECOMMENDED

A solid read. A throwback to classic-noir. The connection and interaction between the main characters were believable. I found myself wanting to engage with them as I drove deeper into reading. This was the beginning of a series that I look forward into getting into.

#NETGALLEY
#DANIELWEIZMANN
#THELASTSONGBIRD

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the eARC to NetGalley. I absolutely love discovering books like this, a top notch LA mystery. This is an updated LA noir featuring a washed up songwriter's investigation into the murder of a famous singer, a friend whom he also drove around. His elliptical investigation turns into an archeological dig into her past and the cast of characters she was surrounded by both before and after she became famous. On one level, this is a meditation on how a famous, talented woman had to keep her secrets and how her success became the object of hatred to so many around her. The fact of her luminescence snaked around the brains of those who were supposed to help her to the point that they had to try to take it away out of sense of their own shame. The protagonist is the opposite in that he tries to save her. This is a very good murder mystery but a great meditation on masculinity at the current time in history.

This book is classified as a neo-noir and it wasn’t for me. It jumped around a lot and I found the storyline hard to follow. The ending was predictable. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was given this ARC to read from Netgalley and in return I agreed to give an honest review.

This is a murder mystery that did not manage to pull me in. There were some very well written parts, where I almost liked what I was reading but then a few pages later I was back to being reminded why I wasn’t enjoying the book.

I found the story jumped around too much and had a very predictable ending. I was looking forward to reading this book and I am disappointed that I was unable to leave a more positive review.

An homage to classic LA detective stories with a modern pop culture twist. A beautiful and lyrical mystery that would make Raymond Chandler proud.

Easily the most hypnotic, engaging story I've read in a very long time, THE LAST SONGBIRD by Daniel Weizmann grabbed me with its taut, vivid prose, deep characterization, and well-drawn settings ranging from Uber-wealthy California coastal mansions to the everyday travels and travails of a Lyft driver inadvertently drawn into the complicated, dangerous life of former rock star performer Annie Linden, once regular rider and now regular confidante, friend, and ally. When Annie goes missing, Adam goes looking for her with few clues, but a powerful sense she's in trouble. The twists, turns, and revelations were creative, logical and surprising and kept me up way too late reading. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

The Last Songbird by Daniel Weizmann is a highly recommended neo-noir mystery set in and around Los Angeles.

Lyft driver, Adam Zantz’s life changes when 1970s music icon Annie Linden becomes a regular customer and an important part of his life for the next three years. Then Adam arrives to pick Annie up and she's not there, but the police are. Annie's body is later found later and Adam begins his own investigation into Annie's life to find out who killed her. Before her death she had asked him to look into some things from her past and he thinks this may be the key to her murder. He ends up discovering Annie is not quite the person he thought she was.

The writing is excellent and thoughtful as it captures a cross-section of LA during Adam's investigation. It also illustrates the thoughts of a struggling singer/songwriter. The narrative moves at an even pace and is told with some humor and a whole lot of psychological insight into the individuals Addy meets along the way. The mystery is interesting and the various unexpected twists and shifts in the plot make it even more compelling.

Addy is an appealing character. The various people he meets as he investigates are wildly varied and equally interesting. The Last Songbird is a very good debut and seems to clearly be a set up for more Adam (Addy) Zandt PI novels.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Melville House via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

Very well written. Verbiage such as the "jukebox id" is so intuitive and ingenious, I really felt like I understood Adam - I understood what was compelling him to seek the truth about the songbird's death. A bumbling detective, I feared for his mental and physical health and yet didn't want him to stop searching. A true noir, this mystery leaps off the pages. I look forward to Adam Zantz's next adventure.

I received a complimentary ARC of this excellent novel from Netgalley, author Daniel Weizmann, and publisher Melville House Publishing. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read The Last Songbird of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Daniel Weizmann is an author I will follow. He writes a tale with heart.

Adam Zantz is 37, supports himself as a Lyft Driver, and writes songs on the side. He hasn't had a great deal of songwriting success, but enough to encourage him to keep trying to break into the Southern California music business. His best Lyft customer, dearest friend, and most encouraging musical supporter is 73-year-old retired songstress Annie Linden, the grand dame of song for the last 5 decades. Even most of the hip kids love her. Annie has an extensive gated complex on the ocean, but she doesn't live in the big house, but rather the small cottage on the beach. Set to pick her up at 8:00 pm for a sunset run up Pacific Coast Highway, Adam arrives a few minutes late to find the place overflowing with police. Annie is missing. Her security man Troy is dead. Her secretary Bix is also not to be found. Adam doesn't mention the fact that Bix was recently fired - again - because it is a pattern that has been enacted several times over the years.

And then Annie is found, badly bruised and very dead, floating under the Hermosa Pier. Definitely murder and the list of suspects just keeps growing. The husband she has been separated from for the last 25 years tops Adam's list - under California law, he will automatically inherit her estate and he's a lazy user for all these years. But the cops arrest Bix with single-minded vigor. If this crime will be looked at any more intensely, Adam will have to do it. And he is surprised at how often he is surprised. He really had thought he knew Annie...

Adam is a struggling writer and lyft driver who has seemingly become personal driver for 1970’s music legend Annie Linden. On their drives they like to make up song lyrics and just bond.

When Annie disappears then turns up dead, Adam struggles to find out who murdered her. Instead of leaving it to the authorities, he sets out on a quest to track them down. He digs deep into her past and uncovers secrets that have long been hidden. The more he finds out, the more he wonders if anyone really knew Annie, including himself.

This book was a lovely atmospheric neo-noir mystery. I really enjoyed Adams character and how he was portrayed throughout the book. The song lyrics throughout the book were a fun treat that I enjoyed. The writing style was fantastic and really captivated my attention. The mystery on this was interesting and held my interest – I couldn’t wait to find out what actually happened to Annie. While Adam was the main character, all the characters were fully developed and reading about them was interesting.

If you’re looking for a great neo-noir mystery then I hope you grab a copy of this one on May 23rd.

Thank you so much to Melville House Publishing, Melville House, @melvillehouse, and Netgalley, @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’m having a run of dnf’s lately and sadly this one doesn’t make the cut. I usually love noir but this one felt like it was trying too hard. It’s not for me.

A sinister slow-burn twisty whodunnit that captures the exotic LA vibe with the dangerous lure of crime lurking in the shadows. Daniel Weizmann knows how to captivate his audience with a protagonist who speaks to us on a fundamental level.

Full review to posted on https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com/kashif-hussain

Billed as "neo-noir" this is a nice entry to the genre. Adam Zantz, late thirties, failed songwriter, Lyft driver to pay the bills, has his life changed with one pickup. Annie Linden, early 70s, music royalty. They strike up a quick rapport and before long Adam is "off app" serving as Annie's driver. During one of these rides, she hints at needing his help to untangle some knotted threads and find certain people from her past. Before this can happen, though, Annie's security guard, Troy, is found murdered and our songbird is missing. Later, when Annie's body is discovered, Adam finds himself compelled to investigate. The mystery here is fine, but the characterizations and dialogue between the characters is the real showstopper. Weizmann did a great job of engaging the reader through Adam's thoughtful first-person point of view. You feel as though you are privy to a dark, but somehow hopeful journey as you travel along with Adam through the pages. The plot twist at the end was well done. I look forward to more in this new series.

"Zantz lives behind the wheel, dreaming up lyrics as he drives strangers through the city maze." "Even on the job, with complete strangers in the back, new lyrics seized [him] like a kidnapper...". Addy Zanz, 37 years old, failed songwriter...Lyft driver.

Annie Linden, 73 year old music icon, listened to Addy's tunes. Bonding after the first ride, they were now off app. "My Lyft driver is a real songwriter....those are incredible tunes...It's just a little bag of diamonds in the rough...". Annie often sent cryptic messages when requesting a pick-up. "AZ beach house 8 PM come to my arms." Recently, Annie requested help from her trusted Lyft driver. "I need to find out about someone, some people from my past-I'm getting old. And I want...need to 'close some circles', look into some people." Addy, formerly dabbling in detective work as an amateur, had an expired license. He had only done repos and served papers.

Two time Grammy nominee, Annie Linden, had an adoring fan base but she also had enemies. When her body was discovered under the pier at Hermosa Beach in LA, the police would investigate her death as a homicide. Annie's entanglements would come to light. Who was the true Annie hiding behind the curtain of fame?

Addy and Annie had an 'unspoken bargain". Addy had agreed to track down random items on her short list. Was it really his business?...yes...seemingly so. He needed to clear his name after being implicated and charged with being an accessory after the fact. The suspected killer, Bix Gelden, was being held without bail for the murders of Annie and her security guard, Troy Banks. Bix, Annie's PA had been hired and fired multiple times. Bix hoped Addy would help find his angrily penned letters. "Bix looked guilty, smelled guilty, on some cosmic level was guilty...but...[Addy] didn't believe he was actually guilty of murder." Addy was obsessed with finding answers.

At what cost, fame? So called friends...would they support you or use you? Could your past actions and secrets stay buried or come back to bite you? This intriguing mystery novel explores Annie's fame and its widespread web of inner circle secrets. Highly recommended.

Thank you Melville House Publishing and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.