Plot:
In the 60s, Camden has two radio stations. KOOL plays popular music, topping the listening charts, the station everyone has tuned to. While KDUD plays the slowest numbers, its listenership is dwindling. The oldies for the oldies. Dot Morgan works at KDUD.
The most exciting thing in her life is the impending nuptials of her amazing dressmaker cousin, Ellie, to the town electrician, Al. With her journalist boyfriend, Ben, the four of them share a harmonious friendship.
In this quiet town, things become frenzied and stressful when a woman accuses Dot's handsome boss, Holden, of murder. When she turns up dead, a Pandora's box of lies, past crimes, and injustices surface. Dot soon realizes that Camden doesn't treat everyone the same.

Thoughts:
A medium-paced novella. Set around a radio station in 1964, it is a romance + cozy small-town mystery.
The characters were fun, and their friendship and double-dating dynamics were heartwarming. It gives an insight into the radio and the music industry of the era of de-segregation.
The premise was great, but the writing felt lackadaisical. The descriptions failed to elicit much emotion.
With a wedding season, a murder mystery, and the socio-cultural context of desegregation, this novel has too much going on. And yet, the way it's written is KDUD-ish. It failed to thrill me.

You can read it if you like radio station dynamics, light descriptions, old-time vibes, and happy ending reads. It just felt basic despite the potential of the plot.

I thank NetGalley, the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Level Best Books, and Teresa Trent for the ARC copy.

This was a bit of a “cozy mystery” set in the 1960’s
It wasn’t really my jam. The plot was interesting, but the delivery lacked. I’m sure I didn’t love it because I don’t normally read this type of writing style.
The dialogue and description were a bit naive. The characters were fun though.
Either way I give this book 2.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

This book is a mystery set in the 1960’s following Dot who works at a radio station.

The premise of this book really intrigued me. I liked the concept of a mystery surrounding a 1960’s radio station and I really enjoyed all of the music references from that time period. This story had a strong start but unfortunately fell a little flat for me and it was hard for me to fully get into.

The writing was also a little bit disjointed at times but ultimately I just had trouble connecting to the main character. I do feel like someone who is really into 60s music and mysteries set in that time period might enjoy this one but it just wasn’t for me.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an eArc in exchange for an honest review*

While this was well written and I enjoyed parts of it, I truly struggled to connect to Dot as a character. I don’t personally feel like, by the end of the book, I knew who she was. Still, I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery set in the ‘60s.

The first in a new mystery series set in the 60s. The protagonist here is Dot, who works in a radio station. Her boss is a flirt, but now women around him are turning up murdered. Dot decides to investigate before she is next.

This was an ok first entry into the series. I liked the setting a lot but I didn’t really connect with Dot as a protagonist/the writing. I would be willing to give the second one a chance because sometimes the first in a series is shakier than the rest!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this 'Swinging Sixties' installment!

This was a fun mystery set in a year which I have studied a LOT: 1964. What first drew me to this book is the fact that the title is taken from a Beatles song. Everyone who knows me is overly aware of my intense Beatlemania, so I'm sure that it comes as no surprise that I wanted to dive into this story. Although I have not read the previous two books in Trent's series, I had no difficulty with the storyline or characters.

I quite enjoyed my time within these pages. It was often cheesy, but hey, sometimes that is exactly what you need! I will be checking out the rest of Trent's works!

When I last visited Dot in Texas, she was just beginning her life as an adult. She wasn't having an easy time of it, either, not quite feeling like she was ready to take on the world but yearning to do so. Dot has grown up a bit since then. While she's still the uncertain, cautious person she was, she has both a boyfriend and a job. Even better, at a time when the Beatles were bursting on the scene and changing the music world, she's working at a radio station. Now, true, she's the receptionist and has little say over anything, let alone the music choices of the station. Station manager Holden Ramsey clings to the past, playing Perry Como and Sinatra type music, the type his mother likes. Not that it isn't good music. It just wasn't what a young audience was yearning to hear. Dot takes song requests over the phone and tries to get "modern" music played but, well, her uncertainty and caution, not to mention fear of losing her job, still guide her when it comes to making waves. Let's just say, the station isn't budging.

On the romance level, while Dot enjoys having a boyfriend, she's also cautious and reluctant to rock the status quo. As a result, she pretty much has come to just expect boyfriend Ben to be there, nice and safe, no changes in their relationship. Then, things happen. A grisly murder connected to the Holden allows fledgling crime reporter Ben to write a story for the local paper that gains the attention of a big Dallas paper. Will Dot's bad fortune, the potential closing of the radio station and loss of her job, lead to a major break in Ben's career? It looks like things may be over between Dot and Ben when he's offered a job at the better known paper. How will Dot, who remains naive about, uh, let's call it romance in general, deal with this upheaval.

Equally stressful, will Dot be able to sort out who murdered the Holden's ex-girlfriend? She'd been creating scenes everywhere, accusing him of murdering a former girlfriend. People dining heard the commotion, so it's inevitable he'd be the focus of investigation. Much to Dot's amazement, she finds herself being attracted to the man, even knowing he's engaged. Oh, the roller-coaster emotions of attraction. In the meantime, she's dealing with being a substitute maid-of-honor for the Holden's bride-to-be, talk about awkward, being stunned to discover her mother's ambitious, rather startling project, and even filling in without notice as radio DJ. Oh, and meeting Ray Charles. That's a whole other story within the book.

Bottom line, lots going on here, from name dropping of musical artists, viewing the Beatles on the Sullivan Show, doing her mostly mindless job, to suddenly finding herself behind the microphone. All this while, amazingly enough, coping with the upheaval of her romantic life and the discovery of another side of her mother. Oh, boy, yeah. The '60s were definitely an era of change and upheaval for many, including Dot. I liked her, of course, even while rolling my eyes at her, wondering if I was ever that naive. Nah, surely not. Well, maybe. Big changes coming her way. Dot makes me want to hug her and tell her everything will be okay, quickly reminding her only if she manages to steer clear of murderous souls from now on. Is that likely? Nah, unlikely. She may be naive but she's curious and smart, not one to pretend something isn't happening. Thanks #NetGalley and #IBPA - #IndependentBookPublishersAssociation for inviting me back to Texas for a sneak peek at what's going on in Dot's world. Sorta like taking a time machine back to the 1960's, albeit a murderous one. Great music, though!