Larkin Day just moved back home—at 35 years old. With no money, no job prospects, and nowhere to live except her mother’s guest bedroom, Larkin is pretty sure this is the worst thing that’s ever happened to her. Then her mother signs her up for community choir. Then the accompanist asks her out—and stands her up. Then he turns up dead.
…and that only covers the first three chapters of Ode to Murder, the first in a new series of cozy mystery novels by Nicole Dieker. Ode to Murder is out October 4, 2022.
I met Nicole over a decade ago through her online videos and a few shared fandoms. Throughout the years we collaborated professionally; I’d hire her to edit some of my writing, she’d interview me for her personal finance articles, etc.. I was always struck by how well Nicole crafted a story. Whether she was writing about her journey to financial independence, mastering the piano, or Gilmore Girls fanfic, I was engaged and eager for her next update.
So when she posted that she had recently finished writing a cozy mystery novel and was considering her various publication options, I immediately reached out. I spent the next two days reading the first book in the series, followed by the outlines for the next five books.
I was all-in at that point. I loved the characters, especially [redacted] and [redacted] (I don’t want to exonerate, or implicate, any suspects). I enjoyed the fictional setting of Pratincola, Iowa, a modern small town that felt both familiar yet distinct. As an avid music collector and fanatic, the musical themes throughout hooked me. And most importantly, the murder plot crescendoed to a satisfying pay off.
Please join me in welcoming writer, teacher, and musician, Nicole Dieker as the inaugural author of Shortwave Media’s expanding catalog. She will be the second author represented by the press, joining my award-winning novel, Face the Night, published three months ago in March 2022.
On October 4, 2022 you can join Larkin Day, a new and unlikely amateur sleuth, on her investigation in Ode to Murder.
– Alan Lastufka
