1988. Frank owns a music shop. It is jam-packed with records of every speed, size and genre. Classical, jazz, punk – as long as it’s vinyl he sells it. Day after day Frank finds his customers the music they need.

Then into his life walks Ilse Brauchmann.

Ilse asks Frank to teach her about music. His instinct is to turn and run. And yet he is drawn to this strangely still, mysterious woman with her pea-green coat and her eyes as black as vinyl. But Ilse is not what she seems. And Frank has old wounds that threaten to re-open and a past he will never leave behind …

I picked up this book after reading Miss Benson’s Beetle by the same author. I really enjoyed that book (for the most part) and hoped for the same result here.

The story wasn’t bad, but it didn’t pull me in quite as much and her other novel. I think part of it might be that I’m just not that interested in the behind-the-scenes history of music and there’s a LOT of it. I prefer to enjoy art (music, books, paintings, etc.) for their superficial expressions — I’ve never cared for over-analyzing or studying the ‘whys’ (especially when much of it is assumption).

Overall, the story was entertaining if a bit sad at parts. There were a lot of unique characters and their personalities and circumstances kept things interesting.

If you love music and the history behind it, you’ll definitely want to pick up this book. If you could take it or leave it (like me) you might enjoy this book, but it might not be the most enjoyable book you read.

Rated R for language. Get your copy here!

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