Hold Me Down

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Amazon Customer 
 
 
  
Wow Anyone who likes music especially live venues will love this. Or who have worked clubs or bars featuring live entertainment. It has a great realistic behind the scenes story to tell.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Terry M. 
 
 
  
This one rocks In "Hold Me Down" Clea Simon gives us Gal Raver, an aging female rocker whose past starts to unravel after a benefit concert sets the stage for murder. Gal's story is told with such vivid detail that Simon makes it impossible for us to let her go. A powerful story of friendship, female survival, and the reexamination of the past through sober eyes.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Renee J Robillard 
 
 
  
Life and Death in a Rock Band The main character of Hold Me Down is Gal, formerly the singer-songwriter and bass player for an ultimately successful all-woman rock band. Although the plot focuses on a murder (the deceased had been a debauched roadie for the band who found religion after he left it), the strongest aspects of the book are its finely detailed descriptions of Gal’s memories of her life as a rocker, with its high highs and low lows, including hit recordings, a late stable relationship, a pet cat, having money and being broke, sexual discoveries, the frenzy of the road, alcohol and drug abuse, the death of a soul mate, and more. The book is not written in the first person, but Clea Simon gets you into Gal’s head and heart so skillfully that you come to sometimes like and sometimes dislike Gal as completely as you do most people “in real life.” The depictions of Gal’s thoughts and actions while on stage are especially striking. Simon clearly knows a lot about music, both its technical features and how it feels to play.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Amazon Customer 
 
 
  
Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop Once I started this book, I couldn’t stop— grisly, gruesome, and all too real. Beautifully paced, with many cool details about music, love, addiction, power imbalances. I won’t be surprised if the TV and film people find some wonderful roles in this one.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Anthony Tommasini 
 
 
  
"Hold Me Down" Though "Hold Me Down" is an engrossing mystery, it reads like a rich, reflective and nuanced novel that follows a gifted musician's return to the scene of her short-lived rock star past--beautifully written.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Erin  
 
 
  
Another great read from Clea Simon Long time fan and Simon earns my devotion every time. Loved it!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 MissN 
 
 
  
We loved this book! Both me and my husband LOVED this book! Do yourself a favor and get it now!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Somerville reader 
 
 
  
Uncovering a punk rock past When an old colleague Is found murdered behind the venue the night after a benefit concert an aging rockstar find herself looking into old secrets. Gritty and taut
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Laurie  
 
 
  
Great Boston rock noir. Loved meeting these characters and having them interact in great, gritty Boston rock spaces. The plot unwinds as multiple characters reconnect after 20 years to attend a benefit concert. A taut and tense page turner.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Linda 
 
 
  
Loved this book! A must read!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Milo Miles 
 
 
  
Top notch crime and sound combo Unique -- as you read, you will be able to hear the music and see the playing. A show you should attend!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 JerryL87 
 
 
  
A deeply affecting murder mystery The vivid portrayal of the rock scene, the complexity of the storytelling, and a protagonist -- Gal Raver -- whose relentless search for the truth about a murder leads her to discoveries about a nagging mystery from her own past. You won't read a more emotionally affecting murder mystery.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Caroline Leavitt 
 
 
  
Music and Mayhem! Clea Simon's books are all gripping, and being from Boston, I especially love her sense of storyworld! Here a former rocker is catapulted back into the wild past she might rather forget. It's a lethal combination of love and murder, with a soundtrack.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Coco 19 
 
 
  
Excellent setting and plotting I loved the setting of the rock n' roll world in Boston and following the character development from their youth to a mature worldliness. Didn't guess the ending!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 D. R. Ransdell 
 
 
  
Gal in Review Gal has to dive into her past when a kind of ghost turns up at a memorial service. But then he becomes a ghost the hard way, and Gal is left picking up the pieces of her life. That's not always easy--it takes Gal to some dark places--but in the end, she learns what she needs to.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Kristen Heyl 
 
 
  
Nitty gritty of human life The well developed characters that show the nitty gritty of humans bring this story to life and carries you along as they make the discoveries about what how the past affects the future. I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Carolyn Newton 
 
 
  
A gritty thriller In “Hold Me Down,” Gal Raver is an aging rock star with a troubled past. When she rejoins some of her old band mates for a benefit concert, her tenuous hold on sobriety is tested after a figure from her past life turns up dead at the venue. Gal must battle her way to the truth, and she is forced to confront unresolved issues from her past life of wild parties, substance abuse, and provocative performances. Clea Simon’s storytelling is raw and pulses through a staccato-paced narrative like a brash punk rock concert. Bursts of emotion swirl around a woman whose narration of her own splintered life is scattered and unreliable as she stumbles through a reckoning with her own complicity. I was pleased to read an advanced copy, and this book is definitely recommended for those who love a mystery and are fascinated by the gritty underbelly of the music business.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Joan Livingston 
 
 
  
Bringing Up the Past At one time Gal was a hard-driving rocker immersed in the drug-and-drink-filled life of a punk band making a name for itself. Twenty years later, she is performing at a tribute concert for a former band member and friend who died. There, she encounters a mystery — her friend’s widower is a suspect in the death of an ex-roadie who showed up at the concert. But why? That question digs at Gal, now sober, as she revisits her past. Clea Simon does excellent work recreating the raucous life of a rock star in this dark thriller. And it certainly made me want to hear what the band’s hit song “Hold Me Down” sounded like. Well done.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 an old guy on skis 
 
 
  
This is a novel you will stay up late to finish. I really enjoyed this complex novel about a former punk-rock star who, after a benefit honoring a close friend and former band member who has passed away, confronts repressed truths about her own experience during her drink-and-drug-filled touring days. Very well-written, it gives you a pungent sense of the local club scene and, beyond that, what it's like being on tour and on stage. That's a world that has always fascinated me, and Clea's knowledge of music and what makes it work really comes through. (There are times when you almost feel as though you yourself are up there playing.) The added layer of complexity of a crime that occurs at the benefit concert drives the story forward -- and brings you back to the book at every free moment until you finish it. Very well done and compelling.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Krista Hajjar-Nejad 
 
 
  
Highly recommend! This book was different than any other suspense/thriller novel I've read. I loved Gal Raver's character. Her anger and energy seeped through the pages. I was immediately drawn in and addicted to know more about Gal's past and her relationship with her best friend, Aimee. I enjoyed how the chapters go back and forth between gal's time on the road touring with Aimee and the band to her present life grieving the loss of her best friend. Memories that Gal has pushed away from her past days come back to haunt her. Lots of intense secrets revealed and a few twists! Highly recommend!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Vero Garcia 
 
 
  
𝘎𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦. What a wild ride, I love a good dark and messy story and this one had all, complex characters, mystery, suspense and music.It was fast paced and kept me engaged from start to finish. A great read.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Ellen Kirschman 
 
 
  
This novel rocks and rolls Former music critic and novelist Clea Simon's novel hits the ground running and keeps up the tempo until the end. Part mystery, part history, the book follows Gal, the retired former star of an all female rock/punk group who has returned to Boston to play a benefit concert. The book plunges into Gal's struggles with addiction to drugs, booze, and fame and carefully layers her complex backstory with an unfolding mystery about the murder of the band's former roadie. Not for the faint hearted, Gal's story is one of sex, drugs, and exploitation. The author's passion for music and her insider's look at girl groups rings true. She writes about music, musicians, and the music industry with such precision I felt like I was in the audience. Highly recommended.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Nurse_bookie 
 
 
  
Enjoyed MusicMurderMayhemHold Me Down is an edgy and suspenseful read about one woman’s past as a musician leads to a murder, told in dual timeline, flashbacks, and back stories. This is a dark story that combines music, trauma, addiction, and a murder mystery. The writing really pulled me in, especially with the complex dynamics of a middle- aged woman and making amends with her younger self. I enjoy this unique take on a women’s fiction that had mystery, suspense, and of course, rock and roll.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Christy T.  
 
 
  
Dark music murder mystery! This was such an intense and suspenseful page turner! It was fascinating to learn more about the rock music world and I really enjoyed reading about Gal and her band's rise to fame. This was a quick read for me. The short chapters and dual timelines worked well and many chapters ended with a cliffhanger so it was impossible to stop reading! The murder happened early in the book and I loved that the further I got into the story the more characters there were who had a something against the victim. I appreciated Gal's self reflection as she thought back on her days in the band and some of the bad choices she made and I loved how she stepped in to come to her friend's defense when he wouldn't defend himself. If you like music and a good murder mystery I recommend adding this one to your TBR asap!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Sarah @sarahs.bookstack 
 
 
  
Dark side of rock Gal is an almost 50 year old former leader of a girl rock group. When her best friend/former drummer Aimee dies, her band gets back together one time to do a benefit concert. Gal sees someone in the crowd and she's not sure why he's thereThis story takes us through after the benefit interspersed with bits from the past. A past of regret, drugs and alcohol. The face she sees in the present dies and her friend's widow is arrested for his murder..... And won't dispute the charges.Gal tries to figure out why he's doing this in spite of how it might affect his already fragile daughter. But to do that, she has to bring up memories she has pushed down deep inside herself. I just wished she had talked to someone about a big thing that happened back then. I hoped it would have changed some things.I liked the fact that Gal had turned her life around, away from those addictions. I thought she was very caring, even when those that need to be taken care of won't let her.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Elisa M. Speranza 
 
 
  
A tense page-turner A tense page-turner and a dizzying blast from the past, especially for those of us who came of age on the Boston music scene back in the day. I couldn’t put it down. I loved the evocative scene-setting and the realistic portrayal of complex female friendships. I’m now hoping someone’s working on a soundtrack!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Julia Sullivan 
 
 
  
Fantastic Mystery with a Memorable Protagonist Twenty years after they toured together with a rock band, a singer returns to Boston to play a benefit concert in memory of her late best friend’s family. Violence at the show unearths some old secrets that flawed, fiercely loyal Gal vows to track down in her dead friend’s honor. Beautifully moody and evocative.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 To be named later 
 
 
  
Deadly Riffs This thriller plunges readers into the underbelly of rock and roll, where buried secrets refuse to stay silent. As the suspense builds, layer upon layer of deception unravels against a backdrop of music, fame, and friendship. This pulse-pounding mystery will keep you on edge until the final, haunting note.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 EBR 
 
 
  
This dark suspense will grab you by the heart even as it makes you grip the edge of your seat. This riveting dark suspense novel about a hard-driving punk rocker dragged into the trauma of her wild past by a murder in her present, will grab you by the heart even as it makes you grip the edge of your seat. Life as a successful rock musician has taken its toll Gal Raver, the protagonist in this intense and compelling read. When she plays a benefit for her close friend and former drummer who succumbed to cancer, she believes all of that is in the rear-view mirror. But a glimpse of a man in the audience who later turns up dead sends her reeling back into a time she can’t escape. Hold Me Down is a mystery and a thriller, but it’s also a novel about grief, the glorious joy of making music, and what it takes to put a broken life back together. Highly recommended!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Milo D 
 
 
  
Superior, beautifully written mystery that genuinely understand the music scene This is a beautifully written, smartly conceived mystery novel that has a keen understanding of the rock music milieu--something that is rare in contemporary fiction. Simon captures the energy and feel of the rock world and manages to deliver a genuinely engaging and thoughtful mystery with sharply defined characters. I'm not a big reader of mysteries, but this was compelling. I look forward to catching up with Simon's past novels. Top shelf writing and excellent story. Superb.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Elizabeth S. Pollock 
 
 
  
Depth beyond the riveting music scene. The collective burying of bad acts was extremely powerful. I found these sequences to be memorable and beautifully constructed, leading to discoveries, both within the plot line as well as within the characters’ development.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Ingrid King 
 
 
  
A rock and roll thriller tour de force - dark and gritty and hard to put down I'm a big fan of Clea Simon's "softer" novels, so this was a departure for me - and I loved every minute of it. Like all of Simon's books, the character development is outstanding, the story is fast-paced and the picture she paints of the darker side of rock and roll is fascinating. A must read for thriller fans and music lovers!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Brett Milano 
 
 
  
WHat the scene was really like As a fan of Clea Simon's mysteries and a longtime denizen of Boston's fertile rock scene, I was overjoyed to hear that she was setting a book in the 80s club world. This is a mystery with a difference, dealing with the joys of musical creativity and the challenges that confront women, then and now, within this supposedly freewheeling milieu. As always, Simon is a masterful plotter who keeps you guessing as the story unravels; she also treats her characters with sensitivity and insight. She was there when Boston was really happening, and for newcomers she's the perfect tour guide.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Lisa Albright @booksloveandunderstanding 
 
 
  
Rock and Roll murder This was such an interesting rock and roll story along with being a murder mystery. The timeline went from present to past and back again so that the true picture slowly came into focus. It's dark, it's edgy, it's cleverly put together. I enjoyed seeing events unfold through the eyes of the lead singer, Gal, and getting to know a bit about life after the music. There are some heavy topics in the story, but it's an amazing behind the scenes, truth in flashbacks, and watch the puzzle pieces fall into place kind of book.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Subakka.bookstuff 
 
 
  
A rock n roll murder mystery 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐌𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 is a dark thriller shrouded in the hazy memories of life in a rock band, where past crimes come calling and give rise to murder.After twenty years, Gal is on stage again, playing a tribute concert to Aimee, her drummer and best friend who has passed. As she looks out over the crowd, she is shocked to see one face, a man from her past.The following day, Gal receives the news that the man from the crowd was beaten to death. She is shocked to hear that Aimee’s widower, Walter is a suspect in the murder. What possible motive could he have? As Gal tries to help Walter, she must open up wounds from her past.I have to admit, at times, I was a bit confused. But I think this may have been due to the “hangover” feel (for lack of a better term) that the story had. Like when you know the party was great, but the details are slow in coming back.The story has a lot of Gal’s flashbacks to her time with the band. When she drank, they all drank, and nights were a crazy blur. But this present-day act of violence causes Gal to focus on her past and realizes she was not alone in her pain.TW: rape, alcohol abuse
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Debbie Rozier 
 
 
  
Way More Than Just A Mystery This is a mystery that is slowly revealed during the course of the read. It is also an incredibly moving character study into one woman’s past and present.The book tells the story in the timelines of the then and now of Gal, whose rock and roll star rose then fell partly due to substance abuse.Gal is back in the city performing a benefit concert to help the family of her best friend (and old band member), Aimee who recently died.TK one of the band’s roadies from back in the day is killed after the performance. Aimee’s husband, Walter, confesses to the crime.Walter is such a gentle soul and Gal doesn’t believe he could commit murder.As Gal remembers more about those days in the band, much is revealed.This is one you don’t want to skim because important details are nestled into the narrative.You get a lot more than just a mystery in this one.I received a gifted copy of this book. The thoughts and opinions are honest and my own!
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 David Morgan 
 
 
  
A Walk on the wild side Dark and gritty with murder and mystery at it's core.Gal, now middle aged, was once a rock and roll star some twenty years ago. After the death of her best friend and bandmate she returns to Boston for a benefit reunion concert. When she sees a face from her past in the crowd it causes her to lose focus while performing. When this same person is found murdered behind the venue and her friends ex-husband is charged with the crime, Gal finds herself reliving her past, trying to help however she can to find the truth.This is one hell of a journey. Powerfull and gripping, this well written novel takes you inside the life of a touring all girl band. With plenty of drink, drugs and sex along the way, (we're talking about a rock band after all) it's a compelling read from start to finish. With well drawn characters and accessable prose I found myself invested in said characters with a need to know what happened and why.This one will appeal to both music lovers and psychological suspense fans and as such I highly recommend it.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jean Fain 
 
 
  
Magical, Perilous Mystery Tour of Girl Band Life On top of an unprecedented mystery, Clea Simon has written a moving ode to female rockers, eternal friendship and the ties that bind and divide. Far more than sex, drugs and rock and roll, “Hold Me Down” take a nostalgic look-back at Boston’s music scene as it takes you on a magical and perilous mystery tour of girl band life.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 K. Schlosberg 
 
 
  
Thought-provoking mystery set in the world of rock ‘n’ roll Back in Boston for a fundraiser, former rockstar Gal Raver sees a face in the audience, an old acquaintance who ends up dead. While trying to figure out the who done it and why, the past keeps coming up in unpleasant ways. Simon writes authentically and viscerally about music in a way that few do. Highly recommended.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 storytellermary 
 
 
  
Friends Standing Up for Friends Simon, CleaHOLD ME DOWNThis book is not my norm, grittier than my usual, and I don’t relate easily to the music scene, and yet . . . and yet . . . I came to care about Gal and her band, felt a bit dizzy at the back and forth in time, the ups and downs in career, and found I could relate to bad decisions, regret, and efforts to put things right, or as close to right as possible. This was not an easy read, a bit like trying to see across a dim and smoky room, but there is inspiration in the idea of imperfect people helping each other find the way back on course, forgiving and healing.
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 BruceMcD 
 
 
  
Music Biz Murder When I heard Clea Simon had a new Boston-based musical murder mystery, I had to get my hands on an advance readers copy. Hold Me Down does not disappoint. In fact, it’s one of Simon’s best yet.Our protagonist, Gal, fronted an ‘80s two-hit wonder who burned out but did not fade away. I’ve known a few Gals in my time & her character is rendered pitch perfect. Hers is an achingly slow reveal. This makes complete sense in service to the story. Gal’s returned to Boston, the scene of her earliest success. But things go weird and get deadly real fast…
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 She Just Loves Books 
 
 
  
An exciting and interesting story! This was an exciting book! It felt dark and raw, and I loved it! I enjoyed the character journey and the murder story line. I thought the plot was constructed really well. Music plays a big role in this story. I found myself really invested in the band! I think this is a great book for readers that enjoy music and murder mysteries!I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.