Adult Books
A hilarious, glittering, pop-noir thriller about a rising musician and her new BFF, the secretly psychotic popstar who brought her on tour.
Gretchen McMurphy was playing bingo halls and dive bars until a fitness influencer used her breakup anthem to help followers get a better booty, and now she’s landed her dream gig—opening for iconic pop star Fae Deeds.
Suddenly Gretchen has things she’s not used to having: a sizeable income, screaming fans, bottled water preferences, and a friend who understands the pressures of the music industry, the daily battle of being a woman in the public eye, and what it feels like to have every man you’ve ever loved hurt you.
Fae really gets it. Fae knows. Fae has developed her own tools for dealing with these issues—and it’s not good coping skills or proper meditation. It’s much, much sharper than that. And pretty soon Gretchen must decide what (and who) she’s willing to sacrifice for fame.
Razor-sharp and riotously funny, The First Cut is the Deepest by Mindy McGinnis is a deliciously unhinged thrill ride down the music industry’s darkest alleys.
Reviews:
★ “YA author McGinnis (How Girls Are Made) gleefully satirizes celebrity culture in her audacious adult debut. After one of Gretchen McMurphy’s rage-fueled songs soundtracks a fitness influencer’s workout video, the unsigned singer-songwriter fears her resulting fame will be fleeting. Instead, Taylor Swift–esque megastar Fae Deeds taps Gretchen to be both her tour opener and her new best friend. Fae has ample experience with high-profile breakups, so when Gretchen’s ex, Boyd, tries to extort her with a sex tape, Gretchen turns to Fae for help. Though undeniably effective, Fae’s solution—to kill him—is a lot more permanent than Gretchen anticipates. It’s also clear that Boyd isn’t Fae’s first kill, forcing Gretchen to contemplate the true implications of becoming the ride or die of America’s sweetheart. McGinnis’s unabashedly horny, increasingly bonkers plot unfolds from Gretchen’s “crass-ass” but endearing first-person narration. The tale walks a tightrope, balancing hijinks and heart with chills, thrills, and a wicked feminist sensibility. This exhilarates from start to finish.” - Publishers Weekly
★ “A stunning thriller featuring a relatably messy, refreshingly honest, no-filter protagonist and an ingeniously inventive antagonist who is equal parts Taylor Swift and Tom Ripley. Writing with an addictively snarky sense of humor, McGinnis delivers a twist-rich plot that suspense readers crave, even if for some there might be a tad more body dismemberment and disposal details than they are accustomed to. This killer (in every sense of the word) pop-noir thriller is every bit as good as Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl and Caro Claire Burke’s Yesteryear.” — Library Journal