Book Review of Streets of Nashville by Michael Amos Cody

I had the privilege of meeting Michael Amos Cody at the Appalachian Writer's Workshop in Hindman, Kentucky, and previewing an early version of the opening pages of Streets of Nashville.

This novel is about a songwriter living in Nashville in 1989 who is on the verge of giving up on his career and moving back home. He decides to give it one more chance, but then he witnesses a horrific murder on the streets of Nashville.

There is a lot to love about this book. It checks all the boxes of what I want most in a crime novel: a well-paced plot, interesting characters, and great writing that keeps me turning the page.

What stood out to me as being particularly exceptional in Streets of Nashville was the authoritative depiction of Nashville in the late 1980s. The main character lives and breathes music. His knowledge (and the author's knowledge) of the music industry in this time period is seamlessly integrated into the story.

The advice we get as writers is to write what we know. This has paid off for Michael Amos Cody in this novel.