Available now in hardcover and ebook!

“Lyrical, layered, and full of surprises. Simon has penned a raw and emotional thriller with a heartbeat, about lost dreams and missing friends, regrets and buried memories, the final note reminding us that it’s never too late to start again. Provocative, moving, and suspenseful.” ―Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of Last Girl Ghosted

“Gripping and intense, a darkly suspenseful dive into friendship, fame, murder, and the thrilling power of rock music. I couldn’t put it down.” ―Meg Gardiner, author of the UNSUB series

"This devastatingly powerful mystery hits like a punch to the heart." ―Caroline Leavitt, author of Pictures of You

"Simon perceptively illustrates the sacrifices one makes for art. Simon’s tour of the Boston music scene will make readers wish “Hold Me Down” included a link to iTunes." ―Oline Cogdill, Sun-Sentinel

"A mystery that expires character motivations ... For fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Janet Evanovich." ―Library Journal

A riveting work of dark suspense from acclaimed author Clea Simon. Gal, a rock star for a hot minute twenty years ago, is back in Boston to play a memorial for her late drummer/best friend when she finds herself freezing on stage at the sight of a face in the crowd. The next day, the middle-aged musician learns that the man she saw has been killed – beaten to death behind the venue – and her friend’s widower charged in connection with his death. When the friend refuses to defend himself, Gal wonders why and, as the memories begin to flood back, she starts her own informal investigation. As she does so, she must reexamine her own wild life, her perception of the past, and an industry that monetizes dysfunction in a dark tale of love, music, and murder.

HOLD ME DOWN is a standalone novel of suspense, set in the basement clubs and dark back rooms behind the stage lights of rock and roll stardom. Like 2017’s Massachusetts Book Awards “must read” World Enough, HOLD ME DOWN deals with love in all its forms, community, and rock and roll from a strong, if damaged female perspective.