M.L. Rio has been an actor, a bookseller, an academic, and a music writer. She holds an MA in Shakespeare studies and a PhD in English literature. She is the author of the internationally bestselling novel If We Were Villains, the USA TODAY bestselling novella Graveyard Shift, and Hot Wax. She never stays in one place for long, but keeps her books, records, and four-legged sidekick in south Philadelphia.

A Most Anticipated Book from Garden & Gun and BookPage

"A brooding, doubled-sized, highway thriller."--The New York Times

"Like multiple guitarists unspooling an epic jam, Rio knows how to ratchet up the tension. . . . she's got us planted in front of her loudspeakers, like the old Maxell tape guy."--San Francisco Chronicle

"The best book about rock'n'roll music since High Fidelity."--The Irish Examiner

"Hot Wax is a passionate novel that takes readers on turbulent joyrides while exploring both the glory and the gore of live rock 'n' roll."--BookPage (starred review)

"Rio (If We Were Villains) captures the joy and danger of rock 'n' roll in her raucous latest...Rio keeps the reader guessing--and turning the pages--while shining a light on Suzanne's emotional scars. This electrifies."--Publishers Weekly

"Sensory and visceral, Hot Wax is a propulsive father-daughter story infused with rock and roll down to its very cadences. M. L Rio is a force to be reckoned with."--Jennifer Egan

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pub date: 2025-09-09

Length: 400 pages