HOT WAX
An electric, rock and roll fuelled story of one band's rise to stardom and one women's quest for answers
Will be published approx. on 9. July 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
416 pages
978-1-0354-2120-6 (ISBN)
Description
'A propulsive father-daughter story infused with rock 'n' roll ' JENNIFER EGAN
'[A] feverishly-composed rock 'n' roll masterpiece' LAYNE FARGO
'The sleaze of the Stooges, the energy of the Ramones and the glamour of the Cramps - Hot Wax is a pure foot-on-the-monitors, amps-up-to-ten rock 'n' roll classic' MAT OSMAN
_____________________
**Includes bonus essay from M. L. Rio on the rise of analogue culture**
Some people chase the spotlight. Only a few survive it.
1989: Suzanne is a wild child, swept up in her father's world of muscle cars and rock 'n' roll. There's nowhere she would rather be than out on the road with his band, on the concert tour that might skyrocket them to stardom. After one night of chaos and bloodshed brings their whole world crashing down, young Suzanne will never be the same.
2018: Suzanne trades the guts and glory of her youth for the calm stability of suburbia, but the marriage that was supposed to be her solid ground now feels more like a cage. When her estranged father's untimely death offers her an escape, Suzanne leaps at the chance - driving back into the past she's spent decades trying to outrun, even as her present threatens to catch up.
A raucous, breakneck ride to hell and back - where getting lost might be the only way to find yourself and save your soul.
'[A] feverishly-composed rock 'n' roll masterpiece' LAYNE FARGO
'The sleaze of the Stooges, the energy of the Ramones and the glamour of the Cramps - Hot Wax is a pure foot-on-the-monitors, amps-up-to-ten rock 'n' roll classic' MAT OSMAN
_____________________
**Includes bonus essay from M. L. Rio on the rise of analogue culture**
Some people chase the spotlight. Only a few survive it.
1989: Suzanne is a wild child, swept up in her father's world of muscle cars and rock 'n' roll. There's nowhere she would rather be than out on the road with his band, on the concert tour that might skyrocket them to stardom. After one night of chaos and bloodshed brings their whole world crashing down, young Suzanne will never be the same.
2018: Suzanne trades the guts and glory of her youth for the calm stability of suburbia, but the marriage that was supposed to be her solid ground now feels more like a cage. When her estranged father's untimely death offers her an escape, Suzanne leaps at the chance - driving back into the past she's spent decades trying to outrun, even as her present threatens to catch up.
A raucous, breakneck ride to hell and back - where getting lost might be the only way to find yourself and save your soul.
Reviews / Votes
The sleaze of the Stooges, the energy of the Ramones and the glamour of the Cramps-Hot Wax is a pure foot-on-the-monitors, amps-up-to-ten rock 'n' roll classic. -- MAT OSMAN, bassist for Suede and author of The Ghost Theatre Sensory and visceral from page one, 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, author of, A Visit From The Goon Squad M.L. Rio's electric, immersive writing makes you feel every beat of the music, every bead of sweat, every broken guitar string and split knuckle and spray of blood. By the end of this feverishly-composed rock 'n' roll masterpiece, you'll be on your feet shouting for an encore. -- LAYNE FARGO, bestselling author of The Favourites Rio 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 * An incendiary tale . . . The best book around rock'n'roll since High Fidelity. * Daily Express * Hot Wax is an electrifying triumph of a novel with a raw, emotional core, finely crafted by the talented M. L. Rio. The rock and roll lifestyle might not be for everyone, but reading about it absolutely is. * Irish Examiner *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-0354-2120-6 (9781035421206)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
M. L. Rio
HOT WAX
An electric, rock and roll fuelled story of one band's rise to stardom and one women's quest for answers
E-Book
09/2025
Wildfire
€8.99
Available for download
Person
M. L. Rio is the author of international bestseller and BookTok sensation If We Were Villains. She holds an MA in Shakespeare Studies from King's College London and Shakespeare's Globe and a PhD in early modern English literature from the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research explores representations of madness and mood disorder on the early modern stage. She lives in Washington, D. C. with too many books, too many records, and a mutt called Marlowe.