Virtual Event: Clea Simon

Harvard Book Store's virtual event series welcomes CLEA SIMON—the acclaimed author of World Enough—for a discussion of her latest book, Hold Me Down. She will be joined in conversation by CAROLINE LEAVITT, the bestselling author of Pictures of You and Is This Tomorrow.

Contribute to Support Harvard Book Store

While payment is not required, we are suggesting a $5 contribution to support this author series, our staff, and the future of Harvard Book Store—a locally owned, independently run Cambridge institution. In addition, by purchasing a copy of Hold Me Down on harvard.com, you support indie bookselling and the writing community during this difficult time.

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About Hold Me Down

Gal, a middle-aged musician, 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, she learns that the man she saw has been killed—beaten to death behind the venue—and her friend's widower is being charged in connection with his death. When the friend refuses to defend himself, Gal wonders why and, as the memories of 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.

Praise for Hold Me Down

“A flat-out, stoked-up, red-alert blistering justice-gets-done story that you can’t put down.” —E. Jean Carroll, author of What Do We Need Men For

"The big mystery in this exquisite novel is not the one in the story but the one in the way Clea Simon tells it. We hear music that never existed, pine for memories we couldn't have, and mourn for the survivors." —David Hajdu, author of Lush Life and Positively 4th Street

“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