Base Notes

Written by Lara Elena Donnelly

Narrated by Avi Roque

A lasting impression is worth killing for.

In New York City everybody needs a side hustle, and perfumer Vic Fowler has developed a delicate art that has proved to be very lucrative: creating bespoke scents that evoke immersive memories—memories that, for Vic’s clients, are worth killing for. But the city is expensive, and these days even artisanal murder doesn’t pay the bills. When Joseph Eisner, a former client with deep pockets, offers Vic an opportunity to expand the enterprise, the money is too good to turn down. But the job is too intricate—and too dangerous—to attempt alone.

Manipulating fellow struggling artists into acting as accomplices is easy. Like Vic, they too are on the verge of burnout and bankruptcy. But as relationships become more complicated, Vic’s careful plans start to unravel. Hounded by guilt and a tenacious private investigator, Vic grows increasingly desperate to complete Eisner’s commission. Is there anyone—friends, lovers, coconspirators—that Vic won’t sacrifice for art?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Feb 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781713623977

Lara Elena Donnelly

Lara Elena Donnelly is the author of the Nebula-, Lambda-, and Locus-nominated trilogy the Amberlough Dossier. She has taught in the MFA program at Sarah Lawrence College, as well as the Catapult classes in New York and the Alpha SF/F/H Workshop for Young Writers. In the summer, she wears The Cobra & the Canary. In the winter, Nudiflorum. And some others in between, to keep things interesting. As of this writing, she lives on the grounds of the old Hamilton Estate, with a screenwriter and a small mask-and-mantle tabby pretentiously named after a bitter Italian aperitif. For more information, visit www.laradonnelly.com.

Reviews for Base Notes

[anniekmd · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Set in modern-day NYC, this book comes on very strong, and is somewhat abrasive due to its indelicate content. The story is told in the first person by a psychopathic murderer, so it is quite dark and gruesome at times. With the gender-fluid MC being a perfumer, it is also rife with descriptions of smells, including many unpleasant ones. The main premise is hard to swallow – that custom-made perfumes can elicit (and ultimately fabricate) certain memories, and that rich folk were willing to have people killed for this. The book also has revenge, black-mail, and the lower-class struggle. I was reminded of the musicals Sweeney Todd and Rent. Despite the book being about unlikeable characters doing disturbing things for a far-fetched premise, I finished the book. I’d say that this was more out of morbid curiosity, rather than enjoyment.I won a free copy of this book and am voluntarily providing my honest review.