M. L. Rio, HOT WAX

Schedule

Tue Oct 07 2025 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

The Elliott Bay Book Company | Seattle, WA

Advertisement
A vivid and immersive tale of one woman’s reckless mission to make sense of the events that shattered her childhood, and made her who she is
About this Event

About the Book

Bestselling author of If We Were Villains and Graveyard Shift M. L. Rio visits the store to discuss her new thriller, Hot Wax, a vivid and immersive tale of one woman’s reckless mission to make sense of the events that shattered her childhood, and made her who she is.

Summer, 1989: ten-year-old Suzanne is drawn like a magnet to her father’s forbidden world of electric guitars and tricked-out cars. When her mother remarries, she jumps at the chance to tag along on the concert tour that just might be Gil and the Kills’ wild ride to glory. But fame has sharper fangs than anybody realized, and as the band blazes up the charts, internal power struggles set Gil and his group on a collision course destined for a bloody reckoning—one shrouded in mystery and lore for decades to come.

The only witness to a desperate act of violence, Suzanne spends the next twenty-nine years trying to disappear. She trades the music and mayhem of her youth for the quiet of the suburbs and the company of her mild-mannered husband Rob. But when her father’s sudden death resurrects the troubled past she tried so hard to bury, she leaves it all behind and hits the road in search of answers. Hitching her fate and Gil’s beloved car to two vagabonds who call an old Airstream trailer home, she finds everything she thought she’d lost forever: desire, adventure, and the woman she once wanted to be. But Rob refuses to let her go. Determined to bring her back where she belongs, he chases her across the country—and drives her to a desperation all her own.

Drenched in knock-down drag-out rock and roll, Hot Wax is a raucous, breakneck ride to hell and back—where getting lost might be the only way to find yourself and save your soul.


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.

Order your copy of Hot Wax here.

Advertisement

Where is it happening?

The Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Avenue, Seattle, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 0.00

Elliott Bay Book Company

Host or Publisher Elliott Bay Book Company

It's more fun with friends. Share with friends

Discover More Events in Seattle

Born of Osiris  The Browning  VCTMS  AXTY & Lost in Separation
Tue, 07 Oct at 04:00 pm Born of Osiris The Browning VCTMS AXTY & Lost in Separation

El Corazon

CONTESTS TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Matt Maeson
Tue, 07 Oct at 04:00 pm Matt Maeson

Showbox SoDo

TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Asian American Welcome Celebration
Tue, 07 Oct at 05:00 pm Asian American Welcome Celebration

Ethnic Cultural Center

Lauren Blakely celebrates MY FAVORITE HOLIDATE at B&N Northgate
Tue, 07 Oct at 06:00 pm Lauren Blakely celebrates MY FAVORITE HOLIDATE at B&N Northgate

Barnes & Noble

ART CONTESTS
Molly Miller Trio
Tue, 07 Oct at 07:30 pm Molly Miller Trio

2033 6th Ave, Seattle, WA, United States, Washington 98121

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Pup with Jeff Rosenstock at Showbox SODO
Tue, 07 Oct Pup with Jeff Rosenstock at Showbox SODO

Showbox SODO

Stereophonic at Paramount Theatre Seattle
Tue, 07 Oct Stereophonic at Paramount Theatre Seattle

Paramount Theatre Seattle

ART THEATRE
PUP, Jeff Rosenstock, Ekko Astral in Seattle
Tue, 07 Oct at 07:30 pm PUP, Jeff Rosenstock, Ekko Astral in Seattle

Showbox SoDo

CONCERTS MUSIC
Nook & Cranny "Be the Revolution" Book Club
Sun, 18 May at 04:30 pm Nook & Cranny "Be the Revolution" Book Club

5637 University Wy NE

Nook & Cranny "Read Around the World" Book Club
Sun, 25 May at 04:30 pm Nook & Cranny "Read Around the World" Book Club

5637 University Wy NE

ART LITERARY-ART
Natalie Hammerquist presents 'Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest'
Tue, 02 Sep at 07:00 pm Natalie Hammerquist presents 'Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest'

Third Place Books Seward Park

ART LITERARY-ART
'Technocreep and the Politics of Things Not Seen'
Tue, 02 Sep at 07:00 pm 'Technocreep and the Politics of Things Not Seen'

The Elliott Bay Book Company

ART LITERARY-ART
Free First Thursday: Seattle Art Museum
Thu, 04 Sep at 10:00 am Free First Thursday: Seattle Art Museum

Seattle Art Museum

ART MUSIC
Laura Da\u2019, SEVERALTY: POEMS
Thu, 04 Sep at 07:00 pm Laura Da’, SEVERALTY: POEMS

The Elliott Bay Book Company

ART LITERARY-ART
Chris La Tray presents 'Becoming Little Shell'
Thu, 04 Sep at 07:00 pm Chris La Tray presents 'Becoming Little Shell'

Third Place Books Ravenna

ART LITERARY-ART
Book Event: Full Of Myself \/\/ Austin Channing Brown w\/ Jasmine Guillory
Thu, 04 Sep at 07:00 pm Book Event: Full Of Myself // Austin Channing Brown w/ Jasmine Guillory

Quest Church

ART LITERARY-ART
Alison Cochrun w\/ Rachel Runya Katz, EVERY STEP SHE TAKES
Fri, 05 Sep at 07:00 pm Alison Cochrun w/ Rachel Runya Katz, EVERY STEP SHE TAKES

The Elliott Bay Book Company

ART LITERARY-ART
Book Launch for Rena Priest & Georg Koszulinski
Fri, 05 Sep at 07:00 pm Book Launch for Rena Priest & Georg Koszulinski

Hugo House

ART LITERARY-ART
Victoria Scott, WE DESERVE THIS
Mon, 08 Sep at 07:00 pm Victoria Scott, WE DESERVE THIS

The Elliott Bay Book Company

WORKSHOPS ART
Karen Treiger presents 'Standing on the Crack'
Mon, 08 Sep at 07:00 pm Karen Treiger presents 'Standing on the Crack'

Third Place Books Seward Park

ART LITERARY-ART

What's Happening Next in Seattle?

Discover Seattle Events