The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana

PRAISE FOR THE RISE AND FALL OF AVA ARCANA “Banash’s sublime new stunner immerses us in an intoxicating female friendship between two young singers, each striving for pop stardom, until one of them suspiciously dies, later leading a Rolling Stone journalist to dig out the truth no one seems to want uncovered. A psychological why-done-it about the glittering allure and tragic cost of fame, and the heady bliss of bonding, all set against an unforgettable soundtrack of love and deception.” —Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You and Pictures of You “Gritty, propulsive, and complex, Banash paints a vivid picture of two young women navigating their way through the dark side of the music industry and the journalist who uncovers their shocking truth years later. I found myself completely transported into Banash’s world of glittering stages, bright city lights, and deeply nuanced, compelling characters. The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana is an addictive read that will leave you wanting more.” —Julia Spiro, author of Full and Someone Else’s Secret “I devoured this suspenseful and perceptive read about the price of fame, the dangerously blurred boundary between envy and admiration, and the tantalizing pull of those who recognize your potential and your desires. Urgently narrated in dual timelines, The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana introduces us to three unforgettable women: the passionate, dogged Kayla; the dreamy, yearning Ava; the irrepressible, brazen Lexi. I’ll be thinking about them for a long time.” —Caitlin Barasch, author of A Novel Obsession “The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana is one of the sexiest novels I’ve ever read. While it is a thriller, a mystery, and an excavation into the backstabbing glamour of the music industry, Jennifer Banash is also first and foremost an absolute master of sensual details and whip-smart dialogue, making her female protagonists leap off the page in an electrical storm. This novel is one part propulsive beach read, one part feminist deep dive into the ways women ferociously love, impulsively betray, and ultimately redeem each other. And did I mention that it’s hot?” —Gina Frangello, author of Blow Your House Down and A Life in Men “I binged this twisty mystery thriller that probes the darker side of fame and female friendships. The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana is as addictive as any Netflix series.” —Liska Jacobs, author of The Pink Hotel “This dark, sexy novel combines the rocker-chick moxie of Daisy Jones & the Six with the psychological-thriller plot twists of Social Creature. Banash’s clear, lush prose makes The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana a gripping read.” —Kate Christensen, author of The Last Cruise and The Great Man This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Text copyright © 2023 by Jennifer Banash All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by Lake Union Publishing, Seattle www.apub.com Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Lake Union Publishing are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. ISBN-13: 9781662505416 (paperback) ISBN-13: 9781662505423 (digital) Cover design by Ploy Siripant Cover image: © Oleksandr Nagaiets / Shutterstock; © KPPWC / Shutterstock; © Hayden Verry / ArcAngel CONTENTS START READING KAYLA AVA From: Ben Reynolds . . . KAYLA AVA KAYLA AVA KAYLA AVA KAYLA AVA KAYLA AVA From: McCray, Kayla . . . KAYLA AVA KAYLA AVA KAYLA AVA KAYLA AVA KAYLA AVA KAYLA AVA KAYLA AVA KAYLA AVA KAYLA AVA KAYLA AVA KAYLA AVA KAYLA KAYLA KAYLA ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” —Oscar Wilde KAYLA 2019 Jeff Logan’s voice was scratchy and strained with smoke as he gave me that same wry grin I’d seen on album covers and in countless videos, the kind of smile that would have most women willingly peeling off their clothes in a matter of seconds. “When I’m in the moment, I’m really feeling it, you know? And I just want the audience to feel it too. Especially the ladies.” Or for me, the lady in his hotel room, a writer at Rolling Stone, inarguably the most respected magazine in the history of rock journalism—who he clearly expected to sleep with him mid-interview—to feel it. This was by no means the first bit of innuendo I’d heard on the job, but the whole situation was starting to feel a little over-the-top. We’d gotten off on the wrong foot the moment he’d answered the door of his suite at the Carlyle hotel, clad in only a pair of black leather pants that looked like they might’ve been slept in for days. He scrunched down a bit in his chair, shaking his shaggy mop of blond hair from his face and reaching deep in one pocket of his pants to pull out a silver lighter. His bare chest was tanned the color of dark honey, a thin silver hoop gleaming in each nipple. He brought the cigarette to his lips and lit it, his narrow blue eyes squinting through a veil of smoke. I knew from my research that he was in only his late twenties, but he was starting to get that leathery look rock stars were prone to after a few years of nonstop hedonism. He’s the lead singer. He should quit, I thought in annoyance as I sat motionless in a rose-colored wingback chair. Even the way I reached forward slightly with my left hand, which held a digital recorder, felt way too close for comfort. I knew that most women would be thrilled to be in such close proximity to one of the hottest front men in rock and roll, but at the