The Day the Music Died by Edward Gorman, 210 pages

The first in a charming new series featuring Sam McCain, Judge Eleanor Whitney, and America in the 1950s. This will be a memorable weekend for McCain: Buddy Holly has just died in a plane crash; he's got investigative work to do for the judge; and he must help help his sister decide whether or not to have an abortion.
Someone in the prosecutor's office asked me if I knew about a book series she wanted to re-read from her youth. I was able to figure out the series for her and decided to give the first one a go myself. The author really wanted you to know what the time period was from all the references he included. I felt like they dominated the book rather than the plot.