The Vinyl Detective plunges into the world of electronic dance music in his seventh adventure. Expect laughs, LPs, cats and the return of fan favourites, Nevada, Tinkler, Stinky Stanmer and more.
The Vinyl Detective enters the fraught and frenzied realm of electronic dance music. Lambert Ramkin aka Imperium Dart, techno trickster and ambient music wizard of the 1990s, has gone walkabout, disappearing from his rather palatial home in Kent. This isn’t the first time he’s pulled a vanishing act, but he’s never been gone so long before and his wife — wives, actually; it’s complicated — are worried and hire the Vinyl Detective to find the old rascal. They theorise that wherever the missing man is, he won’t be able to resist turning up at a record fair somewhere in search of 12-inch white label acid house singles, which he collects compulsively. And no one knows the world of record fairs better than the Vinyl Detective. They’re not wrong… But once our hero finds the wandering Lamb the trouble really begins — including terrifying mind-fucks with a side order of, if things break the wrong way, mass murder.
Andrew Cartmel was born in London and grew up in midwestern Canada where, among other things, he learned the meaning of the words “wind chill factor.” The fine public libraries of his childhood provided a rich feast (Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, the Oz books) and Andrew never wanted to be anything except a writer. On returning to London to study at university, his game plan was to support himself writing for television while getting established as a novelist. This led him into a detour — and down a rabbit hole — which included a distinguished sojourn script editing Doctor Who for three years (search “Cartmel masterplan”). At the same time, he began writing for comics and today he co-writes the Rivers of London graphic novels. A playwright and crime novelist, Andrew created the Vinyl Detective while listening to a lot of music, most of it good. Most of it very good. Andrew Cartmel lives in London with too many books, too many records and just enough cats.
“Hilarious and thrilling.” — Ben Aaronovitch, author of the Rivers of London series.
"Cartmel has a gift for bringing you into his characters' world and making you want to stay there which simply makes this a joy to read." — Blue Book Balloon Review
"Cartmel is getting a great tune out of the characters... Will have you chuckling out loud." — SFBook Review
"Character is what Cartmel does well... An entertaining detective story with a slightly different vibe." — The Dreamcage Review
- "An enthralling mystery with a wonderful gallery of grotesques.” Ben Aaronovitch
- “One of the most innovative concepts in crime fiction for many years. Once you are hooked into the world of the Vinyl Detective it is very difficult to leave.” Nev Fountain
- Like an old 45rpm record, this book crackles with brilliance.” David Quantick
- “This tale of crime, cats and rock & roll unfolds with an authentic sense of the music scene then and now – and a mystery that will keep you guessing.” Stephen Gallagher
“An irresistible blend of murder, mystery and music... our protagonist seeks to find the rarest of records – and incidentally solve a murder, right a great historical injustice and, if he’s very lucky, avoid dying in the process.” Ben Aaronovitch, bestselling author of Rivers of London
“The Vinyl Detective is one of the sharpest and most original characters I’ve seen for a long time.” David Quantick, Emmy Award-winning producer of VEEP
“Crime fiction as it should be, played loud through a valve amp and Quad speakers. No digital writing here, it’s warm and rich. Every delicate pop and crackle adding character and flavour. Witty, charming and filled with exciting solos. Quite simply: groovy.” Guy Adams, critically acclaimed author of The Clown Service
"marvelously inventive and endlessly fascinating" Publishers Weekly
"This charming mystery feels as companionable as a leisurely afternoon trawling the vintage shops with a good friend." Booklist (starred review)
The Vinyl Detective plunges into the world of electronic dance music in his seventh adventure. Expect laughs, LPs, cats and the return of fan favourites, Nevada, Tinkler, Stinky Stanmer and more.
The Vinyl Detective enters the fraught and frenzied realm of electronic dance music. Lambert Ramkin aka Imperium Dart, techno trickster and ambient music wizard of the 1990s, has gone walkabout, disappearing from his rather palatial home in Kent. This isn’t the first time he’s pulled a vanishing act, but he’s never been gone so long before and his wife — wives, actually; it’s complicated — are worried and hire the Vinyl Detective to find the old rascal. They theorise that wherever the missing man is, he won’t be able to resist turning up at a record fair somewhere in search of 12-inch white label acid house singles, which he collects compulsively. And no one knows the world of record fairs better than the Vinyl Detective. They’re not wrong… But once our hero finds the wandering Lamb the trouble really begins — including terrifying mind-fucks with a side order of, if things break the wrong way, mass murder.
Creators
Andrew Cartmel was born in London and grew up in midwestern Canada where, among other things, he learned the meaning of the words “wind chill factor.” The fine public libraries of his childhood provided a rich feast (Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, the Oz books) and Andrew never wanted to be anything except a writer. On returning to London to study at university, his game plan was to support himself writing for television while getting established as a novelist. This led him into a detour — and down a rabbit hole — which included a distinguished sojourn script editing Doctor Who for three years (search “Cartmel masterplan”). At the same time, he began writing for comics and today he co-writes the Rivers of London graphic novels. A playwright and crime novelist, Andrew created the Vinyl Detective while listening to a lot of music, most of it good. Most of it very good. Andrew Cartmel lives in London with too many books, too many records and just enough cats.
“Hilarious and thrilling.” — Ben Aaronovitch, author of the Rivers of London series.
"Cartmel has a gift for bringing you into his characters' world and making you want to stay there which simply makes this a joy to read." — Blue Book Balloon Review
"Cartmel is getting a great tune out of the characters... Will have you chuckling out loud." — SFBook Review
"Character is what Cartmel does well... An entertaining detective story with a slightly different vibe." — The Dreamcage Review
- "An enthralling mystery with a wonderful gallery of grotesques.” Ben Aaronovitch
- “One of the most innovative concepts in crime fiction for many years. Once you are hooked into the world of the Vinyl Detective it is very difficult to leave.” Nev Fountain
- Like an old 45rpm record, this book crackles with brilliance.” David Quantick
- “This tale of crime, cats and rock & roll unfolds with an authentic sense of the music scene then and now – and a mystery that will keep you guessing.” Stephen Gallagher
“An irresistible blend of murder, mystery and music... our protagonist seeks to find the rarest of records – and incidentally solve a murder, right a great historical injustice and, if he’s very lucky, avoid dying in the process.” Ben Aaronovitch, bestselling author of Rivers of London
“The Vinyl Detective is one of the sharpest and most original characters I’ve seen for a long time.” David Quantick, Emmy Award-winning producer of VEEP
“Crime fiction as it should be, played loud through a valve amp and Quad speakers. No digital writing here, it’s warm and rich. Every delicate pop and crackle adding character and flavour. Witty, charming and filled with exciting solos. Quite simply: groovy.” Guy Adams, critically acclaimed author of The Clown Service
"marvelously inventive and endlessly fascinating" Publishers Weekly
"This charming mystery feels as companionable as a leisurely afternoon trawling the vintage shops with a good friend." Booklist (starred review)
