What do you think?
Rate this book
Viva La Madness
Now Connolly is back with a sequel that sees him on the same stunning form, with his trademark razor-sharp dialogue and quick-fire violence, but also finding dark humor and pathos in the lives of violent men. From the London underworld, Viva la Madness moves to international crime with trans-Atlantic drug deals, money laundering, and high-tech electronic fraud, portrayed with the same uncanny believability. The anonymous hero of Layer Cake is pulled back into the drug game before he can escape to a sunny retirement. In a dazzling combination of London low-life, Caribbean high-life, and Venezuelan drug cartels toting machine-guns in Mayfair, our hero's voice and mission are authentic, thrilling, and whiplash-inducing in equal shares.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2011
75 people are currently reading
574 people want to read
About the author
J.J. Connolly
4 books75 followersJ. J. Connolly was born in London, United Kingdom, in 1964. He is the author of two crime novels, Layer Cake, and its sequel, Viva La Madness. He also wrote the screenplay of the film based on his novel.
His first novel, Layer Cake, was first published in 2000 by Duckworth Press. The book takes place in nineties London and is narrated by an unnamed, 29-year-old drug dealer ("If you knew my name, you'd be as clever as me") who plans on leaving the crime game behind at the age of thirty to live life as "a gentleman of leisure." His retirement plan, however, is made complicated by a large shipment of stolen Ecstasy, the German neo-Nazis who want it back and revenge on anyone they hold responsible for the theft, the unpredictable and often outrageous personalities of his friends, and his boss, kingpin Jimmy Price, who has charged him with the task of recovering the missing daughter of a wealthy socialite.
His second novel, Viva La Madness was published in 2011, and resumes after the first, in which only two characters remain: the unnamed narrator and his partner in crime, Mister Mortimer, AKA Morty. It begins in the Caribbean with Morty attempting to recruit the reluctant narrator back to London and the crime business as a super-salesman and closer for a UK syndicate.
Adaptations
In 2004, Layer Cake was adapted into a feature film directed by Matthew Vaughn. Connolly wrote the screenplay for the film, and wanted to portray the character Lucky in the film.
His first novel, Layer Cake, was first published in 2000 by Duckworth Press. The book takes place in nineties London and is narrated by an unnamed, 29-year-old drug dealer ("If you knew my name, you'd be as clever as me") who plans on leaving the crime game behind at the age of thirty to live life as "a gentleman of leisure." His retirement plan, however, is made complicated by a large shipment of stolen Ecstasy, the German neo-Nazis who want it back and revenge on anyone they hold responsible for the theft, the unpredictable and often outrageous personalities of his friends, and his boss, kingpin Jimmy Price, who has charged him with the task of recovering the missing daughter of a wealthy socialite.
His second novel, Viva La Madness was published in 2011, and resumes after the first, in which only two characters remain: the unnamed narrator and his partner in crime, Mister Mortimer, AKA Morty. It begins in the Caribbean with Morty attempting to recruit the reluctant narrator back to London and the crime business as a super-salesman and closer for a UK syndicate.
Adaptations
In 2004, Layer Cake was adapted into a feature film directed by Matthew Vaughn. Connolly wrote the screenplay for the film, and wanted to portray the character Lucky in the film.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
July 22, 2014
I picked up Viva La Madness over Christmas break because its English pedigree reminded me of Snatch and maybe a cousin of the Scottish Trainspotting. I never read/saw the movie of the prequel (Layer Cake), and neither the library nor used bookstore had it, so I went with the sequel. I wasn’t disappointed. Well, not much. Viva La Madness is a lively, rollicking read that requires full reality dismissal for optimal enjoyment.
Viva La Madness is a seedy, underworld comedy with well-drawn characters, a prodigious body count, and a jump drive jammed up a dead Venezuelan’s ass. The novel moves best as a series of near-uproarious scenes. Connolly writes snappy dialogue, both interior and exterior, and keeps the storyline clear and moving until maybe the novel’s last third, where I grew a little confused with complicated financial sleight of hand. Be ready to embrace a couple huge deus ex machinas, though, with mistaken identities and characters tripping a moment before a bullet passes their headspace. I thought Viva La Madness was a formality before the film version until I read the last twenty pages. Connolly wraps up with a chapter too jarring and horrific for a PG-13 crime thriller. He’s either got balls of steel or he’s flipping the movie industry the bird. Also, I didn't understand all the English slang, but, uh, I think I got the gist. Still, I had fun with Viva La Madness and I wouldn’t mind tracking down Layer Cake. I dig a good rollick.
Viva La Madness is a seedy, underworld comedy with well-drawn characters, a prodigious body count, and a jump drive jammed up a dead Venezuelan’s ass. The novel moves best as a series of near-uproarious scenes. Connolly writes snappy dialogue, both interior and exterior, and keeps the storyline clear and moving until maybe the novel’s last third, where I grew a little confused with complicated financial sleight of hand. Be ready to embrace a couple huge deus ex machinas, though, with mistaken identities and characters tripping a moment before a bullet passes their headspace. I thought Viva La Madness was a formality before the film version until I read the last twenty pages. Connolly wraps up with a chapter too jarring and horrific for a PG-13 crime thriller. He’s either got balls of steel or he’s flipping the movie industry the bird. Also, I didn't understand all the English slang, but, uh, I think I got the gist. Still, I had fun with Viva La Madness and I wouldn’t mind tracking down Layer Cake. I dig a good rollick.
February 6, 2017
I had no idea there was a sequel to Layer Cake.
I'd rate the film in my top 50. It's cool, sleek, fast paced and has some killer set pieces and one liners. If I catch it on TV, its one of those "I'll just wait up until such and such scene". A bit like Get Carter.
I read the book after the film and found it as enjoyable. As you would expect with the author being the screenwriter, it was an accurate representation.
So I stumbled across this in the library. Its bigger on scale than Layer Cake but still has several of the same characters. The unnamed narrator (obviously) and Morty make a welcome return. Throw in some ultra twitchy london lowlifes who quickly get out of their depth and South American drugs cartels and you have a fine story.
First half of the book is superb. Fast paced, almost believable for an over the top crime caper. The black humour remains. Especially what they get Roy to do to return the key missing part of the story - a memory stick - which is rather obviously signposted earlier in the book.
As the 2nd half continues, things get out of control. The body count increases massively, things get too frantic and control of the story is lost a little. At 448 pages, its overlong for this type of caper.
That said, its a worthy successor and a decent read. I doubt we'll get a cinematic sequel, which is a real shame.
And it would have got an extra half mark if the memory stick hadn't been 128MB. With all those photos?
I'd rate the film in my top 50. It's cool, sleek, fast paced and has some killer set pieces and one liners. If I catch it on TV, its one of those "I'll just wait up until such and such scene". A bit like Get Carter.
I read the book after the film and found it as enjoyable. As you would expect with the author being the screenwriter, it was an accurate representation.
So I stumbled across this in the library. Its bigger on scale than Layer Cake but still has several of the same characters. The unnamed narrator (obviously) and Morty make a welcome return. Throw in some ultra twitchy london lowlifes who quickly get out of their depth and South American drugs cartels and you have a fine story.
First half of the book is superb. Fast paced, almost believable for an over the top crime caper. The black humour remains. Especially what they get Roy to do to return the key missing part of the story - a memory stick - which is rather obviously signposted earlier in the book.
As the 2nd half continues, things get out of control. The body count increases massively, things get too frantic and control of the story is lost a little. At 448 pages, its overlong for this type of caper.
That said, its a worthy successor and a decent read. I doubt we'll get a cinematic sequel, which is a real shame.
And it would have got an extra half mark if the memory stick hadn't been 128MB. With all those photos?
April 8, 2025
The perfect sequel, and doesn’t even need the first book to be read. Lots of twists, which some people might not like, but it keeps the book really exciting. Great actions sequences nicely spaced out - although the third act ramps up the violence, it’s not to a stupid level. I don’t really understand business/economics, so I didn’t like those conversations but it’s a nitpick.
Really artistically written, much more than the first one. Conveys a lot of exposition and character thought with Q&As, which is humourously done. The “what is madness” chapter is *very* Irvine Welsh, most of the book is. If you liked the style of writing in the first three Trainspotting books, you’ll love this. Real page-turner. I don’t read much fiction, but this is so outstanding that I know that this and Layer Cake will make be at the top of my year end list.
Really artistically written, much more than the first one. Conveys a lot of exposition and character thought with Q&As, which is humourously done. The “what is madness” chapter is *very* Irvine Welsh, most of the book is. If you liked the style of writing in the first three Trainspotting books, you’ll love this. Real page-turner. I don’t read much fiction, but this is so outstanding that I know that this and Layer Cake will make be at the top of my year end list.
May 10, 2020
Wow, what a terrible book!
The unnamed protagonist has very little agency for the first two-thirds of the book. The plot relies on peripheral characters to push the plot forward, whilst the protagonist largely sits on the sidelines.
The plot is derailed further by an abundance of expositional flashback chapters devoted to the deranged gangster Jesus Zambrano. We are lazily “told” everything by the narrator, with Connolly rarely bothering to write full scenes where the characters actually interact.
But nothing, I mean NOTHING compares to the ending that is so breathtakingly bad and in such spectacularly poor taste I’d almost recommend reading it for that alone. Almost.
At 445 pages the book is overlong for something that aspires to be little more than a throwaway gangster romp. I kept wishing I was reading something by Ted Lewis instead.
The unnamed protagonist has very little agency for the first two-thirds of the book. The plot relies on peripheral characters to push the plot forward, whilst the protagonist largely sits on the sidelines.
The plot is derailed further by an abundance of expositional flashback chapters devoted to the deranged gangster Jesus Zambrano. We are lazily “told” everything by the narrator, with Connolly rarely bothering to write full scenes where the characters actually interact.
But nothing, I mean NOTHING compares to the ending that is so breathtakingly bad and in such spectacularly poor taste I’d almost recommend reading it for that alone. Almost.
At 445 pages the book is overlong for something that aspires to be little more than a throwaway gangster romp. I kept wishing I was reading something by Ted Lewis instead.
March 7, 2013
What a riot! I finally found an author who might be the equal of Elmore Leonard (at whose feet I worship). J.J. knows how to spin a plot, writes richly developed characters who are at times the victims of their own hilarious foibles, and dialogue that absolutely delights in it's inventiveness and smacks of authenticity. Forget the dictionary, just enjoy the wonderful phrases and jargon and the unique narrative voice. I'll be tracking down his first book "Layer Cake" to read ASAP.
December 22, 2017
I enjoyed layer Cake way back when, but this time around I found it pointless. It really is pitched at the pure-entertainment level, and I probably wasn't in the mood, but I just found the whole geezer crim thing boring & repetitive - and didn't want to go there again.
February 8, 2013
Better than Layer Cake, so many twists and turns, Read it!!
February 15, 2016
much preferred this to Layer Cake..seems the author has matured as a writer
October 5, 2021
I absolutely loved Connolly's first crime novel, Layer Cake, back when I read it in 2002 -- and the film made from it is quite decent as well. A full decade after that book, he published this sequel, and a decade later I finally tracked it down and gave it a read. Layer Cake was all about a low-key criminal involved in the drug trade trying to make that classic "one last score" before getting out of the game. It felt fresh and real and jam-packed with colorful characters bouncing around between London and Liverpool.
I don't know if the passage of time has changed me as a reader, but I found this followup to be pretty tiresome. It picks up with our unnamed antihero narrator retired in the sunny Caribbean, when he's approached by Mr. Mortiner and two London crims with a proposition. This brings him back to the UK, where he is a wanted man, and from there, things spiral out of control, with cartoonishly tantrumy gangsters, sinister Venezuelan cartel gunmen, Brazilians, Irish brawlers, skeevy toffs, and the like. It's a convoluted, over-the-top pulp tale of money laundering and a Macguffin memory stick with lots of killing, culminating in what I would characterize as a distasteful use of 9/11 to put the final twist in the tale.
I think some twenty years on, the sheen has long worn off the whole London gangster schtick, and the slang (rhyming and otherwise) came across as tired and dated, and it's all just trying too hard. There's absolutely no one to care about in the whole thing, except perhaps one grandmother, and while I read it to the end, I can't recommend that others do the same. (Note: It looks like at one point this was slated to be a TV series with Jason Statham, but that looks to have gotten shelved.)
I don't know if the passage of time has changed me as a reader, but I found this followup to be pretty tiresome. It picks up with our unnamed antihero narrator retired in the sunny Caribbean, when he's approached by Mr. Mortiner and two London crims with a proposition. This brings him back to the UK, where he is a wanted man, and from there, things spiral out of control, with cartoonishly tantrumy gangsters, sinister Venezuelan cartel gunmen, Brazilians, Irish brawlers, skeevy toffs, and the like. It's a convoluted, over-the-top pulp tale of money laundering and a Macguffin memory stick with lots of killing, culminating in what I would characterize as a distasteful use of 9/11 to put the final twist in the tale.
I think some twenty years on, the sheen has long worn off the whole London gangster schtick, and the slang (rhyming and otherwise) came across as tired and dated, and it's all just trying too hard. There's absolutely no one to care about in the whole thing, except perhaps one grandmother, and while I read it to the end, I can't recommend that others do the same. (Note: It looks like at one point this was slated to be a TV series with Jason Statham, but that looks to have gotten shelved.)
June 20, 2021
If you enjoyed Layer Cake, you'll enjoy the sequel. The book is fast pace, its exiting, it is everything a good action/suspense movie should be. But maybe that is why it falls just short of its predecessor, it feels like it was written for the big screen, or at least the small screen.
We get to see a few familiar characters, Morty is back, and we manage to get back to London with stops in Jamaica and Barbados. The book follows a similar enough formula to the previous book but not in a bad way. Our protagonist still isn't always the smartest guy in the room, definitely not the toughest or meanest. We saw that last time and this set of villains is much worse.
Honestly, I enjoyed this book immensely, however what fell short for me a bit was the ending. Its baseline clever but it also feels a little like a cop out, to farcical, and like an easy way to wrap up several threads at once. I can get by with what happens to Mort and our unnamed gentleman, but a word or two of advice: skip the last paragraph.
We get to see a few familiar characters, Morty is back, and we manage to get back to London with stops in Jamaica and Barbados. The book follows a similar enough formula to the previous book but not in a bad way. Our protagonist still isn't always the smartest guy in the room, definitely not the toughest or meanest. We saw that last time and this set of villains is much worse.
Honestly, I enjoyed this book immensely, however what fell short for me a bit was the ending. Its baseline clever but it also feels a little like a cop out, to farcical, and like an easy way to wrap up several threads at once. I can get by with what happens to Mort and our unnamed gentleman, but a word or two of advice: skip the last paragraph.
July 4, 2019
Not a particularly enticing follow up to Layer Cake and somewhat of a repetition of what went before. I still read it though. Here I felt Connolly ran out of plot and the characters broke down a little. I felt rather like I was re-reading Layer Cake with some changes. I happened to stumble across some discussions in a forum that suggest a great deal of authenticity in Connolly's writing. Put another way, he knows his characters and knows 'the scene' he is writing about.
It is a bit of a tome and continuing with the pace and plot for 445 pages took some doing. Perhaps if it was cut by about 1/3rd...
However, at the end of the day Connolly is one of the few British writers accomplished in this genre and able to blend in large doses of peculiar and idiosyncratic humor and his work is always worth reading for that alone - but there is more to it.
Damn, now I'm talking myself into liking this book and had to up the rating by one star. It must be alright.
It is a bit of a tome and continuing with the pace and plot for 445 pages took some doing. Perhaps if it was cut by about 1/3rd...
However, at the end of the day Connolly is one of the few British writers accomplished in this genre and able to blend in large doses of peculiar and idiosyncratic humor and his work is always worth reading for that alone - but there is more to it.
Damn, now I'm talking myself into liking this book and had to up the rating by one star. It must be alright.
May 8, 2025
#vivalamadness by #jjconnolly published in 2011. The sequel to #layercake picks up shortly after the first book. Our narrator has recovered from his injuries and is semi-retired abroad only to be brought back to London and into the criminal underworld once more. All the cheeky humour and cursing is back but this time with significantly more chaos, murder, international gangs, money laundering, and intrigue. The tone remains true to the original. Some poor decisions lead to more jeopardy and higher stakes. Perhaps a little more gruesome than last time. Has our protagonist found himself out of his depth? I particularly enjoyed the international aspects and money laundering schemes and descriptions in the book. As with the first novel the ending is tragic with a hint of farce. Good times all round.
August 27, 2021
Absolute rubbish.
I love Layer Cake, Lock Stock et al
But this was just littered with the word cunt. On every page I think, at least 6 times. I have no issue with the word, in fact it’s one of my faves, but to read it constantly with no real drive to the story to make you want to finish it. I literally had zero interest in any of the characters. They had nothing about them that was endearing, nothing that made you want to turn the next page. Didn’t finish it. Glad I only picked it up in a charity shop. Don’t waste your time on this.
I love Layer Cake, Lock Stock et al
But this was just littered with the word cunt. On every page I think, at least 6 times. I have no issue with the word, in fact it’s one of my faves, but to read it constantly with no real drive to the story to make you want to finish it. I literally had zero interest in any of the characters. They had nothing about them that was endearing, nothing that made you want to turn the next page. Didn’t finish it. Glad I only picked it up in a charity shop. Don’t waste your time on this.
May 18, 2021
“Madness is never having to say sorry.
Madness is the darkness in your head, the restless one percent that wants to push strangers under trains.
Madness is thinking there’s easy money.
Madness is making reality the enemy.
Madness is retreat from the world.
Madness is shooting people in the canister, thinking it’s justified.
Madness is shooting people in the head and saying he asked for it.”
Excerpt From
Viva La Madness
J.J. Connolly
This material may be protected by copyright.
Madness is the darkness in your head, the restless one percent that wants to push strangers under trains.
Madness is thinking there’s easy money.
Madness is making reality the enemy.
Madness is retreat from the world.
Madness is shooting people in the canister, thinking it’s justified.
Madness is shooting people in the head and saying he asked for it.”
Excerpt From
Viva La Madness
J.J. Connolly
This material may be protected by copyright.
June 24, 2020
3.5 stars. This would have scored higher for me but for the fact the POV protagonist doesn't actually do anything for the whole book. He goes where he's told. Does what he's told. Says and even wears what he's told. He has no agency. He exists purely to be a witness to and report back on other characters snappy dialogue and shenanigans.
Also the 9/11 ending seemed entirely unnecessary.
Also the 9/11 ending seemed entirely unnecessary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2021
Absolutely over the top great book. Just as good as the previous book, Layer Cake, maybe a little heavier on the dark humor. Book never slows down or become dull / uninteresting. New things happening on the last three pages. I can't believe this author has only written two books in the last 15 years.
August 21, 2021
I greatly enjoyed this book, a sequel to Layer Cake, however and it's rare that I say something like this, it could actually have benefitted from a few less plot intricacies and a 15-20% trim. An entertaining crime yarn nonetheless.
February 4, 2022
An excellent follow up to Layer Cake, though it did leave you feeling: Well, what was the point in the end? You don't mind so much because like its predecessor, you're enjoying the vibe, language, and culture of the London criminal life as entertainment
January 28, 2023
Dense, complex tale of a bunch of dodgy blokes cocking up a proper nick! Plenty of geezers, cozzers, cunts, tossers and punters. Ain't telling no porkies or taking the piss bruv' when I say you'll be well chuffed you spent your time, besides you got bugger all to do, Aye?
May 25, 2023
I received this in one of my #boxofstories subscription. Noting that it was a sequel, I ordered and read Layer Cake first, for which I’m truly thankful. I really enjoyed both books, they are as far from my usual genre than you can get. Viva La Madness was insightful.
June 6, 2017
A bit too long and unnecessary complicated.
September 27, 2018
Good
Liked it. This is a pain in the tail. Why not just let me give it four stars? Dumb system.
Liked it. This is a pain in the tail. Why not just let me give it four stars? Dumb system.
February 19, 2019
There are things I like about this, but the reliance upon the single homodiegetic narrator pushes the bounds of believability, as do some of the coincidences.
July 17, 2019
Milton
January 3, 2021
Loved it. I didn't think Connolly could pull off such a great follow up to Layer Cake.
April 22, 2022
A fun, fast follow-up to `Layer Cake' with the same sort of twists & turns & humor. A very enjoyable read
January 29, 2024
Superb. Like his first, knowing, insightful and entertaining, except this also had a dry vein of humour running throughout. Loved it.
February 9, 2024
The sequel to Layer Cake - more twists and turns in gangster world but maybe a bit too long
June 21, 2025
Hilarious but convoluted plot.
February 17, 2026
A high octane ride of a book. I really enjoyed the style of writing and it’s certainly ones of the most enjoyable books I’ve read. Strange ending though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews