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The Vinyl Detective #3
Victory Disc
The third book in the hilarious and enthralling Vinyl Detective mystery series. "Like an old 45rpm record, this book crackles with brilliance." David Quantick on Written in Dead WaxWhen one of his cats accidentally discovers a rare Victory Disc, the Vinyl Detective and his girlfriend Nevada are whisked into the world of big band swing music, and a mystery that began during the Second World War.Hired to track down the rest of the highly sought-after recordings of the Flare Path Orchestra, our hero will discover that the battles of the last world war aren't over yet. And if all this sounds simple, it's only because we haven't mentioned drive-by shootings, murderous neo-Nazis, or that slight case of being buried alive…
389 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2018
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563 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
June 18, 2018
Andrew Cartmel's third novel in his Vinyl Detective series is as much fun as ever. There's the usual mixture of bizarre characetrs, rare records to track down & even a bit of murder here & there.
The author's style is light & easy to read, but don't let that fool you. Behind all the fun there's a superb, tightly plotted thriller that goes back to the Second World War.
The fourth adventure for the Vinyl Detective (Flip Back) will be published next year-I can hardly wait!
The author's style is light & easy to read, but don't let that fool you. Behind all the fun there's a superb, tightly plotted thriller that goes back to the Second World War.
The fourth adventure for the Vinyl Detective (Flip Back) will be published next year-I can hardly wait!
February 22, 2019
The Vinyl Detective may be my favourite series of books currently being written. Certainly, it’s the only one I can think of where I actually make a point of reading each new installment not long after they come. I’d genuinely feel bad if I ever fell behind.
Undoubtedly there’s a certain silliness to the whole enterprise, the set-up requires some suspension of disbelief. It’s a series of tales about a collector of old records who – through the simple act of gathering old vinyl (often from charity shops) – finds himself involved in all kinds of crime, skulduggery and international intrigue. It’s essentially Nick Hornby meets James Bond. But as a somewhat geeky middle-aged man (although not one who collects vinyl records or who has any particular liking for jazz) and a fan of spy novels, this is thus very much my kind of book.
This one takes place in more of a minor key than its predecessors. (That doesn’t mean the tension is any less though – indeed, there’s one terrifying near death scene that Fleming would be proud of, if he sent Bond out more to the English countryside.) Our hero is hired to find some old 78 records from the Second World War (so actually pressed on shellac, rather than vinyl), but he still stumbles upon an old murder, neo-Nazis and historic espionage.
Of course, they’re in no way realistic, but if you’re tired of the endlessly gritty crime dramas which populate TV these days, then you can do worse than curling up with a book that’s light and breezy and – even as its protagonist heads off on his latest life and death case – knows not to take itself too seriously.
Undoubtedly there’s a certain silliness to the whole enterprise, the set-up requires some suspension of disbelief. It’s a series of tales about a collector of old records who – through the simple act of gathering old vinyl (often from charity shops) – finds himself involved in all kinds of crime, skulduggery and international intrigue. It’s essentially Nick Hornby meets James Bond. But as a somewhat geeky middle-aged man (although not one who collects vinyl records or who has any particular liking for jazz) and a fan of spy novels, this is thus very much my kind of book.
This one takes place in more of a minor key than its predecessors. (That doesn’t mean the tension is any less though – indeed, there’s one terrifying near death scene that Fleming would be proud of, if he sent Bond out more to the English countryside.) Our hero is hired to find some old 78 records from the Second World War (so actually pressed on shellac, rather than vinyl), but he still stumbles upon an old murder, neo-Nazis and historic espionage.
Of course, they’re in no way realistic, but if you’re tired of the endlessly gritty crime dramas which populate TV these days, then you can do worse than curling up with a book that’s light and breezy and – even as its protagonist heads off on his latest life and death case – knows not to take itself too seriously.
July 1, 2022
“Right up there,” he said pointing at the ceiling. It was some kind of chunky textured white surface - now yellow with the nicotine of yesteryear- with dark old wooden beams running across it. Affixed to the beams were various allegedly antique objects- a lantern, a large pewter tankard, some strange agricultural tool- which represented a serious navigational hazard to anyone who was tall and especially, I imagined, tall drunks.
Chosen at random for a challenge (green book cover) this was my introduction to the Vinyl Detective series, by British writer and counterpart of Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London), Andrew Cartmel, both one-time writers for Dr Who. Like Bill Pronzini’s “Nameless detective” series, the narration is in the first person (but happily not present tense), and the reader does not learn his actual name. Suffice to know that he is based in London and supports himself by finding rare vinyl records in good condition from second hand stores and fairs, for a generation who have newly discovered and prize them. (Remember Lindisfarne, Bonzo Dog Doo-dah band, Incredible String Band, anyone?)
But in this case he and girlfriend Nevada are retained by Joan Honeyland, daughter of WII orchestra leader Colonel Lucian “Lucky” Honeyland, a writer of children’s stories, to locate and collect any existing copies of music recorded on shellac by the Flare Path Orchestra, a contemporary of the Glenn Miller band.
At first I was in two minds about this one due to an excess of stereotypes of British eccentricity – the glutinous friend Tinkler, the ferret-like local historian, the self-promoting Stinky Stanmer, dozing surviving members of the Flare Path Orchestra, and the pair soon discovers that not everyone who knew Honeyland senior liked him, from the woman who illustrated his books to Danny Overland, the Australian arranger of the music - another stereotype but in this case his brusque manner injects some kind of sanity.
But all is not as it seems: there are a pair of tasty villains (neo-Nazis) to contend with, a man condemned and hanged for a murder he did not commit, a technicolour panel van and a cat or three including Abner, which farts after eating sardines (yes, it’s that kind of book).
The quirky humour aside, what I did like was the resourcefulness of the girlfriend Nevada, the way the tale weaves in wartime experiences of bomber pilots and the denouement. Will probably be appreciated more by musos than this reader.
Chosen at random for a challenge (green book cover) this was my introduction to the Vinyl Detective series, by British writer and counterpart of Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London), Andrew Cartmel, both one-time writers for Dr Who. Like Bill Pronzini’s “Nameless detective” series, the narration is in the first person (but happily not present tense), and the reader does not learn his actual name. Suffice to know that he is based in London and supports himself by finding rare vinyl records in good condition from second hand stores and fairs, for a generation who have newly discovered and prize them. (Remember Lindisfarne, Bonzo Dog Doo-dah band, Incredible String Band, anyone?)
But in this case he and girlfriend Nevada are retained by Joan Honeyland, daughter of WII orchestra leader Colonel Lucian “Lucky” Honeyland, a writer of children’s stories, to locate and collect any existing copies of music recorded on shellac by the Flare Path Orchestra, a contemporary of the Glenn Miller band.
At first I was in two minds about this one due to an excess of stereotypes of British eccentricity – the glutinous friend Tinkler, the ferret-like local historian, the self-promoting Stinky Stanmer, dozing surviving members of the Flare Path Orchestra, and the pair soon discovers that not everyone who knew Honeyland senior liked him, from the woman who illustrated his books to Danny Overland, the Australian arranger of the music - another stereotype but in this case his brusque manner injects some kind of sanity.
But all is not as it seems: there are a pair of tasty villains (neo-Nazis) to contend with, a man condemned and hanged for a murder he did not commit, a technicolour panel van and a cat or three including Abner, which farts after eating sardines (yes, it’s that kind of book).
The quirky humour aside, what I did like was the resourcefulness of the girlfriend Nevada, the way the tale weaves in wartime experiences of bomber pilots and the denouement. Will probably be appreciated more by musos than this reader.
May 28, 2018
I'm grateful to Titan for an advance copy of this book.
This is the 3rd in the series featuring the (unnamed) Vinyl Detective, his girlfriend Nevada, annoying best friend Tinkler, getaway driver Clean Head and, of course, cats Turk and Fanny. The setup is well established - the Vinyl Collector hunts down old records, and his commissions typically involve him in a historical mystery, which has enough echoes in the present to threaten considerable danger.
Victory Disc is no exception, but takes the gang out of their comfort zone (if being threatened, drugged, burgled or kidnapped can be so described) as the hunt is for even older and rarer records than before - specifically for wartime recordings of the RAF's Flare Path Orchestra, a band of serving airmen purportedly set up to compete with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. The Flare Path Orchestra wasn't, of course, real, the Miller band (of course) was. Yet Cartmel has an amazing knack for describing (totally fictitious) music so convincingly that you're almost there, listening to it. Very evocative, as is the name Flare Path Orchestra itself which made me think of Terrance Rattigan's play Flare Path, also set against the background of bomber crews in the Second World War.
Of course there's a mystery to be unravelled here, the murder of a young woman, Gillian Gadon, during the war, for which a young RAF officer was hanged. (I strongly approved of the fact that in this story Nevada insists on using Gadon's name, making her more than simply an object of male violence). This backstory intertwines with a commission, in the present, by the wealthy Miss Honeyland, to hunt down any serviving records by the Orchestra whose leader was her father, "Lucky" Lucian Honeyland. (One slight gripe: Honeyland's is described as "Colonel" - not an RAF rank, I think). That sets The Vinyl Detective (or the Shellac Shamus, as Nevada describes him now that he's delving into the age of 78s) tracking down surviving members of the band, widening his knowledge of the wartime bombing campaign (at the heart of the book there is, among other things, a compassionate argument about the cruelty of that campaign and its effect both on German cities and on the aircrew themselves).
This is Cartmel at his best, sending the team off on a series of rackety day trips to obscure corners of Kent, portraying the foibles and varied lives of the surviving band/ squadron members while throwing in an eclectic gallery of record eccentric collectors, menacing thugs, murder historians and, inevitably, more cats (poor Abner...) It all moves pretty briskly and - another thing I like in these books - the crew behave intelligently, understanding (from previous adventures) that there may be danger out there. Not that this makes the book staid or boring - it has a pretty scary climax and the revelations that follow complete a satisfying story, bringing the crimes of the past right into the present and showing how evil persists. Indeed there is something of a sense of urgency to the story and a demand to question appearances and remain vigilant. Another strong theme is erasure, particularly of artists (that's a vein consistently explored in all these books).
In all this was an exciting and atmospheric mystery and a good addition to the Vinyl Detective's casebook. I note that a further instalment, Flip Back, is due in 2019 and I wish the anonymous record-finder and his partner plenty of good, fresh coffee and decent food in their next outing.
Final note: while Cartmel avoids using the Collector's name - how long can he keep that up? - he does use pronouns, so I'm not just falling into a lazy assumption that the character is male!
This is the 3rd in the series featuring the (unnamed) Vinyl Detective, his girlfriend Nevada, annoying best friend Tinkler, getaway driver Clean Head and, of course, cats Turk and Fanny. The setup is well established - the Vinyl Collector hunts down old records, and his commissions typically involve him in a historical mystery, which has enough echoes in the present to threaten considerable danger.
Victory Disc is no exception, but takes the gang out of their comfort zone (if being threatened, drugged, burgled or kidnapped can be so described) as the hunt is for even older and rarer records than before - specifically for wartime recordings of the RAF's Flare Path Orchestra, a band of serving airmen purportedly set up to compete with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. The Flare Path Orchestra wasn't, of course, real, the Miller band (of course) was. Yet Cartmel has an amazing knack for describing (totally fictitious) music so convincingly that you're almost there, listening to it. Very evocative, as is the name Flare Path Orchestra itself which made me think of Terrance Rattigan's play Flare Path, also set against the background of bomber crews in the Second World War.
Of course there's a mystery to be unravelled here, the murder of a young woman, Gillian Gadon, during the war, for which a young RAF officer was hanged. (I strongly approved of the fact that in this story Nevada insists on using Gadon's name, making her more than simply an object of male violence). This backstory intertwines with a commission, in the present, by the wealthy Miss Honeyland, to hunt down any serviving records by the Orchestra whose leader was her father, "Lucky" Lucian Honeyland. (One slight gripe: Honeyland's is described as "Colonel" - not an RAF rank, I think). That sets The Vinyl Detective (or the Shellac Shamus, as Nevada describes him now that he's delving into the age of 78s) tracking down surviving members of the band, widening his knowledge of the wartime bombing campaign (at the heart of the book there is, among other things, a compassionate argument about the cruelty of that campaign and its effect both on German cities and on the aircrew themselves).
This is Cartmel at his best, sending the team off on a series of rackety day trips to obscure corners of Kent, portraying the foibles and varied lives of the surviving band/ squadron members while throwing in an eclectic gallery of record eccentric collectors, menacing thugs, murder historians and, inevitably, more cats (poor Abner...) It all moves pretty briskly and - another thing I like in these books - the crew behave intelligently, understanding (from previous adventures) that there may be danger out there. Not that this makes the book staid or boring - it has a pretty scary climax and the revelations that follow complete a satisfying story, bringing the crimes of the past right into the present and showing how evil persists. Indeed there is something of a sense of urgency to the story and a demand to question appearances and remain vigilant. Another strong theme is erasure, particularly of artists (that's a vein consistently explored in all these books).
In all this was an exciting and atmospheric mystery and a good addition to the Vinyl Detective's casebook. I note that a further instalment, Flip Back, is due in 2019 and I wish the anonymous record-finder and his partner plenty of good, fresh coffee and decent food in their next outing.
Final note: while Cartmel avoids using the Collector's name - how long can he keep that up? - he does use pronouns, so I'm not just falling into a lazy assumption that the character is male!
June 16, 2025
Recent Reads: Victory Disc. The third of Andrew Cartmel's Vinyl Detective mysteries takes us into the world of the 78 and WWII dance big bands. A commission to track down the recordings of an RAF band leads to murders old and new, as well as a neo-Nazi conspiracy. The past has a way of coming back.
August 2, 2020
A fun read - I liked the angle of a music themed mystery.
July 9, 2018
Another enjoyable read from the Vinyl Detective series, and I was delighted to discover that there will be another instalment next year. As a budding vinyl enthusiast, I think it is a novel idea to feature a treasure hunt for them as a main story - and it's not just anoraks, there's thrills and danger along the way. The characters are hugely likeable - especially Fanny and Turk, the cats. Nice read to pick up.
September 19, 2020
Book #61 - Victory Disc by Andrew Cartmel, the third book in the wonderful, funny Vinyl Detective series. I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, publicly praising it for being innovative, witty and amusing and that is also true for this third book in the series. In each of the books the protagonist, who is known as the Vinyl Detective for his knowledge of vinyl and his investigative skills, is asked to find some hard to find discs as well as dig up stories related to the music. In this case one of his cats discovers a rare Victory Disc and soon he is trying to find the highly sought-after recordings of the Flare Path Orchestra, a British big band during World War II, and a mystery that began during the war.
In each of the books the investigation encounters enemies who want to hurt if not kill the investigators and his friends who are helping them. This ranges from drive-by shootings to murderous Neo-Nazis to an attempt to bury a main character alive.
This is another fun caper with some excellent plot twists. I give it an 8.5
In each of the books the investigation encounters enemies who want to hurt if not kill the investigators and his friends who are helping them. This ranges from drive-by shootings to murderous Neo-Nazis to an attempt to bury a main character alive.
This is another fun caper with some excellent plot twists. I give it an 8.5
January 20, 2019
The vinyl detective and his girlfriend Nevada make an exception by searching for some pre-vinyl records--78 rpm's dating from World War II--for a hefty paycheck and, of course, curiosity. Their client's father was the bandleader for an RAF orchestra formed to compete with Glenn Miller. The bandleader also survived the War, where he served with some distinction, and wrote a series of much-loved children's books. As they track down some members of the band who are still alive, they also find a trail of murder, deceit, and danger. I pulled this book off the shelf not knowing that it is actually the third in the series. Back to the drawing board...
February 5, 2021
The elderly daughter of a wartime bandleader hires the Vinyl Detective to hunt down rare 78 RPM recordings of her dad's band from the 1940s. Some skinhead Neo-Nazis object to this...violently.
I'd probably enjoy these more if I was a jazz fan, but even knowing very little about this particular musical genre, these are fun stories. The characters are fairly likeable and the pacing is quite good. I can recommend them for those who enjoyed Ben Arrnonovitch's Rivers of London books.
I'd probably enjoy these more if I was a jazz fan, but even knowing very little about this particular musical genre, these are fun stories. The characters are fairly likeable and the pacing is quite good. I can recommend them for those who enjoyed Ben Arrnonovitch's Rivers of London books.
July 28, 2019
This is my favourite of the series so far, the first one was bonkers but they have calmed down since then into almost cosy quirky mysteries. It does become slightly irritating that the narrator still doesn’t have a name, if I was rescuing my boyfriend from certain death I think I would probably use his name. But that aside I like these especially the cats.
September 8, 2021
I liked the book, BUT I have problems believing that someone who fought in WW2 can still be touring with a band while chain-smoking in 2018. I keep thinking of William Shatner who seems to be very lively well into his 90s, but it seems still too far fetched.
Otherwise, I think this was best than the previous two books. A pity I was unable to forget the age of these guys.
Otherwise, I think this was best than the previous two books. A pity I was unable to forget the age of these guys.
April 17, 2023
A brilliant mystery for the vinyl detective solving a miscarriage of justice during the second world war. Add in the big band sounds of Glen Miller, old 78 shellac records, spying, traitors and Nazis, you have one cracking story which keeps you guessing until the end. A great read
October 12, 2025
'The Vinyl Detective - The Run-Out Groove' (2017)
'The Vinyl Detective - Victory Disc' (2018)
- by Andrew Cartmel
In the 2nd and 3rd installments of this series, our unnamed, record-collecting music enthusiast is again tasked with the mission of finding missing vinyl. The searches, of course, lead to solving other deeper mysteries.
The characters seen in Book 1, 'Written In Dead Wax,' are back. While they significantly enhance the plot through their humor and insightful contributions, and give the books a feel of continuity, it's the musical elements incorporated into the historical fiction that I found engaging. Onward to books 4 and 5!
'The Vinyl Detective - Victory Disc' (2018)
- by Andrew Cartmel
In the 2nd and 3rd installments of this series, our unnamed, record-collecting music enthusiast is again tasked with the mission of finding missing vinyl. The searches, of course, lead to solving other deeper mysteries.
The characters seen in Book 1, 'Written In Dead Wax,' are back. While they significantly enhance the plot through their humor and insightful contributions, and give the books a feel of continuity, it's the musical elements incorporated into the historical fiction that I found engaging. Onward to books 4 and 5!
November 27, 2021
Great read. Didn't pick it until close to the end. These novels seems to get better and more fun each time.
June 30, 2020
Another smartly written tale that moves along at a solid steady pace. With this third in the series, the cast of regulars are becoming familiar friends to the reader.
October 29, 2019
A perfect series for me--pretty mindless, but I like the main characters and the recurring side characters. I'll be sad when I read the 4th because then I will just have to wait for the next one.
June 21, 2018
The third novel from one of my favorite detective/mystery series. I have to say that although they've all been very entertaining, but the story also keeps geting better. Great narrative and humor by Andrew Cartmel about the nameless vinyl detective's adventure hunting down rare vinyl with his girlfriend Nevada, his best friend Tinkler and his two cats Turk and Fanny. In Victory Disc, the vinyl detective gang is involve in an adventure of hunting down a rare shellac disc from World War II era of The Flare Path Orchestra. A swing/Jazz Band consists of RAF soldiers. And as usual they got into the historical mystery of music and its intriques in the past. Who catches up to present time with all kinds of threats, even murder. This book is very-har-to-put-down. I love the humor. It also makes me more excited to also collect vintage stuff. In my case, BOOKS.
October 23, 2018
More like "The Vinyl Vigilante"
I enjoyed this series for the most part but only after I made some mental adjustments to my expectations. First there is a far greater demand on the suspension of disbelief than normally required by a book outside the Fantasy and SciFi genre. In fact if you read these as fantasy books with out the magic or as Doctor Who without the Doctor then it’s easier to just enjoy them for what they are. Cartmel also use a lot of TV style false drama to drive story - lots of sitcom misunderstanding and false drama along the way that kind of get in the way of the real mystery and drama. If you get past all the. Then they are enjoyable in the way a quirky TV show might be.
I enjoyed this series for the most part but only after I made some mental adjustments to my expectations. First there is a far greater demand on the suspension of disbelief than normally required by a book outside the Fantasy and SciFi genre. In fact if you read these as fantasy books with out the magic or as Doctor Who without the Doctor then it’s easier to just enjoy them for what they are. Cartmel also use a lot of TV style false drama to drive story - lots of sitcom misunderstanding and false drama along the way that kind of get in the way of the real mystery and drama. If you get past all the. Then they are enjoyable in the way a quirky TV show might be.
June 15, 2018
What a great book! I have to say this series just keeps getting better and better. The Vinyl Detective (we still don't know his name, I wonder why) and Nevada are hired to find rare shellac discs recorded during the WWII, a near impossible task. Along the way, as usual, they get caught in a big mess that involves a children's book, neo-nazis, hippies, WWII veterans, etc. Like I said, the usual. I found myself laughing out loud, while commuting, at some of the shenanigans. And once more I got the urge or buying a (good) record player, just before realizing I wouldn't have space to store the vinyls... oh well, I'll just have to make due with my parents' when I go home to visit them.
May 19, 2021
Almost a year passed between my reading the first and second books in this series and I had forgotten them completely. When this book popped up on a random search of books for a pending trip to the beach, I began to salivate. The base group of characters continues forward in a full-speed-ahead plot. This one took two days to read, but only because of the weather. Once again, you can jump into this series with book number three and not question comments about previous books or find the characters difficult to visualize. It will, however, make you want to read everything that Andrew Cartmel writes.
September 23, 2018
Another hugely enjoyable instalment in this series which leans heavily on the Ben Aaronovitch tone and style of slightly irreverant storytelling. There's just something wonderfully endearing about following the still-unnamed Vinyl Detective as he and his friends potter around searching for rare musical artefacts and getting in and out of trouble. It's more of the same really, but when a formula is this enjoyable there's nothing wrong with wanting more!
May 9, 2022
I love this series and can’t wait for the next one!
November 27, 2019
Ok, I give up. I just couldn't get into this one at all... It's rare, but I'll let this one count as one of the few books I started but never finished. And I couldn't even tell you why?
June 11, 2020
Another involving and enjoyable story, the author does an excellent job of exploring a new and fascinating period in the history of music, and its influence on people and places. Another labyrinthine mystery unfolds, and the characters that people the story are given life with the degree of care and attention to detail that I've come to expect from these stories.
I do have a quibble, and it was sufficient for me to knock a star off the rating that I gave this book. Somehow, for me is lacked the energy and vibrancy of the previous two stories. I wonder if it was down to the fact that the many of the characters involved must have been well into their seventies (at best), and that the focus of events, similarly, was long in the past, and therefore felt at a remove from the events in present day, almost academic, in a way.
The same could be said of Written in Dead Wax, of course, but present day events were that much more energised, not least by the fact that the romantic sub-plot which much more dynamic. In the case of The Run-Out Groove, the historic reference point was the most recent of the three stories I've read so far, and therefore I felt more closely connected to the events, as they did to the action, I feel.
I most certainly did enjoy this story, and "3 stars is a recommendation", as a certain well-known film podcast is fond of pointing out. (No, not that one, the other one.) So, I will most certainly be going on to read The Vinyl Detective - Flip Back: Vinyl Detective, and am eagerly anticipating the fifth volume too. Even a somewhat slower Vinyl Detective story is still well up on my 'To Be Read' pile. Well worth a read.
I do have a quibble, and it was sufficient for me to knock a star off the rating that I gave this book. Somehow, for me is lacked the energy and vibrancy of the previous two stories. I wonder if it was down to the fact that the many of the characters involved must have been well into their seventies (at best), and that the focus of events, similarly, was long in the past, and therefore felt at a remove from the events in present day, almost academic, in a way.
The same could be said of Written in Dead Wax, of course, but present day events were that much more energised, not least by the fact that the romantic sub-plot which much more dynamic. In the case of The Run-Out Groove, the historic reference point was the most recent of the three stories I've read so far, and therefore I felt more closely connected to the events, as they did to the action, I feel.
I most certainly did enjoy this story, and "3 stars is a recommendation", as a certain well-known film podcast is fond of pointing out. (No, not that one, the other one.) So, I will most certainly be going on to read The Vinyl Detective - Flip Back: Vinyl Detective, and am eagerly anticipating the fifth volume too. Even a somewhat slower Vinyl Detective story is still well up on my 'To Be Read' pile. Well worth a read.
March 9, 2020
If you liked the first two books in the series you'll also like this one, because the setup is very similar. Basically it's more of the same, with most of the flaws and merits we find in the first two books, although "Victory Disc" is a bit more low key while continuing the more focussed approach of its direct predecessor. I guess Cartmel has learned from massively overdoing it in the debut.
As for the merits, there still is the general nerdiness, the quirky characters and on top of that, the Vinyl Detective has developed into quite the gourmet cook, which actually made me a bit hungry once or twice while listening to the audiobook. And did I mention the two silent heroes of the series, the cats?
The newest case, the hunt for a number of wartime recordings of a military band, is also pretty interesting, although the investigation itself and the whole plot in general once again call for a certain willingness to suspend disbelief. In fact, disproportionately more suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy this series than is the case with most other crime novels.
The whole concept of the series really only works if you are willing to accept that hunting for rare records is a cutthroat business where violent attacks, kidnappings and murder are nothing out of the ordinary and that calling the police is simply not an option, although there is really absolutely no reason not to do so.
If you're just like me at book three now, I guess this won't be a problem.
One thing bugged me massively though and this is something that already started to develop in the previous novel. For some reason Andrew Cartmel decided to turn Tinkler into a complete and utter jerk. While his escapades and mannerisms are slightly funny in the beginning, he gets annoying real quick and he basically constantly behaves like a particularly dickish 12 year old in a grown man's body. I especially don't understand this decision because the series already has an incredibly annoying (kinda) friend, namely Stinky, who has become less annoying than the initially kinda fun Tinkler simply by having less scenes.
As for the merits, there still is the general nerdiness, the quirky characters and on top of that, the Vinyl Detective has developed into quite the gourmet cook, which actually made me a bit hungry once or twice while listening to the audiobook. And did I mention the two silent heroes of the series, the cats?
The newest case, the hunt for a number of wartime recordings of a military band, is also pretty interesting, although the investigation itself and the whole plot in general once again call for a certain willingness to suspend disbelief. In fact, disproportionately more suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy this series than is the case with most other crime novels.
The whole concept of the series really only works if you are willing to accept that hunting for rare records is a cutthroat business where violent attacks, kidnappings and murder are nothing out of the ordinary and that calling the police is simply not an option, although there is really absolutely no reason not to do so.
If you're just like me at book three now, I guess this won't be a problem.
One thing bugged me massively though and this is something that already started to develop in the previous novel. For some reason Andrew Cartmel decided to turn Tinkler into a complete and utter jerk. While his escapades and mannerisms are slightly funny in the beginning, he gets annoying real quick and he basically constantly behaves like a particularly dickish 12 year old in a grown man's body. I especially don't understand this decision because the series already has an incredibly annoying (kinda) friend, namely Stinky, who has become less annoying than the initially kinda fun Tinkler simply by having less scenes.
May 6, 2020
Another day and another weird mystery of the vinyl detective kind. To be fair, this mystery felt like the best of the series so far: easy to follow (but not blindingly obvious), with plenty of foreshadowing and bizarre twists. It's an easy read, and if you don't mind suspending your disbelief a lot for a book without and sci-fi/fantasy elements (it hurt me a bit, and I read a ton of those genres) it's probably a good one to sit back with.
Some bugbears of mine about the series got addressed, others are still so-so, but that's personal preference for you. Physical descriptions of characters and places were a major improvement, and I didn't feel like I was waiting for a casting director or set dresser to fill in the blanks when we met new people in new places.
Dialogue is still difficult, lacking the inflections or emphasis that would help get across how a character speaks (at one point Nevada intuits something about a relationship purely from their words - but without knowing how those words were delivered as a reader I didn't get how she knew and it just seemed very convenient that she did). In previous books our (still nameless) hero and co have their obsessive need to mention various things: drugs, cats, records (of course), but now... food. At length. Not sure why, but it broke the flow to go from murder-mystery to cooking tonight's dinner and overdoing the fromage frais! New characters are even more farcical then in previous episodes, and the decision to include copious fart/laxative skits was somewhat cringey to me. Sort of... boy-humour. In all honesty, I'm still not sold on the tone that's sort-of-almost humour but also wants to be a little bit serious too.
There's good storytelling here, but it never quite felt like it should be as a novel - make this into a quirky TV show and it'd be gold with the right audience.
Some bugbears of mine about the series got addressed, others are still so-so, but that's personal preference for you. Physical descriptions of characters and places were a major improvement, and I didn't feel like I was waiting for a casting director or set dresser to fill in the blanks when we met new people in new places.
Dialogue is still difficult, lacking the inflections or emphasis that would help get across how a character speaks (at one point Nevada intuits something about a relationship purely from their words - but without knowing how those words were delivered as a reader I didn't get how she knew and it just seemed very convenient that she did). In previous books our (still nameless) hero and co have their obsessive need to mention various things: drugs, cats, records (of course), but now... food. At length. Not sure why, but it broke the flow to go from murder-mystery to cooking tonight's dinner and overdoing the fromage frais! New characters are even more farcical then in previous episodes, and the decision to include copious fart/laxative skits was somewhat cringey to me. Sort of... boy-humour. In all honesty, I'm still not sold on the tone that's sort-of-almost humour but also wants to be a little bit serious too.
There's good storytelling here, but it never quite felt like it should be as a novel - make this into a quirky TV show and it'd be gold with the right audience.
September 18, 2018
It was only after finishing this book that I realised that it is the third in a series. Usually, this detracts from the book because you have missed events from the previous ones. It is a compliment to the author that it did not occur to me that this was not a stand-alone book. I thoroughly enjoyed The Vinyl Detective (we never do find out his real name unless it is in the first two books). However, we were introduced to his girlfriend, Nevada and various other characters with strange names such as Stinky Stammer and Clean Head and my personal favourite Leo Noel which might seem a reasonably normal name but is, in fact, a palindrome!
As his title suggests, the Vinyl Detective seeks out rare records for clients. He is contacted by Joan Honeyland to discover as many of her father’s recordings as possible. Her father played for the Flare Path Orchestra which was Britain’s answer to the Glenn Miller Band during the war. What seems a fairly innocuous task soon turns into a dangerous pastime as various unsavoury characters are also searching for these records, some of whom appear to be neo-Nazis. As our detective begins to find some of the lost records by tracking down the surviving members of the Flare Path Orchestra, people start to be killed soon after he meets them. He soon realises that his own life is also in danger.
Despite the seriousness of the plot the book is written in a witty and up to date way which makes it very enjoyable to read. The author combines tales of the past with stories of a modern couple and their friends which for me was a good combination.
It also makes a change to have a murder story set around the subject of rare records, and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the era of the swing bands during the war. Even if you are not interested the story itself is entertaining and well worth a read.
Dexter
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
As his title suggests, the Vinyl Detective seeks out rare records for clients. He is contacted by Joan Honeyland to discover as many of her father’s recordings as possible. Her father played for the Flare Path Orchestra which was Britain’s answer to the Glenn Miller Band during the war. What seems a fairly innocuous task soon turns into a dangerous pastime as various unsavoury characters are also searching for these records, some of whom appear to be neo-Nazis. As our detective begins to find some of the lost records by tracking down the surviving members of the Flare Path Orchestra, people start to be killed soon after he meets them. He soon realises that his own life is also in danger.
Despite the seriousness of the plot the book is written in a witty and up to date way which makes it very enjoyable to read. The author combines tales of the past with stories of a modern couple and their friends which for me was a good combination.
It also makes a change to have a murder story set around the subject of rare records, and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the era of the swing bands during the war. Even if you are not interested the story itself is entertaining and well worth a read.
Dexter
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
August 26, 2018
Victory Disc is the third in Andrew Cartmel’s Vinyl Detective series. I haven’t read the other two; I picked this up from a Summer Reads table in a local bookshop.
The series is about a man who tracks down rare music for a living, and gets into scrapes as a result. The Victory Disc story (no spoilers) is beautifully set up. Tinkler, friend of the vinyl detective (who has no name, as far as I recall, in his first person narration), has had an enormous vintage speaker sent to the vinyl detective's house, for reasons that are perfectly plausible. Its size, and Tinkler's delay in collecting them, raises the ire of the vinyl detective's glamorous no-nonsense girlfriend Nevada. When Tinkler finally opens them, the connectors have fallen inside the speakers, and when they open the back of the speaker to retrieve them, out pops a rare shellac 78rpm disc, which they put up for sale. And after that, one bad thing leads to another.
I'm not going to spoil the plot, which moves along apace, sets up elements of the story ahead of time before paying them off, leaps across the occasional plot holes too quickly for the reader to notice, or care too much, and has a satisfactory ending. The characters are archetypes rather than cliches: the millionaire daughter trying to set up a museum of her father's work; the grand-daughter of a murdered woman travelling the country in her hippy van; the earnest and obsessive local historian. The writing is knowing with just enough of an edge. I enjoyed reading this enough that I'm looking out for other Vinyl Detective novels.
Edited from longer post here: https://aroundtheedges.wordpress.com/....
The series is about a man who tracks down rare music for a living, and gets into scrapes as a result. The Victory Disc story (no spoilers) is beautifully set up. Tinkler, friend of the vinyl detective (who has no name, as far as I recall, in his first person narration), has had an enormous vintage speaker sent to the vinyl detective's house, for reasons that are perfectly plausible. Its size, and Tinkler's delay in collecting them, raises the ire of the vinyl detective's glamorous no-nonsense girlfriend Nevada. When Tinkler finally opens them, the connectors have fallen inside the speakers, and when they open the back of the speaker to retrieve them, out pops a rare shellac 78rpm disc, which they put up for sale. And after that, one bad thing leads to another.
I'm not going to spoil the plot, which moves along apace, sets up elements of the story ahead of time before paying them off, leaps across the occasional plot holes too quickly for the reader to notice, or care too much, and has a satisfactory ending. The characters are archetypes rather than cliches: the millionaire daughter trying to set up a museum of her father's work; the grand-daughter of a murdered woman travelling the country in her hippy van; the earnest and obsessive local historian. The writing is knowing with just enough of an edge. I enjoyed reading this enough that I'm looking out for other Vinyl Detective novels.
Edited from longer post here: https://aroundtheedges.wordpress.com/....
March 28, 2019
A very quick and enjoyable read. I inadvertently read this third book in the Vinyl Detective series first, but once I realized it was the third and not the first, I was enjoying myself so much that I didn't want to stop and start over with the first one. Now that I have read it, you can bet I'm going to do just that with Books 1 and 2. This book was so much fun, and it was about two of my own major interests, so it made it even more fun for me. The book is told in the first person, and the narrator is the Vinyl Detective himself. His smart and upbeat narration made the book move fairly quickly along its plot path and increased the suspense and enjoyment. This book, and I'm assuming this series, is made for audiophiles. Lots of famous music names and music lingo dropped throughout. And it also covers the Second World War as well as present-day. Our intrepid hero and his quirky girlfriend Nevada are on a quest for some old war music discs for a wealthy client. Little do either of them know that there is much more to this music and to the musician's life than some old war-time swing discs. Our trio of sleuths find themselves in some hot water as they pursue their commission. The dialogue in the book is fresh and as quirky as the characters. The whole book is like a breath of fresh air in detective writing. And I learned a lot about pre and post-war recordings, 78 rpm shellac records, and some interesting wartime trivia as well. I can't wait to read the two previous books in this series.
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