What do you think?
Rate this book
Tommy Wildeblood #1
Beneath the Streets
When Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe hired thugs to kill his ex-lover, they botched it. What if they had succeeded? It is February 1976, and the naked corpse of a shockingly underage rent boy is fished out of a pond on Hampstead Heath. Since the police don’t seem to care, 20-year-old Tommy Wildeblood—himself a former ‘Dilly boy’ prostitute—finds himself investigating. Dodging murderous Soho hoodlums and the agents of a more sinister power, Tommy uncovers another, even more shocking crime: the Liberal leader and likely next Home Secretary, Jeremy Thorpe, has had his former male lover executed on Exmoor and got clean away with it. Now the trail of guilt seems to lead higher still, and a ruthless Establishment will stop at nothing to cover its tracks. In a gripping thriller whose cast of real-life characters includes Prime Minister Harold Wilson, his senior adviser Lady Falkender, gay Labour peer Tom Driberg and the investigative journalist Paul Foot, Adam Macqueen plays "what if" with Seventies UK political history—with a sting in the tail that reminds us that the truth can be just as chilling as fiction.
384 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2020
37 people are currently reading
322 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
July 30, 2020
It's difficult to categorise this debut novel. Political thriller? London Noir? Queer fiction? Counterfactual fantasy? It's all of those things. Look at Macqueen's non-fiction, and perhaps the reason for its genre-bending tendencies become clearer.
The setting is London in the mid-1970s. It's almost as seedy as it is today, but without the glittering skyline. The narrator, 'Tommy', is a drifter, world-weary at 20, thrown out of his squat for displeasing the 4th International, fed up with being a rent boy, aware that he's getting too old for it, who gets occasional work from a private detective who specialises in producing the evidence for the divorce courts. Tommy's not political, yet he is a regular at meetings of CHE, the Campaign for Homosexual Equality.
The backdrop is the political disintegration of the period. Harold Wilson is back in No 10, but his majority is sliding away. When the press and her CLP does for Maureen Colquhoun, the only 'out' lesbian MP, a weary PM must contemplate a coalition, or other arrangement with the Liberal Party of Jeremy Thorpe.
This novel is no retread of A Very British Scandal. Macqueen plays, knowingly, with political events and political characters. Real people - Paul Foot, Tom Driberg, Wilson himself - share the page with inventions, some of whom bear a passing resemblance to significant names from the period. But it's in no way just a sly political satire, not least because of the engaging 'Tommy', a provincial runaway whose sexuality was at odds with his father's suburban certainties.
One aspect of the novel that was particularly sure-footed was the light, but I suspect accurate portrayal of the competing tendencies in gay and radical politics of the era. Not just CHE versus the GLF, but the the left of the Labour Party, the Trots, and the lobby group that was so confident then, the PIE.
The denouement of the novel was not, to this reviewer at least, entirely satisfying, combining the uplifting finale from the film Pride, with an action scene and a grubby compromise befitting the era. But it's a minor quibble (I've others, too - my Kindle edition needed the attention of a good copy editor). For this is a page turner of a novel, which I read quickly and with great pleasure. If you enjoy a fast paced thriller, some political nerdery, and a touch of the Robert Harris' when it comes to rewriting history, this is a book for you.
The setting is London in the mid-1970s. It's almost as seedy as it is today, but without the glittering skyline. The narrator, 'Tommy', is a drifter, world-weary at 20, thrown out of his squat for displeasing the 4th International, fed up with being a rent boy, aware that he's getting too old for it, who gets occasional work from a private detective who specialises in producing the evidence for the divorce courts. Tommy's not political, yet he is a regular at meetings of CHE, the Campaign for Homosexual Equality.
The backdrop is the political disintegration of the period. Harold Wilson is back in No 10, but his majority is sliding away. When the press and her CLP does for Maureen Colquhoun, the only 'out' lesbian MP, a weary PM must contemplate a coalition, or other arrangement with the Liberal Party of Jeremy Thorpe.
This novel is no retread of A Very British Scandal. Macqueen plays, knowingly, with political events and political characters. Real people - Paul Foot, Tom Driberg, Wilson himself - share the page with inventions, some of whom bear a passing resemblance to significant names from the period. But it's in no way just a sly political satire, not least because of the engaging 'Tommy', a provincial runaway whose sexuality was at odds with his father's suburban certainties.
One aspect of the novel that was particularly sure-footed was the light, but I suspect accurate portrayal of the competing tendencies in gay and radical politics of the era. Not just CHE versus the GLF, but the the left of the Labour Party, the Trots, and the lobby group that was so confident then, the PIE.
The denouement of the novel was not, to this reviewer at least, entirely satisfying, combining the uplifting finale from the film Pride, with an action scene and a grubby compromise befitting the era. But it's a minor quibble (I've others, too - my Kindle edition needed the attention of a good copy editor). For this is a page turner of a novel, which I read quickly and with great pleasure. If you enjoy a fast paced thriller, some political nerdery, and a touch of the Robert Harris' when it comes to rewriting history, this is a book for you.
May 6, 2020
February 1976, London, and Tommy Wildeblood, a former rent boy trying to move on from that life, now works entrapping men cheating on their wives. His private detective employer snaps photos of him in-flagrante with the mark, for their wives to use as evidence in divorce. It’s not a particularly honourable way to make a living, but it at least helps him to not need to go back to the streets around Piccadilly Circus (the Dilly), where rent boys ply their trade. One day Tommy is crashing in his employer’s offices - without the man knowing, he’s swiped the keys - when a man enters seeking help locating his young lover. Tommy takes the man’s money, unsure whether he’ll even do the job or do a runner. He decides to at least conduct some preliminary work on the case and before he knows it, finds himself dragged deeper and deeper into a conspiracy that stretches to the heart of the state.
I love, absolutely love, alternate history and conspiracy thrillers. Though in real life cock-up tends to be far more common than conspiracy, and generally I'm sceptical of conspiracy theories, in fiction they're great fun and always make a compelling read. I particularly enjoy works grounded in great historical moments. I’m not alone in this either; there’s a regular stream of books imagining alternate ends to the second world war and others that propose various theories behind the Kennedy assassination. Len Deighton’s SS-GB, Tony Schumacher’s John Rossett trilogy, and Philip K Dick’s The Man in the High Castle are examples of the former, while Don Delilo’s Libra, James Elroy’s Underworld USA trilogy, and Tim Baker’s Fever City are great examples of the latter.
Amongst this genre, there are some who’ve tackled Britain’s post-war history. The best example of this is David Peace whose Red Riding quartet looked at corruption in Yorkshire around the time of the Yorkshire Ripper. His later book GB84 looked at the machinations around the 1984 Miner’s Strike. Peace’s long-awaited UKDK meanwhile, promises to fictionalise the fall of Harold Wilson and the rise of Margaret Thatcher.
It’s this forthcoming David Peace Novel that allows us to segue back to Adam Macqueen’s Beneath the Streets. This is a novel that primarily focuses on the Jeremy Thorpe scandal - indeed, its elevator pitch asks what would have happened had Thorpe succeeded in having his ex-lover murdered - but it soon encompasses the wider political events of the period. Part of the reason Thorpe’s trial was so scandalous was that Thorpe had been on the cusp of entering government. Normally the Liberals, and the Liberal Democrats now, are on the periphery of power. Thorpe’s trial however came at one of those points when they were in the position of kingmaker. The nearest modern analogy would have been if Nick Clegg had faced trial for a serious crime after the 2010 General Election when the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition was being negotiated.
As with books of this genre - those reimagining world war 2, Kennedy, UK politics - real historical figures and events are weaved seamlessly through the novel’s narrative and the author, a Private Eye journalist who has researched the period meticulously, includes a section at the end outlining the real events, where he’s taken fictional licence, and what we don’t know and is still the subject of speculation.
As well as the historical and political elements, this is a novel that also looks at the injustices gay men faced in the seventies, how their lives were valued less, and how they faced discrimination by the law. This human element is well done and compelling. Beneath the Streets looks at the male prostitution that until relatively recently was a feature of the Dilly, something that really only withered away with the internet, male and female prostitution migrating to online spaces. This is a subject that I’ve become quite interested in of late after reading a non-fiction book by another Private Eye journalist, Michael Gillard. Gillard’s book, Legacy, about organised crime in London’s Soho and East End, features a gangster called Jimmy Holmes who started out as a rent boy on the Dilly only to become one of London’s leading criminals in the 1980’s and 1990’s. So I was interested to read a fictional account of the environment rent boys operated in at that time.
The author has a second novel in the works, again featuring his protagonist Tommy Wildeblood, with the intriguing title of The Enemy Within. I’m wondering what the plot will focus on and note that Seamus Milne, one-time Guardian journalist and then Jeremy Corbyn’s Director of Communications, famously published a non-fiction work by that name about MI5 infiltration of the National Union of Miners. Will Tommy Wildeblood find himself embroiled in the secret state’s war against the miners? We will have to see. I certainly look forward to reading book 2, wherever it takes us.
I love, absolutely love, alternate history and conspiracy thrillers. Though in real life cock-up tends to be far more common than conspiracy, and generally I'm sceptical of conspiracy theories, in fiction they're great fun and always make a compelling read. I particularly enjoy works grounded in great historical moments. I’m not alone in this either; there’s a regular stream of books imagining alternate ends to the second world war and others that propose various theories behind the Kennedy assassination. Len Deighton’s SS-GB, Tony Schumacher’s John Rossett trilogy, and Philip K Dick’s The Man in the High Castle are examples of the former, while Don Delilo’s Libra, James Elroy’s Underworld USA trilogy, and Tim Baker’s Fever City are great examples of the latter.
Amongst this genre, there are some who’ve tackled Britain’s post-war history. The best example of this is David Peace whose Red Riding quartet looked at corruption in Yorkshire around the time of the Yorkshire Ripper. His later book GB84 looked at the machinations around the 1984 Miner’s Strike. Peace’s long-awaited UKDK meanwhile, promises to fictionalise the fall of Harold Wilson and the rise of Margaret Thatcher.
It’s this forthcoming David Peace Novel that allows us to segue back to Adam Macqueen’s Beneath the Streets. This is a novel that primarily focuses on the Jeremy Thorpe scandal - indeed, its elevator pitch asks what would have happened had Thorpe succeeded in having his ex-lover murdered - but it soon encompasses the wider political events of the period. Part of the reason Thorpe’s trial was so scandalous was that Thorpe had been on the cusp of entering government. Normally the Liberals, and the Liberal Democrats now, are on the periphery of power. Thorpe’s trial however came at one of those points when they were in the position of kingmaker. The nearest modern analogy would have been if Nick Clegg had faced trial for a serious crime after the 2010 General Election when the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition was being negotiated.
As with books of this genre - those reimagining world war 2, Kennedy, UK politics - real historical figures and events are weaved seamlessly through the novel’s narrative and the author, a Private Eye journalist who has researched the period meticulously, includes a section at the end outlining the real events, where he’s taken fictional licence, and what we don’t know and is still the subject of speculation.
As well as the historical and political elements, this is a novel that also looks at the injustices gay men faced in the seventies, how their lives were valued less, and how they faced discrimination by the law. This human element is well done and compelling. Beneath the Streets looks at the male prostitution that until relatively recently was a feature of the Dilly, something that really only withered away with the internet, male and female prostitution migrating to online spaces. This is a subject that I’ve become quite interested in of late after reading a non-fiction book by another Private Eye journalist, Michael Gillard. Gillard’s book, Legacy, about organised crime in London’s Soho and East End, features a gangster called Jimmy Holmes who started out as a rent boy on the Dilly only to become one of London’s leading criminals in the 1980’s and 1990’s. So I was interested to read a fictional account of the environment rent boys operated in at that time.
The author has a second novel in the works, again featuring his protagonist Tommy Wildeblood, with the intriguing title of The Enemy Within. I’m wondering what the plot will focus on and note that Seamus Milne, one-time Guardian journalist and then Jeremy Corbyn’s Director of Communications, famously published a non-fiction work by that name about MI5 infiltration of the National Union of Miners. Will Tommy Wildeblood find himself embroiled in the secret state’s war against the miners? We will have to see. I certainly look forward to reading book 2, wherever it takes us.
April 15, 2020
What a cracking book! I absolutely flew through this alternate history of Seventies political history and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Adam Macqueen takes the whole Jeremy Thorpe affair and skillfully reworks it into an alternate reality in which the assassination attempt against his ex-lover, Norman Scott, actually succeeded - rather than resulting in the accidental shooting of his dog, Rinka.
At the beginning of the story, we meet our would be hero, Alex (aka Tommy Wildeblood), a down on his luck ex-rent boy who is scraping together an existence by helping a private detective snap pictures of in-the-closet gay men in compromising situations for the purpose of divorce proceedings. The rather extravagant nom de plume Alex uses, Tommy Wildeblood, is in fact taken from his favourite book, Against the Law, which he credits as being the one book that saved him during his difficult adolescent years, when he was struggling with his sexuality - a book that has now become his constant companion and a kind of talisman.
Tommy finds himself accidentally involved in an investigation into the death of an under-age rent boy called Stephen, whose body has been pulled out of a pond on Hampstead Heath. The police seem determined to put this death down to misadventure, but Stephen was clearly beaten before he died and Tommy finds it very suspicious when Special Branch seem to be keen to play down any talk of murder.
As the plot thickens, Tommy stumbles across what seems to be an enormous cover-up of the private goings on of the leader of the Liberal Party, Jeremy Thorpe - who it appears has somewhat of a double life as a respectable family man and MP during the day and as a flamboyant gay man about town at night. When he finds out that Jeremy Thorpe's ex-lover, Norman Scott has also been murdered and the death again covered up, Tommy knows that he must carry on with his quest for justice to the bitter end.
What follows is a web of intrigue worthy of a political spy novel, with abductions, threats of violence, suspicious deaths and deep dark conspiracies that take us to the very heart of the corridors of power of the Seventies! The tension is palpable and you do not know how Tommy is going to survive in this arena of heavyweights. It's addictive, thrilling and utterly delicious and has the most chilling of twists at the end. But enough of that...no spoilers will pass my lips...
One of the things I most enjoyed about this book is the care Adam Macqueen has taken with setting the scene for Beneath The Streets.
This is a country which is still findings its way in the aftermath of the legalisation of homosexuality for men over 21 in 1967. Society in general is not comfortable with the idea of men or women being openly gay and prejudice is still rife - although we are starting to see some hopeful signs of change. It is not surprising then that Tommy and his friends are very careful about how they live their lives, even when on the right side of the law - and the threat of violence is palpable. This really adds to the feeling of danger surrounding Tommy's quest.
The way Adam Macqueen describes 1970s London, especially around Soho, is so beautifully done that you can almost feel yourself walking among those sleazy streets, full of sex shops, topless bars and the like. It's grimy, raw, open in its intentions, and feels completely authentic, but is also makes a wonderful contrast to the environs Tommy finds himself in later in the book - even the clean, salubrious and apparently upstanding streets of London hide a shady side that is every bit as sordid - and I loved this.
I must also say that Adam Macqueen has done an absolutely stellar job with the way he uses the references to popular culture in this book - it was just like being back in the 1970s! And drop in a well done for the title of the book - I always love a clever title!
Although I vaguely remember the infamous Jeremy Thorpe trial in 1979, being only 12 and much more interested in the popular culture side of the time that Adam Macqueen refers to so well in this book, I admit I could not remember many of the details. So before I embarked on my adventure with Tommy Wildblood I made sure to have a quick refresh of what actually happened, and I highly recommend that you do the same - by the way, the history reads like a novel in itself, so be prepared. Doing this research certainly enhanced my enjoyment of this book and my admiration for the excellent job Adam Macqueen has done here. Very impressive indeed, Mr Macqueen.
I heartily recommend this book, and can't wait to read Tommy's next adventure, The Enemy Within.
Adam Macqueen takes the whole Jeremy Thorpe affair and skillfully reworks it into an alternate reality in which the assassination attempt against his ex-lover, Norman Scott, actually succeeded - rather than resulting in the accidental shooting of his dog, Rinka.
At the beginning of the story, we meet our would be hero, Alex (aka Tommy Wildeblood), a down on his luck ex-rent boy who is scraping together an existence by helping a private detective snap pictures of in-the-closet gay men in compromising situations for the purpose of divorce proceedings. The rather extravagant nom de plume Alex uses, Tommy Wildeblood, is in fact taken from his favourite book, Against the Law, which he credits as being the one book that saved him during his difficult adolescent years, when he was struggling with his sexuality - a book that has now become his constant companion and a kind of talisman.
Tommy finds himself accidentally involved in an investigation into the death of an under-age rent boy called Stephen, whose body has been pulled out of a pond on Hampstead Heath. The police seem determined to put this death down to misadventure, but Stephen was clearly beaten before he died and Tommy finds it very suspicious when Special Branch seem to be keen to play down any talk of murder.
As the plot thickens, Tommy stumbles across what seems to be an enormous cover-up of the private goings on of the leader of the Liberal Party, Jeremy Thorpe - who it appears has somewhat of a double life as a respectable family man and MP during the day and as a flamboyant gay man about town at night. When he finds out that Jeremy Thorpe's ex-lover, Norman Scott has also been murdered and the death again covered up, Tommy knows that he must carry on with his quest for justice to the bitter end.
What follows is a web of intrigue worthy of a political spy novel, with abductions, threats of violence, suspicious deaths and deep dark conspiracies that take us to the very heart of the corridors of power of the Seventies! The tension is palpable and you do not know how Tommy is going to survive in this arena of heavyweights. It's addictive, thrilling and utterly delicious and has the most chilling of twists at the end. But enough of that...no spoilers will pass my lips...
One of the things I most enjoyed about this book is the care Adam Macqueen has taken with setting the scene for Beneath The Streets.
This is a country which is still findings its way in the aftermath of the legalisation of homosexuality for men over 21 in 1967. Society in general is not comfortable with the idea of men or women being openly gay and prejudice is still rife - although we are starting to see some hopeful signs of change. It is not surprising then that Tommy and his friends are very careful about how they live their lives, even when on the right side of the law - and the threat of violence is palpable. This really adds to the feeling of danger surrounding Tommy's quest.
The way Adam Macqueen describes 1970s London, especially around Soho, is so beautifully done that you can almost feel yourself walking among those sleazy streets, full of sex shops, topless bars and the like. It's grimy, raw, open in its intentions, and feels completely authentic, but is also makes a wonderful contrast to the environs Tommy finds himself in later in the book - even the clean, salubrious and apparently upstanding streets of London hide a shady side that is every bit as sordid - and I loved this.
I must also say that Adam Macqueen has done an absolutely stellar job with the way he uses the references to popular culture in this book - it was just like being back in the 1970s! And drop in a well done for the title of the book - I always love a clever title!
Although I vaguely remember the infamous Jeremy Thorpe trial in 1979, being only 12 and much more interested in the popular culture side of the time that Adam Macqueen refers to so well in this book, I admit I could not remember many of the details. So before I embarked on my adventure with Tommy Wildblood I made sure to have a quick refresh of what actually happened, and I highly recommend that you do the same - by the way, the history reads like a novel in itself, so be prepared. Doing this research certainly enhanced my enjoyment of this book and my admiration for the excellent job Adam Macqueen has done here. Very impressive indeed, Mr Macqueen.
I heartily recommend this book, and can't wait to read Tommy's next adventure, The Enemy Within.
August 21, 2023
Rep: gay mc & li, trans, gay & lesbian side characters
CWs: period typical homophobia & racism, homophobic violence
CWs: period typical homophobia & racism, homophobic violence
May 5, 2023
What is a good read?
Obviously every single reader is entitled to their own definition. Here is mine, for whatever it's worth:
- the subject matter must be appealing;
- the writing must be very good, verging on perfection if that is not too much to ask for;
- the book must convey an ability to make me cleverer by instilling something new or if I am already aware of it, at least cast fresh light on the matter at hand;
- last but not least, it has to be able all the while I am engrossed in it to make me forget about the pettiness of my own self, in other words, it had better be an escapist as books so very often make up for the dullness of my life!. Yes, that accounts for the Baudelairian side to my being!
Well I must say Adam Macqueen's novel ticks all the boxes and I am so grateful for that.
The starting point to this story is (sadly I want to say) based on true facts, pertaining to the political outcry that was brought about by the alleged shenanigans of the rising star of the Liberal Party of then, Jeremy Thorpe. But the book is much more than a telltale sign of the British politics of the time, something you might today not be particularly interested in after all, in which case I think you would be wrong because human flaws and shortcomings are timeless and supersede all borders. This book also paints a realistic picture of shady life in a capital city (London) as it was in the 1970s. Above all, it reminds us that the powers that be seldom show qualms when it comes to protect their vested interests even if it means some poor fellow at the bootom of the pecking order has to pay with his life.
Thriller writer-cum- political and social critic, Adam Macqueen has definitely more than one string to his bow and he strikes square at the point. His novel fits like a glove my criteria of a good read!
Obviously every single reader is entitled to their own definition. Here is mine, for whatever it's worth:
- the subject matter must be appealing;
- the writing must be very good, verging on perfection if that is not too much to ask for;
- the book must convey an ability to make me cleverer by instilling something new or if I am already aware of it, at least cast fresh light on the matter at hand;
- last but not least, it has to be able all the while I am engrossed in it to make me forget about the pettiness of my own self, in other words, it had better be an escapist as books so very often make up for the dullness of my life!. Yes, that accounts for the Baudelairian side to my being!
Well I must say Adam Macqueen's novel ticks all the boxes and I am so grateful for that.
The starting point to this story is (sadly I want to say) based on true facts, pertaining to the political outcry that was brought about by the alleged shenanigans of the rising star of the Liberal Party of then, Jeremy Thorpe. But the book is much more than a telltale sign of the British politics of the time, something you might today not be particularly interested in after all, in which case I think you would be wrong because human flaws and shortcomings are timeless and supersede all borders. This book also paints a realistic picture of shady life in a capital city (London) as it was in the 1970s. Above all, it reminds us that the powers that be seldom show qualms when it comes to protect their vested interests even if it means some poor fellow at the bootom of the pecking order has to pay with his life.
Thriller writer-cum- political and social critic, Adam Macqueen has definitely more than one string to his bow and he strikes square at the point. His novel fits like a glove my criteria of a good read!
October 17, 2020
I was a bit apprehensive starting this book as the initial chapters were a bit on the vulgar side for my liking. As the book progressed, however, the vulgarity was toned down substantially and I ended up loving this book.
This was the first time that I have come across an afterword on the true stories that are featured in the fiction. I think this is something more authors of historical fiction should add to their novels.
This was the first time that I have come across an afterword on the true stories that are featured in the fiction. I think this is something more authors of historical fiction should add to their novels.
August 14, 2025
Absolutely brilliant the mixing of reality and fiction is done superbly the book doesn’t shy away from the truth absolutely fascinating couldn’t recommend it more
April 13, 2020
A young rent boys body is fished out of a pond on Hampstead Heath, the Police appear to have no interest in investigating, quite by chance and circumstance Tommy Wildeblood a former rent boy finds himself investigating. Not knowing quite what he has let himself in for or the dangers he is facing nor that the fact he is not actually a private detective, Tommy sets out to find the truth.
It is not long before he finds himself in the middle of a political intrigue that leads right to the very top of government. Jeremy Thorpe has had his former lover murdered, and it would appear that the establishment are covering it up.
What follows is a wonderfully concocted storyline and plot which blends fiction with real life characters in a gripping and intriguing thriller. Set in the somewhat seedier side of 1970s Soho and London
I must admit that at the outset Tom was not a character that appealed to me and I had a sense of how is he going to fit into the story that would make the plot believable, however Adam Macqueen has written a wonderfully rounded, certainly flawed but in the end hugely likeable character that you feel yourself rooting for him as he gets dragged deeper into the political system.
Darkly gritty you certainly get a sense of realism. London itself is as central a character to the book and the Streets are brought to life on the page as you walk the streets with Tom.
As the story moves and flows, at times you wonder where the corruption actually stops and the lengths that people will go to make sure the truth does not out.
It definitely leaves you with plenty of questions and a sense of what if, and right at the end there is a superb twist in the tale.
Beneath the Streets is a highly compelling debut novel that manages to draw the reader in, with a wonderful mix of suspense and tension, it is one of those reads where you want to take in every word
It is not long before he finds himself in the middle of a political intrigue that leads right to the very top of government. Jeremy Thorpe has had his former lover murdered, and it would appear that the establishment are covering it up.
What follows is a wonderfully concocted storyline and plot which blends fiction with real life characters in a gripping and intriguing thriller. Set in the somewhat seedier side of 1970s Soho and London
I must admit that at the outset Tom was not a character that appealed to me and I had a sense of how is he going to fit into the story that would make the plot believable, however Adam Macqueen has written a wonderfully rounded, certainly flawed but in the end hugely likeable character that you feel yourself rooting for him as he gets dragged deeper into the political system.
Darkly gritty you certainly get a sense of realism. London itself is as central a character to the book and the Streets are brought to life on the page as you walk the streets with Tom.
As the story moves and flows, at times you wonder where the corruption actually stops and the lengths that people will go to make sure the truth does not out.
It definitely leaves you with plenty of questions and a sense of what if, and right at the end there is a superb twist in the tale.
Beneath the Streets is a highly compelling debut novel that manages to draw the reader in, with a wonderful mix of suspense and tension, it is one of those reads where you want to take in every word
May 31, 2020
I really enjoyed this. I saw it advertised in Private Eye and knew of Adam Macqueen as contributor and author of the first 50 years of PE. But also I loved John Preston's A Very English Scandal and then a chance to support an independent publisher so it's get everything going for it. Plus the discount when bought direct, I had to buy. It is very readable, page turning, brilliantly researched and creates a really strong atmosphere for my memories of 1975/6, although I was never a part of the gay scene, but all the little touches of TV programmes, toilet roll dollies etc. brought back a decade which, after the 1960s, we never thought we would look back on with affection. And yet Macqueen manages it. More importantly, he tells a story that seems all too contemporary in the sense of those in power doing what is right for them and to hell with the 'little people'. It was always so, I guess. While this is clearly fiction, clearly this is a case where truth is stranger than fiction. Even deviating from the truth with a murder that didn't happen doesn't make it more unlikely. And that is a minor weakness. Fortunately, Macqueen's writing skill stops it becoming pedestrian. The other minor weakness is the profile of Private Eye, which does seem a little arch. Those minor quibbles aside, I gather there will be more in the series and I will be there. What lingers is that bad things go on at the centre of power, illegal and shameful and power uses itself to protect its own. There was a lot of bad things happening in the 1970s that are still to rise to the surface. Macqueen touches on that. Many of those that were portrayed as bad at the time were more people fighting for their rights. The really bad things were being covered up.
November 29, 2020
The premise of this entertaining novel is that the botched attempt on the life of Jeremy Thorpe’s lover, Norman Scott, was actually successful, whilst his Great Dane, Rinka, survived. What ensues is the inadvertent discovery of further indiscretions and a web of subterfuge and cover up that leads our protagonist from beneath the streets of London to Devon and back in search of answers.
Much of the enjoyment of this story is the way in which we accompany Tommy Wildeblood as the plot, with all its twists, begins to unfold. He is a likeable, sympathetic character - not easy to achieve in the seedy world of rent boys and Dilly prostitutes - whose display of very real human traits, affection and fears, endear him to the reader.
There are just one or two phrases or references that jar a little and are certainly more twenty first century than 1970s London but otherwise this is a thoroughly good read. Adam Macqueen blends contemporary, real life characters with the fictional to good effect - his Afterword, identifying the characters and events based on fact is a welcome addition that heads of the need to look a whole heap of stuff on Google - although this is unlikely to stop those whose interest is piqued by the intrigue of the day.
Much of the enjoyment of this story is the way in which we accompany Tommy Wildeblood as the plot, with all its twists, begins to unfold. He is a likeable, sympathetic character - not easy to achieve in the seedy world of rent boys and Dilly prostitutes - whose display of very real human traits, affection and fears, endear him to the reader.
There are just one or two phrases or references that jar a little and are certainly more twenty first century than 1970s London but otherwise this is a thoroughly good read. Adam Macqueen blends contemporary, real life characters with the fictional to good effect - his Afterword, identifying the characters and events based on fact is a welcome addition that heads of the need to look a whole heap of stuff on Google - although this is unlikely to stop those whose interest is piqued by the intrigue of the day.
October 16, 2020
Excellent debut novel, a thriller set in 1976 London based loosely around the notorious "Thorpe Affair". For non-Brits, Jeremy Thorpe was the "flamboyant" (nudge nudge, wink wink) leader of the Liberal Party in the 1970s who was tried (and acquitted, no surprise there) of conspiracy to murder his lover Norman Scott. (The excellent BBC miniseries A Very English Scandal starring Hugh Grant tells the whole sordid story). MacQueen takes real historical personages, including Thorpe, and rewrites them into a gripping thriller which perfectly recaptures the grimy essence of mid-seventies London.
There are some excellent jokes, some subtle, like Tommy hoping that the summer will be a decent one, to make up for the harsh winter (the long hot summer of 1976 has passed into legend), some less subtle ("the Tories have elected a woman leader but she won't last long"). The period detail is pitch-perfect, from the references to the Raymond Revue Bar to quotes from the Daily Express (even more vile and hate-filled back then than it is now, which takes some doing).
Apparently more books starring Tommy Wildeblood, rent boy turned private eye, are planned. I do hope so.
There are some excellent jokes, some subtle, like Tommy hoping that the summer will be a decent one, to make up for the harsh winter (the long hot summer of 1976 has passed into legend), some less subtle ("the Tories have elected a woman leader but she won't last long"). The period detail is pitch-perfect, from the references to the Raymond Revue Bar to quotes from the Daily Express (even more vile and hate-filled back then than it is now, which takes some doing).
Apparently more books starring Tommy Wildeblood, rent boy turned private eye, are planned. I do hope so.
January 9, 2021
I loved this. Heard it recommended on Radio 4's A Good Read.
It imagines the Jeremy Thorpe scandal as if Norman Scott had been shot, instead of his dog, which was the real event. Another murder takes place early in the story, and the protagonist sets out to solve the crime, immediately being plunged into peril himself.
I really enjoy alternative history novels, and when they're as well researched as this you learn from them as well as enjoying the cleverly woven plot.
I hadn't known quite a bit of the detail of Harold Wilson's government and the connections with some very dodgy characters, or quite what happened to cover up for Cyril Smith.
The story pulls you in from the start, it's so brilliantly realistic. It really took me back to the days when the area around Soho and Piccadilly were very different to how they are now. His prose is so wonderfully descriptive that you can really see and almost smell the sleaze in some of those scenes.
If you enjoyed A Very British Scandal, this is a great companion piece.
I wonder what poor Norman Scott thinks of it, re gaining some fame in his 80s.
It imagines the Jeremy Thorpe scandal as if Norman Scott had been shot, instead of his dog, which was the real event. Another murder takes place early in the story, and the protagonist sets out to solve the crime, immediately being plunged into peril himself.
I really enjoy alternative history novels, and when they're as well researched as this you learn from them as well as enjoying the cleverly woven plot.
I hadn't known quite a bit of the detail of Harold Wilson's government and the connections with some very dodgy characters, or quite what happened to cover up for Cyril Smith.
The story pulls you in from the start, it's so brilliantly realistic. It really took me back to the days when the area around Soho and Piccadilly were very different to how they are now. His prose is so wonderfully descriptive that you can really see and almost smell the sleaze in some of those scenes.
If you enjoyed A Very British Scandal, this is a great companion piece.
I wonder what poor Norman Scott thinks of it, re gaining some fame in his 80s.
July 4, 2020
It’s the winter of 1976. Tom Wildeblood, a 20-year-old rent-boy, accidentally becomes a private eye following the murder of another youngster from the Piccadilly arcade where punters find their prey. The trail rapidly leads to Gays in High Places, notably to the Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe. In this ‘What If’ version of real events, amateur hitmen have murdered Thorpe's toyboy Norman Scott and are now looking for our inept hero and his boyfriend.
With Tom Driberg, Harold Wilson and Marcia Falkender in its cast, Beneath the Streets is an uneven mix of the mighty and the mundane. Tom’s estranged mum and dad in Reading are about as mundane as you can get. In Downing Street, Wilson is a fading force, over-reliant on Falkender, a PA with too much power. We are reminded that people in high places frequently have feet of clay – in Jeremy Thorpe’s case, very muddy clay. And the story ends with a chilling hint of other shocking scandals that, in 1976, were still under the radar.
With Tom Driberg, Harold Wilson and Marcia Falkender in its cast, Beneath the Streets is an uneven mix of the mighty and the mundane. Tom’s estranged mum and dad in Reading are about as mundane as you can get. In Downing Street, Wilson is a fading force, over-reliant on Falkender, a PA with too much power. We are reminded that people in high places frequently have feet of clay – in Jeremy Thorpe’s case, very muddy clay. And the story ends with a chilling hint of other shocking scandals that, in 1976, were still under the radar.
September 26, 2020
This is a fantastic debut thriller.
The idea of a rent boy private detective is brilliant and original. Adam Macqueen brings to life a convincing protagonist and truly touching relationships, especially with his estranged parents as well as other denizens of the ‘Dilly.’ He is fascinated both by the party politics of the period as well as the gay politics and the book has a lot to say about both. His scenes range from the local gay campaign group and a Pride march to Marcia Falkender’s flat where it is hard to know who leads the country, her or Harold Wilson. And worryingly which has a better grip on sanity. Overall a superb sense of period detail which (ahem) I can just about recall.
Oddly enough I was slightly less engaged by the central conceit of a counterfactual world where Jeremy Thorpe succeeds in having Norman Scott murdered (and thank goodness the latter is still with us!). I preferred the factual ‘A Very English Scandal’which seemed stranger than fiction.
But a highly recommended debut and I will certainly be reading the next Tommy Wildeblood adventure.
The idea of a rent boy private detective is brilliant and original. Adam Macqueen brings to life a convincing protagonist and truly touching relationships, especially with his estranged parents as well as other denizens of the ‘Dilly.’ He is fascinated both by the party politics of the period as well as the gay politics and the book has a lot to say about both. His scenes range from the local gay campaign group and a Pride march to Marcia Falkender’s flat where it is hard to know who leads the country, her or Harold Wilson. And worryingly which has a better grip on sanity. Overall a superb sense of period detail which (ahem) I can just about recall.
Oddly enough I was slightly less engaged by the central conceit of a counterfactual world where Jeremy Thorpe succeeds in having Norman Scott murdered (and thank goodness the latter is still with us!). I preferred the factual ‘A Very English Scandal’which seemed stranger than fiction.
But a highly recommended debut and I will certainly be reading the next Tommy Wildeblood adventure.
December 7, 2021
The Jeremy Thorpe scandal in the late 1970's, when the then UK Liberal party leader was accused of conspiring to have a former lover, Norman Scott, killed, still attracts huge levels of attention. In recent years, Russell T. Davies' dramatisation of the events, A Very English Scandal, fained vast amounts of credit when it was screen. "Beneath The Streets" takes a sideways look at events, a "what if?" had events occurred just slightly differently. In this excellently written and tightly plotted version, the narrator is one of London's rent boys, caught up in events due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time and having, despite circumstances, a keen sense of fairness and justice. The story, so well paced and anthralling, takes the reader from the seediest of beginnings in a well frequented "cottage" through to some of the higher, though no less seedy, heights of society. The cast of characters, real and imagined, flesh out the bones of the tale with considerable realism, too. Although this is far from being a comfortable read given its subject, it is highly recommended.
June 13, 2020
Adam MacQueen’s gritty and explicit thriller takes us into the dark paranoid underbelly of the Seventies. The corpse of an underage sex worker is dragged from Hampstead Pond. Tommy Wildeblood is not long out of that world and starts to investigate. Politically naïve, he finds that there are powerful forces at work. MacQueen riffs off the extraordinary Thorpe affair, where a British politician tried to have his former male lover assassinated. Given the material he is working with, the strangest characters are mostly the real ones. (Few novelists would dare invent Marcia Falkender, head of Harold Wilson’s personal office.) The book blends squalor, paranoia and naffness - the tedium of CHE meetings, Gay Liberation, strikes, the threat of a right wing coup and Morecombe and Wise. Macqueen weaves a moral tale, by turns cynical, thrilling and tender. It keeps you guessing until the end and leaves you raging at how the powerful protect each other, and who pays the price.
March 22, 2025
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book and was pleasantly surprised to find my self thoroughly enjoying the fast paced 'faction' of Soho 1975 (Which I remember as a teenager) and the dubious sleaze of Piccadilly.The world of rent boys initially was horrifying and sad, the various venues infamous and the customers vile.Yet I found the combination of fiction and Norman Scott Jeremy Thorpe, Tom Driberg etc believable and the imaginings of an establishment cover up not only believable but probably quite factual.The portrayal of Harold Wilson's secretary as a neurotic and vindictive woman was as we now know very true, the circumstances of the novel though highly fictionalised though the nod to Private Eye and Richard Ingrams and their battle with Jimmy Goldsmith (who I actually knew) being used as further cover up of Thorpe and Smith entertaining.
McQueen has created a compelling believable character for this series, and great 'Factional[ plots.Well with a read.
McQueen has created a compelling believable character for this series, and great 'Factional[ plots.Well with a read.
November 10, 2020
A well researched novel based on the fact that there was an attempt to murder Norman Scott (gay lover of Jeremy Thorpe, leader of the Liberal Party). Very few anachronisms, errors or changes to what was reported at the time. The book is so authentic that I was surprised MacQueen said in the endnote he was born too late to remember the events as they occurred.
I was shocked when Harold Wilson resigned as Prime Minister in 1976, it is possible it had something to do with the Thorpe affair (as MacQueen alleges). MacQueen's description of Wilson just before his resignation (paranoid and loosing it) sounds far-fetched but it could be accurate. When he died in 1995 the newspapers reported he had resigned as PM because of early onset dementia.
I was shocked when Harold Wilson resigned as Prime Minister in 1976, it is possible it had something to do with the Thorpe affair (as MacQueen alleges). MacQueen's description of Wilson just before his resignation (paranoid and loosing it) sounds far-fetched but it could be accurate. When he died in 1995 the newspapers reported he had resigned as PM because of early onset dementia.
October 17, 2022
This is a romp through 1970s gay London with an engaging ex rent boy sleuth Tommy Wildeblood. As a gay man who came out in the 1970s this novel had an air of authority to it. The only part that jarred slightly was its coverage of CHE (Campaign for Homosexual Equality). A 19 year old Tommy goes to their meetings. I as an 18 year old applied to join this organisation but was turned down and told to reapply when I was 21. I participated in a gay pride march in Brighton in 1972 organised by GLF. CHE actively opposed the march happening. Having acknowledged these historical inaccuracies as this imagining of what would have happened if Jeremy Thorpe had succeeded in killing Norman Scott is a magnificent thriller.
September 16, 2024
Great fun. The idea of having history change for anyone who knows the story of Rinka means that the plot still has tension, and the main character is fun. Macqueen is a good writer, and somewhat surprisingly the most compelling bit of the novel is a piece about family in the middle. The end is a bit contrived (a coincidental meeting involving a sofa is far too coincidental) and, for all that absolute power corrupts, the motives of a historical character at the end cut across what we know of his real-life morality. But it’s nice to have some queer genre fiction that works, and this does. Would recommend.
July 16, 2020
My indulgent reading is composed of thrillers and crime, for when I want to be entertained rather than challenged. Unfortunately, the market is full of samey psychological thrillers and quite badly written crime novels. The cover and the blurb on the back pull me in, then the writing irritates me and another book goes in the charity box.
This book is different, partly because of the interesting premise, but mainly because the author creates believable characters and situations. A proper London Thriller, giving us an uncomfortable view into the lives of unlucky people.
This book is different, partly because of the interesting premise, but mainly because the author creates believable characters and situations. A proper London Thriller, giving us an uncomfortable view into the lives of unlucky people.
March 12, 2023
4.5*
A really compelling and gripping read that entirely captured the period, mixing facts with plausible what-ifs, and creating excellent edge of your seat tension all the way through.
Tommy was a superb protagonist and I immediately bought the next book to read more of him. It was very enjoyable to see a mystery/thriller that gave more agency to the victims.
Thoroughly recommended, but especially for British political nerds who would very much appreciate delving into real life characters and events from another angle.
A really compelling and gripping read that entirely captured the period, mixing facts with plausible what-ifs, and creating excellent edge of your seat tension all the way through.
Tommy was a superb protagonist and I immediately bought the next book to read more of him. It was very enjoyable to see a mystery/thriller that gave more agency to the victims.
Thoroughly recommended, but especially for British political nerds who would very much appreciate delving into real life characters and events from another angle.
April 23, 2024
This was a great read. Highly recommended
Alternative histories and including real people in a work of fiction are both challenges. Subconsciously a reader will compare the alternative with what happened, the fictional portrayal with our own perception. But the author here carries both off well.
And we're left with a great thriller. Twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. Characters that are well developed and convincing. And an insight into a different time with different norms and attitudes.
Alternative histories and including real people in a work of fiction are both challenges. Subconsciously a reader will compare the alternative with what happened, the fictional portrayal with our own perception. But the author here carries both off well.
And we're left with a great thriller. Twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. Characters that are well developed and convincing. And an insight into a different time with different norms and attitudes.
October 4, 2020
I’ve been fascinated by the Jeremy Thorpe scandal since I saw A Very English Scandal. I therefore couldn’t resist this book which re-imagines the events of the 1970s should Jeremy Thorpe have gotten away with the killing. Deftly weaving his fictional characters with the household names of the era’s political arena Adam takes us on a rip roaring gallop through the era. Can Thomas unravel the murder mystery and bring justice to marginalised gay men. You’ll have to read it to find out!
June 15, 2022
This novel is exceptional in so many ways. The mixture of make believe characters with real life figures is very skillfully done and it took me back to a time in the mid-seventies when I was a teenager and just becoming aware of politics and the wider world. It reminded me of certain events whilst entertaining me with a very good fictional story. The twist at the end is genius and I'll definitely be reading the next book in the 'Tommy Wildeblood' series. Brilliant stuff.
August 10, 2020
Don't know how I chanced upon this but I got very caught up in events and with the young narrator.
Towards the end I thought this is a bit far fetched and maybe the author wasn't sure how to bring his story to a conclusion. But luckily I read on beyond the end of the novel and was awestruck at how true to the events the author had been. Very enjoyable.
Towards the end I thought this is a bit far fetched and maybe the author wasn't sure how to bring his story to a conclusion. But luckily I read on beyond the end of the novel and was awestruck at how true to the events the author had been. Very enjoyable.
December 26, 2020
This is an excellent holiday read: thrilling chases, plot twists and turns, serious issues and well written to boot. (Despite one or two continuity errors over drinks.) There’s even a neat final irony...
Highly entertaining, especially for someone who remembers the real events enfolded in the binding fictional account.
Highly recommended!
Highly entertaining, especially for someone who remembers the real events enfolded in the binding fictional account.
Highly recommended!
September 23, 2021
It was quite difficult to finish this book; every time you think the book is finished there is another chapter and another and another. Although some facts are real, it seems to me the story is very unrealistic. Very long chapters with a lot of useless details without any reasons and not enjoyable at all.
August 31, 2020
A frenetic pace throughout this clever crime construction built around the political events of 1976 and the Norman Scott affair and resignation of Harold Wilson; written with the benefit of hindsight.
January 19, 2021
I loved a lot of this book: the young gay narrator, the noir atmosphere, the callbacks to old school trad PI. For me, the level of corruption (no spoilers) didn’t ring true, although apparently reading the afterword, could be entirely true... nowt as strange as real life.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews