Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Adam Maxwell

I am assembling the Ultimate Library. I began this project back in January 2021 and the plan is to curate the best collection of books for readers. I only want the Library to feature the “best” reading sections, books that someone loves and would recommend any library visitor should read.

I could not possibly do this alone so I invite guests to join me and ai ask them to nominate which books get added to the Library shelves. I refer to my Library as the Decades Library and that’s because of the two rules I ask my guests to follow when making their selections:

1 – Choose ANY five books

2 – You can only select one book per decade from five consecutive decades

Sounds simple – until you try to make your own selections, finding five books from five consecutive decades does cause some angst apparently.

Now we know why we are here it’s time to pass control over to my guest curator – Adam Maxwell. I’m a huge fan of Adam’s Kilchester novels, good heist stories seem so rare these days but he’s delivering some belters – check out The Dali Deception and you’ll see what I mean.

Over to Adam…

What can you say about Adam Maxwell that he hasn’t already said about himself?

Crime writer – certainly.

Idiot – without doubt.

Genius – unlikely.

Liar – absolutely.

Having written is a variety of genres in the murky past, the days he dedicates himself to writing crime-comedy in his Kilchester series of books. Set in a fictional city in the North of England, Kilchester is a wretched hive of scum and villainy, the denizens of which he’ll have you cheering for by the end of the books…

Described variously as ‘Oceans 11 meets Lock, Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels… in book form’, ‘Glorious fun’ ‘If Hunter S Thompson wrote an Ealing comedy’ and ‘Joyous’ (the latter by the owner of this very blog). In Kilchester, Maxwell creates a fast-paced, darkly funny & effortlessly cool series of heist thrillers that you won’t be able to put down.

According to his LinkedIn profile Adam previously worked as a Private Detective and has spent many years hiding from the consequences of his actions in the wilds of Northumberland where he now lives with his wife and daughter.

If you want to find out more about him:

Amazon is a good place to start https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adam-Maxwell/e/B00EUAZN2Q

Or you can check out his website and get yourself a free ebook https://adammaxwell.com/

DECADES

Can I just start by saying aaaargh! Choosing books for Decades was a seemingly simple task that quickly descended into being dangerous overthunk by yours truly. I nearly started in the 1930’s just to ensure I could get Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse. But that meant I would have missed out on too many others so… a balance was struck. And that balance starts in the decade of my birth.

1970s

The Hot Rock – Donald Westlake

Crime and comedy. In the cinema audiences can’t get enough. In the book world… it’s readers who can’t get enough. Since it’s the genre I write in, it felt appropriate to include some of the cream of the crop of humorous crime and The Hot Rock doesn’t disappoint.

After Dortmunder is released from prison with nothing but ten dollars to his name he quickly becomes embroiled in a plan to steal a priceless emerald. The book somehow manages to achieve a perfect balance between hard-boiled and farce and, reader, that is no mean feat. As talented as the crew are, they just can’t seem to keep the damned rock in their dishonest mits without their plans unravelling in front of their eyes.

The book spawned a slew of sequels and was adapted for the big screen by none other than William Goldman in an adaptation that starred Robert Redford.

1980s

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul – Douglas Adams

Douglas Adams is remembered by most as having written the clatteringly marvellous ‘Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy’. This is not that book.

Featuring ‘holistic private detective’ Dirk Gently, this series inadvertently convinced me that not only was it possible to meld comedy and crime fiction but to make it a work of utter genius. The genius part is something I have yet to achieve but… crime and comedy… tick!

The story whirls around Thor (not the Marvel one), a supernatural deal with a green bug-eyed monster with a scythe, a Coca-Cola vending machine and a very, very angry eagle.

To say more would ruin it but if you’ve not dipped your reading toe into Adams’ Dirk Gently series then you really should remedy that. Quickly.

1990s

Get Shorty – Elmore Leonard

No… not the movie based on it with Danny DeVito. Not the TV show either… This is a library and we have no space for such frivolities.

Another hugely influential author for me, Elmore Leonard is the King of Criminals like Agatha Christie is the Queen of Crime. Only American. And more modern. Never mind, that’s a rubbish comparison. What was I talking about?

Yes! Elmore Leonard more often than not makes the criminal the protagonist and has you rooting for the bad guys from the outset. Get Shorty features Chili Palmer, a small-time loan shark from Miami who finds himself in Los Angeles. He soon comes to realise that the movie business is very much like the loan-sharking business and decides he wants a piece of the action.

The result is a laugh-out-loud explosion of petulant stars, terrified producers and drug deals gone bad all told with Leonard’s laconic style.

2000s

The Truth – Terry Pratchett

‘A lie can run around the world quicker than the truth can get its boots on…’

Any writer who puts humour in their books aspires to be as good as Terry Pratchett. And we all fail to be as good as he was. The Truth is the 25^th Discworld novel and a standalone making it all the more accessible.

It charts the Discworld’s first newspaper’s rise and fall and lights a fire in your belly about the importance of a free press while mixing it up with threats to life, a recovering vampire’s suicidal fascination for flash photography and a man who keeps begging the editor to publish pictures of his humorously-shaped potatoes.

One of the hardest things about choosing books for Decades is balancing which book from which decade but with Pratchett’s writing spanning four decades it was more ‘which Pratchett decade am I in love with currently?’

2010s

The Sacred Art of Stealing – Chris Brookmyre

I’ve talked about funny/crime books quite a bit so far but frankly, the biggest crime here is that no-one has chosen one of Chris Brookmyre’s books in any Decades selection so far. It is my utter pleasure to remedy that.

The Sacred Art of Stealing feels in the tradition of Elmore Leonard’s Out Of Sight as it features a burgeoning romance between a thief and a police officer. Brookmyre’s take on the situation is all his own and the black humour that courses through the novel’s veins balances perfectly with the violence while nodding to more literary fare along the way.

Since writing this I’ve discovered that The Sacred Art of Stealing was actually published in 2003… it was the audiobook that appeared in 2013 but such is my belief that it should be included in the Decades library that I will personally kill anyone who disagrees with my inclusion of this phenomenal tome*

*Killing will likely be in print rather than in person. Apologies to the suicidal, deranged and/or violent readers out there.

Pratchett and Douglas Adams in a single week with the added joy of Elmore Leonard and Chris Brookmyre – what a cracking mix! Huge thanks to Adam for making time to pick his five Decades selections.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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April 27

The Monk – Tim Sullivan

To find a murderer, you need a motive . . .

THE DETECTIVE DS George Cross has always wondered why his mother left him when he was a child. Now she is back in his life, he suddenly has answers. But this unexpected reunion is not anything he’s used to dealing with. When a disturbing case lands on his desk, he is almost thankful for the return to normality.

THE QUESTION The body of a monk is found savagely beaten to death in a woodland near Bristol. Nothing is known about Brother Dominic’s past, which makes investigating difficult. How can Cross unpick a crime when they don’t know anything about the victim? And why would someone want to harm a monk?

THE PAST Discovering who Brother Dominic once was only makes the picture more puzzling. He was a much-loved and respected friend, brother, son – he had no enemies. Or, at least, none that are obvious. But looking into his past reveals that he was a very wealthy man, that he sacrificed it all for his faith. For a man who has nothing, it seems strange that greed could be the motive for his murder. But greed is a sin after all…

I recieved a review copy from the publisher. My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to host this leg of the blog tour.

Tim Sullivan’s DC George Cross novels have been on my radar for some time. One of the best things about being a bookblogger is knowing every single day you will more than likely become aware of a new book which someone has loved. You mentally take note and vow to read said book. Then you realise there are simply not enough hours in the day to read all the books you want to read. But the regular and recurring praise for the George Cross thrillers were such that I was determined to find time to read them. And I am so glad I did!

First the housekeeping; The Monk is book five in the series and I haven’t read the previous four. There’s always going to be a different reading experience for returning readers than a new reader will encounter – characters are more familiar and those returning readers know various elements of their background. That said, I had no problems following events in The Monk and was comfortable with the characters and their dynamics within the story. If, like me, you are new to DS Cross you can dip into the series here and not feel lost.

And I do feel you should consider dipping in as The Monk was terrific, a murder mystery where the reader follows the investigation alongside the police. You will hear facts and learn of events at the same time as the police and that linear narrative was a real treat, I felt I was involved all the way through the process which is something of a rarity in my recent reads.

The police had been alerted to a missing Monk, he had not seen seen by his cloistered brethren for a few days. So when a dog walker finds a battered, bloody and very dead man wearing a monks robes it’s not too much of a stretch for them to identify the victim of this brutal crime.

The real challenges begin here for DS Cross and his colleagues. Who would want to kill a Monk? Why was this such a brutal crime? They head to his monestary to begin their investigation and learn more about how Brother Dominic lived his life before his shocking death. What they find is a quiet, popular man who kept his previous life, before the church, a secret from his brothers.

Secrets never stay secret for long in a murder investigation and Cross learns Brother Dominic was once a successful city banker, before the Financial Crisis of 2008. Did something happen all those years ago which had someone holding a grudge? More recently Brother Dominic had upset a high profile businessman when his expert valuation of a religious artefact priced the piece significantly below what had been paid for it. Could a wealthy and ruthless entrepreneur have arranged for the death of a Monk?

Discovering the truth was reading joy. I got wholly engrossed in the story and immediately vowed to catch up on the earlier George Cross books. Great fun – read it!

The Monk is available today and can be bought in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-monk/tim-sullivan/9781804545607

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April 17

Blood Runs Cold – Neil Lancaster

She was taken against her will.

On her fifteenth birthday, trafficking victim Affi Smith goes for a run and never returns. With a new identity and secure home in the Scottish Highlands, she was supposed to be safe…

She escaped once.

With personal ties to Affi’s case, DS Max Craigie joins the investigation. When he discovers other trafficking victims have disappeared in exactly the same circumstances, he knows one thing for certain – there’s a leak somewhere within law enforcement.

She won’t outrun them again.

The clock is ticking… Max must catch Affi’s kidnappers and expose the mole before anyone else goes missing. Even it if means turning suspicions onto his own team…

I received a review copy from the publishers through Netgalley

This blog is nine years old. Therefore I can confidently state that ten years ago I had little awareness of books which were approaching publication. I would make time to find out when the next new book by Terry Pratchett or Lee Child would be published but, other than that, I relied upon spotting new books on the tables at Waterstones or if my friends at my local library gave me the heads-up about new books I should be reading. Support your local library people!

Now I follow my favourite authors on Twitter. I rely upon other bloggers flagging up books I need to be looking out for and I am actively tracking the next publication date of several authors so I can get my next fix of some of my favourite characters. One of the authors I make no secret of tracking is Neil Lancaster. His Tom Novak thrillers were (and still are) brilliant reads but then Neil introduced DS Max Craigie to the world and I was an immediate fan.

Craigie works within Police Scotland and his remit can take him all around the country which gives the author scope to showcase the best, the busiest or the remotest corners of Scotland. Alongside partner Janie Calder, their foul-mouthed boss (Ross) and and Norma their computer and data whizz, the four are working slightly under the radar within the police to identify and remove corruption within the force. The nature of the crimes they investigate and the fact they can’t always trust the personnel they are working with on any given investigation means in every book there is a constant tension that their plans may be scuppered at any moment.

Turning my focus to Blood Runs Cold – terrific. Again. It’s another Neil Lancaster crime thriller which is perfectly paced, delivers on the entertainment, makes you care about the characters (and not just those recurring faces) and I didn’t want the book to end. As a reader I don’t think I could be asking for more.

Particularly enjoyable was the lead in to this investigation and how Craigie becomes involved. In the Scottish Highlands a young Albanian girl is heading out for a run. She’s run before – fleeing from the Albanian gang who had asked her to carry drugs for them. Now she has been placed in the Highlands with a family and a support network and she has been thriving, her natural athletic ability has given her a chance to compete in the national running trials but it has also put her on the radar for the gang she escaped and they want her back. For Affi, going for a run is going to be a terrible mistake.

When Affi fails to return home at the planned time her parents are frantic. They tell Affi’s care worker who, in turn, tells her husband – Max Craigie. Craigie initially doesn’t know what he can do to assist but when he does reach out to the local police they are happy to have some assistance. Soon Craigie and Janie are discovering some unusual activity and making a little progress. Their enquiries will see them pitted against Albanian gangsters and traffikers. These are dangerous criminals and the stakes are high. Higher still when it becomes apparent the gangs are relying upon some members of the police force to keep their activites running.

I really don’t want to post spoilers so I will simply say this story kicks ass. I don’t always enjoy reading about the bad guys in crime stories but in Blood Runs Cold I found both the heroes and the villains to be hugely entertaining. The author makes excellent use of humor to keep some of the more intense and bleak moments on the right side of enjoyable and it makes the story shine. Four books in to this series and it is going from strength to strength.

Blood Runs Cold is published in hardback, digital and audiobook format on 13 April 2023. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BF76PZV8/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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April 5

Murder Under The Tuscan Sun – Rachel Rhys

An isolated castle, a deadly crime. Is this real or a nightmare?

In a remote castle high up in the Tuscan hills secrets are simmering among its glamorous English residents:

The ailing gentleman art-dealer
His dazzling niece
Her handsome Fascist husband
Their neglected young daughter
The housekeeper who knows everything
and Connie, the English widow working for them.

Every night, Connie hears sinister noises and a terrible wailing inside the walls. Is she losing her grip on reality?

Or does someone in the castle want her gone?

I received a review copy from the publishers and was invited to join the blog tour by Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours.

I find myself reading another historical thriller. While I’d normally say this was most unlike me, it really isn’t at the moment – I have been loving the recent selection of books I’ve picked up which have transported me back in time and has allowed the respective authors to set their characters into some utterly fascinating locations. No surprises for guessing where the events of Murder Under the Tuscan Sun will play out – the lure of an Italian setting drew me to the title, the added bonus of seeing Rachel Rhys as the author convinced me this was a book I wanted to read. I was NOT disappointed with this decision.

Murder Under the Tuscan Sun (hereafter “Tuscan Sun”) very much benefits from the wonderful job Rachel Rhys has done in capturing the feel of the Tuscan castle and surrounding area where heiress beauty, Evelyn Manetti, and her handsome husband, Roberto, live. Into their grand residence where the Manetti’s live with Evelyn’s young daughter, her ailing uncle and the local woman that acts as their housekeeper arrives Connie Bowen.

Connie is approaching fifty years of age, she’s lost her husband after a largely loveless marriage and also lost her beloved daughter; so it’s just Connie and her son James. James does what he can to support his mother but her finances are tight and, to James’s horror, she has found a position in Italy where she will be a career/companion for Mr North – once a renowned art expert but now in poor health.

Connie helped treat soldiers who had been injured during the First World War, despite her lack of formal training she feels able to care for one individual and is thrilled to be offered the post. She makes plans to depart for Florence much to James’s horror.

On arrival at the Manetti’s beautiful home things seem ideal, a young besotted couple living in a beautiful corner of Italy and Evelyn is delighted Connie will be able to look after her uncle. But soon things start to sour. The Manetti’s relationship with Evelyn’s daughter is strained and distant. Mr North is an objectionable patient. Their beautiful home is dark and terrifying of an evening – stories of the ghost of a young girl who played violin can’t be forgotten when Connie hears violin music in the dead of night.

Connie continues to try to make the very best of her new role but it’s draining and challenging. Her hosts are an odd couple and Connie is horrified to discover Mr Manetti is a fascist and a prominent member of a right wing party. His treatment of his wife concerns Connie and how both Manetti’s treat their housekeeper also shocks her. Connie’s confidence starts to wane and the lack of trust and support she receives compounds this.

Tuscan Sun is very much Connie’s story and Rachel Rhys masterfully charts her concerns, frustrations and her slide into self-doubt. There are clearly many things amiss in this idyllic home but can Connie keep her wits about her to provide the care and support her patient needs and can she keep on the good side of her employers to ensure her employment does not end in disgrace or disaster?

This is a beautifully written story and a masterful depiction of human behaviours and emotion. There is a constant edge of unease and concern for Connie and much of what she is prepared to accept, in deference to her employers, and because of the conduct expected at that period in history, caused this reader some frustration. Kudos to Rachel Rhys here for getting me so invested in these characters.

Murder Under the Tuscan Sun, fabulous writing, claustrophobic thrills, brilliantly realised characters – great reading to be had here.

Murder Under the Tuscan Sun is available now in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/murder-under-the-tuscan-sun/rachel-rhys/9781529176575

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April 3

No More Games – Gordon J Brown

Glasgow, 1974 – a time of power cuts, strikes and the three-day week. Twelve-year-old Ginger Bannerman is playing in the local woods when he stumbles across a gunman in hiding. The man has incriminating evidence of police corruption and forces Ginger to steal a tape recording from a major criminal’s flat. But when Ginger discovers that his dad, a police constable, is mentioned on the tape, his world is turned upside down. With both the gunman and the criminal in hot pursuit, he must prevent the tape falling into the wrong hands if he’s going to save himself and his family. Things have suddenly got very serious.

I was grateful to recieve a review copy from the author

Ginger and Milky are 12 years old. They go to high school in Glasgow and it’s 1974. Best friends who look out for each other and are about to have a life changing encounter.

You’re going to hear about this encounter, and all the subsequent consequences that spiral from it, as someone is reminiscing and telling their story. The storyteller isn’t sure his audience of one (you will be the second listener) will actually stay to hear the whole story but if they do listen there’s a suggestion of a job to be completed at the end of it.

The story begins with a dead body. In Milky and Ginger’s secret den of all places. Milky has found the body and he seeks out his best friend to share the discovery and seek guidance on what they should do. Once they have assured themselves there really IS a dead body in their den neither boy is prepared to approach the dead guy but that problem quickly becomes irrelevant when their corpse wakes up. Terrified and fascinated in equal measure the boys make their high speed escape.

When Milky returns to the den the next day the dead guy is gone but he’s left something behind…a gun. While the boys are debating what to do with a loaded gun (obviously one of them wants to try it out) the “dead guy” returns to collect his property and a standoff ensues. Again the boys will have to escape from an older (and slower) pursuer but speed won’t help when the man you’re running from knows where you live.

Soon Milky and Ginger are being followed by people that want to involve them in affairs outwith their youthful comprehension. Return the gun. Don’t tell your parents. It’s going to end badly for you if you don’t do as we say. Unfortunately for Ginger and Milky there is a suggestion of corruption within the Glasgow police, their encounter with the gunman brings them directly into this situation.

Someone is keen to utilise their knowledge of these corrupt officers, someone else is already paying these officers and wants to continue to benefit from their services. Both parties are powerful and dangerous individuals and two twelve year old boys are not going to disrupt their plans.

Ginger will soon find himself in possession of a tape which could shine a light on the dark corners of the corruption in the police station – but there’s a suggestion his Dad’s name is on that tape. Can Ginger and Milky risk exposing Ginger’s own father as a criminal?

Huge Kudos to Gordon J Brown for making this story sing from first page to last. The scene setting (Glasgow in 1974) is perfectly captured, the rental televisions, the rolling power cuts, the school janitor sneaking a nip of vodka during class time and the two boys behave exactly how you’d expect two twelve year-old’s to behave. It all feels so very real and the story just flows from one predicament to the next.
No More Games was absolutely mesmerising. Time will slide past, totally unnoticed, as you get caught up in Ginger and Milky’s story. Their problems just snowball from chapter to chapter and every decision they make seems to drag them deeper and deeper into the mire. You will want to know who is telling Ginger’s story and you’ll want to know who is listening. You’ll will them to survive, you’ll hope their problems are not as bleak as they appear and you’ll love how 1970’s Glasgow comes alive for you.

No More Games is published by Red Dog Press and is available directly from the publisher here: https://www.reddogpress.co.uk/product-page/no-more-games

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