The Rise and Fall of the Miraculous Vespas is the timeless story of the quest for pop immortality. When a young Ayrshire band miraculously hits the big time with the smash hit record of 1984, international stardom beckons. That’s despite having a delusional teenage manager guided by malevolent voices… Can Max Mojo’s band of talented band of social misfits repeat their success and pay back an increasingly agitated cartel of local gangsters? Or will they have to kidnap Boy George and hope for the best? Features much loved characters from The Last Days of Disco.

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy and the chance to be part of the Vespas blog tour.

You may recall that last year David Ross released The Last Days of Disco? It was set in 1980’s Ayrshire, it was very Scottish, very sweary and was a very, very good story.

Good news…Mr Ross returns with The Rise and Fall of the Miraculous Vespas which is very Scottish, very sweary and is another very, very good story. It also features quite a few familiar faces from Disco which I really enjoyed!

But The Miraculous Vespas allows new characters to take centre stage (literally) so you do not *have* to have read Disco to enjoy Vespas.  The familiar faces are mainly kept in the wings which allows the wonderful Max Mojo to steal the show!

The Miraculous Vespas are a musically talented bunch of social misfits that Max brings together. He is fully convinced that they can unite as a band which would have what it takes to make it big in the music industry – Max will be the one to see their talents get the recognition that they deserve.

As the book opens we learn how The Miraculous Vespas fare in their quest for musical excellence. Max is reminiscing over the journey the band took and so the narration picks up at a time before he had met the band members. As we read we follow Max as he rounds up potential band members, the calamitous practice sessions, the early gigs and then their efforts to secure a wider audience.

If you read The Last Days of Disco you will know that there are guaranteed laughs along the way. However, Mr Ross once again succeeds in taking his cast through some emotional highs but down into the darkest places too – it is compelling reading.

One key element of the book which cannot be overlooked – the musical influences which pull the story along.  David Ross has a phenomenal knowledge of the music of the time and the number of band and song references are staggering. If you have any memories of the music of the 1980’s you are bound to come across some favourite songs as you read.

Everyone loves a rags to riches story. The Miraculous Vespas are on that path – you should join them to see how it turns out, you won’t be disappointed!

The Rise and Fall of the Miraculous Vespas is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital formats.

You can order a copy of The Rise and Fall of the Miraculous Vespas here:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rise-Fall-Miraculous-Vespas-David/dp/1910633372/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456098879&sr=8-1&keywords=rise+and+fall+of+the+miraculous+vespas