He is a record collector — a connoisseur of vinyl, hunting out rare and elusive LPs. His business card describes him as the “Vinyl Detective” and some people take this more literally than others.
Like the beautiful, mysterious woman who wants to pay him a large sum of money to find a priceless lost recording — on behalf of an extremely wealthy (and rather sinister) shadowy client.
Given that he’s just about to run out of cat biscuits, this gets our hero’s full attention. So begins a painful and dangerous odyssey in search of the rarest jazz record of them all…
"This charming mystery feels as companionable as a leisurely afternoon trawling the vintage shops with a good friend." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Marvelously inventive and endlessly fascinating" - Publishers Weekly
"This one is all about mood (jaunty and clever, in swinging, four-four time) and frame story (jazz history mixed with geeky references to Ortofon Rohmann cartridges and Roksan Xerxes turntables). Vinyl fans, this one’s for you." - Booklist
"There’s a colorful cast of characters, an intriguing plot (at least to a fellow record collector and jazz fan), and a nice will they/won’t they subplot to keep things steamy." - San Francisco Book Review
“An irresistible blend of murder, mystery and music... our protagonist seeks to find the rarest of records – and incidentally solve a murder, right a great historical injustice and, if he’s very lucky, avoid dying in the process.” Ben Aaronovitch, bestselling author of Rivers of London
“The Vinyl Detective is one of the sharpest and most original characters I’ve seen for a long time.” David Quantick, Emmy Award-winning producer of VEEP
“Crime fiction as it should be, played loud through a valve amp and Quad speakers. No digital writing here, it’s warm and rich. Every delicate pop and crackle adding character and flavour. Witty, charming and filled with exciting solos. Quite simply: groovy.” - Guy Adams, critically acclaimed author of The Clown Service
“Incredibly entertaining and refreshingly different” - The Crime Review
“Like finding out that album you’ve been enjoying has been re-issued as a special double deluxe edition” - Geek Hard Show
“I honestly think this is one of the best mystery stories since The Big Lebowski!” - Atomic Moo
"a leisurely, enjoyable read ...engaging to the end. Music fans—and obviously record collectors—will all get a kick out of the Vinyl Detective’s exploits." - Pro Sound News
“honestly the best mystery I’ve read in a while. With fun, compelling characters, fascinating backstory, and twists and turns that kept me up late at night, I enjoyed reading this one” 18th Wall Productions
“a quirky, romantic, and engaging amateur sleuth caper that’s loaded with love for the genre—musical and literary—and a cast of memorable characters” - CrimeReads
Andrew Cartmel is a novelist and screenwriter. His work for television includes Midsomer Murders and Torchwood, and a legendary stint as Script Editor on Doctor Who. He has also written plays for the London Fringe, toured as a stand-up comedian, and is currently co-writing with Ben Aaronovitch a series of comics based on the bestselling Rivers of London books. He lives in London.
He is a record collector — a connoisseur of vinyl, hunting out rare and elusive LPs. His business card describes him as the “Vinyl Detective” and some people take this more literally than others.
Like the beautiful, mysterious woman who wants to pay him a large sum of money to find a priceless lost recording — on behalf of an extremely wealthy (and rather sinister) shadowy client.
Given that he’s just about to run out of cat biscuits, this gets our hero’s full attention. So begins a painful and dangerous odyssey in search of the rarest jazz record of them all…
Praise
"This charming mystery feels as companionable as a leisurely afternoon trawling the vintage shops with a good friend." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Marvelously inventive and endlessly fascinating" - Publishers Weekly
"This one is all about mood (jaunty and clever, in swinging, four-four time) and frame story (jazz history mixed with geeky references to Ortofon Rohmann cartridges and Roksan Xerxes turntables). Vinyl fans, this one’s for you." - Booklist
"There’s a colorful cast of characters, an intriguing plot (at least to a fellow record collector and jazz fan), and a nice will they/won’t they subplot to keep things steamy." - San Francisco Book Review
“An irresistible blend of murder, mystery and music... our protagonist seeks to find the rarest of records – and incidentally solve a murder, right a great historical injustice and, if he’s very lucky, avoid dying in the process.” Ben Aaronovitch, bestselling author of Rivers of London
“The Vinyl Detective is one of the sharpest and most original characters I’ve seen for a long time.” David Quantick, Emmy Award-winning producer of VEEP
“Crime fiction as it should be, played loud through a valve amp and Quad speakers. No digital writing here, it’s warm and rich. Every delicate pop and crackle adding character and flavour. Witty, charming and filled with exciting solos. Quite simply: groovy.” - Guy Adams, critically acclaimed author of The Clown Service
“Incredibly entertaining and refreshingly different” - The Crime Review
“Like finding out that album you’ve been enjoying has been re-issued as a special double deluxe edition” - Geek Hard Show
“I honestly think this is one of the best mystery stories since The Big Lebowski!” - Atomic Moo
"a leisurely, enjoyable read ...engaging to the end. Music fans—and obviously record collectors—will all get a kick out of the Vinyl Detective’s exploits." - Pro Sound News
“honestly the best mystery I’ve read in a while. With fun, compelling characters, fascinating backstory, and twists and turns that kept me up late at night, I enjoyed reading this one” 18th Wall Productions
“a quirky, romantic, and engaging amateur sleuth caper that’s loaded with love for the genre—musical and literary—and a cast of memorable characters” - CrimeReads
Author
Andrew Cartmel is a novelist and screenwriter. His work for television includes Midsomer Murders and Torchwood, and a legendary stint as Script Editor on Doctor Who. He has also written plays for the London Fringe, toured as a stand-up comedian, and is currently co-writing with Ben Aaronovitch a series of comics based on the bestselling Rivers of London books. He lives in London.
