Black Vinyl
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Hawkwood Books
Published:16th May '26
Should be back in stock very soon
"Jimmy Endicott was murdered."
Maxwell Reid was part of something big once. At least for a little while. As bass player for post-punk darlings La Plage, he toured the world with their wondrous hit single (and single hit) Kreuzberg Wiedersehen.
Great days. So he keeps getting told.
Forty years on - and now a part-time lecturer, part-time Northern Soul DJ - Max investigates the death of his old lead singer, Jimmy Endicott.
Set on a journey that brings him face to face with bitter ex-bandmates, post pandemic cults, corrupt council employees, conspiracy theorists and a messianic club owner - all the while helped (or hindered) by Debs Endicott, volatile adult daughter of the deceased - Max discovers that the secret behind Jimmy's death lies in a past he has mostly managed to forget.
Until now.
Told over 45 tracks, and divided into Side A and Side B, "Black Vinyl" is part mystery, part alternative history, part fractured memorial to the ghosts of the 80s music scene, all played out as though on a scratched record that keeps skipping back to the same haunting refrain:
"Jimmy Endicott was murdered."
Great mix of alt mythos, pop culture and murder
Black Vinyl was a blast to read. Although the novel was it's own thing with it's own references, I was reminded of stuff by Kieron Gillen. A similar playful mix of pop culture, alt mythos and genre crime moments. Saying Black Vinyl is technically playful is my biggest compliment. The clever things the author does never feel like they're working too hard. Looking forward to the next novel!
5 star Amazon review
What unfolds in Black Vinyl is not simply a murder mystery, but an excavation of memory itself.
Devaney’s real strength is how he handles nostalgia, not as something soft or comforting, but as something that distorts. He gets into those uncomfortable questions about the stories we tell ourselves just to get through life. Every character seems to remember things in their own way, twisting truth through guilt, ego, trauma, and longing. And because of that, Black Vinyl stops being just about who killed Jimmy Endicott, and becomes more about everything time has quietly buried, and what we try to cover over without even realising.
It is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a blend of mystery, music, and nostalgia.
5 star Amazon review - Dee Cooper
ISBN: 9781068710384
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
256 pages