Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan, Hardback, £20
No gadgets required, Quantum of Menace is a pitch-perfect James Bond spin-off that hits all the right buttons for a gripping read. Khan has seamlessly filled out Q’s backstory with his trademark wit and panache in this thrilling addition to the 007 universe. And it’s the story Bond fans have been waiting for. Tech-guru Q, AKA Major Boothroyd, returns to his hometown after being ousted from MI6 to look into the drowning of his schoolmate, the founder of a quantum computing lab. But what starts as a gentle wander down memory lane soon becomes something far more sinister. Never one for fieldwork, Q is forced to learn fast, with a little help from the best. A cracking tale worthy of Ian Fleming himself. 9/10
The Drums by Mike Joyce, Hardback, £25
Forty years after their demise, the Smiths remain one of the world’s most influential bands and while the Morrissey-Marr duo might have been their driving force, bass player Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce on drums were crucial to their sound. The latter, the self-professed “world’s biggest Smiths fan”, doesn’t set out to retell the story, nor settle scores. Rather this is a big-hearted story of how a working-class Manchester lad ended up playing on some of the most famous pop songs ever, a beautifully-told odyssey of four pals who hit it big Joyce writes modestly and engagingly, never more movingly than about the late Rourke, who died two years ago aged just 59. A must for fans and a rich reminder of the music. 8/10
The Lobbyist by Lionel Zetter, Hardback, £20
One of Westminster’s best connected operators, communications ace Lionel Zetter is the consummate insider, familiar with politicians, prime ministers and tycoons – and their dirty laundry. His brilliant debut thriller, The Lobbyist, introduces professional manipulator Damian Beaufort – “he might be a bastard but he’s our bastard” – who’s down on his luck following Labour’s election victory but not for long. The pacy, racy plot features wicked EU bureaucrats, cynical spies and Russian espionage in Britain’s halls of power. This is Michael Dobbs’ House of Cards updated for the post-Brexit era and a world where mayhem is only a leaked email away; fast-paced, genuinely page-turning and a cracking good read. Hair-raisingly, much of it might be true! On point for our troubled times. 8/10
Dying Days by Les Hinton, Paperback, £9.99
In his former life, Les Hinton was one of Rupert Murdoch’s top lieutenants in the UK, giving him a front-row seat to the real-life Succession-style dramas of one of the world’s biggest legacy media dynasties. Now Hinton has used his long experience in newspapers to craft a brilliantly feasible and utterly gripping thriller about power, corruption and lies among the global elite. When a devastating bomb rips through an exclusive summer party hosted by media moguls the Chatstones, slaughtering politicians, celebrities and CEOs, journalist Dan Brasher unexpectedly finds himself in the front row of an unfolding conspiracy. But can he stay alive long enough to file his story? Hold the front page, Hinton’s thriller debut is a belter.
