The Recommended Reading Path
For the best experience, you should read the Fitzroy Maclean Angel series in publication order. Because the books follow Angel’s life, relationships, and the changing landscape of London chronologically, reading them in order lets you appreciate the character development and historical backdrop of Thatcher-era Britain to the late 2000s.
The Complete Book List in Reading Order
- Just Another Angel (1988): The debut novel where we meet Angel, his unlicensed taxi cab 'Armstrong', his psychotic cat Springsteen, and fashion designer Amy. He gets caught up with gangsters, corrupt police officers, and tax inspectors after meeting a mysterious woman.
- Angel Touch (1989): Angel gets involved in a City of London insider trading scam and investigates a suspicious fatal car crash. This book won the CWA Last Laugh Award.
- Angel Hunt (1990): Angel investigates a friend's deadly fall through a skylight and becomes entangled with radical animal rights activists.
- Angels in Arms (1991): A satirical look at the international arms trade that earned Ripley his second CWA Last Laugh Award.
- Angel City (1994): Angel moves his operations to the changing London Docklands, dealing with developers and high-stakes crime.
- Angel Confidential (1995): A hilarious dive into retro-marketing, missing art, and blackmail schemes.
- Family of Angels (1996): Angel is hired to track down a missing heir, leading him into family drama and dangerous secrets.
- That Angel Look (1998): Angel is hired by a modeling agency, only to find himself in the middle of a murder investigation.
- Bootlegged Angel (1999): Angel gets mixed up in the illegal trade of counterfeit goods and smuggled alcohol.
- Lights, Camera, Angel (2001): Set around Pinewood Studios, Angel drives for a demanding movie star during a chaotic film shoot.
- Angel Underground (2003): Angel investigates the underground world of art thefts and illegal excavations.
- Angel on the Inside (2003): Angel finds himself working for a corporate security firm, which goes about as smoothly as you would expect.
- Angel in the House (2005): Domestic life and crime collide as Angel tries to navigate family obligations while keeping his head down.
- Angel's Share (2006): Angel takes on a case involving the high-end wine trade and counterfeiting.
- Angels Unaware (2008): The final novel in the mainline series, wrapping up Angel's long, chaotic career in London.
- Angels and Others (2015): A collection of thirteen short stories, six of which feature Fitzroy Maclean Angel, alongside the script for an unmade television adaptation of Angels in Arms.
Where to Start
You should absolutely start with the first novel, Just Another Angel (1988). It establishes the central premise of the series: Angel is a streetwise, jazz-trumpet-playing rogue who drives an illegal taxi cab named Armstrong. He doesn't set out to solve crimes; instead, he stumbles into them through bad luck, dodgy friends, or his partner Amy May's connections. Starting at the beginning ensures you understand the running jokes, the key relationships, and the charm of his chaotic lifestyle.
What to Know Before You Start
Before diving into Angel's world, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- The Setting is a Time Capsule: The early books are a brilliant, satirical snapshot of late 1980s London, complete with the rise of Thatcherism, financial deregulation in the City, and Docklands redevelopment. As the series progresses, it moves into the 1990s and 2000s, reflecting the cultural shifts of those eras.
- He is an Accidental Detective: Unlike traditional hard-boiled detectives, Angel is a hustler just trying to make a living. His trumpet gig and unlicensed taxi service are his primary concerns, and he relies more on luck, street smarts, and wit than professional investigative skills.
- A Distinctive Tone: Mike Ripley’s style blends sharp comedy with genuine suspense. It has been described as a mix between the picaresque charm of Lovejoy and the energetic, gritty humor of early British crime films.
Standalones vs. Continuity
While each novel features a self-contained mystery or caper that is resolved by the final page, the personal lives of the characters carry over from book to book. Angel’s relationship with Amy May evolves significantly, and recurring characters like his quirky flatmates and police contacts pop in and out. For this reason, skipping around is not recommended if you want to follow their personal journeys, although the individual crime plots will still make sense.
The Short Stories and Reissues
The 2015 collection Angels and Others is a must-read for completists. It includes six short stories featuring Angel (including the exclusive story 'Ealing Comedy') which are scattered across his timeline. It also includes the screenplay for a planned, but never filmed, television version of Angels in Arms. Thanks to reissues by Telos Publishing, the entire 15-novel run and this short story collection are widely available with new introductions by the author, making it easy to collect the entire run.