The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers Book Review

Full disclosure: I was given a free advance reader copy of this book by SparkPoint Studio and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lately, there has been an influx of fictional celebrity-based stories within the last 10 years. They usually tell the story of the subject in question through an interview. The most well-known books that follow this formula are The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six both by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Another novel The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers by Sarah Tomlinson, which got published recently, has a similar premise with a unique take, but it falls flat in key places.

The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers is about the complicated legacy of a legendary rock band and the ghostwriter telling their story. Mari Hawthorn just landed the biggest job of her ghostwriting career. Anke Berben – model and style icon – needs someone for her memoir. In the 1960s, Anke was in headline-grabbing romances with three different members of the influential rock band The Midnight Ramblers. They were known for their backstage antics as well as for their music. Outside of the members themselves, Anke is the only one who truly understands the relationships, betrayals, and suspicions that have elevated the band into mythological status. This isn’t more true than the enduring mystery around the death of Mal, the lead singer and Anke’s husband in 1969. 

Decades later, rumors have still circulated about what happened. Was it a suicide or a homicide? Anke and the other members have kept that silent. As her ghostwriter, Mari must integrate herself into Anke’s world, coaxing stories out of her that will be worthy for the book. She developed the skill of navigating the fatal charms of the rich and famous due to her narcissistic, alcoholic dad. However, she soon stumbles upon far more revealing items than anything she couldn’t have imagined. It’s not just a celebrity tell-all; it’s about redemption.

Let’s start off with what works. I liked the ghostwriter aspect of the story. It’s unique since I don’t think this has been done in a novel like this. Every chapter begins with tips for how a ghostwriter should approach and interact with their subject, and they correlate with what Mari is trying to do with Anke. Sure, Mari’s backstory of dealing with an alcoholic father who gambled much of the family money is a bit belabored. However, this primarily enforces how she was able to develop her skills as a ghostwriter and her need for the job as she and her sister Vivienne scrape by. I felt invested in Mari’s journey to write Anke’s story as a result.

Now, let’s discuss the drawbacks. The first is a bit of nitpick. When the subject in question is a fictional version of something in real life, it’s best NOT to refer to the latter. It stirs up a lot of questions of how both could possibly exist in the same story. For example, even though the titular band in Daisy Jones & The Six is clearly paying homage to Fleetwood Mac, the novel doesn’t mention the latter band at all. As for the Amazon Prime show, it includes a song from the Rumors album that plays during a pivotal scene in the penultimate episode. Now, this would be crossing the line, but because it uses a deep cut from that LP, it narrowly gets away with it (unless one was looking at the sidebar which displayed which tune was playing at the moment that one could download from Amazon Music). 

With The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers, the band in question is supposed to be the Rolling Stones. They are a group that started in the 1960s and are still going after 55 years. The lead singer Mal Walker is the fictional version of Brian Jones – the original rhythm guitarist who ended up drowning in a pool under mysterious circumstances in 1969. Even Anke Berben is supposed to be Anita Pallenberg – an Italian-German model who had relations with both Jones and Keith Richards. However, Tomlinson makes the grave mistake of name checking the Rolling Stones in the first few pages. This took me out of the story since it led me to question how both bands could exist simultaneously in that novel. 

My real complaint about the book is how readers don’t get a clear sense of why they should care about the Midnight Ramblers. We are told that they “were among the world’s biggest rock stars, having provided a soundtrack of bohemian flair for three generations..with hit singles, going back to 1964, including ‘Bought on the Never Never,’ a young anthem for generations” (p.9).

They had Grammys and even an Oscar. However, it’s not clear what made them truly famous. What made them appealing to the bohemian crowd outside of their look? What was their music like? How did they perform? What about the chemistry between the band members? Why should we care about Mal’s death? What readers know about them is almost like a stereotypical mid-to-late 1960s British band with the sex, drugs, and backstage tensions. We get some lyrics, but not much. In Daisy Jones & The Six, author Taylor Jenkins Reid paints a clear picture of why that group became famous. It was due to their bluesy-rock sound, Billy and Daisy’s lyrics, Daisy’s unique vocals, and their chemistry while they sang together. Meanwhile, Tomlinson – a ghostwriter herself – spent more time in the present with Mari than in the past with the Ramblers. This would leave readers wondering why we should care about that band in the first place if we don’t know why they were able to maintain their legacy for so long. If Tomlinson struck more of a balance, then the premise could’ve worked more.

The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers by Sarah Tomlinson is just another fictional celebrity-based novel. It tries to stand out with its ghostwriter angle, but the novel leaves what should’ve been the main focus – the band itself – left in the dust. I would only recommend it for those who love characters who are ghostwriters and want more than just a manual on how to become one. People will continue to love fictional famous people like Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six from their respective books, yet they will most likely not get any satisfaction from the Midnight Ramblers.

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