Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

I’m a big fan of Mr Blake and, probably an unusual one because the 60s Blake’s (The New Order) are my favourites so I was looking forward to these three tales. Was I disappointed? One yes and two no’s.

World shaker.

The disappointment. A sub Bond sci-fi epic. Are we under attack from aliens? Are flying saucers real? Blake is on the case. In the end it was just a bit too far out for me but it did rattle along nicely to its climax.

Big Steal

Much better. If World Shalker was large scale and epic in scope this is much smaller in scale and more traditional. The plot is good and the characters are well developed and interesting. Basically a story about a crime which is also a confidence trick. It’s about the criminals and a couple that gets caught up with them. Very enjoyable.

Bred to Kill

My favourite in this volume. Yes it’s as unlikely as World Shaker but it rattles along in a very entertaining manner. I do like the Martin Thomas Blake’s, they often have a supernatural element and this is no exception. This one mixes the uncanny with a bit of sci-fi. Come on man it was the 60s! It’s also the introduction of Gideon Ashley, a fascinating character who turns up in a number of supernatural Blake stories.

All in all, enjoyable and recommended. A special mention for Mark Hodder for writing the entertaining links that bind the three takes but also for keeping the Blake name alive.

Sexton Blake's New Order is the 5th collection of Sexton Blake stories, this collection from the 60s. Released 27th April 2021 by Rebellion, it's 400 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats.

These are enthusiastically action driven adventures and they're full of non-stop intrigue and espionage. The stories are simply written and plotted and they rush along at a gallop. The bad guy are unrepentantly bad - the good guys are brave, lucky, and always on the side of the angels. The stories are easy to read and easy to like.

The writing quality is surprisingly high, especially considering that they're channeling the style of stories which were banged out as public entertainment.

I definitely would recommend the updated versions to anyone looking for light and entertaining action books, especially fans of series characters. For all my friends and acquaintances who enjoy the old John Creasey series like The Toff and The Baron, these will fill the bill nicely.

Four stars (warning, product of its time and reflects many of the social mores and attitudes of same).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Rebellion's final collection of Sexton Blake stories presents a trio of adventures from the tail end of the detective's original career, in the 1960s. They're not great mysteries in the manner of Agatha Christie or Dorothy L. Sayers; for all his obvious debts to Sherlock Holmes, Blake's much more a detective in the mould of Batman – with all the ludicrous pulp fun to match.

His adventures are fascinating cultural artefacts, soaking up as they did the popular culture and paranoias of the time in an effort to keep sales up. To the usual Blake blend of adventure and mystery, you can add the post-war ingredients of Cold War paranoia, spy-fi, Catherine Cookson, Ealing crime capers, Buddhist transcendentalism, and the horror of Dennis Wheatley.

It's Sexton Blake for a new age, and terrific fun – and hopefully we'll get to see him brought back for the 21st century very soon.

Sexton Blake’s New Order, the fifth anthology from the famous Sexton Blake, a detective very peculiar. Between each story we have an introduction of a conversation between Sexton and the author. The World-Shakers by Desmond Reid (Rex Dolphin), published 1960. A fun read that makes you remember War of the Worlds on a funny version; The Big Steal by Jack Trevor Story, published in 1960. A more standard crime investigation full of twists and turns; Bred to Kill by Martin Thomas, published in 1960. A series of brutal murders that gives a taste of fantastic.
A very entertaining anthology that keeps you glued to the book, from the start till the end. #SextonBlakesNewOrderTheSextonBlakeLibraryBook5 #NetGalley

I would like to thank Netgalley and Rebellion for an advance copy of Sexton Blake’s New Order, the fifth anthology of Sexton Blake stories.

I thought that this anthology would be set in WWII and that New Order was a reference to Nazis, but obviously I was wrong. Apparently it was decided in the late 50s that the Sexton Blake franchise needed an update and modernising and so this modernised cycle became known as the New Order. Blake now has an office that employs women and Tinker has become the more politically correct Carter. The effort is to be appreciated but it hardly scratches the surface of modernity.

Each of the stories is introduced by a conversation between Sexton Blake and the editor which hints obliquely at what will follow and gives it context. I like the audacity of this approach and enjoy the conversations for the dash of humour in them and the sense of warmth and intimacy that they offer.

The World-Shakers by Desmond Reid (Rex Dolphin), published 1960.
This is a fun read with lots of action, attempted world domination and flying saucers. It is remarkably prescient in some of the things it discusses and foreshadows a lot of 1960s culture - Sexton Blake could be James Bond in this one. I could also see the beginnings of what would become part of the ancient alien theories. It’s fun, fun, fun.

The Big Steal by Jack Trevor Story, published in 1960
This is a more standard crime investigation with Sexton Blake trying to catch a band of safe robbers. It opens with a bang when Timothy O’Brien is released from prison and the flashes back via an enquiry into the previous two years and the events that led to O’Brien’s incarceration. I didn’t find this as exciting as The World-Shakers but it’s full of twists and turns.

Bred to Kill by Martin Thomas, published in 1960
A series of brutal murders is haunting the community of Bissett Heath, somehow foreseen by the psychic community, and the ladies of the W.I. are unsettled enough to seek the help of Sexton Blake. I can’t even describe the solution to this one as it’s too fantastic, even by the low credibility bar set by the series. Still, the hunt for the killer is engrossing. I think they have a bit to in the modernising stakes - who ever heard of a woman scaling a wall and moaning about laddered stockings?

Sexton Blake’s New Order is a fun read that I can recommend.

I wasn't sure what to expect here, and I was pleasantly surprised. Blake is before my time, and he was very prolific, and probably popular. I can see why, since he writes well in this genre and for that time. These are varied and well written stories. Recommended for those that like old style mysteries.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!