Drayton and Mackenzie cover art

Drayton and Mackenzie

'Will have you hooked' The Times Best Summer Books

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Drayton and Mackenzie

By: Alexander Starritt
Narrated by: Ciaran Saward
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £18.89

Buy Now for £18.89

This Season's Biggest Deal | £0.99/mo for 3 months + £10 Audible bonus

£5.99/mo after 3 months - terms apply. Cancel monthly
'A big, bustling novel about love, friendship, money, ambition and the 21st century, packed with humour and intelligent observations ... I finished it tear-stained' Sunday Times

'Will have you hooked ... an ode to the enduring power of male friendship' The Times Best Summer Books

For the first time since university, James and Roland's paths through life - one drawn in straight lines, the other squiggled and meandering - began to cross...

James Drayton has always found things too easy. By the time he leaves university, he's still searching for a challenge worthy of his ambitions, one that will fulfil the destiny he thinks awaits him.

Roland Mackenzie, on the other hand, is an impulsive risk-taker, a charismatic drifter with boundless enthusiasm but a knack for derailing his own attempts to get started in life.

When a chance encounter in a pub reunites these old acquaintances, it sets them on an unpredictable course through the upheavals of the 21st century, and triggers an unlikely alliance. Against the backdrop of the financial crash and its aftermath, they strive to create something that outlasts them, something that will matter.

Drayton and Mackenzie is a stunningly ambitious, immediately engaging and ultimately deeply moving novel both about trying to make your mark on the world, and about how a friendship might be the most important thing in life.

THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED NOVEL FROM AN AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR

CAN FRIENDSHIPS CHANGE THE WORLD?©2025 Alexander Starritt Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Friendship
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
An unlikely love story that works despite the context. Narrator is excellent. By the end I was very sorry to bid farewell to these characters

Beautiful and human

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Excellent!
This was one of the books of the year in many of the papers in 2025. Like Tomorrow,Tomorrow and Tomorrow it is ostensibly about a start up company, but is actually about so much more - especially friendships. It is well written, although occasionally it can be a bit clumpy eg referring to a glass of wine as an ‘inverted golden dome’. The main characters are really well drawn - Roland is always characterised as lovable, and I can see why, but I also loved stern, nerdish James. It is one of those books where you are immersed into the lives of the characters and they stay with them after you have finished. I listened to this partly on audiobook, and the reader was excellent, with good voice characterisation.

This is the book about tidal turbines that you didn’t know you needed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Simply fantastic. Although some of the story beats are pretty out there, the thing that makes this book is its characters. They’re incredibly real and their relationship is, at times, very relatable. Everyone will find something in Roland and James they can relate to. A strong recommend.

Drayton & Mackenzie

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A beautifully crafted story of 2 unusual men who meet by chance and build a friendship and a business that withstands every challenge

An unexpected delightful tale of friendship and achievement

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Absolutely loved this book. A joy from start to finish and best book I have read this year.

Outstanding Read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews