No Perfect Strangers! - Rated 
Come on! If you are completely out of Deep Purple's frenzy, after reading these very well documented and written book, it will make you run to the CD/DVD store to hear/watch these guys! No matter how many MK's there were, they were the pillars of high standard heavy rock (together with Led Zep or Black Sabbath) and they are no PERFECT STRANGERS for anyone with really good taste in rock music.
The loudest band in the world? Maybe. But they keep making me happy for almost 25 years now... Also, very important reading for the side projects, the solo careers, the Gillan-Blackmore acrimony, the ups and downs.
Highly recommended!
Comprehensive account - Rated 
This is a comprehensive, well written and very readable account of this key band (I was fortunate enough to see 'Mark II' in action twice during my student days, Ritchie Blackmore guitar smashing et al). The approach is very sympathetic, and provides a detailed account of the beginnings - and ends - of Deep Purple's numerous line-ups, as well as a similarly detailed review of the various 'spin-off' bands, particularly (but not too surprisingly) Rainbow. The author brings the story pretty well up to date with the background on the latest incarnation, featuring Steve Morse. It also offers opinions on all of the 'proper' DP albums, and includes an exhaustive (60-plus pages) discography covering all DP personnel, past and present.
I would recommend the book to anyone who is already familar with Deep Purple, or whose interest has been aroused by the abundance of 'best of/greatest/etc.' compilation albums currently available.
Good Narrative - Rated
Dave Thompson's account makes a good narrative history of DP from the early training grounds (Maze, MI5, Artwoods, Roundabout)through to the present day (Morse, Airey, Bananas). Thompson doesn't fall into the trap of focussing only upon the highly popular and most revered Mk II set up, instead he offers a balanced review of each incarnation of DP through its extensive 35+ year history. Pete Frame's family tree coud have been the "plot" around which this book was structured - but that it inself is no bad thing. For every root and branch he successfully sets musical development of DP into the context of the prevailing musical environment. The acknowledgements claim direct input from DP members, plus others who were in or close to the DP family and there is good in-depth input from the likes of Roger Glover. There aren't many "Wow, I never knew that!" moments - more "oh, so that's why they did what they did". All in all it's a very comprehensive history of the band and good value for money.
Excellent biog of a great band - Rated
The trouble with writing the history of such a huge and wide ranging musical subject as Deep Purple is how to pitch the narrative; do you cater for readers who know little about the band or include that amount of train-spotter detail to capture the hardened fans who already know 'what happened next'....?
Thankfully the author here has managed to come up with the right blend of authoritative detail and simple overall commentary. Thompson neatly avoids getting bogged down too much, with a narrative pace(or should that be Paice?) that fairly rattles along at times. His extensive knowledge of the subject shines through, and the few typos apart is a recommended biog of one of rock's most influential bands.
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