I want to understand why and how and by whom neoliberalism was established, both in practice and in theory. Ideally it would be written as a historical narrative with concrete details, rather than an abstract analysis
Pierre Dardot & Christian Laval, ‘The New Way of the World: On Neoliberal Society’
It’s not a whole book, but I would refer you to chapter 4 of Michael Roberts book on capital crises and profitability. That chapter deals specifically with the commonly defined western neoliberal era. If you like that bit, then I’d recommend the entire thing if you want to know why and how crises are generated as a baked in symptom of capitalism in its search for profitability.
Otherwise, I know David Harvey has a book called a Brief History of Neoliberalism. I read it a few years ago but can’t remember enough to specifically recommend it. Worth noting that Harvey doesn’t consider himself to technically be a Marxist afaik.