Christopher Fowler (1) (1953–2023)

This witty, well-crafted, and propulsive murder mystery was my first exposure to Christopher Fowler's Bryant & May/Peculiar Crimes Unit series. I'm generally partial to more sedate, old-fashioned mysteries, but this modern-day story of financial corruption, fiery mayhem, and rioting through the streets of London had me hooked from the start. The characters, particularly the detective duo of Byrant and May, are beautifully drawn, and their personalities sparkle. Fowler deftly sprinkles in show more historical and cultural reference throughout in order to contextualize and illuminate various aspects of the plot. And his Chapter One pastiche of Charles Dickens' famous Bleak House opening ("LONDON. Michaelmas Term lately over...") is simply brilliant! Good to see the following simple full-page postscript at the end of the book: "Bryant and May Will Return." I look forward to seeking out other books in this series. show less

4.5
The Bells of St. Clements
Clement Danes stands all
Forlorn and destitute;
Bells that rang out yester-
morn today lie mute.
I hear children in my
mind all singing there;
But oranges are hard to
find and lemons rare.
Harold Adshead

This is how the book starts and everytime I open up the newest book from the Bryant and May series, I'm always afraid it will be the last. I sincerely hope this series never ends. They are such a wonderful combination of strange but not graphic crimes, humor, fantastic show more history and peculiar characters. Bryant has the most unusual personality and crime solving capabilities than any other detective in any book.

Here we learn the story behind the rhymes, which takes us to many other churches and the origins and meanings of these churches. We learn the history of the Strand and other areas in London.Catch up on the unusual characters that make up the peculiar crime unit and with Arthur visit some of his very strange sources. Plus, a new character whom I believe will fit in nicely.

As always it was a joy to spend time with the PCU.

ARC from Edelweiss show less

OMG, Christopher Fowler is definitely my new, favorite author. I'd read my first Fowler a while back, and remembered that I had enjoyed it, so when I found Oranges and Lemons in a box I thought I'd give it a go.

Holy cow, I can hardly read a sentence without busting out laughing... and then struggle to find my place back on the page to begin reading again. What a pleasure this is. If for no other reason I haven't read anything truly great for a while.

Bryant and May remind me of Slough House, show more another favorite. In reading "Bryant begged the ceiling for strength," I can hear Jackson Lamb saying "Jesus wept".

Sample passage per above: exchange between senior detective Arthur Bryant and new intern Sidney Hargreaves:

"Let me explain something to you, Miss Hargreaves. Beat coppers are nurses. They have 'interpersonal skills.' Detectives are doctors. They search for the truth, as unpalatable as it often turns out to be. In 1963 Detective Chief Superintendent Jack Slipper tracked down the Great Train Robbers—"

"Before I was born," Hargreaves pointed out.

"So was Queen Marie of Romania but it doesn't mean you shouldn't know who she was."

"I don‘t know who she was."

Bryant begged the ceiling for strength. "While we rewrite history to include only the people we can be sure were around after the momentous advent of your birth, Miss Hargreaves, consider Slipper of the Yard. His imprimatur was stamped on every case he handled. The great detectives think differently because they develop a singular outlook. Share your ideas with everyone and you end up in a committee that achieves nothing."

"Perhaps we'll agree to disagree on that," Hargreaves observed.

"No, let's just disagree," said Bryant. show less

The Peculiar Crimes Unit certainly doesn’t get the easy crimes to solve. Their latest case features a National Gallery painting defaced with acid; a guest at the Savoy poisoned by a North American snake; a suspect exploding on the Tube… and that’s just the first day or so. Bryant and May have their work cut out for them as they try to figure out the links between the cases and justify the very existence of the PCU.

As you might expect from a Bryant and May novel, this one is packed show more with details about London and snippets of history. There are guilds and hidden rivers and obscure pubs, and neighbourhoods that might almost be separate countries, so different are they from each other. Bryant continues to be old before his time, wrapped up in a usually vile-looking scarf and looking for connections in the finer details of history, while May is more in tune with the times and manages Bryant when having to deal with people.

Overall, I liked this book, although it took a bit of time to get back into after an extended spell away from the series. I also found it very difficult to believe that Jerry Gates was supposed to be not yet 18; she struck me as being in her 20s, and it was only when the narration specifically referred to her age that I remembered. I was also not sure what purpose the Gilbert and Sullivan served except as yet another layer of clues. There was a LOT going on in this book.

This is the sort of series where installments require an extended period of time to read; they might also benefit from being read in order (and I don’t say this lightly, being a firm believer in the reader’s prerogative to start wherever they like). show less