The Water Room

This awesome whodunnit set in London and it’s underground world of hidden rivers, waste water, sewers and refugees completely captivated me. Fowler instructs and educates about the physical form of London while dealing with shady characters and contemporary issues, as well as weaving a murder mystery into the mix. My absolute favourite in the Bryant and May cannon

Water, water, everywhere (and probably not safe to drink). Bryant and May's second case as chronicled by Christopher Fowler deals with the forgotten Rivers of London. It begins with the death of Ruth Singh, the sister of a friend of Bryant's. She is found dead in her basement, and the initial assumption is that she simply expired, but the postmortem reveals signs of drowning…in river water. And as if that isn't bizarre enough, more unusual deaths plague the same street. But unusual is all in a day's work for Bryant and May.

It's probably taken me about five books to figure out that the mysteries aren't always the most important part in a Bryant and May mystery. This one in particular is best treated as an exploration of the underground show more Rivers of London (which I always capitalize now because of Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant series). For those who are so inclined, there's a wealth of fun facts about the Fleet, the Tyburn and more. There's even some Egyptian mythology as a nice little bonus. I want to call this book immersive, but that is a terrible pun even by my standards. I will say this is a book that requires sustained attention, but it's worth the time spent with it. show less

I really enjoyed this re-read of the second book in the Bryant and May series, and I'm glad I started with this one because I wasn't so keen on book 1 which I read after I read this one the first time.

Fowler breaks all the 'rules' writers are fed these days, such as show don't tell - although he 'shows' well with vivid description and engaging characters - because he tells you all sorts of snippets about the characters' backstories, and he also 'head hops' between characters in a scene. But it works. The characters are so interesting, and the mystery in this tale of London's lost rivers - still running under the capital and causing life transforming events - is really intriguing. There are wonderful descriptions evoking the fall of rain show more onto the houses, very realistic given the recent heavy rains in the UK, and there were some good twists too. The revelation of the villain and the reason for the crimes is quite unexpected. So this one is a 'keeper' and I don't keep many I read these days, as I'm trying to declutter. I also don't give 5 stars very often, but well deserved in this case. show less

When an elderly woman drowns in her dry basement, Bryant and May of London's Peculiar Crimes Unit learns more about the city's underground rivers than they ever expected. As is common in this series, the storyline is not one but many, all spreading across the novel in an creeper plant way - if you're looking for straight mystery, look elsewhere. I love the main characters in this series as they feel so original - aged, oddball detectives aren't that common - and that they are all so diverse. Also, the historical information that you learn through the story is very interesting and never feels like info-dumping. Wonderful series that I look forward to continuing.

On the whole, I liked this mystery, and enjoyed the characters. The elderly detective team of Bryant and Mays were a great discovery, and most of the regular supporting cast well done. The idea of a peculiar crimes unit is very appealing and sort of x-file-ish. I also was really interested to read about the history of rivers and water works in London, particularly how the waters have been channeled underground. The pace of the book bogged down (ha!) at times for me, but it could have been because I was reading when I was tired. I didn't feel entirely in the dark or left out because I started with book 2 vs from the start of the series, and I may read another by this author if it comes my way.

Installment #2 in this series featuring the Peculiar Crimes Unit finds our heroes, Bryant and May (and the other people in the PCU) trying to solve the death of a woman drowned in her basement. Sounds straightforward, right? However, the dead woman was completely dry, sitting in a chair, in a dry basement. If that was the only problem for them to deal with, the book would have definitely been a lot shorter -- but add in a death by saran wrap, arson, and a fellow buried alive by his own truck. And then you still don't have the complete story.

Once again we have a detective story with a rather X-filish feel to it, where the detectives may be old but still have a lot to offer. The characters are very well drawn, and there is a wealth of show more history that is part of the story between the two covers. At 356 pages, this is not your typical detective story, and Bryant and May are not your typical detectives. And the PCU is not your typical police unit. So...if you like something quirky and offbeat, then you might want to give this series a try, but don't start with this one: start with Full Dark House. The book offers a bit of fun along with a good mystery and really kept me entertained for quite a while. I've just bought the next book in the series and will probably read them all.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has read Full Dark House and wants to follow the series, as well as someone looking for something a bit different in the mystery world. However, it's NOT for you if you want a standard police procedural-type book that's more down to earth. I thought the book was quite good and a cut above what's normally on my local bookstore's mystery shelves.

Overall...a fun read with a fine mystery. show less

This is the second in the Bryant and May series. As our two old soldiers of the Peculiar Crimes Unit of London's Metropolitan Police begin to adjust to their new headquarters, and their odd new assignment to the security division of MI7, a friend of Bryant's asks for his assistance in determining how his elderly sister came to be sitting in her basement bathroom, fully clothed and dry, yet dead of drowning. With a directive to clear this matter up in short order and prepare for a load of new case assignments, Bryant and May become immersed (sometimes literally so) in the rising underground waters of London's lost rivers, searching for clues both ancient and modern to what becomes a series of peculiar deaths in a single street in Kentish show more town. The plot is a bit overwrought, and in my opinion there is no way the reader can come up with anything like the solution to the mysteries. It depends too much on esoteric knowledge of London's "missing rivers" and underground engineering, the explanation of which overwhelmed the story at times. Then there's the obscure Victorian artist thrown in for good measure. I'll read at least one more of these, as I really enjoy the interplay of the characters; they are laugh-out-loud funny at times. But another complex plot like this, that requires one of the last chapters to be entitled "Mr Bryant Explains It All For You", will probably be the end.
Review written May 2016 show less