
Member Reviews

Still Going Strong
In our house the big three are Reginald Hill, Louise Penny, and Christopher Fowler. But hands down, the new book we most look forward to is the next Bryant & May. Well, here it is, and it does not disappoint. Our heroes are in top form, the tale is twisty, and the whole project is still fresh and engaging. A fine entry in the series.

Number 17 in the ever enlightening, ever entertaining Bryant & May series. In this episode, the Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) — finally tipped over the brink of being shut down permanently — is “temporarily” reinstated to solve a series of high profile murders that appear to be following the verses of the age old children’s nursery rhyme “Oranges and Lemons.”
As always, the writing has me in stitches as well as completely gripped by the story. We have an intriguing new character — Sydney — who when queried about whether or not she is “on the spectrum” responds that she prefers to think of herself as “over the rainbow.” When accused of being offended by something, she responds “It’s the millennials who take offense. I’m Generation Z.” I love her. Each of the misfits of the PCU is bursting with an off-canter personality of some sort, especially Arthur Bryant who dwells happily in the arcana of existential English history and alternate forms of knowledge.
And also as always, I never saw the end coming until it smacked me in the face.
This is a unique mystery series — I’ve never read another one quite like it.

Everything about this book was mesmerizing, Christopher Fowler creates a fantastical world with eccentric characters I also felt like I was part of the PCU team. All his PCU novels are fresh and unique. With all his exceptional ingenuity, the author manages to incorporate the troubling attributes of today’s world to give you an immersive experience.
It would be great to see a TV series based on his novels..
I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced ecopy to evaluate.