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A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery, No 9
Christopher Fowler
Bantam
March 27, 2012 / ISBN: 0345528638
British / Detective / Mystery and Thrillers [Review 2]
Amazon
Reviewed
by Beth E. McKenzie
This mystery rests on the juxtaposition of differences: the past
and present, comedy and tragedy. For example the opening Wiki-leaks
document reporting on a covert Churchill-era organization, the Grand
Guignol on the stage of a swanky West End theater, children at the
beach laughing when Mr. Punch throws the baby out the window and
a mother crying in her room when her own child is apparently a victim
of Mr. Punch’s rage.
It is not often that I read a book that I would call a thriller.
Generally books billed as thrillers are just violent or graphic
causing a sense of revulsion instead of fear or anticipation. Interplays
like the following sent my blood chilling up my spine:
“Despite Banbury’s look of horror, Bryant raised
the figure high and wiggled it. The puppet’s movements were
unnervingly realistic. ‘After all, what’s one of the
first things Mr. Punch does in the play?
Renfield and May looked at each other.
‘He throws the baby out the window,’ replied Bryant.”
Next Mr. Punch usually beats his wife to death, fights with the
police or a number of other victims he murders and then tricks the
hangman into putting his own head in the noose. Through it all he
is delighted that his world is being set right, “That's
the way to do it!”
Not every book has to teach me something, but I am delighted when
one does. I particularly enjoyed the history lesson about puppetry
and the grim theatre. I enjoyed the way Bryan’s mind made
connections with him being as pleased as Punch to investigate the
pathways he thought important in spite of sabotage from within,
budgets and modern procedures. He’s not just getting old,
he’s a puppet in a traditional role raging at the change in
scenery and lines, but still clever enough that he always tricks
the hangman.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Full
Dark House #1
The
Water Room #2
The Memory of Blood # 9 [review1]
[review
2] [review
3]
Invisible Code #10 [review
1] [review
2]
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