Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery
Bryant and May, Book 2
Christopher Fowler
Bantam [Reprint]
September 30, 2008 / ISBN: 0553385550
British Mystery / Detective
Amazon
Reviewed
by Brenda Weeaks
May and Bryant
return to solve another peculiar case. In an untouched area of London,
in a row of original cottages, an elderly woman is found dead by
her brother. Oddly she’s a recluse but she’s dressed
to go out. And the cause of death is drowning but she’s completely
dry. Also in this mystery is an odd homeless man, a variety of normal
neighbors, shady real estate developers, the history of London’s
lost rivers, Egyptian mythology and multiple murders, Needless to
say, at some points it gets very dangerous for the two...
We also learn
more about May and Bryant. May does well in analyzing people whereas
Bryant is a book person who also likes to visit a white witch to
get answers… May has a contemporary outlook. He observes people;
dresses well (even in the 70s), and continues to pursue the ladies.
Bryant seems to have an old England outlook with his old books.
He’s considered grumpy but has a good heart; he hates wet
Liberals and hamburger outlets – among other things.
I found The
Water Room as riveting as The Full Dark House. Again,
Fowler includes a substantial amount of London history through his
contemporary characters, which enhances the storyline. The mystery
isn’t as dark as the last one, but it is as equally complex.
Bryant and May are older detectives – even older than the
infamous “Inspector Morse,” yet they seem to have picked
up a cult following which I think is great. I’ve read three
titles in this series and each time I hated interruptions. I’ve
also discovered Bryant is my favorite character. (Hmmm... what does
that say about me?)
I also listened
to The Water Room on audio via Audible/Amazon (release
date 2008). The storyline certainly comes alive and seems darker
when read aloud. The narrator is British actor Tim Goodman. He does
an impressive job of voicing the main and secondary characters.
The audio version has Bryant’s voice older and weaker than
I iimagined while reading the book version. Go figure. Despite their
ages, I hope the author finds a way to keep these two around for
a long time. Can’t recommend this series enough.
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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