Christopher Fowler

Reviewed on 26th October 2025

Another adventure for the Peculiar Crimes Unit sees them called in to investigate a murder in a London park. Elements of this one are a bit brutal, and it feels generally darker than the comic tone aligns comfortably with.

There's also a lot of the usual stuff going on in the background, but none of it feels particularly new - it's almost as if the book has become a cliche of its own series. The characters that bicker keep bickering, the characters who add comedy add comedy. The only nuance is in one pairing who feel like they are in a period of change.

The fact that I've had to pause while writing this to remember the actual outcome of the case says something about how memorable that aspect of the conclusion actually is.

I’m beginning to wonder whether I’m reading these novels still because of the sunk cost I've invested into them over the years, or whether I'm actually still enjoying them. Certainly they're not the top of my recent enjoyment list.

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Reviewed on 10th August 2024

The Peculiar Crimes Unit return to investigate a unique sort of locked room mystery set on the River Thames.

It’s the usual blend of fascinating characters, battle against the bureaucracy of the state, and bizarre life events of the group of detectives that Fowler has assembled.

The humour shines through particularly in some of the character interactions. The illness that Bryant is suffering provides for some fascinating scenes, and I can only marvel at the planning that Fowler has put in building this plot line up over three novels.

A really enjoyable return to this series, and I’m looking forward to the remaining stories on my shelf.

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Reviewed on 23rd April 2023

Rather than a novel, this books is a collection of short stories about smaller cases which eternally elderly detectives Bryant & May have encountered through the decades.

Individually, the stories capture the essence of the characters and their investigations. Collectively though I felt like they lacked something that I usually appreciate about this series, and I don’t think for me that the short format works so well.

I did appreciate the commentary running throughout the book though from the author, adding notes about the inspiration behind each of the stories, and some of the background to his writing of the novels that have come before.

Really though I’m ready to go back to the longer stories, and have bought the next four novels to sit on the shelf ready.

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Reviewed on 1st August 2022

I never know quite what I’m going to get from a Christopher Fowler novel. There’s a sense in my mind that he can write really good horror and really good comedy - and that the Bryant & May series moves around both those spaces.

This feels one of the darker B&M novels, with some brutal scenes throughout as the protagonist works through their scheme and our heroes attempt to work out what’s happening.

The character moments also feel emotionally down in this novel, with age clearly catching up with them, and expectations of the world not aligning with their wants.

It is another good mystery, but I think the overall tone is a bit bleaker than I prefer, and I hope that the subsequent novels might resume that slightly more jolly feel.

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Reviewed on 31st July 2021

Book I-Don't-Know-I've-Lost-Count in the Bryant and May series brings a slight lightening of tone - with the plot focus a bit more mysterious and slightly less brutal, and the increasingly rich world take a turn for the mildly amusing and less perilous.

I enjoyed playing along he whodunnit game, and seeing particularly this time into Bryant's psyche as the plot starts to explore elements from his distant past.

Another good entry in the series, but one that having completed is now going to force me out to the bookshops to find the next book.

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Reviewed on 13th September 2020

Back to a series I really enjoy reading. Surprisingly elderly detectives Bryant and May call themselves in to investigate some not-obviously-suspicious deaths in the City of London, which as usual leads to a complex set of not-quite paranormal clues leading them and their team on a chase around the city.

There are some fantastic standout passages in this novel - I’ve taken to photographing my favourite passages from books I’m reading so that I can go back and read those bits again and again to cheer myself up. Just little sentences or paragraphs that tickle me.

As usual, the plot is thoroughly thought-out, and the research into the quirks of London obvious. I really enjoy reading this series and have had to stop myself from diving back into the next novel too soon.

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Reviewed on 9th February 2020

This is the first of Fowler’s books I’ve read outside the Bryant and May series, and I was slightly trepidatious. The cover reminded me of a book I recently read by another author, which was desert-based urban fantasy, and which I didn’t get on with. However I needn’t have worried.

It’s the story of a family - father, mother, and daughter - whose lives change when they move from London to Dubai, as the father obtains a job on a massive construction project. But of course this wouldn’t be a story if everything was as it seems.

There’s a familiar feel to the opening - a slight hint of dark fantasy that in the light of day becomes human agency. A mystery and paranoia, and a sense that you aren’t quite sure who to believe - particularly in this case as the narrative is very focussed on one viewpoint, with just hints that the other characters have quite interesting lives going on in parallel.

I felt the plot became more rushed as it went on, but that may be reflective of my variable reading pace. There was also a large chunk of narrative that confused me, and left me not knowing exactly what I was meant to believe was happening. As a result I’m not sure I felt the conclusion was satisfactory.

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