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Bryant & May: Peculiar Crimes Unit #17
Oranges and Lemons
'The most consistently brilliant, entertaining and educational voice in contemporary British crime fiction, the utterly fabulous Christopher Fowler.' Cathi Unsworth, CRIMESQUADIt's a Sunday morning, and the outspoken Speaker of the House of Commons has just been crushed under a mountain of citrus fruit . . .Bizarre accident or something more sinister? The government needs to know because here's a man who knows a thing or two that could compromise its future.Bryant and May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit should be on the case, however it seems the PCU is no more with one detective is in hospital, the other gone AWOL with the rest of the team having been dismissed. But events escalate, and soon a series of brutal yet undeniably clever killings linked to an old English nursery rhyme threaten society's very foundations and out-of-the-blue the PCU is (temporarily) back in business.And if the two detectives - 'old men in a woke world' - can set aside their differences and discover why some of London's most influential figures are being threatened, they might not only save the unit but also prevent the city from descending into chaos . . .
430 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 23, 2020
About the author
Christopher Fowler
247 books1,252 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Christopher Fowler was an English novelist living in London. His books contain elements of black comedy, anxiety and social satire. As well as novels, he wrote short stories, scripts, press articles and reviews.
He lived in King's Cross, on the Battlebridge Basin, and chose London as the backdrop of many of his stories because any one of the events in its two-thousand-year history can provide inspiration.
In 1998 he was the recipient of the BFS Best Short Story of the Year, for 'Wageslaves'. Then, in 2004, The Water Room was nominated for the CWA People's Choice Award, Full Dark House won the BFS August Derleth Novel of The Year Award 2004 and 'American Waitress' won the BFS Best Short Story of the Year 2004. The novella 'Breathe' won BFS Best Novella 2005.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Christopher Fowler was an English novelist living in London. His books contain elements of black comedy, anxiety and social satire. As well as novels, he wrote short stories, scripts, press articles and reviews.
He lived in King's Cross, on the Battlebridge Basin, and chose London as the backdrop of many of his stories because any one of the events in its two-thousand-year history can provide inspiration.
In 1998 he was the recipient of the BFS Best Short Story of the Year, for 'Wageslaves'. Then, in 2004, The Water Room was nominated for the CWA People's Choice Award, Full Dark House won the BFS August Derleth Novel of The Year Award 2004 and 'American Waitress' won the BFS Best Short Story of the Year 2004. The novella 'Breathe' won BFS Best Novella 2005.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 270 reviews
June 21, 2020
My heart gave a leap of joy when I saw there was a new addition to the treasure that is Christopher Fowler's elderly, shambolic detective Arthur Bryant and John May of the Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) series set in London, which, given this is the 19th book, is one hell of an achievement. What I can take for granted is that I am going to have a whale of a time, I am going to learn more about unusual aspects of arcane London history, I will laugh, be entertained and have great fun, encountering a fascinating bunch of new intriguing and offbeat characters, as well as the return of the old crowd, and there is going to be another complex, ambitious and labyrinthian plot to get my teeth into. It begins with the closing down of the PCU unit, with the chief, Raymond Land, having retired to the Isle of Wight, May in hospital, having managed to survive being shot, and Bryant, well, he's gone missing and the rest of the unit are on a mission to find him.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Claremont, suffers what appears to be the strangest of accidents, as crates of oranges and lemons fall on him, skewering and causing serious injuries that send the Home Office in a tizz, worried for his mental state and the political implications this may result in. The perfect fall guys for the investigation are the PCU as the band are put back together again, with a Home Office spy among them, Tim Floris, and the entry of the Generation Z intern, the young and gifted Sidney Hargreaves, inordinately interested in Bryant. An independent bookstore, Typeface, is burned down in an act of arson, with the owner, Christian Albu, committing suicide in police custody. The killer brings the well known traditional nursery rhyme, Oranges and Lemons, into the centre of the investigation. There are murders in and around churches, Bryant and the PCU consult magicians, skateboarders, witches, conspiracy theorists, and more in their efforts to get to the truth. They have a prime villainous suspect, Peter English, who is proving hard to interview, never mind arrest, but as we know, Bryant is not a man who can be brushed off.
Fowler never disappoints, and once again he serves a decidedly moreish and imaginative addition to a series that shows absolutely no sign of going off the boil and which has deservedly accrued a legion of loyal fans. This is a fantastically entertaining and brilliant read, always so good to spend time with the PCU stalwarts and, in particular, with a Bryant who may be out of step with the modern world, with methods that, even for those who have known him forever, find astounding and a complete mystery, but which never fail. If you have never come across the Bryant and May series, I strongly urge you to read it, you will not regret it. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Random House Transworld for an ARC.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Claremont, suffers what appears to be the strangest of accidents, as crates of oranges and lemons fall on him, skewering and causing serious injuries that send the Home Office in a tizz, worried for his mental state and the political implications this may result in. The perfect fall guys for the investigation are the PCU as the band are put back together again, with a Home Office spy among them, Tim Floris, and the entry of the Generation Z intern, the young and gifted Sidney Hargreaves, inordinately interested in Bryant. An independent bookstore, Typeface, is burned down in an act of arson, with the owner, Christian Albu, committing suicide in police custody. The killer brings the well known traditional nursery rhyme, Oranges and Lemons, into the centre of the investigation. There are murders in and around churches, Bryant and the PCU consult magicians, skateboarders, witches, conspiracy theorists, and more in their efforts to get to the truth. They have a prime villainous suspect, Peter English, who is proving hard to interview, never mind arrest, but as we know, Bryant is not a man who can be brushed off.
Fowler never disappoints, and once again he serves a decidedly moreish and imaginative addition to a series that shows absolutely no sign of going off the boil and which has deservedly accrued a legion of loyal fans. This is a fantastically entertaining and brilliant read, always so good to spend time with the PCU stalwarts and, in particular, with a Bryant who may be out of step with the modern world, with methods that, even for those who have known him forever, find astounding and a complete mystery, but which never fail. If you have never come across the Bryant and May series, I strongly urge you to read it, you will not regret it. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Random House Transworld for an ARC.
February 24, 2021
Bryant & May: Oranges and Lemons
by Christopher Fowler blends wonderful humor, an odd mix of characters, multiple mysteries, and some London facts and history into a terrific crime novel. When Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Claremont, is injured in an odd accident, the recently disbanded Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) is reassembled for one last case. However, they are going to have to cobble together a work space in their old building since the Home Office’s police liaison CEO, Leslie Faraday, tore it apart after they were disbanded. He tries to derail the PCU at every turn.
The PCU is filled with characters that seem inept at ties, befuddled at other times, and competent at still other times. Somehow, they mesh together and manage to solve cases. Their unit chief is Raymond Land, who is inept with computers and often kept out of the loop. Arthur Bryant and John May are the detective chief inspectors. Arthur’s mind works differently than most peoples’ minds and therefore many don’t understand him or his methods. John provides a counterbalance to Arthur, but he is recovering from a bullet wound. Additional team members fill out the roles of detective inspector, crime scene, detective sergeant, forensic pathologist, and new in this book, an intern. Bryant seems to be the glue that holds the team together, but we also get to see some of the private lives of the secondary characters.
The plot is focused on a British nursery rhyme of Oranges and Lemons and the churches that the rhyme references. Who would have guessed that this could be such an entertaining read? The reader has more information than the investigators in this case, since we get occasional chapters from the antagonist’s point of view that give us motive.
Overall, this is a hilarious, well-written, and original crime drama that kept me entertained and engaged. Additionally, I learned something about London’s history. There are some surprises along the way that keep the story interesting and alive.
I don’t usually start a series with number seventeen, but this one worked well for me as a standalone novel. I am sure that reading the earlier books would provide additional background and add richness to the reading experience and I can’t wait to go back and read them. If you like unique characters, lots of humor, unorthodox crime solving, and lots of humor, then I recommend that you check out this series.
I won a digital copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
The PCU is filled with characters that seem inept at ties, befuddled at other times, and competent at still other times. Somehow, they mesh together and manage to solve cases. Their unit chief is Raymond Land, who is inept with computers and often kept out of the loop. Arthur Bryant and John May are the detective chief inspectors. Arthur’s mind works differently than most peoples’ minds and therefore many don’t understand him or his methods. John provides a counterbalance to Arthur, but he is recovering from a bullet wound. Additional team members fill out the roles of detective inspector, crime scene, detective sergeant, forensic pathologist, and new in this book, an intern. Bryant seems to be the glue that holds the team together, but we also get to see some of the private lives of the secondary characters.
The plot is focused on a British nursery rhyme of Oranges and Lemons and the churches that the rhyme references. Who would have guessed that this could be such an entertaining read? The reader has more information than the investigators in this case, since we get occasional chapters from the antagonist’s point of view that give us motive.
Overall, this is a hilarious, well-written, and original crime drama that kept me entertained and engaged. Additionally, I learned something about London’s history. There are some surprises along the way that keep the story interesting and alive.
I don’t usually start a series with number seventeen, but this one worked well for me as a standalone novel. I am sure that reading the earlier books would provide additional background and add richness to the reading experience and I can’t wait to go back and read them. If you like unique characters, lots of humor, unorthodox crime solving, and lots of humor, then I recommend that you check out this series.
I won a digital copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
February 15, 2021
4.5
The Bells of St. Clements
Clement Danes stands all
Forlorn and destitute;
Bells that rang out yester-
morn today lie mute.
I hear children in my
mind all singing there;
But oranges are hard to
find and lemons rare.
Harold Adshead
This is how the book starts and everytime I open up the newest book from the Bryant and May series, I'm always afraid it will be the last. I sincerely hope this series never ends. They are such a wonderful combination of strange but not graphic crimes, humor, fantastic history and peculiar characters. Bryant has the most unusual personality and crime solving capabilities than any other detective in any book.
Here we learn the story behind the rhymes, which takes us to many other churches and the origins and meanings of these churches. We learn the history of the Strand and other areas in London.Catch up on the unusual characters that make up the peculiar crime unit and with Arthur visit some of his very strange sources. Plus, a new character whom I believe will fit in nicely.
As always it was a joy to spend time with the PCU.
ARC from Edelweiss
The Bells of St. Clements
Clement Danes stands all
Forlorn and destitute;
Bells that rang out yester-
morn today lie mute.
I hear children in my
mind all singing there;
But oranges are hard to
find and lemons rare.
Harold Adshead
This is how the book starts and everytime I open up the newest book from the Bryant and May series, I'm always afraid it will be the last. I sincerely hope this series never ends. They are such a wonderful combination of strange but not graphic crimes, humor, fantastic history and peculiar characters. Bryant has the most unusual personality and crime solving capabilities than any other detective in any book.
Here we learn the story behind the rhymes, which takes us to many other churches and the origins and meanings of these churches. We learn the history of the Strand and other areas in London.Catch up on the unusual characters that make up the peculiar crime unit and with Arthur visit some of his very strange sources. Plus, a new character whom I believe will fit in nicely.
As always it was a joy to spend time with the PCU.
ARC from Edelweiss
March 6, 2021
I was so excited to discover this available via Hoopla from my local Library! What a treat! I am avoiding reading any reviews as I want to be surprised :)
1/16/21 My favorite quote so far is Bryant's request for a proper cuppa: "Can I get a decent cup of tea, sonny, a proper enamel stripper no cat's piss."
1/21/21 I came across a quote I had written down that I thought captured the spirit of people living in Britain and London in particular. Christopher Fowler writes, "Londoners had a long history of working together in times of danger. They would happily throw themselves at criminals and rugby tackle them down so long as their best mate held their pint."
3/5/21 Today, I found yet another quote I had recorded as I read and then, forgotten about. This one refers to the police being replaced by surveillance cameras: "I'd like to see a drone sort out a domestic involving some paralytic pikey waving a knock-off Game of Thrones machete at his missus because she stood in front of the football."
I loved the theme of Oranges and Lemons from the traditional English nursery rhyme which I remembered from my own childhood in England. It was wonderful to learn the history of it. Tim Goodman's narration was sublime as usual.
1/16/21 My favorite quote so far is Bryant's request for a proper cuppa: "Can I get a decent cup of tea, sonny, a proper enamel stripper no cat's piss."
1/21/21 I came across a quote I had written down that I thought captured the spirit of people living in Britain and London in particular. Christopher Fowler writes, "Londoners had a long history of working together in times of danger. They would happily throw themselves at criminals and rugby tackle them down so long as their best mate held their pint."
3/5/21 Today, I found yet another quote I had recorded as I read and then, forgotten about. This one refers to the police being replaced by surveillance cameras: "I'd like to see a drone sort out a domestic involving some paralytic pikey waving a knock-off Game of Thrones machete at his missus because she stood in front of the football."
I loved the theme of Oranges and Lemons from the traditional English nursery rhyme which I remembered from my own childhood in England. It was wonderful to learn the history of it. Tim Goodman's narration was sublime as usual.
April 18, 2021
Hooray!!! My library got the latest release in this series.......I have now read them all. And I will repeat what I always say after reading one of these books.......they are an acquired taste. The stories are totally unbelievable and very convoluted, with clues that lead nowhere. If you think that you know what is going on, you are sadly mistaken. But it all seems to come together in the end.
It is the characters of the Peculiar Crimes Unit that draws in the reader. An assorted bunch of misfits who somehow solve crimes through methods that are usually illegal or at least questionable. The main characters, Bryant and May are elderly detectives who have been with the unit since its inception by the Home Office and pay no attention to direction. They are delightful, as are all of their staff and there is quite a bit of humor in the stories.
No need to go into the plot of this book, since it wouldn't make sense if I tried to describe it. But, if you have an off-kilter sense of humor, you will find this series a joy. Otherwise, you will wonder what the devil is going on!!!
It is the characters of the Peculiar Crimes Unit that draws in the reader. An assorted bunch of misfits who somehow solve crimes through methods that are usually illegal or at least questionable. The main characters, Bryant and May are elderly detectives who have been with the unit since its inception by the Home Office and pay no attention to direction. They are delightful, as are all of their staff and there is quite a bit of humor in the stories.
No need to go into the plot of this book, since it wouldn't make sense if I tried to describe it. But, if you have an off-kilter sense of humor, you will find this series a joy. Otherwise, you will wonder what the devil is going on!!!
April 21, 2021
This is a sparkling addition to the Bryant & May, Peculiar Crimes Unit novels.
After their most recent shutdown, while their offices are actually being remodeled, news comes of a new case, a temporary reprieve. What follows is a complex case which takes them across London following the lyrics of a very old song about London church bells. Once again, Bryant is at his somewhat off kilter best, as he needs to be as May is still recuperating after their last "outing."
I think this may be one of my favorites in the series. All of our favorite members of the crew are along for another rather crazy ride. I'm already looking forward to the next volume in this excellent series.
A solid 5* for Oranges and Lemons (Bryant & May #17).
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
After their most recent shutdown, while their offices are actually being remodeled, news comes of a new case, a temporary reprieve. What follows is a complex case which takes them across London following the lyrics of a very old song about London church bells. Once again, Bryant is at his somewhat off kilter best, as he needs to be as May is still recuperating after their last "outing."
I think this may be one of my favorites in the series. All of our favorite members of the crew are along for another rather crazy ride. I'm already looking forward to the next volume in this excellent series.
A solid 5* for Oranges and Lemons (Bryant & May #17).
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
October 4, 2021
When I borrowed this from the library, along with 'The Lonely Hour', the seventeenth in the series, I didn't realise that there was another book in-between. (Goodreads is confusing matters by calling that one and Oranges and Lemons number 17 when this must be number 19.) However, I think it must be one of those about the earlier careers of Bryant and May because this story picks up with May recovering from being shot at the end of 'The Lonely Hour' and with the Peculiar Crimes Unit finally disbanded. But the odd accident that befalls the Speaker of the House of Commons brings a temporary reprieve albeit in an even more dilapidated unit with poorer resources than ever before. Plus they have a certain person parked on them with a remit to report back to the Home Office, and a new intern.
I enjoyed this story a lot more than 'The Lonely Hour'. The characters were working more as a team and the identity of the person committing a series of serious assaults/murders tied to the locations derived from the old 'Oranges and Lemons' nursery rhyme was not disclosed till the end, even though the book did feature some extracts from their point of view. I also liked the new intern who seemed like a young, female version of Bryant, if Bryant had been born in the modern day, and her connection to the unit was a nice surprise when finally revealed. So overall I am rating this as a solid 3 star read.
I enjoyed this story a lot more than 'The Lonely Hour'. The characters were working more as a team and the identity of the person committing a series of serious assaults/murders tied to the locations derived from the old 'Oranges and Lemons' nursery rhyme was not disclosed till the end, even though the book did feature some extracts from their point of view. I also liked the new intern who seemed like a young, female version of Bryant, if Bryant had been born in the modern day, and her connection to the unit was a nice surprise when finally revealed. So overall I am rating this as a solid 3 star read.
January 5, 2021
Christopher Fowler left readers of this series hanging over the cliff by our fingernails when the previous book ended. Whew, that was a close call. Luckily he had this one ready to write and all we had to do was be patient. The PCU (Peculiar Crimes Unit) was closed down and John May had been shot. Where was Arthur Bryant? I'm not giving anything away when I say the PCU has been put back on oxygen long enough for the politicians working in the background to have a scapegoat if all heck breaks loose regarding this hot potato investigation.
Arthur Bryant with a soft side? Don't think that is going to last very long and, if I'm honest, I don't think I want him to be different from the character I've been following all these years. This murder investigation is a real doozy that will have even hard core fans wondering how Fowler can get his PCU team through to the solution side. I always enjoy the little extra bits Fowler uses to keep the flow of the book swirling along and this time it was done by manuscript excerpts from the murderer (even though we had to wait to find out who that is) and parts of Bryant's script for one of his walking tours of London. You just can't help but learn about certain aspects of London's history, this time focusing on churches mentioned in the verses of the Oranges and Lemons poem. I was totally off base with my solution of the murders because that is one wicked twist. This book has a notice that Bryant & May will return.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for an e-galley of this novel.
Arthur Bryant with a soft side? Don't think that is going to last very long and, if I'm honest, I don't think I want him to be different from the character I've been following all these years. This murder investigation is a real doozy that will have even hard core fans wondering how Fowler can get his PCU team through to the solution side. I always enjoy the little extra bits Fowler uses to keep the flow of the book swirling along and this time it was done by manuscript excerpts from the murderer (even though we had to wait to find out who that is) and parts of Bryant's script for one of his walking tours of London. You just can't help but learn about certain aspects of London's history, this time focusing on churches mentioned in the verses of the Oranges and Lemons poem. I was totally off base with my solution of the murders because that is one wicked twist. This book has a notice that Bryant & May will return.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for an e-galley of this novel.
January 17, 2021
It’s so nice every year to get the new Bryant & May book, featuring London’s two oldest and (in Arthur Bryant’s case) most infuriatingly eccentric detectives. They are the original members of the Peculiar Crimes Unit, in which “peculiar” is supposed to refer to the types of crime, but applies just as well to the lead detectives and all members of the unit, all the way down to the two Daves, who are their Eastern European custodians, and the office cat.
The title refers to this old English rhyme featuring churches within the London city walls:
Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement’s.
You owe me five farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin’s.
When will you pay me?
Say the bells at Old Bailey.
When I grow rich,
Say the bells at Shoreditch.
When will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney.
I do not know,
Says the great bell at Bow.
Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!
When deaths occur that follow the rhyme, it’s obvious that the PCU will be assigned to investigate, despite their having just been disbanded by the powers that be. But their work is under observation by a young man who says he represents the Home Office, but whom the detectives feels sure is just a spy for their bureaucratic nemesis, Lesley Faraday. And there is a new member of the team, Sydney Hargreaves, a young female intern who seems to be Arthur Bryant 2.0.
With every book, Christopher Fowler treats us to not just a good detective story and a great cast of characters, but also entertaining stories about London’s places and their history. In this book, that history is presented as part of the investigation of how the rhyme might help explain the deaths, but also in interspersed snippets from a manuscript memoir of Arthur Bryant. Fowler often involves current social and political events in his books. Politics is a little less a feature of this book, though its theme of lies and how people are so often taken in by them is strongly (and apparently intentionally) suggestive of recent history.
As he has done in some of the other books in the series, Fowler includes a thread from the point of view of the murderer, gradually explaining the motivation for the crimes. Though technically I suppose that makes this a dual-narrative novel, I don’t think of it that way because that other POV takes up less than 10% of the book. But if you have a strong preference for whodunnits, never fear; there are still surprises to be revealed at the end of the story.
This is a wonderfully entertaining story that I would put among the best in the series. And, as usual, it’s a history lesson that goes down easily. I’m already looking forward to next year’s PCU adventure.
The title refers to this old English rhyme featuring churches within the London city walls:
Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement’s.
You owe me five farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin’s.
When will you pay me?
Say the bells at Old Bailey.
When I grow rich,
Say the bells at Shoreditch.
When will that be?
Say the bells of Stepney.
I do not know,
Says the great bell at Bow.
Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!
When deaths occur that follow the rhyme, it’s obvious that the PCU will be assigned to investigate, despite their having just been disbanded by the powers that be. But their work is under observation by a young man who says he represents the Home Office, but whom the detectives feels sure is just a spy for their bureaucratic nemesis, Lesley Faraday. And there is a new member of the team, Sydney Hargreaves, a young female intern who seems to be Arthur Bryant 2.0.
With every book, Christopher Fowler treats us to not just a good detective story and a great cast of characters, but also entertaining stories about London’s places and their history. In this book, that history is presented as part of the investigation of how the rhyme might help explain the deaths, but also in interspersed snippets from a manuscript memoir of Arthur Bryant. Fowler often involves current social and political events in his books. Politics is a little less a feature of this book, though its theme of lies and how people are so often taken in by them is strongly (and apparently intentionally) suggestive of recent history.
As he has done in some of the other books in the series, Fowler includes a thread from the point of view of the murderer, gradually explaining the motivation for the crimes. Though technically I suppose that makes this a dual-narrative novel, I don’t think of it that way because that other POV takes up less than 10% of the book. But if you have a strong preference for whodunnits, never fear; there are still surprises to be revealed at the end of the story.
This is a wonderfully entertaining story that I would put among the best in the series. And, as usual, it’s a history lesson that goes down easily. I’m already looking forward to next year’s PCU adventure.
February 1, 2023
17 and it just gets better and better.
Simply wonderful and demonstrating a love of London which I share without reservation.
Read these!
Simply wonderful and demonstrating a love of London which I share without reservation.
Read these!
February 1, 2021
Five stars, as with every PCU novel in recent memory, for sheer entertainment value. I read this one straight through over two evenings, listening to the excellently narrated audiobook to keep me moving along - not that I ever get distracted when I’m on a case with PCU. You can’t blink or you’ll miss something - there is always so much going on, not least of which, the fascinating historical rabbit holes Arthur Bryant takes readers down into!
This time, we have intermittent chapters written by the murderer - we don’t know who they are until the very end, and I freely admit I never suspected, so it was a gobsmacker as always with this author - but the murderer’s chapters were very well done. Not necessarily taking us step by step through the bizarre killings, linked by an ancient children’s rhyming song about oranges and lemons and London’s historic churches, but about the killer’s horrible life, seemingly cursed from before birth. As always, the PCU is desperately one step behind the killer, trying to stop the deaths but stymied by not enough funding, forces, equipment, etc., to do it.
The last mystery (The Lonely Hour) ended with a cliffhanger, this book opens immediately after - John May is in hospital, Arthur Bryant has disappeared, the unit again disgraced and disbanded. Janice is calmly trying to keep it all together, as always, when the first bizarre attack takes place - the Speaker of the House of Commons is trying to cross a street behind a truck when the back door opens suddenly, and he is buried under a tall stack of wooden crates full of oranges and lemons.
He’s not dead, but badly injured as one of the wooden staves from a split crate has stabbed him. It’s bizarre enough that the PCU is called back to service to investigate - the Home Office wants to be sure the Speaker is of sound mind, hasn’t been blabbing state secrets. The unit has to improvise as their building on the Caledonian Road was already crap, but Home Office had been in, taking equipment - as usual, Fowler has a lot of comic fodder with the improvised equipment and furnishings.
There has also been an apparent arson at a bookstore, after which the suspected owner commits suicide in police custody. Seems no connection to the attempt on the Speaker, until a second attack on a public figure takes place at another church. This time, she’s killed, and unmistakable clues left behind point to the killer following the children’s song - and there are several verses (and churches) to go...
Great fun, as always, with all of the weird and wonderful London history Fowler shares through Bryant’s arcane resources and the inserts of scripts from his walking tours - I’d love to go on one of those! And Fowler always makes me think - this time, about the role of truth and lies throughout history, how history is perceived and remembered, or forgotten; about how powerful figures use their power and authority to spread misconceptions, “fake news” - and how a portion of the population wants to believe them, to feel safe - very timely. Best part of all, Fowler promises at the end, the ancient detectives will be back for another mystery - I look forward to it, as always.
This time, we have intermittent chapters written by the murderer - we don’t know who they are until the very end, and I freely admit I never suspected, so it was a gobsmacker as always with this author - but the murderer’s chapters were very well done. Not necessarily taking us step by step through the bizarre killings, linked by an ancient children’s rhyming song about oranges and lemons and London’s historic churches, but about the killer’s horrible life, seemingly cursed from before birth. As always, the PCU is desperately one step behind the killer, trying to stop the deaths but stymied by not enough funding, forces, equipment, etc., to do it.
The last mystery (The Lonely Hour) ended with a cliffhanger, this book opens immediately after - John May is in hospital, Arthur Bryant has disappeared, the unit again disgraced and disbanded. Janice is calmly trying to keep it all together, as always, when the first bizarre attack takes place - the Speaker of the House of Commons is trying to cross a street behind a truck when the back door opens suddenly, and he is buried under a tall stack of wooden crates full of oranges and lemons.
He’s not dead, but badly injured as one of the wooden staves from a split crate has stabbed him. It’s bizarre enough that the PCU is called back to service to investigate - the Home Office wants to be sure the Speaker is of sound mind, hasn’t been blabbing state secrets. The unit has to improvise as their building on the Caledonian Road was already crap, but Home Office had been in, taking equipment - as usual, Fowler has a lot of comic fodder with the improvised equipment and furnishings.
There has also been an apparent arson at a bookstore, after which the suspected owner commits suicide in police custody. Seems no connection to the attempt on the Speaker, until a second attack on a public figure takes place at another church. This time, she’s killed, and unmistakable clues left behind point to the killer following the children’s song - and there are several verses (and churches) to go...
Great fun, as always, with all of the weird and wonderful London history Fowler shares through Bryant’s arcane resources and the inserts of scripts from his walking tours - I’d love to go on one of those! And Fowler always makes me think - this time, about the role of truth and lies throughout history, how history is perceived and remembered, or forgotten; about how powerful figures use their power and authority to spread misconceptions, “fake news” - and how a portion of the population wants to believe them, to feel safe - very timely. Best part of all, Fowler promises at the end, the ancient detectives will be back for another mystery - I look forward to it, as always.
March 9, 2021
This is the 19th book featuring Peculiar Crimes Unit with Bryant and May, and I have read just five of the books to date. They are very entertaining and always filled with interesting London facts and history, peopled with characters who wield sarcasm with talent and include challenging crimes to solve. The team had to be brought together again after it had looked like the PCU had come to its end. The crimes they are faced with seem tied to an old nursery rhyme, and the murders come one after another.
In today's post on his website he refers to the rather impressive number of words he has written and the post is informative with regard to other writers as well - very interesting. http://www.christopherfowler.co.uk/bl...
Note: I personally have my limits with regard to comic skits as I am old and grumpy as well as impatient when it comes to reading very long books....thus my reasons for having read only 5 of these very well written books.
Library Loan
In today's post on his website he refers to the rather impressive number of words he has written and the post is informative with regard to other writers as well - very interesting. http://www.christopherfowler.co.uk/bl...
Note: I personally have my limits with regard to comic skits as I am old and grumpy as well as impatient when it comes to reading very long books....thus my reasons for having read only 5 of these very well written books.
Library Loan
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April 25, 2020Normally when I read a Bryant & May book, so wedded to the ins and outs of London, I'll find myself criss-crossing their paths sooner or later. But for this one I was in Norwood the whole time, and while it's not like we don't get the odd detective story out here what with Conan Doyle having been a resident, it's a little far out for shambolic Arthur Bryant and dapper John May to come. Not that this is the only disconnect this time out; the latest in the series opens with May seriously injured, Bryant missing, and the Peculiar Crimes Unit, after false alarms in more previous books than not, finally closed down. Inevitably, if a little implausibly, they're soon back together and the Unit reopened, at least on an ad hoc and even more under-resourced basis than usual, being set up to fail once more. I do wish the series could get past that tic, as also the bit where nobody trusts Bryant's eccentric tangents to solve the case, despite his track record across the previous books – though here there is at least a variation on that, with a killer seemingly aware of and gaming the PCU's system, using a byway of London history (you can guess which from the title) to distract from their real plan. There are also the occasional bum notes: yes, the beginning reminds us that these are Bryant's own accounts of the case, with neither him nor his ghostwriter entirely to be trusted, but while that excuses a degree of invention and in-character mistakes (Bryant's belated and faltering attempt to catch up with txtspk is particularly entertaining, FFS), elsewhere it just feels like glitches. So one ominous presence, a tycoon unsubtly named Peter English, is a bit Philip Green, a bit Murdoch, a bit Arron Banks, a bit Farage – all squeezed into an old-style, pre-Big Bang London business bigwig, which feels a little lacking in focus, a little trying to do too many things at once. And then there's the statement from a civil servant that the Government chooses the Speaker, rather than Parliament, which is the sort of elision you might have got away with in 2017, not mere months (even if it does feel more like lifetimes) after the election of a new one. Still, that one in particular I would hope might be corrected between this Netgalley ARC and publication.
Not that this Speaker is the colourless new sap, mind. His indomitability in defence of the House is more reminiscent of the much-missed Bercow, even if his dandyish tendencies are a long way from Bercow's fabulously frightful sweaters. The case begins as he's nearly killed by crates of citrus fruit, a stone's throw from St Clement's, in possibly the series' most Midsomer (near-)death yet. The powers that be initially think it's a bizarre accident, but of course Bryant knows better, and then there's another accident outside St Martin's... and we're off, into another chain of, as it says on the tin, peculiar crimes. It takes Bryant & May a little while to get back into the groove, but for all the lingering frailties of the recuperating May in particular, soon it feels like the pair of them have never been away. Even better, the supporting cast of the Unit, which has generally played second fiddle to the two leads, finally has someone to match them in the shape of Gen Z intern Sidney Hargreaves, who can best be summarised with the admittedly horrific phrase 'sexy Bryant'. I particularly enjoyed, and know people who should steal, her response to the question "Are you on the spectrum?" – "I prefer to think of it as somewhere over the rainbow."
The other big change, of course, is the poignant distance between the book's spring 2020, and the one in which I read it. Right at the start, when the Unit still seems to be doomed, its boss/whipping boy Raymond Land ends his final memo "Good luck in the future, what's left of it", and it's never long between similar punches to the gut. "The city contnued its diurnal ebb and flow without noticing that its most venerable specialist crime unit had ceased to exist" – how could Fowler have known, how could any of us, that this is exactly what the city wouldn't do this time around? Hell, the short chapters from the perpetrator's perspective are even prone to baleful references to 'the Event', just like everyone who's ever seen Mitchell & Webb is nowadays. "It was as if the city, birthed in ancient paganism, periodically demanded sacrifices of its people." Empty streets, everyone home looking at screens and ordering pizza. The worry that the citizenry might end up afraid of public transport, public spaces. Ditzy white witch Maggie Armitage's prediction that "human entropy has entered its terminal phase". The police looking as outsiders on "Ordinary life, something that seemed almost alien to her now." Most of all, "amazing nurses working in a system that had stopped functioning efficiently years ago".
So yes, it's fascinating as a distorted mirror of our own dark year, one where London's skies are chucking down on a handful of intriguing deaths instead of shining bright and blue over hundreds of miserable, unnecessary ones. Hell, there's even the immortal line "Yeah, I could smash a pint in the face...And I already chose the boozer for us. A little hipster hangout, top of the topknots, Banterbury Cathedral" – reading which was I think the first time in all of this that, just for a second, I didn't miss pubs. But that's not all it is. There are pieces of writing here whose power has nothing to do with counterpointing twists of fate, like the perfect description of an overheard nursery school as "the sounds of a hundred starlings being torn apart by cats". There are the weird little fragments of London trivia, always as delightful to me as to poor, misunderstood old Arthur Bryant. And most of all there's him, and John May, still taking their own strange route through the city as it once was and hopefully will be again.
Not that this Speaker is the colourless new sap, mind. His indomitability in defence of the House is more reminiscent of the much-missed Bercow, even if his dandyish tendencies are a long way from Bercow's fabulously frightful sweaters. The case begins as he's nearly killed by crates of citrus fruit, a stone's throw from St Clement's, in possibly the series' most Midsomer (near-)death yet. The powers that be initially think it's a bizarre accident, but of course Bryant knows better, and then there's another accident outside St Martin's... and we're off, into another chain of, as it says on the tin, peculiar crimes. It takes Bryant & May a little while to get back into the groove, but for all the lingering frailties of the recuperating May in particular, soon it feels like the pair of them have never been away. Even better, the supporting cast of the Unit, which has generally played second fiddle to the two leads, finally has someone to match them in the shape of Gen Z intern Sidney Hargreaves, who can best be summarised with the admittedly horrific phrase 'sexy Bryant'. I particularly enjoyed, and know people who should steal, her response to the question "Are you on the spectrum?" – "I prefer to think of it as somewhere over the rainbow."
The other big change, of course, is the poignant distance between the book's spring 2020, and the one in which I read it. Right at the start, when the Unit still seems to be doomed, its boss/whipping boy Raymond Land ends his final memo "Good luck in the future, what's left of it", and it's never long between similar punches to the gut. "The city contnued its diurnal ebb and flow without noticing that its most venerable specialist crime unit had ceased to exist" – how could Fowler have known, how could any of us, that this is exactly what the city wouldn't do this time around? Hell, the short chapters from the perpetrator's perspective are even prone to baleful references to 'the Event', just like everyone who's ever seen Mitchell & Webb is nowadays. "It was as if the city, birthed in ancient paganism, periodically demanded sacrifices of its people." Empty streets, everyone home looking at screens and ordering pizza. The worry that the citizenry might end up afraid of public transport, public spaces. Ditzy white witch Maggie Armitage's prediction that "human entropy has entered its terminal phase". The police looking as outsiders on "Ordinary life, something that seemed almost alien to her now." Most of all, "amazing nurses working in a system that had stopped functioning efficiently years ago".
So yes, it's fascinating as a distorted mirror of our own dark year, one where London's skies are chucking down on a handful of intriguing deaths instead of shining bright and blue over hundreds of miserable, unnecessary ones. Hell, there's even the immortal line "Yeah, I could smash a pint in the face...And I already chose the boozer for us. A little hipster hangout, top of the topknots, Banterbury Cathedral" – reading which was I think the first time in all of this that, just for a second, I didn't miss pubs. But that's not all it is. There are pieces of writing here whose power has nothing to do with counterpointing twists of fate, like the perfect description of an overheard nursery school as "the sounds of a hundred starlings being torn apart by cats". There are the weird little fragments of London trivia, always as delightful to me as to poor, misunderstood old Arthur Bryant. And most of all there's him, and John May, still taking their own strange route through the city as it once was and hopefully will be again.
December 26, 2023
I enjoyed this one at least as well as Full Dark House, my all time favourite. The plot is complex and the humour level is very high. Bryant is still angry with John for his carelessness in the last case but he has gone off to try several different retreat forms to change his thinking. John is supposedly recovering from surgery after being shot. The Home Office has sent a nonentity to the PCU to keep an eye on doings there and a female intern has joined them. The unit has been dissolved and the property has been seized ready for its makeover as an organic restaurant. The unit is reconstituted for the sole purpose of solving (or not) the one case they have at the moment. Yes, we've been here before.
Oh, yes, and there's a new cat named for a prison - Strangeways.
All through there is the question of what connection the nursery rhyme has to the attacks since there doesn't seem to be any connection among the victims. Raymond asks toward the end whether there are any more secrets that need to be aired. There is at least one but it's being kept very quiet for the moment.
This one gives us a tremendous amount of new information - how old is Bryant anyway? - and I can see the next book being a very different thing. We'll just have to wait.
It's only two years since the last time I read this but it's still as good as ever.
Oh, yes, and there's a new cat named for a prison - Strangeways.
All through there is the question of what connection the nursery rhyme has to the attacks since there doesn't seem to be any connection among the victims. Raymond asks toward the end whether there are any more secrets that need to be aired. There is at least one but it's being kept very quiet for the moment.
This one gives us a tremendous amount of new information - how old is Bryant anyway? - and I can see the next book being a very different thing. We'll just have to wait.
It's only two years since the last time I read this but it's still as good as ever.
November 23, 2021
One of the best in the whole series - hard to put down. I’m so glad that Bryant and May are back together, in essentially one piece. A new character, intern Sidney Hargreaves, joins the PCU, and makes a perfect addition. The mystery is extremely clever and well done, with ties to the history of London.
March 12, 2022
This series is always so much fun. I’m either reading bits out loud to whom ever will listen or googling to see pictures or check on facts or foods or history etc. and YES they will return in another.
November 22, 2023
Devilishly delightful mystery featuring the Peculiar Crimes Unit, who are after a serial killer who uses the old nursery rhyme "Oranges and lemons say the bells of St. Clement's..." as part of his M.O.
November 3, 2020
A delight,as usual.Clever,funny,a love song to London,wonderful characters.Bryant IS London.100/10
July 17, 2020
This is the 19th and latest book in the Bryant & May series by Christopher Fowler and I'm guessing that the opening chaos and bizarre happenings are nothing new to this series!
The Speaker of the House of Commons steps out of his house and is crushed by crates of oranges and lemons. Of course this is going to be a case for the Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU)!
But the PCU had previously been disbanded - the staff have all been dismissed, one detective is recovering in hospital and another has gone missing.
The Peculiar Crimes Unit is reluctantly given a reprieve to solve one more case - a case which seems to mirror the old nursery rhyme 'Oranges and Lemons'.
A couple of new faces join the rest of the PCU team, a Home Office spy named Tim Floris and a precociously brilliant Generation Z intern named Sidney Hargreaves.
Now this is the first Bryant & May book that I've read and I knew that it was the latest in a long series so I was slightly worried that I may feel out of odds with the characters since I'm a newbie to the books. I needn't have worried, this book works well as a standalone, although there's no way that I'm leaving it there - I intend to go back and start at book one as soon as possible.
I'm absolutely crazy for the characters already - especially the bumbling but brilliant Arthur Bryant. This anachronistic old fella is a tramp-disguised genius. But I'm not at all sure why some of his peers doubt him so much since he clearly has an impeccable track record at solving peculiar crimes. Maybe they're more dismayed by the way he goes about his sleuthing. He has an unlimited supply of 'helpful' and eccentric sources, my favourite from 'Oranges and Lemons' being the faded, jaded magician Dudley Salterton, who, in my opinion, would make a great main character in a book of his own.
I admit that I would usually shy away from any book that was considered 'Humorous' but 'Oranges and Lemon's is actually pretty hysterical. I laughed aloud at almost every page. Most of the humour comes from Arthur Bryant's wry observations. And I was particularly tickled when he added text speak abbreviations into his speech, FFS!
Christopher Fowler clearly knows London and I really enjoyed all the secret and obscure London history throughout the book. Setting is a huge part of why I choose a particular book to read and if I had any thoughts that London-based books had all been done already, then I clearly need to re-educate myself - Christopher Fowler's London is up there with Charles Dickens, Ronald Camberton and Alexander Baron.
A fantastic read but even better, an introduction to a new series for me to discover
* Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.
The Speaker of the House of Commons steps out of his house and is crushed by crates of oranges and lemons. Of course this is going to be a case for the Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU)!
But the PCU had previously been disbanded - the staff have all been dismissed, one detective is recovering in hospital and another has gone missing.
The Peculiar Crimes Unit is reluctantly given a reprieve to solve one more case - a case which seems to mirror the old nursery rhyme 'Oranges and Lemons'.
A couple of new faces join the rest of the PCU team, a Home Office spy named Tim Floris and a precociously brilliant Generation Z intern named Sidney Hargreaves.
Now this is the first Bryant & May book that I've read and I knew that it was the latest in a long series so I was slightly worried that I may feel out of odds with the characters since I'm a newbie to the books. I needn't have worried, this book works well as a standalone, although there's no way that I'm leaving it there - I intend to go back and start at book one as soon as possible.
I'm absolutely crazy for the characters already - especially the bumbling but brilliant Arthur Bryant. This anachronistic old fella is a tramp-disguised genius. But I'm not at all sure why some of his peers doubt him so much since he clearly has an impeccable track record at solving peculiar crimes. Maybe they're more dismayed by the way he goes about his sleuthing. He has an unlimited supply of 'helpful' and eccentric sources, my favourite from 'Oranges and Lemons' being the faded, jaded magician Dudley Salterton, who, in my opinion, would make a great main character in a book of his own.
I admit that I would usually shy away from any book that was considered 'Humorous' but 'Oranges and Lemon's is actually pretty hysterical. I laughed aloud at almost every page. Most of the humour comes from Arthur Bryant's wry observations. And I was particularly tickled when he added text speak abbreviations into his speech, FFS!
Christopher Fowler clearly knows London and I really enjoyed all the secret and obscure London history throughout the book. Setting is a huge part of why I choose a particular book to read and if I had any thoughts that London-based books had all been done already, then I clearly need to re-educate myself - Christopher Fowler's London is up there with Charles Dickens, Ronald Camberton and Alexander Baron.
A fantastic read but even better, an introduction to a new series for me to discover
* Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.
May 28, 2020
I loved Oranges and Lemons. It’s very well written, witty, involving and a good, if slightly implausible mystery.
I hadn’t read the immediate predecessor, The Lonely Hour; there have been some pretty cataclysmic events in that which shape the beginning of Oranges and Lemons and it’s probably best to read it first if possible but I managed fine without. This time a series of murders occurs, apparently linked to the eponymous rhyme, and the PCU is reformed to try to get to the bottom of them. Bryant is in his element, with his encyclopaedic and arcane knowledge of London and the unit is generally in fine form. I laughed out loud several times, was hugely entertained and genuinely involved with the characters. There are fascinating bits of obscure London history, some amusing and well-aimed swipes at some of the idiocies of modern life and plenty more of real substance along with the story and the humour.
I’d only read one Bryant & May before this - Hall Of Mirrors, which I wasn’t especially taken with. I’m glad I gave them another try because this was a real treat and I’ll definitely be reading more from this series. Very warmly recommended.
(My thanks to Random House, Doubleday for an ARC via NetGalley.)
I hadn’t read the immediate predecessor, The Lonely Hour; there have been some pretty cataclysmic events in that which shape the beginning of Oranges and Lemons and it’s probably best to read it first if possible but I managed fine without. This time a series of murders occurs, apparently linked to the eponymous rhyme, and the PCU is reformed to try to get to the bottom of them. Bryant is in his element, with his encyclopaedic and arcane knowledge of London and the unit is generally in fine form. I laughed out loud several times, was hugely entertained and genuinely involved with the characters. There are fascinating bits of obscure London history, some amusing and well-aimed swipes at some of the idiocies of modern life and plenty more of real substance along with the story and the humour.
I’d only read one Bryant & May before this - Hall Of Mirrors, which I wasn’t especially taken with. I’m glad I gave them another try because this was a real treat and I’ll definitely be reading more from this series. Very warmly recommended.
(My thanks to Random House, Doubleday for an ARC via NetGalley.)
January 29, 2021
Christopher Fowler’s book series, “Bryant and May PCU”, is not for the faint hearted or readers not interested in London; it’s history, it’s future, and it’s uniqueness. The city of London (along with the City of London) is often a “character” in the books. Fowler’s latest book, “Bryant and May: Oranges and Lemons” is a book best read for its characters and not it’s plot.
Set in a slightly forward time dystopian London, the book’s plot sort of descends into chaos soon after the beginning. I soon stopped reading for the plot and settled into a happy return to old friends at the Peculiar Crimes Unit. The thing about Fowler’s series is the the characters and plots are not timely and not written in strict order, so a new reader can jump in almost at any point and have great reading experience, (as long as you’re not reading for plot, of course).
The Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) was formed by a Scotland Yard to investigate weird crimes that are nominally under the Yard’s purview but are felt to be better handled by cops who are considered both forward and backward thinking. The Unit is headed by Raymond Land, who writes hysterically funny notes to the men and women who make up the Unit. “Funny”, because they aren’t meant to be funny. (The Unit also included “Crippen”, the staff cat who was thought to be a male cat - til “he” gave birth to kittens under a desk”.)
The two main detectives are Arthur Bryant (a man indeterminate age, though always referred to as “old”) and John May, who is somewhat younger. They’re assisted by a small crew of younger, more agile, detectives, who often look askance at Bryant and May, with their unorthodox methods. But even as Raymond Land and the others might question Bryant and May, they also respect the two aged members of the PCU.
The plot of this book is a mixture of murder, attempted murder, and a nursery rhyme about oranges and lemons. It’s a nice visit to London-area churches, where such murders were noted in the nursery rhyme. The PCU had previously been disbanded and was put back together, solely to catch the murderer.
The book proceeds with the PCU regulars, plus a couple of new additions. One is a seemingly psychotic cat, to replace Crippen, who died in the last book. If you’re a regular reader of the PCU series, you’ll enjoy the book. If you’re a new reader, jump in and hang on for dear life.
Set in a slightly forward time dystopian London, the book’s plot sort of descends into chaos soon after the beginning. I soon stopped reading for the plot and settled into a happy return to old friends at the Peculiar Crimes Unit. The thing about Fowler’s series is the the characters and plots are not timely and not written in strict order, so a new reader can jump in almost at any point and have great reading experience, (as long as you’re not reading for plot, of course).
The Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) was formed by a Scotland Yard to investigate weird crimes that are nominally under the Yard’s purview but are felt to be better handled by cops who are considered both forward and backward thinking. The Unit is headed by Raymond Land, who writes hysterically funny notes to the men and women who make up the Unit. “Funny”, because they aren’t meant to be funny. (The Unit also included “Crippen”, the staff cat who was thought to be a male cat - til “he” gave birth to kittens under a desk”.)
The two main detectives are Arthur Bryant (a man indeterminate age, though always referred to as “old”) and John May, who is somewhat younger. They’re assisted by a small crew of younger, more agile, detectives, who often look askance at Bryant and May, with their unorthodox methods. But even as Raymond Land and the others might question Bryant and May, they also respect the two aged members of the PCU.
The plot of this book is a mixture of murder, attempted murder, and a nursery rhyme about oranges and lemons. It’s a nice visit to London-area churches, where such murders were noted in the nursery rhyme. The PCU had previously been disbanded and was put back together, solely to catch the murderer.
The book proceeds with the PCU regulars, plus a couple of new additions. One is a seemingly psychotic cat, to replace Crippen, who died in the last book. If you’re a regular reader of the PCU series, you’ll enjoy the book. If you’re a new reader, jump in and hang on for dear life.
January 23, 2021
I'm a big fan of this series, and this book was an especially good entry. A killer is targeting seemingly random people, and seems to be using the "Oranges and Lemons" poem to center the deaths (Oranges and Lemons/say the bells of St. Clements etc). Leslie Faraday has sent someone to "sit in" on the PCU to keep an eye on them; the unit, having nearly been disbanded before being brought back together for one last case, is in even more disarray--the floorboards are missing in some places, in spite of the two Daves' efforts. Funny and a twisty mystery, as usual.
June 28, 2022
My new favorite author. Guess I started at the end.....
January 22, 2021
Bryant & May and London’s Peculiar Crimes Unit are back in a complex and thrilling mystery. Fowler’s mastery of arcane London history and anecdote bring the city to life, making it another character in the story and adding another layer of interest to an already gripping yarn. As always, the dynamics within the PCU are endearing and add the occasional bit of comic relief. Highly recommended!
May 31, 2020
Warning: May contain spoilers
This was a typical Bryant & May book. Firstly, they are recovering from the events in the previous book in the series, when May had been shot and Bryant seemed to lose trust in him. However, events brought back the whole PCU which had been closed down by the Home Office. The plot was quite easy to follow, as with all of this series, but it was clear to me that the main suspect probably wasn't the killer from the very beginning. Fowler lead me on a merry chase across London to it's churches featured in the Oranges and Lemons nursery rhyme and they atmosphere of each area was distinctly different, yet still true to real life.
The two new characters introduced were mysterious and clearly both had something to surprise. Both of their surprises were unexpected, however, and that made for an extra puzzle throughout the book.
Over all, this book is excellent. I would have liked more suspects to be involved, but that didn't distract me from an enjoyable read.
This was a typical Bryant & May book. Firstly, they are recovering from the events in the previous book in the series, when May had been shot and Bryant seemed to lose trust in him. However, events brought back the whole PCU which had been closed down by the Home Office. The plot was quite easy to follow, as with all of this series, but it was clear to me that the main suspect probably wasn't the killer from the very beginning. Fowler lead me on a merry chase across London to it's churches featured in the Oranges and Lemons nursery rhyme and they atmosphere of each area was distinctly different, yet still true to real life.
The two new characters introduced were mysterious and clearly both had something to surprise. Both of their surprises were unexpected, however, and that made for an extra puzzle throughout the book.
Over all, this book is excellent. I would have liked more suspects to be involved, but that didn't distract me from an enjoyable read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2020
Another brilliant Bryant and May tale, great plot neatly resolved. B & M on very good form, crackling dialogue. Excellent new additions in Sidney and Strangeways. As ever, Fowler brings London vividly to life, his varying descriptions of rain are very evocative. And the book is peppered with the usual arcane facts and vocabulary, cultural allusions which make those of us of a certain age smile with recognition and literary allusions for those who like to spot such things.
May 28, 2020
I loved Oranges and Lemons. It’s very well written, witty, involving and a good, if slightly implausible mystery.
I hadn’t read the immediate predecessor, The Lonely Hour; there have been some pretty cataclysmic events in that which shape the beginning of Oranges and Lemons and it’s probably best to read it first if possible but I managed fine without. This time a series of murders occurs, apparently linked to the eponymous rhyme, and the PCU is reformed to try to get to the bottom of them. Bryant is in his element, with his encyclopaedic and arcane knowledge of London and the unit is generally in fine form. I laughed out loud several times, was hugely entertained and genuinely involved with the characters. There are fascinating bits of obscure London history, some amusing and well-aimed swipes at some of the idiocies of modern life and plenty more of real substance along with the story and the humour.
I’d only read one Bryant & May before this - Hall Of Mirrors, which I wasn’t especially taken with. I’m glad I gave them another try because this was a real treat and I’ll definitely be reading more from this series. Very warmly recommended.
(My thanks to Random House, Doubleday for an ARC via NetGalley.)
I hadn’t read the immediate predecessor, The Lonely Hour; there have been some pretty cataclysmic events in that which shape the beginning of Oranges and Lemons and it’s probably best to read it first if possible but I managed fine without. This time a series of murders occurs, apparently linked to the eponymous rhyme, and the PCU is reformed to try to get to the bottom of them. Bryant is in his element, with his encyclopaedic and arcane knowledge of London and the unit is generally in fine form. I laughed out loud several times, was hugely entertained and genuinely involved with the characters. There are fascinating bits of obscure London history, some amusing and well-aimed swipes at some of the idiocies of modern life and plenty more of real substance along with the story and the humour.
I’d only read one Bryant & May before this - Hall Of Mirrors, which I wasn’t especially taken with. I’m glad I gave them another try because this was a real treat and I’ll definitely be reading more from this series. Very warmly recommended.
(My thanks to Random House, Doubleday for an ARC via NetGalley.)
January 13, 2021
This is the 19th Bryant and May, Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery. This series is an absolute treasure. If you love a great mystery and have a fondness for London you will love this continuation of the series.
It is a complex case and I did not solve it correctly as there is quite a twist.I loved learning the history of London that goes with the title Oranges and Lemons. I was very happy to learn the series will continue.
Thanks to the Publisher Random House Penguin and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
It is a complex case and I did not solve it correctly as there is quite a twist.I loved learning the history of London that goes with the title Oranges and Lemons. I was very happy to learn the series will continue.
Thanks to the Publisher Random House Penguin and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
January 12, 2022
I feel as exhausted as if I'd chased the killer around London with the PCU team. I'd like to read it more slowly next time, and yes, I will read it again. Lots of things happen within the PCU team as well as the murders occurring. If you haven't read any of the other books, this one would be a confusing starting place. Don't know how to explain things without giving key plot points away.
October 24, 2021
I think this is one of my favorites. So much wonderful London history was given that I read very quickly to dig out more hidden history. The mystery was well done and even had a surprise at the end. It was a lovely book.
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