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Bryant & May: Peculiar Crimes Unit #16.5
England's Finest: Stories
The Peculiar Crimes Unit has solved many extraordinary cases over the years, but some were hushed up and hidden away. Until now. Arthur Bryant remembers these lost cases as if they were yesterday. Unfortunately, he doesn’t remember yesterday, so the newly revealed facts could come as a surprise to everyone, including his exasperated partner John May.
Here, then, is the truth about the Covent Garden opera diva and the seventh reindeer, the body that falls from the Tate Gallery, the ordinary London street corner where strange accidents keep occurring, the consul’s son discovered buried in the unit’s basement, the corpse pulled from a swamp of Chinese dinners, a Hallowe’en crime in the Post Office Tower, and the impossible death that’s the fault of a forgotten London legend. All of the unit’s oddest characters are here, plus the detectives’ long-suffering sergeant Janice Longbright gets to reveal her own forgotten mystery.
These twelve crimes must be solved without the help of modern technology, mainly because nobody knows how to use it. Expect misunderstood clues, lost evidence, arguments about Dickens, churches, pubs and disorderly conduct from the investigative officers they laughingly call ‘England’s Finest’!
Here, then, is the truth about the Covent Garden opera diva and the seventh reindeer, the body that falls from the Tate Gallery, the ordinary London street corner where strange accidents keep occurring, the consul’s son discovered buried in the unit’s basement, the corpse pulled from a swamp of Chinese dinners, a Hallowe’en crime in the Post Office Tower, and the impossible death that’s the fault of a forgotten London legend. All of the unit’s oddest characters are here, plus the detectives’ long-suffering sergeant Janice Longbright gets to reveal her own forgotten mystery.
These twelve crimes must be solved without the help of modern technology, mainly because nobody knows how to use it. Expect misunderstood clues, lost evidence, arguments about Dickens, churches, pubs and disorderly conduct from the investigative officers they laughingly call ‘England’s Finest’!
321 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2019
81 people are currently reading
425 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Fowler
264 books1,285 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Christopher Fowler was an English writer known for his Bryant & May mystery series, featuring two Golden Age-style detectives navigating modern London. Over his career, he authored fifty novels and short story collections, along with screenplays, video games, graphic novels, and audio plays. His psychological thriller Little Boy Found was published under the pseudonym L.K. Fox.
Fowler's accolades include multiple British Fantasy Awards, the Last Laugh Award, the CWA Dagger in the Library, and the inaugural Green Carnation Award. He was inducted into the Detection Club in 2021. Beyond crime fiction, his works ranged from horror (Hell Train, Nyctophobia) to memoir (Paperboy, Film Freak). His column Invisible Ink explored forgotten authors, later compiled into The Book of Forgotten Authors.
Fowler lived between London and Barcelona with his husband, Peter Chapman.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Christopher Fowler was an English writer known for his Bryant & May mystery series, featuring two Golden Age-style detectives navigating modern London. Over his career, he authored fifty novels and short story collections, along with screenplays, video games, graphic novels, and audio plays. His psychological thriller Little Boy Found was published under the pseudonym L.K. Fox.
Fowler's accolades include multiple British Fantasy Awards, the Last Laugh Award, the CWA Dagger in the Library, and the inaugural Green Carnation Award. He was inducted into the Detection Club in 2021. Beyond crime fiction, his works ranged from horror (Hell Train, Nyctophobia) to memoir (Paperboy, Film Freak). His column Invisible Ink explored forgotten authors, later compiled into The Book of Forgotten Authors.
Fowler lived between London and Barcelona with his husband, Peter Chapman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
March 26, 2020
I truly enjoyed each of the short stories in this volume in the Bryant and May series. Bryant and May are eccentric detectives in the Peculiar Crime Unit in London, UK. The motley crew that make up the PCU are each fascinating characters in their own right. I loved that Janice got her own case in one of the stories.
Favorite passages:
Bryant's age is described as being "somewhere between prostate and postmortem."
Bryant was feeling particularly grumpy as it was Christmas and he was feeling lost without May. He told his landlady, the delightful and long-suffering, Alma Sorrowbright, "I hate Christmas! Your turkey was so dry it made my fork squeak." And, apparently she had served it with, "elasticated turkey gravy!"
"Oscar Wilde said that memory is the diary we all carry about with us but I fear that Mr Bryant's diary has a few pages missing."
"Their meeting with the preacher occurred on a normal London day, which is to say that it was veiled with rain & grey as a sock."
*updated 3/25/20 I came across a note this evening and recognized it as a quote I had scribbled while listening to "England's Finest." It often happens while listening to an audiobook that I will be going merrily along and suddenly my ears perk up as I hear something that catches my imagination, or delights me somehow and I will scratch around for pen and paper to capture the words in the moment to savor later. Invariably, these scraps end up in odd places wherever I happen to be in the house at the time. Well, there it is, I am glad I found this one before my dog who has a taste for paper! The quote: "Londoners were daisies forever photo-tropically craning their heads to brightness."
Favorite passages:
Bryant's age is described as being "somewhere between prostate and postmortem."
Bryant was feeling particularly grumpy as it was Christmas and he was feeling lost without May. He told his landlady, the delightful and long-suffering, Alma Sorrowbright, "I hate Christmas! Your turkey was so dry it made my fork squeak." And, apparently she had served it with, "elasticated turkey gravy!"
"Oscar Wilde said that memory is the diary we all carry about with us but I fear that Mr Bryant's diary has a few pages missing."
"Their meeting with the preacher occurred on a normal London day, which is to say that it was veiled with rain & grey as a sock."
*updated 3/25/20 I came across a note this evening and recognized it as a quote I had scribbled while listening to "England's Finest." It often happens while listening to an audiobook that I will be going merrily along and suddenly my ears perk up as I hear something that catches my imagination, or delights me somehow and I will scratch around for pen and paper to capture the words in the moment to savor later. Invariably, these scraps end up in odd places wherever I happen to be in the house at the time. Well, there it is, I am glad I found this one before my dog who has a taste for paper! The quote: "Londoners were daisies forever photo-tropically craning their heads to brightness."
September 16, 2022
Cases that didn't make a full sized novels but are Bryant and May shorts. Arthur's mind and the way he works cases, his strange and original group of so called experts, make for entertaining reading. Plenty of humor, interesting cases, through many years has made this one of my favorite series. Tim Goodman as narrator is spot on, he does Bryant's voice, exactly as I pictured him. Narrates the entire book perfectly.
August 11, 2020
I have been intending to read the Peculiar Crime Unit books for some time. This book consists of short stories and novellas that serves as an introduction to the series. At the beginning are concise biographies of members of the Peculiar Crime Unit, and also the history of how this London based police division came about and its responsibilities. The first members were young and lacked social skills and resources, but were free to solve crimes in an unorthodox manner.
The eldest member is Detective and Chief Inspector Arthur Bryant. He is well beyond retirement age. He walks with a cane, is dependant on many medications, uses a hearing aid, false teeth and poor eyesight. He is rude but is brilliant at crime-solving by thinking outside the box. His partner is Detective and Chief Inspector, John May, a more pleasant and sociable man. He is three years younger than Bryant. He fails to follow much of Bryant's odd tangential way of thinking and speaking but they have a friendship and a good, solid working partnership.
Janice Longbright, Operations Director is a glamorous officer who is devoted to Arthur and John.
Detectives Meera and Colin are assigned the unfortunate task of dumpster diving when necessary in their criminal investigations.
The stories contain clever and witty puzzles involving unusual crime cases. Due to the advanced ages of the two lead detectives, the stories are able to cover a wide range of times over the decades. They may include London in wartime, the swinging 60s, and the modern era with our new technology which mystifies Bryant. There is a great deal of humour because of the peculiar crimes and the eccentric characters assigned. Like many collections of short stories some were oddly enjoyable but others rather tedious. Some strictly British slang, phrases and references were lost on me, so I might have missed a bit of the hilarity.
I plan to start with the first book in the series. I found this to be a great help in learning about the characters and the work of the Peculiar Crime Unit.
The eldest member is Detective and Chief Inspector Arthur Bryant. He is well beyond retirement age. He walks with a cane, is dependant on many medications, uses a hearing aid, false teeth and poor eyesight. He is rude but is brilliant at crime-solving by thinking outside the box. His partner is Detective and Chief Inspector, John May, a more pleasant and sociable man. He is three years younger than Bryant. He fails to follow much of Bryant's odd tangential way of thinking and speaking but they have a friendship and a good, solid working partnership.
Janice Longbright, Operations Director is a glamorous officer who is devoted to Arthur and John.
Detectives Meera and Colin are assigned the unfortunate task of dumpster diving when necessary in their criminal investigations.
The stories contain clever and witty puzzles involving unusual crime cases. Due to the advanced ages of the two lead detectives, the stories are able to cover a wide range of times over the decades. They may include London in wartime, the swinging 60s, and the modern era with our new technology which mystifies Bryant. There is a great deal of humour because of the peculiar crimes and the eccentric characters assigned. Like many collections of short stories some were oddly enjoyable but others rather tedious. Some strictly British slang, phrases and references were lost on me, so I might have missed a bit of the hilarity.
I plan to start with the first book in the series. I found this to be a great help in learning about the characters and the work of the Peculiar Crime Unit.
January 30, 2020
As usual,a delightful,clever romp.
December 18, 2019
A marvellous collection of a dozen fascinating cases from the files of the Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU). Arthur Bryant & John May the PCU's two senior detectives figure prominently in this 2nd volume of short stories by Christopher Fowler along with the rest of the unit's colourful characters. The author provides potted biographies of all the PCU's staff at the start of the book and at the end there are brief explanations as to the factual background of the dozen stories. There's also a wonderful afterword by the author in which he explains how his inspiration for the Bryant and May series of novels came via some of the classic crime novels of the past 100 years.
Among these latest cases, the PCU detectives solve the death of Bryant's postman, travel to Transylvania on the tracks of a book thief, discover how a famous opera singer was asssaulted by a plastic reindeer and go back to London's distant past in the 40 Footsteps. The unit's glamorous officer Janice Longbright is given the chance to shine in a story about women trying to recapture their youth with the help of a specialised clinic. The detectives find themselves involved with the disappearance of the son of the US ambassador to the UK and deal with crimes which has them sampling the latest in computer technology.
If you haven't read any of the Bryant and May novels then I'm heartily sorry for you. If you want to sample one of the best series of crime novels of the 21st Century, this is a great place to start. Recommended.
Among these latest cases, the PCU detectives solve the death of Bryant's postman, travel to Transylvania on the tracks of a book thief, discover how a famous opera singer was asssaulted by a plastic reindeer and go back to London's distant past in the 40 Footsteps. The unit's glamorous officer Janice Longbright is given the chance to shine in a story about women trying to recapture their youth with the help of a specialised clinic. The detectives find themselves involved with the disappearance of the son of the US ambassador to the UK and deal with crimes which has them sampling the latest in computer technology.
If you haven't read any of the Bryant and May novels then I'm heartily sorry for you. If you want to sample one of the best series of crime novels of the 21st Century, this is a great place to start. Recommended.
April 5, 2020
I’m always impatient for the next Bryant & May crime novel, but it’s months away so I picked up this collection of short stories. Almost all heavily feature the curmudgeonly eccentric genius, Arthur Bryant, but there are also a couple of stories that shine a light on John May and Janice Longbright. You don’t get that in a novel, so those are a welcome addition.
I’ve never been wild about short stories supplementing a crime series. It’s hard to put together a really good mystery, plus all the satisfying character features, in a short form—at least I think so. This collection has several quite good stories, though they are not as satisfying as the long form. But it’ll do just fine until the next novel comes along.
I’ve never been wild about short stories supplementing a crime series. It’s hard to put together a really good mystery, plus all the satisfying character features, in a short form—at least I think so. This collection has several quite good stories, though they are not as satisfying as the long form. But it’ll do just fine until the next novel comes along.
December 3, 2020
Read a few of the B&M novels, didn't think they were as clever as advertised. Wonder why I missed it. These short stories are great.
"He called me a -- well, he suggested that my mother was no stranger to the embrace of a camel" (p 280).
"I consider myself a reasonable man. I always give my foreign coins to the homeless. I'll put a lost glove on the railings. I pick up litter. I listen carefully to my bosses before ignoring them. When my wife Leanne asked for a divorce I gave up with good grace, although I did pop something through her flamenco instructor's letterbox" (p 11).
"He called me a -- well, he suggested that my mother was no stranger to the embrace of a camel" (p 280).
"I consider myself a reasonable man. I always give my foreign coins to the homeless. I'll put a lost glove on the railings. I pick up litter. I listen carefully to my bosses before ignoring them. When my wife Leanne asked for a divorce I gave up with good grace, although I did pop something through her flamenco instructor's letterbox" (p 11).
November 4, 2019
Being a long-time Christopher Fowler fan, and following my spot on the tour for Bryant & May - Hall of Mirrors, I was thrilled to be able to join the tour for England's Finest.
First of all, look at the stunning cover! It's got beautiful colours, it's got snow, it's Christmassy, there's the Underground, it's got Bryant mucking about!
I love Christopher Fowler’s writing style: it’s intelligent and pacy, with plenty of witty asides, nuggets of trivia and lots of Arthur’s humbugging. I particularly enjoyed the various The Ladykillers references and the all-too-fleeting references to intriguingly-named open cases.
The introductions to these books are always a delight and there are no fewer than four opening background pieces in England’s Finest, including an anonymous Brief History of The Peculiar Crimes Unit, so, even if you’ve not experienced Christopher Fowler’s Bryant and May before, you can dive right in.
I love the references to real places in London and this book had me on and off Google Maps, matching up the descriptions in the book to their (sometime) real life locations.
The first story, Bryant & May and the Seventh Reindeer is festive, farcical fun, with a heart; Bryant & May’s Day Off is an eye-opening insight into post-war leisure time; the Postman is as twisted as a pretzel; and the Devil’s Triangle is extremely clever, if not a bit worrying.
In the Antichrist we learn that Arthur likes both EDM and horror films (marvellous!); the Invisible Woman is both gripping and heartbreaking; the Consul's Son is a longer, meatier investigation, shining more attention to the wider membership of the PCU; and Bryant & May Meet Dracula takes us to Romania for a supernatural (sort of) murder mystery.
The Forty Footsteps takes us back to London and gives May a chance to shine, whereas Janice Longbright and the Best of Friends lets the PCU's glamorous DI take the lead in a twisted, strange modern murder mystery; up the Tower revisits our heroes in London's Swinging Sixties, for a fast, fun jaunt with a roll call of the biggest stars of the age; and the Breadcrumb Trail gives us a darkly amusing death and Arthur brilliantly trying to understand extremely modern technology.
This is a perfect collection of implausibly, improbably impossible mysteries for readers of Bryant and May both old and new, so get yourself a copy now and buy a spare (or two) for someone's Christmas stocking!
Huge thanks to Doubleday for my gorgeous hardcover book and to Emma Welton of damppebbles Blog Tours for the opportunity to wax lyrical.
First of all, look at the stunning cover! It's got beautiful colours, it's got snow, it's Christmassy, there's the Underground, it's got Bryant mucking about!
I love Christopher Fowler’s writing style: it’s intelligent and pacy, with plenty of witty asides, nuggets of trivia and lots of Arthur’s humbugging. I particularly enjoyed the various The Ladykillers references and the all-too-fleeting references to intriguingly-named open cases.
The introductions to these books are always a delight and there are no fewer than four opening background pieces in England’s Finest, including an anonymous Brief History of The Peculiar Crimes Unit, so, even if you’ve not experienced Christopher Fowler’s Bryant and May before, you can dive right in.
I love the references to real places in London and this book had me on and off Google Maps, matching up the descriptions in the book to their (sometime) real life locations.
The first story, Bryant & May and the Seventh Reindeer is festive, farcical fun, with a heart; Bryant & May’s Day Off is an eye-opening insight into post-war leisure time; the Postman is as twisted as a pretzel; and the Devil’s Triangle is extremely clever, if not a bit worrying.
In the Antichrist we learn that Arthur likes both EDM and horror films (marvellous!); the Invisible Woman is both gripping and heartbreaking; the Consul's Son is a longer, meatier investigation, shining more attention to the wider membership of the PCU; and Bryant & May Meet Dracula takes us to Romania for a supernatural (sort of) murder mystery.
The Forty Footsteps takes us back to London and gives May a chance to shine, whereas Janice Longbright and the Best of Friends lets the PCU's glamorous DI take the lead in a twisted, strange modern murder mystery; up the Tower revisits our heroes in London's Swinging Sixties, for a fast, fun jaunt with a roll call of the biggest stars of the age; and the Breadcrumb Trail gives us a darkly amusing death and Arthur brilliantly trying to understand extremely modern technology.
This is a perfect collection of implausibly, improbably impossible mysteries for readers of Bryant and May both old and new, so get yourself a copy now and buy a spare (or two) for someone's Christmas stocking!
Huge thanks to Doubleday for my gorgeous hardcover book and to Emma Welton of damppebbles Blog Tours for the opportunity to wax lyrical.
November 3, 2019
I am a simple reviewer who reads a book, enjoys those hours of reading, then I promptly forget about the book. So I can't compare this book and say it was as good as.... Huhh what was I saying? 😂😂
The short end of my story was this book was brilliant. I loved Detective Bryant. He caused a zing in my heart. I was quite intrigued by the idea of his trifocals. He was quirky, he was annoying, a sexist, politically incorrect. Yet he had the X factor which attracted me toward the book and keep my interest spinning into his world. A sharp mind with a bumbling demeanor made the heart strings go twang.
Now for the long end of my story. Bryant and May were detectives, part of Peculiar Crimes Unit. This book foretold 12 of their best stories where hardly any technology or forensics were used, only the sharp razor of a brain linked the clues diligently, and a story was beheld at the end. That's what happened. May was the perfect counterfoil to Bryant, subtle and sober, with a quick tongue showing me his partner's foibles.
My first book by author Christopher Fowler. I just gave to say - Who is this man? And why haven't I read his books? How could I have been so amiss? (Psst - I blame Emma for this injustice). The writing was eclectic, gave me the aura of the old masters. The atmosphere was Hitchcockian, the intelligence like Sherlock, pace was fast yet detailed, characters were varied, and dialogues humorous. The entire team was clever and cohesive.
I loved Bryant. I should be allowed to be repetitive in my review when Bryant was brilliant in all the stories. Wasn't that repetitive? His mind was the piranha, snapping up the details with a single sight...eer bite. Bryant and May made the best team, no wonder they were England's finest. Now how would I go about getting a role in the book as Bryant's assistant?
Bryant and Shalini has a nice ring to it. Is Christopher Fowler listening?
The short end of my story was this book was brilliant. I loved Detective Bryant. He caused a zing in my heart. I was quite intrigued by the idea of his trifocals. He was quirky, he was annoying, a sexist, politically incorrect. Yet he had the X factor which attracted me toward the book and keep my interest spinning into his world. A sharp mind with a bumbling demeanor made the heart strings go twang.
Now for the long end of my story. Bryant and May were detectives, part of Peculiar Crimes Unit. This book foretold 12 of their best stories where hardly any technology or forensics were used, only the sharp razor of a brain linked the clues diligently, and a story was beheld at the end. That's what happened. May was the perfect counterfoil to Bryant, subtle and sober, with a quick tongue showing me his partner's foibles.
My first book by author Christopher Fowler. I just gave to say - Who is this man? And why haven't I read his books? How could I have been so amiss? (Psst - I blame Emma for this injustice). The writing was eclectic, gave me the aura of the old masters. The atmosphere was Hitchcockian, the intelligence like Sherlock, pace was fast yet detailed, characters were varied, and dialogues humorous. The entire team was clever and cohesive.
I loved Bryant. I should be allowed to be repetitive in my review when Bryant was brilliant in all the stories. Wasn't that repetitive? His mind was the piranha, snapping up the details with a single sight...eer bite. Bryant and May made the best team, no wonder they were England's finest. Now how would I go about getting a role in the book as Bryant's assistant?
Bryant and Shalini has a nice ring to it. Is Christopher Fowler listening?
Read
December 2, 2019Shorter cases from the files of the Peculiar Crimes Unit, complete with framing material making it clear that these, and presumably the novels too, should be taken as Mr Bryant's fanciful versions of the events, with the events as perceived by everyone else implicitly being rather more humdrum. Which certainly goes some way to explain any implausibilities along the way, though equally makes it a shame that something like 'Bryant and May meet Dracula' doesn't go a little further. The stories include some tying up of loose ends from the other books, most notably in the novella '...and the Consul's Son', and, contrary to what the cover might suggest, only one festive tale, though it is a doozy. Still, I feel I timed reading this well, given I had it on the go when a man in a fake bomb vest was being fended off with a narwhal's tusk in the heart of London, not 15 minutes' walk from my work – the odd conjunction of elements, the location, and the troubling wider questions the crime raises, are all straight out of a Bryant and May story.
March 6, 2020
A nice collection of quirky little cases. Slightly disappointed these 'lost' cases are from 'yesterday' mostly, with just two from the 60s chucked in. It was satisfying to have a case solved that was basically a cliffhanger in one of the books that then was never mentioned in the follow up... Oh and my cover was much less garish, murkier and muted.
May 10, 2020
Love the B&M mysteries. A really interesting collection of stories which fill in some blanks from the novels (like what the stone sarcophagus in the basement is). All the stories are good (the author adds an explanation of the background to each at the end) though The Consul's Son is the stand-out. Keep writing, Mr Fowler...
January 8, 2022
A collection of short stories involving assorted members of the Peculiar Crime Unit. A couple I had to reread to figure out what the detectives had clearly figured out. They were interesting, but if this book hadn't been clearly labeled as 16.5 in the series, I would not have read it right now because I'm in a hurry to get to 17. Still good, though!
May 27, 2020
I have being reading Christopher Fowler since I was a teenager, I have no intention of stopping anytime at all. Love his combination of humour and a transplanted Golden Age detective style in the modern world. Please do more signings soon Mr F, I have a backlog that need your signature.
July 7, 2021
As mentioned so many times, I don’t like giving star ratings to a collection of short stories. I make an exception in this case as everyone was a 3 to 4+
November 18, 2019
A joy to read while waiting for the next full length account of Bryant and May's exploits.
July 29, 2020
I prefer the novels over the casebooks, but this was enjoyable nonetheless.
December 6, 2020
Wonderful!
November 27, 2019
A treat for Christmas having the two old detectives back in a batch of entertaining tales which keep you guessing. Great to see the rest of the unit getting some attention too, I especially liked the heartbreaking tale with Janice Longbright taking a lead.
January 7, 2024
These are short form mysteries but in the middle is the answer to "what was the body in the sarcophagus in the basement?" We had really been waiting for this and the story is very satisfying.
The Christmas story is the first one, some very strange doings around a reindeer and an opera singer.
The stories, naturally, do not have the details and complications of a full length novel but they are all intriguing and it's worth while working through the details of the Antichrist and keep it in mind as a warning. The Devil's Triangle is just weird enough that I believe Chris when he says it exists in his neighbourhood. The characters are all there acting as they usually do.
The Christmas story is the first one, some very strange doings around a reindeer and an opera singer.
The stories, naturally, do not have the details and complications of a full length novel but they are all intriguing and it's worth while working through the details of the Antichrist and keep it in mind as a warning. The Devil's Triangle is just weird enough that I believe Chris when he says it exists in his neighbourhood. The characters are all there acting as they usually do.
October 31, 2019
This is a book of “Lost Cases from the Peculiar Crimes Unit” - short stories that deal with the strange crimes investigated by the unique group of Police officers and support staff that work independently of the ordinary police. Such a force works with eccentric methods on cases that no one else understands, let alone can solve. There is a Chief, known as Land, who has little understanding of what is actually going on. Arthur Bryant is the Detective Chief Inspector whose eccentricities, ideas and leaps of understanding are the main force in the success of the Unit, even though statistics and sentencing those responsible is not always his concern. He is aided and abetted by the other Detective Chief Inspector, John May, whose approach is more considered but often equally effective. Together with Longbright, Mangeshkar and others, they tackle the crimes that defy easy explanation, where death and destruction have taken place. Based in London, many of the crimes featured in this enjoyable, sometimes bewildering but always intriguing book are sometimes based on the legends and stories that still linger in the city.
I really enjoyed this collection of twelve short stories, featuring characters made known in fifteen other novels and another collection. As this is my first experience of a Bryant & May novel I can definitely say it is a good introduction to the concept of this unique crime solving duo. I was really pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this strange and wonderful group of stories.
The first story concerns a mysterious assault on a singer on Christmas day, involving a large reindeer and mysterious tracks in the snow. Jewellers and a postman occupy some exciting and exasperating stories, which make much of the setting of houses, flats and the other buildings which dominate the area around the building surrounding the Peculiar Crimes Unit building. Religious preachers and ladies of various types feature heavily in stories based on humourous and varied characters, superbly drawn by Fowler. These stories represent a thorough knowledge and extensive research into the highways and byways of London. A sometimes outrageous imagination powers some of these stories, one of which has a very different location in a well known castle. These stories are not always based on positive ideas; people die for strange reasons and Bryant and May are sometimes forced to take the most equitable course. There is a story which features one of the women officers to great effect to balance things out. The longest story dwells heavily on the inequalities of resources between America and Britain, and questions of identity.
This is a book of stories which do not dwell for long on the intricacies of plot and evidence but reveal a sound knowledge of law and practice, even when they are somewhat subverted. The format of isolated stories works well in that while some situations may not be of particular interest to a reader, another will definitely grab attention. The scarf wearing technophone Bryant can irritate, dazzle and dismay his colleagues and the reader, but always either gets an explanation for the most amazing situations, or enables someone else to reach a conclusion. The general atmosphere is light despite the crimes and misdemeanours which thread through the book. The tone is revealed by the cover quote “These twelve crimes must be solved without the help of modern technology, mainly because nobody knows how to use it”. If you have ever wondered about this unusual series of novels, this book provides an excellent self contained introduction to the detectives and some of their cases.
I really enjoyed this collection of twelve short stories, featuring characters made known in fifteen other novels and another collection. As this is my first experience of a Bryant & May novel I can definitely say it is a good introduction to the concept of this unique crime solving duo. I was really pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this strange and wonderful group of stories.
The first story concerns a mysterious assault on a singer on Christmas day, involving a large reindeer and mysterious tracks in the snow. Jewellers and a postman occupy some exciting and exasperating stories, which make much of the setting of houses, flats and the other buildings which dominate the area around the building surrounding the Peculiar Crimes Unit building. Religious preachers and ladies of various types feature heavily in stories based on humourous and varied characters, superbly drawn by Fowler. These stories represent a thorough knowledge and extensive research into the highways and byways of London. A sometimes outrageous imagination powers some of these stories, one of which has a very different location in a well known castle. These stories are not always based on positive ideas; people die for strange reasons and Bryant and May are sometimes forced to take the most equitable course. There is a story which features one of the women officers to great effect to balance things out. The longest story dwells heavily on the inequalities of resources between America and Britain, and questions of identity.
This is a book of stories which do not dwell for long on the intricacies of plot and evidence but reveal a sound knowledge of law and practice, even when they are somewhat subverted. The format of isolated stories works well in that while some situations may not be of particular interest to a reader, another will definitely grab attention. The scarf wearing technophone Bryant can irritate, dazzle and dismay his colleagues and the reader, but always either gets an explanation for the most amazing situations, or enables someone else to reach a conclusion. The general atmosphere is light despite the crimes and misdemeanours which thread through the book. The tone is revealed by the cover quote “These twelve crimes must be solved without the help of modern technology, mainly because nobody knows how to use it”. If you have ever wondered about this unusual series of novels, this book provides an excellent self contained introduction to the detectives and some of their cases.
December 23, 2019
If you are unfamiliar with the Christopher Fowler’s fictional Peculiar Crimes Unit and its two leading Detective Chief Inspectors Arthur Bryant and John May, then this collection of 12 short stories is an ideal place to start. I’ve previously read one of the full length novels and the familiarity of being in the company of the eccentric Bryant and his very patient colleague May, was a delight.
Overseeing the PCU is Unit Chief Raymond Land, a rather ineffective individual most of the time, who bumbles around issuing orders which mostly get ignored by his staff because he doesn’t usually understand what’s going on. Arthur Bryant’s age is unknown but he is long past normal retirement age, has his own style of dress – usually oversized Harris Tweed coats and scarves but is a font of knowledge and despite his advancing years and failing memory seems to know everything about everything. John May is just slightly younger, has much more of a personable manner and is the antidote to Bryant’s natural grumpiness. There are a whole cast of supporting characters that make up this motley unit, some of which get their chance to shine during the course of the book.
The twelve stories vary in length and in timeline – from post war to modern time – moving from London’s Covent Garden to Dracula’s castle in Transylvania and involving all manner of crimes some of which sound quite fantastical and unbelievable until Arthur Bryant applies his rather weird and illogical way of crimesolving and then it all makes perfect sense!
Fowler’s writing is clever and witty with lots of interesting facts that come from Arthur Bryant, who is undoubtedly the star of the show. A serial curmudgeon, he can turn from being flippant one moment to someone with touching perception.
These Golden Age detectives might seem out of place in this modern age of crime fiction but as Bryant and May will show, they are still first class crime solvers, even without the aid of copious amounts of technology, and they will thoroughly entertain you as they do so. Long may they continue!
Overseeing the PCU is Unit Chief Raymond Land, a rather ineffective individual most of the time, who bumbles around issuing orders which mostly get ignored by his staff because he doesn’t usually understand what’s going on. Arthur Bryant’s age is unknown but he is long past normal retirement age, has his own style of dress – usually oversized Harris Tweed coats and scarves but is a font of knowledge and despite his advancing years and failing memory seems to know everything about everything. John May is just slightly younger, has much more of a personable manner and is the antidote to Bryant’s natural grumpiness. There are a whole cast of supporting characters that make up this motley unit, some of which get their chance to shine during the course of the book.
The twelve stories vary in length and in timeline – from post war to modern time – moving from London’s Covent Garden to Dracula’s castle in Transylvania and involving all manner of crimes some of which sound quite fantastical and unbelievable until Arthur Bryant applies his rather weird and illogical way of crimesolving and then it all makes perfect sense!
Fowler’s writing is clever and witty with lots of interesting facts that come from Arthur Bryant, who is undoubtedly the star of the show. A serial curmudgeon, he can turn from being flippant one moment to someone with touching perception.
These Golden Age detectives might seem out of place in this modern age of crime fiction but as Bryant and May will show, they are still first class crime solvers, even without the aid of copious amounts of technology, and they will thoroughly entertain you as they do so. Long may they continue!
November 2, 2019
4-4.5*
I have to say that I think this – England’s Finest – is an excellent place to start. A collection of short stories, lost cases put aside or lost for a while but now collected together for the pleasure of not only Bryant and May fans but for those of us who are new to this author.
Bryant is old school, old fashioned and not very ‘politically correct’ but fascinating in the way in which his mind works, not necessarily good with people but caring and determined to seek the truth of the matter. He’s a reader, always good in my book! He grows on you.
May is the foil, keeps Bryant in this world – literally on occasion – and is the glue in the team.
The team are themselves a good group, loyal to Bryant and May. Supportive but capable of their own investigations, their own detective work and ready to do what is required of them even if that means dealing with rather disgusting bins! Equally passionate about solving the problem and finding the truth.
The Peculiar Crimes Unit (The PCU) is a wonderful place that combines the new with the old and brings the best from both into their combined love of solving mysteries. Peculiar, unusual mysteries that no one else wants but that they are absolutely suited, formed to resolve and delight the reader.
Humour ripples throughout but it is the mystery and it’s resolution that holds the attention in these perfectly proportioned stories.
The stories are wonderful, well written – I so enjoyed picturing the settings and reading the historical facts within these mysteries – and well worth reading.
Thanks
My thanks for the invite from Emma at #damppebblesblogtours and to Doubleday for an eCopy of England’s Finest by Christopher Fowler.
I have to say that I think this – England’s Finest – is an excellent place to start. A collection of short stories, lost cases put aside or lost for a while but now collected together for the pleasure of not only Bryant and May fans but for those of us who are new to this author.
Bryant is old school, old fashioned and not very ‘politically correct’ but fascinating in the way in which his mind works, not necessarily good with people but caring and determined to seek the truth of the matter. He’s a reader, always good in my book! He grows on you.
May is the foil, keeps Bryant in this world – literally on occasion – and is the glue in the team.
The team are themselves a good group, loyal to Bryant and May. Supportive but capable of their own investigations, their own detective work and ready to do what is required of them even if that means dealing with rather disgusting bins! Equally passionate about solving the problem and finding the truth.
The Peculiar Crimes Unit (The PCU) is a wonderful place that combines the new with the old and brings the best from both into their combined love of solving mysteries. Peculiar, unusual mysteries that no one else wants but that they are absolutely suited, formed to resolve and delight the reader.
Humour ripples throughout but it is the mystery and it’s resolution that holds the attention in these perfectly proportioned stories.
The stories are wonderful, well written – I so enjoyed picturing the settings and reading the historical facts within these mysteries – and well worth reading.
Thanks
My thanks for the invite from Emma at #damppebblesblogtours and to Doubleday for an eCopy of England’s Finest by Christopher Fowler.
November 18, 2020
RA
There are some quirky ideas here, and humour, which I like in a book, but the writing is so clunky. Most of the stories seem written on the back of a fag packet (or box of matches), and not revisited until read by the public. Why is a mother taking a small child (who wants an ice cream) to a private evening viewing at Tate Modern when a body falls? Why is the "modern metal door" in the basement converted to wood as the story proceeds? How does the gardener's "green plastic shed" become a box, or pod for tools? Maybe I'm being picky, but these jar as amateurish lack of attention to detail. Only one character is developed, the eccentric Bryant. May is like a sheet of glass through which we view the great brain wrapped in scarves and prejudice against all things modern. I did learn a lot about art, which the author seems interested in. I wouldn't say the stories were disappointing, just VERY frustrating. The continuity and flow were awful, almost destroying the real qualities of the tales. The story set on an accident black spot was the most satisfying, and was well written enough not to jar at any point. I am a fan of the short story form, but these yarns seemed to fail (by the author's own admission) to fit longer narrative forms; it is quite obvious they have been tortured into performing the role of short story: they are impostors! I have one or two of the novels on my kindle, and if I can shake the many pebbles out of my mental shoe I 'May' give them a go.
There are some quirky ideas here, and humour, which I like in a book, but the writing is so clunky. Most of the stories seem written on the back of a fag packet (or box of matches), and not revisited until read by the public. Why is a mother taking a small child (who wants an ice cream) to a private evening viewing at Tate Modern when a body falls? Why is the "modern metal door" in the basement converted to wood as the story proceeds? How does the gardener's "green plastic shed" become a box, or pod for tools? Maybe I'm being picky, but these jar as amateurish lack of attention to detail. Only one character is developed, the eccentric Bryant. May is like a sheet of glass through which we view the great brain wrapped in scarves and prejudice against all things modern. I did learn a lot about art, which the author seems interested in. I wouldn't say the stories were disappointing, just VERY frustrating. The continuity and flow were awful, almost destroying the real qualities of the tales. The story set on an accident black spot was the most satisfying, and was well written enough not to jar at any point. I am a fan of the short story form, but these yarns seemed to fail (by the author's own admission) to fit longer narrative forms; it is quite obvious they have been tortured into performing the role of short story: they are impostors! I have one or two of the novels on my kindle, and if I can shake the many pebbles out of my mental shoe I 'May' give them a go.
April 22, 2024
4.5 stars for this delightful short story collection of “forgotten cases” from the PCU files. I listened to the Audible, very enjoyable while knitting. I loved Christopher Fowler’s brilliant, quirky, sharp and deeply human series about the Peculiar Crimes Unit, and its two elderly lead investigators, Arthur Bryant and John May. I’ve read every book, and am thinking about rereading the series. I will miss these clever books - it was a treat to see Bryant & May back in the Swinging Sixties for one story, and Janice Longbright, ever efficient and diligent, the mainstay of the unit, solving a mystery on her own for a story. That story, like a couple others, were a bit difficult to follow through all the set-up, and might have been better read than listened to, but that may be just my problem.
The narrator, as always for this series, was brilliant, capturing the various characters various accents and personalities, and he captures Arthur Bryant exactly as I’d imagined him - I appreciated how he made him sound younger in the story from the ‘60s. A few of the stories really captured the perils of the modern obsession with social media, and the oversharing of personal information it entails-at our own peril! I’ve always appreciated Fowler’s wisdom and wit as he mused on modern life, and made observations about it through Bryant & May. He will be greatly missed, I’m so grateful for the work he shared with us grateful readers.
The narrator, as always for this series, was brilliant, capturing the various characters various accents and personalities, and he captures Arthur Bryant exactly as I’d imagined him - I appreciated how he made him sound younger in the story from the ‘60s. A few of the stories really captured the perils of the modern obsession with social media, and the oversharing of personal information it entails-at our own peril! I’ve always appreciated Fowler’s wisdom and wit as he mused on modern life, and made observations about it through Bryant & May. He will be greatly missed, I’m so grateful for the work he shared with us grateful readers.
July 4, 2020
Rating 3
Generally I like short story collections and did like the previous B&M title 'London's Glory', however none of the stories in this one really gripped or excited me.
The writing style and character interactions was up to the usual level, they were probably the reason why I kept going instead of putting this down to come to back later.
A number of the stories were set away from London which may have added to the overall marking down of this collection; Combined with the general lack of other PCU members in the majority of stories. Perhaps if i had come across these stories over a greater period of time in various story collections, magazines or periodicals etc I might have enjoyed them more.
This year due to the things going on in the world I decided to complete a re-read of the B&M series including the novels that had so far eluded me - maybe this has also contributed to me enjoying these stories less than i expected.
Overall then an okay read that I found slightly disappointing.
Generally I like short story collections and did like the previous B&M title 'London's Glory', however none of the stories in this one really gripped or excited me.
The writing style and character interactions was up to the usual level, they were probably the reason why I kept going instead of putting this down to come to back later.
A number of the stories were set away from London which may have added to the overall marking down of this collection; Combined with the general lack of other PCU members in the majority of stories. Perhaps if i had come across these stories over a greater period of time in various story collections, magazines or periodicals etc I might have enjoyed them more.
This year due to the things going on in the world I decided to complete a re-read of the B&M series including the novels that had so far eluded me - maybe this has also contributed to me enjoying these stories less than i expected.
Overall then an okay read that I found slightly disappointing.
January 11, 2021
The last full novel featuring Bryant and May ended on one mothership of a cliffhanger (No spoilers). While I anxiously wait to find out what happened, this collection of short stories fills in the gap quite nicely.
The collection is filled with Christopher Fowler's trademark hilarity, from the prologue offered by Raymond Land, the officer in charge of the PCU, to the very end. Arthur Bryant is as irascible yet as perceptive as ever; John May has plenty of reasons to grind his teeth over his partner's eccentricities, but even he cannot argue with the results. Better yet, the women of the PCU are given more to do and more showcases for their talents in some of the tales. My personal favorite passage is when Bryant removes his spectacles, having forgotten that he was already wearing a pair of spectacles underneath the one he removed.
The octogenarian detectives may be getting a little long in the tooth, but thanks to the world of fiction, and the talent of Christopher Fowler, we can look forward to many more years of detection.
The collection is filled with Christopher Fowler's trademark hilarity, from the prologue offered by Raymond Land, the officer in charge of the PCU, to the very end. Arthur Bryant is as irascible yet as perceptive as ever; John May has plenty of reasons to grind his teeth over his partner's eccentricities, but even he cannot argue with the results. Better yet, the women of the PCU are given more to do and more showcases for their talents in some of the tales. My personal favorite passage is when Bryant removes his spectacles, having forgotten that he was already wearing a pair of spectacles underneath the one he removed.
The octogenarian detectives may be getting a little long in the tooth, but thanks to the world of fiction, and the talent of Christopher Fowler, we can look forward to many more years of detection.
November 29, 2019
I've loved the Bryant & May series since reading The Water Room ages ago, they're always funny and intriguing, with so many bits of London history thrown in. I do prefer novels to short stories, but this collection is almost as good as the full length books. I particularly liked Christopher Fowler's article at the end, outlining his inspiration for the series and some of the novels - and paying homage to Edmund Crispin, another quirky crime writer.
The best thing about short story collections is that one doesn't have to read them straight through, it's often better to leave a day in between.
The best thing about short story collections is that one doesn't have to read them straight through, it's often better to leave a day in between.
July 14, 2021
England's Finest certainly showcases the fineness of Christopher Fowler's Bryant & May creation - this is a glorious collection of varied but equally high quality short stories. It's marred in my view only by the absence of any of the estimable underused and too often shunted off du Caine family and enhanced by the general (though quite reasonably not complete) absence of jeopardy for the Peculiar Crimes Unit as an entity. It is remarkable how tight he keeps things over so many different stories (including an outing to Transylvania)
The whole was further enhanced by his descriptions of the genesis of each tale, and his overview of the series (and indeed crime writing more generally)
The whole was further enhanced by his descriptions of the genesis of each tale, and his overview of the series (and indeed crime writing more generally)
December 19, 2021
Always a good read and in one of the stories May actually comes up with the (very ingenious!) solution, for once outfoxing Arthur. That said, the short story doesn’t really suit the PCU not least because there’s not space: both for London, the great subject of the novels, and for the cases themselves, which are too rushed and frequently have to rely on withheld knowledge or an unforeseen twist.
There’s a good joke about Count Dracul casting a long shadow.
But: short of a Bond villain’s fictional super laser, ordinary sunlight, even amplified off a mirror, is not going to cause a motor cycle gas tank to explode.
There’s a good joke about Count Dracul casting a long shadow.
But: short of a Bond villain’s fictional super laser, ordinary sunlight, even amplified off a mirror, is not going to cause a motor cycle gas tank to explode.
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