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Bryant & May and the Memory of Blood (Bryant & May, #9)

Christopher Fowler

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Why we're reading this: The death of a child and what seems to be a murderous puppet make it the perfect case for Bryant and May …more
[close] The death of a child and what seems to be a murderous puppet make it the perfect case for Bryant and May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit...

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Oct 02, 2011 Miles rated it really liked it

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On a rainswept London night, the wealthy unscrupulous Robert Kramer hosts a party in his penthouse just off Trafalgar Square. But something is wrong. The atmosphere is uncomfortable, the guests are on edge. And when Kramer’s new young wife goes to check on their baby boy, she finds the nursery door locked from the inside.

Breaking in, the Kramers are faced with an open window, an empty cot, and a grotesque antique puppet of Mr Punch lying on the floor. It seems that young Noah Kramer was thrown f On a rainswept London night, the wealthy unscrupulous Robert Kramer hosts a party in his penthouse just off Trafalgar Square. But something is wrong. The atmosphere is uncomfortable, the guests are on edge. And when Kramer’s new young wife goes to check on their baby boy, she finds the nursery door locked from the inside.

Breaking in, the Kramers are faced with an open window, an empty cot, and a grotesque antique puppet of Mr Punch lying on the floor. It seems that young Noah Kramer was thrown from the building, but the child was strangled, and the marks of the puppet’s hands are clearly on his throat…what's more, there was a witness.

It’s a perfect case for the Peculiar Crimes Unit. As John May and his team interrogate the guests, Arthur Bryant heads into the secret world of automata and stagecraft, illusions and effects. His suspicions fall on the staff of Kramer’s company, who have been employed to stage a gruesome new thriller in the West End. As a second impossible death occurs, the detectives uncover forgotten museums and London eccentrics, and take a trip to a seaside Punch & Judy show.

Then Bryant’s biographer suddenly dies. Was it a tragic accident, or could the circumstances of her death be related to the case? There’s just one hour left to solve the crime, but Bryant has buried himself away with his esoteric books. The stage is set for a race against time with a surprising twist…

Incredibly entertaining, Christopher Fowler’s Bryant & May and The Memory of Blood is another title – this year - that has taken me by complete surprise and entertained me from start to finish. The narrative is infectious and flows remarkably well throughout and together with an intelligent and humorous dialogue that had me laughing throughout, this book is a certain winner. In many ways Fowler’s prose reminded me of LC Tyler’s Herring on the Nile with its dry sense of humour and a quirky and cantankerous lead detective, miss it, miss out!

The Memory of Blood is the ninth title in the long standing Bryant & May partnership and serves as my introduction to the mind and intellect of author Christopher Fowler and boy, what an introduction it is; I couldn’t put the book down. I’m always concerned when I begin a series this far gone and approach it with a slight trepidation asking the inevitable questions – will I understand the characters, have I missed too much background history to enjoy it and will I get the in jokes.

Full review on the blog:- http://www.milorambles.com/2011/10/06...
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Apr 02, 2012 Sharon Goodwin rated it really liked it

I’ve read previously #7 in this series (Bryant & May on the Loose) in the days before blogging and I chose #5 (The Water Room) for my choice in The Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge. When I saw #9 The Memory of Blood on Netgalley, having enjoyed the other two stories so much, I requested approval.

At the beginning of the uncorrected proof copy is a breakdown of the purpose of the Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) and the characters. It was great to see the same characters … I knew I was going to e I’ve read previously #7 in this series (Bryant & May on the Loose) in the days before blogging and I chose #5 (The Water Room) for my choice in The Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge. When I saw #9 The Memory of Blood on Netgalley, having enjoyed the other two stories so much, I requested approval.

At the beginning of the uncorrected proof copy is a breakdown of the purpose of the Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) and the characters. It was great to see the same characters … I knew I was going to enjoy this one too so settled down to read on Adobe Digital Edtions.

We start the story at the end … yes, that’s right, at the end. We’re at a party in a Chamber of Horrors. All the guests are locked in and the PCU has until midnight to arrest the murderer. One of the guests is the murderer …

The PCU has a fresh start in this book – as far as the premises are concerned. They are now housed in a building that several occult societies have used in the past and there are some interesting finds in the attic. The building is said to be built over a convergence of leylines. Straight away we have the esoteric connection that I’ve loved in the previous books. Although re-housed, the PCU still gets into a tangle with those in high places in Government who want the unit to be closed down!

There is still the banter between the team and Arthur Bryant is still his eccentric self, thinking out of the box to get results. I think the following excerpt will show the respect he feels about the niceties of society:

‘Well, you’re not getting results using traditional investigative methods, are you?’ Bryant took out his gobstopper to see if it had changed colour, then reinserted it into his mouth. (Bear in mind Arthur is an elderly gentleman!)

As always there are some unusual and interesting facts in the story. This time based on Punch & Judy and the psychology of that story. Despite my dislike of puppets coming to life, I found this fascinating. I don’t think I would be able to watch this at the cinema though!

Alongside the investigation into the murders runs another plotline. Arthur Bryant has been writing his biography with the help of Anna. There is a tragedy involved which is left open for conclusion in the next book. I think this will be quite a journey!

It’s so easy to become involved in the story. Apart from all the interesting facts, the tension is building all the time with layers of tragedy. I’ve not been able to guess the murderer in the previous books and this time was no different.

The Memory of Blood is another exciting page-turning, tension-filled story. If you’re not already a fan but enjoy finding out unusual facts and love a murder/mystery then I recommend you buy yourself a copy. You won’t be disappointed!

I would like to thank the publishers, Random House Publishing Group for approving my request on Netgalley. ...more

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Sep 08, 2011 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

Dec 29, 2011 Nikki-ann rated it it was amazing

Feb 05, 2012 Jennifer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Mar 13, 2012 Lynsey Passmore rated it it was amazing

Sep 04, 2012 Luci marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Nov 06, 2012 Carol Peace marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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