Bryant & May – England’s Finest (AD)
I was kindly given an advanced copy of Bryant & May – England’s Finest for review purposes*.
England’s Finest book blurb
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’!
My overall thoughts of England’s Finest
Although part of a series this was my first encounter with the detectives Bryant and May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit.
The book is a collection of cases which the PCU have investigated over the years. I liked that we saw cases not just in London (hello Transylvania) and from different times in history too.
I liked the little mysteries of the weird and wacky cases that actually turned out to be not so mysterious after all.
There’s a lot of humour within the book and nods to other cases. I found the foreword really helpful detailing what the unit is and the different charters within the book with a bit of their backstory this helped me to feel like I knew the characters really well; without having read any of the other books within this collection by this author.
I was disappointed to get to the end of the 12 cases actually, I could’ve quite happily continued reading a few more.
Each case is different and peculiar and keeps the reader in suspense until the very end when all is revealed.
A good read for any fans of good old fashioned policing who love a mystery!
About Christopher Fowler:
Christopher Fowler is the author of more than forty novels (sixteen of which feature the detectives Bryant and May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit) and many short story collections. A multiple award-winner, including the coveted CWA ‘Dagger in the Library’, Chris has also written screenplays, video games, graphic novels, audio plays and two acclaimed memoirs, Paperboy and Film Freak.
His most recent non-fiction book is The Book of Forgotten Authors. Chris divides his time between London’s King Cross and Barcelona.
You can find out more by visiting his website and following him on Twitter.
Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Peculiar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrisfowlerauthor/
Website: http://www.christopherfowler.co.uk/
Purchase Links:
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bryant-May-Englands-Finest-
Stories/dp/0857525697/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=englands+finest&qid=1571732430&sr=8-3
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/bryant-and-may-englands-finest/christopher-
fowler/9780857525697
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Bryant-May-Englands-Finest-Christopher-
Fowler/9780857525697?ref=grid-view&qid=1571733026069&sr=1-1
Hive.co.uk: https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Christopher-Fowler/Bryant–May—Englands-Finest–
Short-Stories/24004492
Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=4R2GDwAAQBAJ&rdid=book-
4R2GDwAAQBAJ&rdot=1&source=gbs_atb&pcampaignid=books_booksearch_atb
Publishing Information:
Published in hardcover and ebook formats by Doubleday on 31 st October 2019.
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*Disclaimer
This review has been written with 100% honesty.
I was not financially compensated for this post. I was given an advance copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this post are completely my own based on my own experience.
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