Bryant & May: The Bleeding Heart by Christopher Fowler

Waterstones Link

Bryant & May : The Bleeding Heart

Christopher Fowler

Series: Bryant & May #11

Published by: Bantam (12 March 2015)

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: DEAD GOOD BOOKS CLUB - April (Goodreads & Publisher)

Rating:

Synopsis:

It’s a fresh start for the Met's oddest investigation team, the Peculiar Crimes Unit. 

Their first case involves two teenagers who see a dead man rising from his grave in a London park. And if that's not alarming enough, one of them is killed in a hit and run accident. Stranger still, in the moments between when he was last seen alive and found dead on the pavement, someone has changed his shirt...

Much to his frustration, Arthur Bryant is not allowed to investigate. Instead, he has been tasked with finding out how someone could have stolen the ravens from the Tower of London. All seven birds have vanished from one of the most secure fortresses in the city. And, as the legend has it, when the ravens leave, the nation falls…

Soon it seems death is all around and Bryant and May must confront a group of latter-day bodysnatchers, explore an eerie funeral parlour and unearth the gruesome legend of Bleeding Heart Yard. More graves are desecrated, further deaths occur, and the symbol of the Bleeding Heart seems to turn up everywhere - it’s even discovered hidden in the PCU’s offices. And when Bryant is blindfolded and taken to the headquarters of a secret society, he realises that this case is more complex than even he had imagined, and that everyone is hiding something. The Grim Reaper walks abroad and seems to be stalking him, playing on his fears of premature burial.

Rich in strange characters and steeped in London’s true history, this is Bryant & May’s most peculiar and disturbing case of all.

My Thoughts:

This is my second outing with the eccentric duo Bryant & May.

The Bleeding Heart begins, as it did with The Burning Man, the cast of characters listed on the 'staff roster', and is accompanied by another memo from the disgruntled PCU Chief, Raymond Land.

The Peculiar Crimes Unit has been moved from being part of the Metropolitan Police to the City of London Police.

Orion Banks, The City's Public Liaison Officer has been assigned, on what the team believe to be an advisory role, to the PCU, but it soon transpires that she has power to grant or withhold permission to investigate any particular line of enquiry as she sees fit.

The units first case involves two teenagers who apparently see a dead man rising from his grave in a London park, soon after this one of them is killed in a hit and run incident.  However much to Bryant's annoyance instead he has been assigned to another case, that of the stolen ravens from the Tower of London

Being of the old school of policing Bryant and May find it difficult taking orders from this young addition to the PCU who also happens to be a woman. In light of this they choose to investigate in their own unique way and ignore Banks' presence. 

As always this involves talking to a host of strange and bizarre people, including a benevolent warlock, a herbalist, a witch, and a modern day Burke and Hare group of body snatchers.

The Bleeding Heart is another story with a clever plot, lots of twists, and turns and misleads, and out of the two books I've read, I enjoyed this one the most.

Probably as with most of the series there is a predictable tying up of loose ends, but come on, this is 'cosy crime' at its best.  Brilliant in its character development, fun and with hugely likeable characters and humorous story lines. 

The Bleeding Heart was a fun read and suitable for anyone to enjoy without bad language or grizzly descriptions of any nature.

Another highly entertaining humorous crime thriller accompanied by Bryant's interesting historical facts and anecdotes about London.  I definitely recommend it to established readers and newcomers to the world of Bryant & May.  I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this motley crime unit.

Bryant & May: The Burning Man By Christopher Fowler

WATERSTONES LINK

The Burning Man by Christopher Fowler
Series: Bryant & May #12

Published by DoubleDay (March 26th 2015)
Pages: 416 
Format: Hardcover 
Source: Publisher (NetGalley)

Rating: 3.5

Synopsis:

London is under siege. A banking scandal has filled the city with violent protests, and as the anger in the streets detonates, a young homeless man burns to death after being caught in the crossfire between rioters and the police.

But all is not as it seems; an opportunistic killer is using the chaos to exact revenge, but his intended victims are so mysteriously chosen that the Peculiar Crimes Unit is called in to find a way of stopping him.

Using their network of eccentric contacts, elderly detectives Arthur Bryant and John May hunt down a murderer who adopts incendiary methods of execution. But they soon find their investigation taking an apocalyptic turn as the case comes to involve the history of mob rule, corruption, rebellion, punishment and the legend of Guy Fawkes.

At the same time, several members of the PCU team reach dramatic turning points in their lives – but the most personal tragedy is yet to come, for as the race to bring down a cunning killer reaches its climax, Arthur Bryant faces his own devastating day of reckoning.

‘I always said we’d go out with a hell of a bang,’ warns Bryant.

My Thoughts:

I have to say that I was a little unsure about requesting The Burning Man by Christopher Fowler to read this title seeing as it looked like being the latest in a long running series.  I also hate to read any series out of sequence. However the cover was very appealing and the synopsis indicated that it would be an amusing, interesting read, and something very different from my usual crime reads. The author on his website assures readers that the series can be read in any order or as a stand alone. In view of this I requested a copy.

Mr Fowler did not fib at all, there was enough information on each character that I didn't feel disadvantaged by not reading previous books in the series.

The opening chapter introduces the cast of characters by means of a 'staff roster'.  Also included is an excerpt from a speech by Mr Arthur Bryant given to the City of London Police Crime Directorate, and a highly amusing memo from the long suffering PCU Chief, Raymond Land.

From the outset I knew I was going to enjoy reading, The Burning Man, and at times it had me laughing out loud in public places.  I'll give an example of the humour; "...no more pawning items from the Evidence Room until payday..." and "...the entrance halls' visual-recognition system has been removed after Mr Bryant proved it could be cheated by the addition of a hat...".

The Burning Man was an enjoyable, highly amusing read about a team of misfits working in the Peculiar Crime Unit (PCU).  At the centre of which are two main character's Bryant & May, a totally mismatched elderly police duo.  Bryant is somewhat untidy and dishevelled, both in appearance and manner.  May is his polar opposite, immaculate in appearance and highly organised. The setting is present day London during the Guy Fawkes' celebrations, alongside this angry protests are raging over a banking scandal. During the ensuing riots a homeless man is set alight and burns to death while sleeping in a doorway.

The PCU is brought in to investigate what should be a simple case of accidental death and hope to tie things up quickly.  A subsequent death throws new light on the case and the PCU find themselves investigating a double murder.

Both characters appear completely out of step with modern policing but they still manage to get results using old fashioned policing practices, incorporating unorthodox methods of investigation in order to solve crimes.

A highly entertaining and humorous crime thriller accompanied by Bryant's interesting historical facts and anecdotes about London.  I definitely recommend it to newcomers and those already familiar with the world of Bryant & May.

Unfortunately in this latest story the octogenarian detective seems to be losing his memory causing him to be confused and forgetful. If this is an indication that this may be the last we are to hear of the duo I can console myself that I have the previous instalments to catch up with.