Review of Seventy Seven Clocks by Christopher Fowler (2005, Bantam)

Late 1973. An elderly lawyer is killed by a snake bite, dying in the lobby of the Savoy Hotel. A member of the wealthy, aristocratic Whitstable family is blown up on a train after destroying a painting in the national gallery. His brother is murdered a short time later. Bryant and May, detectives with the Met’s Peculiar Crimes Unit, quickly discover that the lawyer acted for the Whitstables but have few leads and no sense of the motivation behind the deaths. Moreover, they seem powerless to stop other members of the eccentric family being murdered. The posh but troubled receptionist in the Savoy is running her own investigation, despite being warned to leave the detection to the police. Sam is seemingly making progress, but has also attracted potentially fatal attention. Unravelling the mystery of the Whitstables’ assassinations is a tricky task, but gradually, Bryant, May and Sam start to make headway, linking the crimes back to the formation of a secret society 100 years before.

Seventy Seven Clocks is the third book in the Bryant and May series set in London. In this outing, set at the tail end of 1973, the Peculiar Crimes Unit is investigating a set of bizarre deaths linked to the wealthy, aristocratic, haughty Whitstable family and a sub-group of the guild of watchmakers. Everything about the case is peculiar, which suits Bryant and May, though its political ramifications and its coincidence with moving offices is a nuisance. The involvement of a troubled hotel receptionist is also a hindrance, though she is also has the habit of discovering useful clues and is determined to succeed where the police are failing. As the death count rises it seems that there is a group of assassins set on wiping out the entire Whitstable family. Unravelling the reason why is far from straightforward given the conspiracy of silence surrounding the Whitstables. Fowler plots a complex case that has plenty of mystery and intrigue. Given the PCU focuses on the fantastical and unusual, it’s no surprise that it’s a somewhat unbelievable. That’s fine as it’s all consistently realised and often fascinating. However, the role of Sam stretched coincidence to breaking point a few times in terms of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and family connections. While she’s a nice character, she was also too often used as a plot device to move the story forward. Other than that, it’s a fun and absorbing read chocked full of interested historical titbits about London and its institutions.

Review of Bryant and May – The Burning Man by Christopher Fowler (Doubleday, 2015)

The end of October and a scheming banker has not only collapsed a private merchant bank, he seems to be getting away with it. The injustice has not just anti-capitalists on the streets of London, but also ordinary citizens. In the depths of austerity it seems people have had enough of the blatant greed. One man, however, is taking his protest further than others and appears to be using his actions to try and whip the crowds into more of a frenzy. He starts by throwing a petrol bomb at the bank, killing a homeless man taking refuge in the doorway. Next he tars and feathers a banker. Each day there is another victim and soon it’ll be Guy Fawkes night when bonfires will lit across the nation. Trying to stop the arsonist is Bryant and May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit of the Met Police. Hampered by other sections of the police and the bank, the two old detectives and their assistants race against time to find useful clues, worried that the city might go up in flames.

The Burning Man is the twelfth book in the Bryant and May series. In this outing they are trying to stop an arsonist wreaking revenge on people working in the banking sector after another financial scandal and who seems to be orchestrating the sentiments of a restless and angry public. After years of working for the Peculiar Crimes Unit, Bryant and May are long in the tooth and well versed in tackling difficult cases, but this one has them taxed. The killer is clever and quick moving, dispatching one person a day, and Bryant is starting to suffer from dementia. The climax of the week is going to be Guy Fawkes night at which point the city could tip-over into full-scale anarchy. There is much to like about The Burning Man: the wonderful set of characters, especially Bryant, and their interactions; the deep sense of place and all the historical factual snippets that are woven into the narrative; its political sensibilities and its critique of the ‘one percent’; and the lucid and engaging storytelling with a rising sense of tension. The story just carries the reader along in an entertaining, dark, and at time humorous romp. There were just two bumps in the tale – the fact that I was pretty confident I knew the identity of the killer from near the start; and the ending was a bit of damp squib. Nonetheless, a very enjoyable read.