“The most delightfully, wickedly entertaining duo in crime fiction.”—The Plain DealerWhen a prominent politician is crushed by a fruit van making a delivery, the singular team of Arthur Bryant and John May overcome insurmountable odds to reunite the PCU and solve the case in this brainy new mystery from acclaimed author Christopher Fowler. On a spring morning in London’s Strand, the Speaker of … London’s Strand, the Speaker of the House of Commons is nearly killed by a van unloading oranges and lemons for the annual St. Clement Danes celebration. It’s an absurd near-death experience, but the government is more interested in investigating the Speaker’s state of mind just prior to his accident.
The task is given to the Peculiar Crimes Unit—the only problem being that the unit no longer exists. Its chief, Raymond Land, is tending his daffodils on the Isle of Wight and senior detectives Arthur Bryant and John May are out of commission—May has just undergone surgery for a bullet wound and Bryant has been missing for a month. What’s more, their old office in King’s Cross is being turned into a vegetarian tapas bar.
Against impossible odds, the team is reassembled and once again what should be a simple case becomes a lunatic farrago involving arson, suicide, magicians, academics and a race to catch a killer with a master plan involving London churches. Joining their team this time is Sidney, a young woman with no previous experience, plenty of attitude—and a surprising secret.
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Bryant & May: Oranges and Lemons by Christopher Fowler blends wonderful humor, an odd mix of characters, multiple mysteries, and some London facts and history into a terrific crime novel. When Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Claremont, is injured in an odd accident, the recently disbanded Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) is reassembled for one last case. However, they are going to have to cobble together a work space in their old building since the Home Office’s police liaison CEO, Leslie Faraday, tore it apart after they were disbanded. He tries to derail the PCU at every turn.
The PCU is filled with characters that seem inept at ties, befuddled at other times, and competent at still other times. Somehow, they mesh together and manage to solve cases. Their unit chief is Raymond Land, who is inept with computers and often kept out of the loop. Arthur Bryant and John May are the detective chief inspectors. Arthur’s mind works differently than most peoples’ minds and therefore many don’t understand him or his methods. John provides a counterbalance to Arthur, but he is recovering from a bullet wound. Additional team members fill out the roles of detective inspector, crime scene, detective sergeant, forensic pathologist, and new in this book, an intern. Bryant seems to be the glue that holds the team together, but we also get to see some of the private lives of the secondary characters.
The plot is focused on a British nursery rhyme of Oranges and Lemons and the churches that the rhyme references. Who would have guessed that this could be such an entertaining read? The reader has more information than the investigators in this case, since we get occasional chapters from the antagonist’s point of view that give us motive.
Overall, this is a hilarious, well-written, and original crime drama that kept me entertained and engaged. Additionally, I learned something about London’s history. There are some surprises along the way that keep the story interesting and alive.
I don’t usually start a series with number seventeen, but this one worked well for me as a standalone novel. I am sure that reading the earlier books would provide additional background and add richness to the reading experience and I can’t wait to go back and read them. If you like unique characters, lots of humor, unorthodox crime solving, and lots of humor, then I recommend that you check out this series.
I won a digital copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
It’s pure joy to have a new Bryant & May in my hands, to settle down in my comfy spot and to tell the crazy world we now inhabit to leave me alone while I get lost in the quirky, strange, funny and twisted lives of Bryant & May and the PCU. When we last spent time with the gang, things were, it seemed, coming to an end. But, like the energizer bunny, nothing will stop the PCU from continuing their very special kind of investigating lots of very strange events. They are back in their old office which is in a worse state than when they were forced out and up to their own special version of criminal investigating. I couldn’t wait to begin this new chapter of the PCU.
I have been a fan since the first case and I have learned to just go with the flow, let Bryant & May and the rest of the unit – now with a new intern who’s a hoot and the new guy sent to keep an eye on them-wander around London, follow threads at will and basically, most certainly not go in a straight line. It sort of reminds me of trying to untangle my earphones when I take them out of my pocket. It’s what one expects from this delightful series. I won’t give away anything so nothing gets spoiled, especially the very funny bits. Lots of funny bits. When I came to the end I felt like I had enjoyed a much needed time out.
My thanks to the publisher Random House Ballantine and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
When a prominent politician is crushed by a fruit van making a delivery, detectives Arthur Bryant and John May, along with their Peculiar Crimes Unit team, overcome the odds to reunite the PCU and solve the case. As the book begins, the PCU no longer exists due to events in the last book. This is the first book I’ve read in this series and I had no trouble beginning here, though there are major spoilers for the book immediately prior.
The plot is outrageous, fast moving, and intelligent. The characters are just as outrageous, funny and often endearing. Longtime readers will be particularly excited by the unmasking of some team member secrets that will affect the PCU moving forward. The author uses sarcasm and satire to comment on the world and skewer societal norms and problems. Some of this didn’t work for me and content warnings are below.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own. #mystery #BryantMayOrangesandLemons
Content Warnings: uncountered use of a racial slur and ableism.