The Memory of Blood: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery: Amazon.ca: Christopher Fowler: Books

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Review

Praise for the ingenious novels featuring the Peculiar Crimes Unit

“[Christopher] Fowler manipulates the machinery with droll wit. . . . [He’s] a master of classical form.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

“Fowler, like his crime-solvers, is deadpan, sly, and always unexpectedly inventive.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Bryant and May are hilarious. Grumpy Old Men does CSI with a twist of Dickens!”—New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning

“Eclectic, eccentric and endlessly entertaining books.”—The Seattle Times

“Fowler reinvents and reinvigorates the traditional police procedural.”—The Boston Globe

“Fowler has few peers when it comes to constructing ingenious . . . plots.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“One of the most delightful series around.”—Library Journal

“Brilliant.”—The Denver Post

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Christopher Fowler’s acclaimed Peculiar Crimes Unit novels crackle with sly wit, lively suspense, and twists as chilling as London’s fog. Now the indomitable duo of Arthur Bryant and John May, along with the rest of their quirky team, return to solve a confounding case with dark ties to the British theater and a killer who may mean curtains for all involved.

For the crew of the New Strand Theatre, the play The Two Murderers seems less performance than prophecy when a cast party ends in the shocking death of the theater owner’s son. The crime scene is most unusual, even for Bryant and May. In a locked bedroom without any trace of fingerprints or blood, the only sign of disturbance is a gruesome life-size puppet of Mr. Punch laying on the floor. Everyone at the party is a suspect, including the corrupt producer, the rakish male lead, the dour set designer, and the assistant stage manager, who is the wild daughter of a prominent government official.

It’s this last fact that threatens the Peculiar Crimes Unit’s investigation, as the government’s Home Office, wary of the team’s eccentric methods, seeks to throw them off the case. But the nimble minds of Bryant and May are not so easily deterred. Delving into the history of the London theater and the disturbing origins of Punch and Judy, the detectives race to find the maniacal killer before he reaches his even deadlier final act.

Whip-smart and endlessly entertaining, The Memory of Blood is an ingeniously intricate mystery from the deliciously inventive Christopher Fowler.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Bryant & May As Eccentric As Ever, April 17 2012

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Alison S. Coad (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: The Memory of Blood: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery (Hardcover)

Christopher Fowler's Peculiar Crimes Unit series is a mix of serious crime, strange personalities, impossible events and great humour; and the most recent in the series, "The Memory of Blood," brings all those elements together in a unique brew. The Peculiar Crimes Unit, led by octogenarians John May and Arthur Bryant, is called upon to investigate a crime in which an infant is killed and thrown out of a window from an apparently locked and empty room; the only clue is the positioning of a valuable Punch doll that appears to have committed the crime. The adults in the house were giving a party to celebrate the success of a new play at the time of the crime, and the actors, crew and critics at the party are all potential suspects, not to mention the wayward daughter of a prominent government official. As the bodies pile up, it's left to Bryant and May to understand the significance of the Punch and Judy plays if they want to solve the crimes.... Arthur Bryant and John May create one of the most endearing partnerships in all of crime fiction, the former being as eccentric as they come and the latter representing the suave, sophisticated face of London. They and their team seem to be phased by nothing, even when it appears that only a supernatural explanation can solve the crime, and they go about their investigations with doggedness and good humour. You don't need to have read the eight earlier novels in the series to enjoy "The Memory of Blood," but you'll get more out of the relationships and personalities involved if you do. Recommended.

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Amazon.com: 4.7 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You best begin your PCU education with THE MEMORY OF BLOOD, Mar 30 2012

By Bookreporter - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: The Memory of Blood: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery (Hardcover)

One recurring event that always brings a genuine smile to my face is the arrival of a new Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) mystery by Christopher Fowler. The series has been a winner from its very beginning, up to and including THE MEMORY OF BLOOD, the ninth and latest volume.

The PCU is a law enforcement agency conceived and midwifed by England's Churchill administration during World War II. Based in London, it has evolved into a red-headed stepchild, as far as the government is concerned, particularly since it is uncommonly good at solving impossible crimes. The senior detectives of the PCU have been with the agency almost since its inception. Arthur Byrant, in spite of himself, is quirky, eccentric and brilliant. John May is steady and grounded. As unlikely a pair as one might find on either side of reality, the two detectives are polar opposites and steady friends.

THE MEMORY OF BLOOD begins and ends with the same party, but all is not festivals and fun under the surface. At a somewhat different party, one being held for the cast of a new play on its opening night, a particularly shocking and heinous killing takes place. One of the more interesting elements is that there is a unique twist on the classic "locked room" scenario, used here to great effect. But the theme of the initial murder and the subsequent ones that take place center on the "Mr. Punch" mythos, a character who has been part of the British low theater for over three-and-a-half centuries. It turns out that Mr. Punch has endured for far longer than a number of the characters. People fall victim to the unseen killer, who leaves a puppet associated with the enduring figure at the scene of each crime. Bryant has a pretty good idea of who the culprit is early on, but knowing and proving it are two different things.

In addition, someone with a vested interest in the dissolution of the PCU starts throwing red herrings into the middle of the unit, hoping that a failure in closing the case will result in the unit's all-but-certain end. Bryant has inadvertently put its demise on the radar of its most mortal enemy for an entirely new reason. By the end of the book, the PCU is triumphant, but Bryant and May smell the chum in the waters. Still, they are not going down without a fight, one that undoubtedly will be played out --- bloodied knuckles and all --- in future volumes of the series.

Fowler points out in his acknowledgments that the books in this series may be read in any particular order. While certainly true, this latest installment is a particularly good place to begin for those unfamiliar with the series. It includes an "eyes only" report --- sourced from Wikileaks, of course --- on the history of the PCU and biographical data concerning each of the team's members. But the best reason to begin your PCU education with THE MEMORY OF BLOOD is its strong plotting, dark humor and, most of all, the confounding mystery at the heart of the whole thing.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Death will repay all debts.", April 8 2012

By E. Bukowsky "booklover10" - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: The Memory of Blood: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery (Hardcover)

Christopher Fowler indulges in his unique brand of merriment and mayhem in "The Memory of Blood." As fans of the popular Bryant & May series know, the Peculiar Crimes Unit was established to handle high profile and politically sensitive cases. The members of the PCU tend to use unconventional methods to solve challenging crimes.

The mainstays of the unit are the two senior detectives--the irascible, unkempt, and unpredictable Arthur Bryant, and his friend and long-time partner, the dapper, organized and pragmatic John May. Bryant, May, and the rest of their loyal and hard-working team struggle to catch a clever perpetrator who is targeting individuals close to Robert Kramer, an ambitious and arrogant property developer and theater owner. A less compelling subplot deals with someone's desperate efforts to quash parts of Bryant's memoirs.

Arthur immerses us in the history of macabre stage productions in London that were modeled after the famous French Grand Guignol, "a vaudeville of horror." The author has a great time putting his colorful cast through its paces. Among the suspects are a hunky and amoral leading man, his married lover, an aging actor and actress whose best days are behind them, a sharp-tongued critic, a crooked accountant, and a fledgling writer. As the bodies pile up, the pressure increases to find the culprit before he or she strikes again.

Although the conclusion is not completely convincing, readers will enjoy the amusing and occasionally poignant interaction between the characters; the imaginative and suspenseful story that beautifully evokes Victorian London; and the insight into the destructive power of passion, jealousy, and greed. As always, it is a great pleasure to spend time in Fowler's quirky and seriocomic world.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't get enough of Arthur Bryant, April 2 2012

By Patti Wilson "Patti Saint Marie Wilson" - Published on Amazon.com

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This review is from: The Memory of Blood: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery (Hardcover)

Another wonderful book by Christopher Fowler. I laugh, I sit on the edge of my seat, I shake my head, I want to slap somebody, and I am in suspense all the way through. If I could wave a magic wand over Mr. Fowler's head, I would make him write a new book every week. I just can't get enough of Bryant and Mays.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 9 reviews 4.7 out of 5 stars