A collection of short stories featuring the quirky pair of detectives, Bryant and May. This book contains 2 stories previously issued as ebooks - Bryant & May and the Secret Santa, and B & May's Mystery Tour.

The others are (all Bryant and May ...) in the Field, on the Beat, in the Soup, and the Nameless Woman, and the Seven Points, on the Cards, Ahoy!, and the Blind Spot, and the Bells of Westminster.

Some are deliberate attempts to use or are homages to classic concepts from the golden age of detective fiction such as the locked room mystery.

Mostly enjoyable with some good twists here and there, and the introductory essay on the author's interest in classic crime fiction, plus the notes about the various stories are interesting. The potted summary of the books so far in the series should also not be skipped even by people who have read them, such as me, because there is a little note about each - where the author got the ideas from etc. So an interesting all round read. ( )

I had only read a short Bryant & May story before I read this collection and one of the reasons I wanted to read this collection was because I thought this would give me some insight into the life and work of Bryant and May if I in the future read any of the books. Which I probably will.

This collection consists of eleven previously unseen investigations and it is everything from murder in a locked room, a suspicious case of poisoning on a boat and a killer on a Tourist bus in London. Some cases were more interesting than the others, most of them good. And, even a case or rather two cases connected that they couldn't solve. Bryant&May and the Secret Santa was the story I had read before so I skipped that one.

All and all I found most cases interesting, albeit I found some cases a bit tedious I must admit especially the one about the freak show. I just couldn't get into that one and it felt a bit long.

But I've come to like Bryant & May very much. Especially Bryant. Btw there is an excellent characters list in the beginning of this book. Perfect if you are a new reader, like me, to the series.

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review! ( )

Some short stories from the Peculiar Crimes Unit and the detectives Bryant & May.
Not really keen on short stories but as an introduction to the characters they were interesting enough that I would like to start at the beginning of the series and read the full novels.
A NetGalley Book. ( )

I enjoyed these quirky stories. Interesting characters and unusual plots. Would like to read more. ( )

I really enjoy Bryant and May. I really enjoy Fowler's writing. It's such a shame that the author finds it necessary to run his mouth as obnoxiously as he does on his blog. But it's his blog, so he can say whatever he wants, and I can stop reading it whenever I want. Which was when his "those Americans have trouble brushing their teeth because they might have to put down their guns" attitude got up my nose.

Oh! Speaking of which: "In Britain, we have ‘equality of arms,’ which allows the same resources to be made available to both defence and prosecution, and broadly speaking this idea of balance filters down through the system. There’s a reason why the Old Bailey’s statue of Justice holds scales. It means we don’t get such outrageous courtroom dramas as O. J. Simpson fiddling with a glove, but the end result is often fairer."

Why am I reading this guy again?

There have been discussions out there about whether and how an author's politics or personal behavior or whatever affect whether and how people read his writing. I guess in this case the fact that the author literally makes me physically ill means that I'm done with the series. Oh well. On the plus side, he mentioned lots and lots of classic authors I can go explore instead.

I had notes on this book. I had lots to say, about the old fart (and surprisingly racist) main characters and the entertaining supporting characters, and the weird and twisty plots, and … so on. But I … don't care anymore. And yeah, my rating for this (and all of his other books)? Oops. Had a little slip there.

The only note I feel I have to retain is on this quote: "… after the dark realities of the previous two books I needed to write something lighter and funnier, so this is one of Bryant and May’s ‘sorbet stories’—something refreshing after a big meal."

The story is about a dead baby.

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review. ( )