Editorial Content for Bryant & May: Peculiar London
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
In 2004, Christopher Fowler kicked off his Peculiar Crimes Unit series with FULL DARK HOUSE, which revolved around a team of UK detectives, led by Arthur Bryant and John May, who were tasked with solving the most bizarre cases in and around London.
Eighteen years later, Fowler has composed a unique novel that finds Bryant, May and the other members of the Peculiar Crimes squad exploring many of London's most fascinating peculiarities. Hopefully, some of these stories will provide the impetus for more adventures.
"PECULIAR LONDON is a book to be relished and enjoyed, not only by fans of this quirky crime series but by any reader who appreciates the real history and backstory legends that drive some of the great crime and mystery fiction that utilizes London as a central character."
There is much to savor here, so I will focus on some of the highlights. Bryant has long kept memoirs about the more bizarre things that fill this centuries-old city and has shaped its many residents.
“A Bent Stick & Other Stories” is a nostalgic look at the area, particularly the legendary theater in London. We learn about Samuel French and his Covent Garden publishing house that ruled the mid-1800s. This tale eventually will lead to a discussion of the Whitechapel area, home of the infamous Jack the Ripper, and how it was an artery for the West End and London theater district.
“A Town Named After a Drain & Other Stories” plays into Bryant’s contention that the district of Shoreditch was also linked to the Devil himself, and for good reason. It’s literally named after a sewer, and its reputation is not much better than that imagery. While it may be the home of London’s first theater, it also contains coffin-less graves that filled a large part of the area with a feeling of dread and pestilence.
“Sixty-One Nails & Other Stories” focuses on the obscure rituals that may have taken place in London, many of which were of a deadly and haunting nature. There was purported to be a gift given of six horseshoes and 61 nails that served as payment for the use of a forge. It is an odd ceremony that is still performed each October.
A tongue-in-cheek entry is titled “Post Office Pranks & Other Stories.” The pranks may be humorous, but there is also reference to more diabolical and legendary evil tales, like that of Bleeding Heart Yard and the iconic Tower Ravens. Debunking myths has long been a pastime of Bryant and May, and this section outlines many of those infamous tales that hold their interest.
There is far too much material in this lengthy novel of short, insightful chapters to include in a book review. PECULIAR LONDON is a book to be relished and enjoyed, not only by fans of this quirky crime series but by any reader who appreciates the real history and backstory legends that drive some of the great crime and mystery fiction that utilizes London as a central character. I only hope that this is not the last we hear from the great Bryant and May.
Teaser
It’s getting late. I want to share my knowledge of London with you, if I can remember any of it. So says Arthur Bryant. He and John May are the nation’s oldest serving detectives. Who better to reveal its secrets? Why does this rainy, cold, gray city capture so many imaginations? Could its very unreliability hold the key to its longevity? The detectives are joined by their boss, Raymond Land, and some of their most disreputable friends. Each character gives us a short tour of odd buildings, odder characters, lost venues, forgotten disasters, confusing routes, dubious gossip, illicit pleasures and hidden pubs. They make all sorts of connections --- and show us why it’s almost impossible to separate fact from fiction in London.
Promo
It’s getting late. I want to share my knowledge of London with you, if I can remember any of it. So says Arthur Bryant. He and John May are the nation’s oldest serving detectives. Who better to reveal its secrets? Why does this rainy, cold, gray city capture so many imaginations? Could its very unreliability hold the key to its longevity? The detectives are joined by their boss, Raymond Land, and some of their most disreputable friends. Each character gives us a short tour of odd buildings, odder characters, lost venues, forgotten disasters, confusing routes, dubious gossip, illicit pleasures and hidden pubs. They make all sorts of connections --- and show us why it’s almost impossible to separate fact from fiction in London.
About the Book
Thinking of a jaunt to England? Let Arthur Bryant and John May, London’s oldest police detectives, show you the oddities behind the city’s façades in this tongue-in-cheek travel guide.
It’s getting late. I want to share my knowledge of London with you, if I can remember any of it.
So says Arthur Bryant. He and John May are the nation’s oldest serving detectives. Who better to reveal its secrets? Why does this rainy, cold, gray city capture so many imaginations? Could its very unreliability hold the key to its longevity?
The detectives are joined by their boss, Raymond Land, and some of their most disreputable friends, each an argumentative and unreliable expert in their own dodgy field.
Each character gives us a short tour of odd buildings, odder characters, lost venues, forgotten disasters, confusing routes, dubious gossip, illicit pleasures and hidden pubs. They make all sorts of connections --- and show us why it’s almost impossible to separate fact from fiction in London.
