The Peculiar Crimes Unit, featuring the incredibly dynamic and often absurd detectives Arthur Bryant and John May, is one of the finest and most unique mystery series ever created. I have read each and every adventure, and somehow Christopher Fowler continues to best himself. He is a wordsmith, and his descriptions of the often-surreal happenings in these books are second to none. To help prove my point, here’s the opening sentence of his latest effort: “May in Regent’s Park could put a spring in the step of a corpse.”

LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN opens from the Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) side with a letter of farewell to the staff from Chief Raymond Land. This is an especially clever bit of plot device usage by Fowler as he gives a brief summary of each member of the PCU, instantly making the novel accessible to newcomers of the series.

"LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN is just another example of how endlessly clever Christopher Fowler is. The plots to these 'peculiar' cases just seem to get increasingly bizarre, which is so refreshing."

With Land’s departure, the future of the PCU remains up in the air. But this does not stop them, especially senior detectives and department stalwarts Bryant and May. The case they initially are dealing with involves 91-year-old Amelia Hoffman, who was found dead in her top floor flat where she lived alone. Fowler never misses out on an opportunity to take a swipe at modern-day social norms and any inequity to be found within said society.

It is no surprise when our favorite chaps find an unlikely connection between Amelia and a diplomat who is trying to flee the country. Amazingly, that is not the peculiar part of this mystery. That is reserved for the connection they make between Amelia and a group of other “faceless, invisible” older women who lead seemingly sedentary lives while being connected to a huge secret that could rock the very foundations of London society and its government.

Oh, and all of these women happen to have model replicas of the famed London Bridge in their homes. It will now take Bryant, May and each member of the PCU to utilize all the contacts and informants they have to help uncover a plot that leads to the very alleyways in and around London Bridge, where the clock is counting down in their efforts to take down a brilliant killer.

LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN is just another example of how endlessly clever Christopher Fowler is. The plots to these “peculiar” cases just seem to get increasingly bizarre, which is so refreshing. This series is unlike any you will ever experience, and you never know which direction Fowler is taking his PCU team next.