I love this series…love the characters. What fun to have an entire book of flashback to the aged detectives younger days. I worried that the series would eventually end, as Bryant and May can’t live forever. With the clever returning to earlier cases…I hope this author keeps them alive for many books to come.

I love the Bryant and May series and this one, The Hall of Mirrors, is one of the best. Literate, fast paced, intelligent and fun, this parody of an Agatha Christie country house murder mystery never fails to entertain. Set in the swinging sixties at the beginning of Bryant and May’s career , the mystery is less important than the relationship between Bryant and May, the insights into character and the cultural references. Read it.

A wonderful addition to the series.Love the mystery the investigation going back in time.Always enjoy sitting down with one of these books and entering their time and place, #randomhouse#netgalley

It took two tries and a switch to audio, but I finally managed to enjoy Hall of Mirrors. I like Bryant and May in the present, but when they go back to old cases, the feel is not there, it just does not feel the same, and the characters feel off. But this tale is fun once you get in the 1960's mindset. Bryant and May are guarding a witness at a weekend getaway in the country when they fall into Agatha Christie territory. They are cut-off from help, there is murder, random attacks, lying witnesses and the need to wrap things up and save their careers and the PCU. In the end, they do succeed by relying on their strengths and manage to muddle through. A different, but fun addition to the series.

Mr. Fowler turns the conventions of the genre on their heads; this time the genteel country house weekend and the various motives of greedy house guests intent on currying favor with a rich, reclusive businessman. Run through with humor, the mystery takes a bit of a back seat in comparison to character development and description (which is more the norm than not with regard to the series) which I think is a fair warning for readers who may be looking for a more procedurally- minded detective series. A strong recommend, especially as an entry point into the Bryant and May world.

Christopher Fowler in Bryant & May : Hall of Mirrors turn Bryant and May lose on 1960's crime at a great estate weekend retreat; this is a closed room mystery with all the clues on the faded lordly estate. Classic complicated Bryant and May, but in their youth.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught.

This is book #15 in the Bryant and May series and it takes us back in time to when my favorite old detective dudes were young dudes! It takes place in 1969 London and what I really appreciated was that Fowler maintained the feel of the series, which is quite unique and specific, even though it was taking place in a different time period. I think most fans will find it fun to take a detour into the hippie era with Arthur and John.

Christopher Fowler's entertaining tales of London's legendary Peculiar Crimes Unit don't appear in chronological order, and so Bryant & May: Hall of Mirrors (Ballantine, digital galley) features our heroes -- prehistoric in the 21st century -- still in their prime in 1969. John May, of course, looks debonair in Carnaby Street fashions as he and the sartorially challenged Arthur Bryant go undercover to protect prosecution witness Monty Hatton-Jones. An obnoxious snob, Monty resents the coppers escorting him to a country-house weekend at Tavistock Hall, and ignores their efforts to keep him from getting killed. The atmosphere is more Agatha Christie/P.G. Wodehouse than hippy-dippy, but the assorted cast is suitably eccentric to qualify for Peculiar Crimes' attention, and the ancient butler goes above and beyond in service to his employer. All in all, it's quite a lark.

from On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever

A fun Peculiar Crime Units mystery set in the summer of 1969 peopled with an assortment of golden age type characters including a not to good mystery writer and a drug addicted vicar. Bryant and May's assignment is to keep a witness safe until he can testify against an architect whose buildings are collapsing and killing the residents. The safe location selected is Tavistock Hall, a crumbling great country house which is in the process of being sold to a glove wearing business man for the heir has squandered his inheritance but managed to establish a hippie compound on the grounds. We, also, have military maneuvers going on in the neighborhood due to an error in map reading. A great back drop for murder and mayhem which we get in abundance. A great mystery with a number of twists at the end. This is one of my favorite reads in a long time.

Bryant and May: Hall of Mirrors by Christopher Fowler

This is the fifteenth Bryant and May novel by Christopher Fowler. Fowler appears to have written this book, as an “homage” to Agatha Christie and the other authors of Britain’s golden age of mysteries. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite live up to those brilliant pre-war writers. Granted that Fowler is writing in a very specific genre that is not his usual style, the book is interesting and fits into the customary parameters that are expected.

Keeping all this in mind, the story doesn’t take off until the latter quarter of the book. The story is set-in an old English country mansion, that has seen better days, and is being sold to an American millionaire (oh horror!) Bryant and May are at the mansion, for a weekend’s party, to protect an important witness who is to be in court the following week (all this takes place in a memoir of Bryant’s during the time of “Happening London”.)

Adding to the frivolities is a reclusive millionaire who is buying the “pile”, his wife, his so called ‘mistress’, a mystery writer, the buyer’s lawyer, the Lady of the House and her son. To make things interesting the son has a pet pig, the British and French are having a live fire, international war game, and rain that is so heavy that it floods the countryside. In case that’s not enough, there is a ‘Ashram’ of dope smoking hippies who are supported by the son.

It’s a mediocre addition at best to the series. Fowler does use this story to give those who have read the other fourteen volumes an early look at the partnership of Bryant and May, and explaining how some of the traditional B&M particulars came about; especially Bryant’s scarf and Mini.

Zeb Kantrowitz zebsblog@gmail.com

I happened to pick up the first book in the Bryant and May series a couple of years ago at my local used book shop. The first thing that caught my eye was the interesting and quirky cover.

In a sea of mystery novels the early Bryant and May covers really caught my eye. I would probably have never picked up the books had I not seen these lovely covers.

When I read the first book, the one thing that stood out head and shoulders above the rest was the dead pan banter between the two detectives—they had so much chemistry and it made the story fun to read and the shifting between the younger Bryant and May characters and the now older Bryant and May.

As soon as I was done I went out and bought the next four books in the series because not only did I love the covers but I loved the two detectives. But sadly that’s where things ended for me. I got caught up in other books and other series and just didn’t make my way back to this one for some reason.

Fast forward a few years and here is the 15th book in the series and when it came up for review, I couldn’t pass it up—-mostly because I wanted a quality mystery novel and I knew that author Christopher Fowler wouldn’t disappoint.

London, 1969. With the Swinging Sixties under way, Detectives Arthur Bryant and John May find themselves caught in the middle of a good, old-fashioned manor house murder mystery.

Hard to believe, but even positively ancient sleuths like Bryant and May of the Peculiar Crimes Unit were young once . . . or at least younger. Flashback to London 1969: mods and dolly birds, sunburst minidresses–but how long would the party last?

After accidentally sinking a barge painted like the Yellow Submarine, Bryant and May are relegated to babysitting one Monty Hatton-Jones, the star prosecution witness in the trial of a disreputable developer whose prefabs are prone to collapse. The job for the demoted detectives? Keep the whistle-blower safe for one weekend.

The task proves unexpectedly challenging when their unruly charge insists on attending a party at the vast estate Tavistock Hall. With falling stone gryphons, secret passageways, rumors of a mythical beast, and an all-too-real dismembered corpse, the bedeviled policemen soon find themselves with “a proper country house murder” on their hands.

Trapped for the weekend, Bryant and May must sort the victims from the suspects, including a hippie heir, a blond nightclub singer, and Monty himself–and nobody is quite who he or she seems to be (summary from Goodreads).

Ok so let’s get this out of the way now—I absolutely hate the cover art. It screams Scooby Doo and it just looks like every other cover to me. It blends in and doesn’t in anyway stand out for me. I love the old cover art with the Bantam editions. Had I seen this one in the store I wouldn’t have even known it was a Bryant and May mystery because the other Bantam edition cover art was used throughout much of the series and was so unique and an easily recognizable branding. I was sad to see that they had gone in a different direction with the cover art.

That said, you obviously can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Had I done that I would have missed out on yet another wonderful mystery! While I read the first book, there have been 14 other books between the first book and this one so the question then becomes, would I get lost in this book so late in the series.

One of the brilliant things about this series is that as a reader you can basically pick up any book that you want because each case or book is independent of the others. Bryant and May are older now and basically recounting their former adventures with each book being a different case. So if you missed a book here and there, you really don’t need to worry too much about being lost. I love that about this series!

I love how this series moved through pop culture and history. I recall from the first book how much I loved that the Blitz played a large roll in the mystery and ambiance of the story—-that same approach continues in this book as well except now it’s the 1960s so the historical and pop culture elements are different, but no less important in the story.

This is yet another country house party turned murder mystery and I never grow tired of the plot that Agatha Christie made famous. This is such a quirky whodunnit that I never got bored with the mystery/plot or characters. For me this was another win for Fowler.

The mystery was smart and the characters an odd mix but yet perfectly matched.

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: Hall of Mirrors (Bryant & May #15) by Christopher Fowler

Hardcover, 432 pages
Published December 4th 2018 by Bantam (first published March 22nd 2018)
ISBN
1101887095 (ISBN13: 9781101887097)
Review copy provided by: Publisher/Author in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own
Recommendation: 4 out of 5
Genre: mystery, detective novel
Memorable lines/quotes

In a true change of pace for this series, a much younger duo of Arthur Bryant and John May are found in an unfamiliar setting, 1969 London and a country home in Kent. It’s the swinging ‘60s, a time that May can relate to but Bryant finds too alien. The Manson Family has just committed their horrible crimes as a backdrop on the dissolution of flower power and hippie promise.

In a story that at times betrays aspects of an Agatha Christie novel, Bryant and May attend a country home house party under assumed identities all in the name of their jobs, and gradually find all of their assumptions about the weekend falling apart, as bodies also begin to fall.

While I was initially unsure whether I would like this trip to the past, I ended up enjoying it quite a lot. The 1960s touches were spot on and led to some reminiscing on my part—clothes, music, films, etc seem quite vivid from that time. And witnessing the earlier days of Bryant & May, as their skills were developing, was interesting. The same irreverent humor runs through the story and makes me look forward to whatever Christopher Fowler will come up with next.

Recommended for all Bryant & May readers. Others might want to read one of the other books set near the present day as an introduction to the series before reading this episode.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Bryant & May: Hall of Mirrors is the 15th (!!) book in Christopher Fowler's glorious series featuring an ensemble cast of synergistic misfits. The quality of this series simply can't be overstated. The characters are perfectly drawn and obey believable internal motivations. They're always 'in character'.

This is one of my favorite series. I anticipate each new entry and despite having received review copies, I buy copies and indeed have recommended and gifted books in the series to friends. Although Hall of Mirrors is temporally displaced from most of the rest of the PCU books, the seeds are there for the unfolding of future events.

It was genuinely touching to see the genesis of quirky trademarks like Bryant's pot plant, ratty striped scarf, and hippie-style Mini Victor. I loved seeing Bryant and May doing what they do together.

In exploding the classic English country house mystery, Mr. Fowler provides a perfect blending of tongue in cheek sarcasm, wonderful humor, engaging mystery and fun. I loved seeing Bryant and May trapped in the countryside and as always lying under threat of an administrative sacking for them and the PCU.

This episode of the series could be read as a standalone, however, I strongly recommend starting from one of the 'current' books, especially since this book provides the origin for so many lynchpins of the books released earlier.

As always, the author's research and background are meticulous. I didn't notice any glaring anachronisms. The inconvenience of not having access to internet searches, Wi-Fi, mobile phones and other electronic doo-daddery is clear and present.

This book (and the series as a whole) are sharply funny. They are biting and fast paced and funky and truly superlatively well written.

I recommend this book and the series wholeheartedly.

Five stars.

I challenge anyone who lived in the sixties to not get a Burt Bacharach earworm going on as they read the latest Bryant and May from Christopher Fowler. In “Hall of Mirrors”, Bryant and May take the wayback machine to the sixties, to solve an early crime which sets some deep roots for their further careers. (Although it certainly stands alone, this book is all the richer if you know what develops.) Not nearly as bizarre as some of their cases, this is still an entertaining whodunnit, with a crackpot cast of characters, and plenty of plot twists. Bryant and May, though younger, are every bit as idiosyncratic as in their previous (chronologically later) outings.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hall of Mirrors tells a Christie-style whodunit set in 1969 - a weekend party at a stately country home goes awry when one of the guests is murdered (or is he?), and detectives Arthur Bryant and John May struggle to decipher the truth amid the smoke and mirrors. The resolution of the mystery was unexpected and rather clever.

I've enjoyed all of the Bryant & May series, and this one is particularly enjoyable, as the bulk of the story is set in the 1960s, when the titular detectives were younger men, and there were many references and subtle exposition to the earlier stories. I look forward to more adventures of these two unique detectives

Bryant & May are writing their memoirs, and we are back in 1969. They are out for a walk and see Burlington Bertie, who committed a double murder and pleaded insanity, on a barge when he was supposed to be locked up. They decide to capture him. May grabs a flare gun, and before they know it, an explosion has sunk the barge, and their murderer had disappeared. They almost lose their job, but are assigned a job to take care of Monty Hatton-Jones, who is the primary witness in the trial of a corrupt building the next Monday.

Monty is going to a weekend party at Tavistock Manner in the country. Bryant & May crash the party which isn't quite what they expected. The house is in lousy condition; the Lord who is owner is out of money, a hippie, and drug addict to boot. He has a bunch of hippies living in tents in the yard and a pet pig with a diamond necklace. The house is about to be sold that weekend to a wealthy man, Donald Burke, who doesn't like to be seen. The other house guests include the wealthy man's wife, his mistress, a female crime novelist, a decorator, the local vicar, who is stealing from the church, and the lawyer, who is actually staying at an Inn. To make matters worse, the staff are fairly ancient, and the army has closed off all the access roads for maneuvers. The man who is supposed to help Bryant & May, Fruity the gardener, is missing an arm and a leg.

Early in the game, someone pushes a huge granite gryphon from the roof which hits Monty a glancing blow, not the only accident to befall him. Then, a murder seems to have taken place, and of course no forensic folks can get there. Bryant & May need to walk to the nearest town to make phone calls, since the phone and electricity in the manor isn't working and someone has slashed the tires of all the cars and stolen the keys. So, we have confusion, murder (more than one), and mysterious happenings, and Bryant & May must solve all by themselves. This is a funny book and you will be surprised as the plot thickens.

It’s 1969. Bryant and May are tasked with keeping a witness safe at an English Country House weekend. Unfortunately, the Army has closed the only exit road due to war games. There are nine suspects and more than one potential victim in this Hall of Mirrors.

Hall of Mirrors is the fifteenth entry in the Peculiar Crimes Unit series but the first I’ve read. It is a perfect entry point because it is a prequel of one of Bryant and May’s early cases. London in 1969 sounds like a groovy time, man. The setting of hippies, eastern spirituality and old staunch England all collide with humorous results. This book includes everything but the kitchen sink: mythical creatures, WWI heroes, innovative murder methods and motives. The conclusion was fabulous. I loved this book and will be looking for more from this series. It is highly recommended to armchair detectives and anyone looking for a challenging mystery. 5 stars!

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

"London, 1969. With the Swinging Sixties under way, Detectives Arthur Bryant and John May find themselves caught in the middle of a good, old-fashioned manor house murder mystery.

Hard to believe, but even positively ancient sleuths like Bryant and May of the Peculiar Crimes Unit were young once...or at least younger. Flashback to London 1969: mods and dolly birds, sunburst minidresses - but how long would the party last?

After accidentally sinking a barge painted like the Yellow Submarine, Bryant and May are relegated to babysitting one Monty Hatton-Jones, the star prosecution witness in the trial of a disreputable developer whose prefabs are prone to collapse. The job for the demoted detectives? Keep the whistle-blower safe for one weekend.

The task proves unexpectedly challenging when their unruly charge insists on attending a party at the vast estate Tavistock Hall. With falling stone gryphons, secret passageways, rumors of a mythical beast, and an all-too-real dismembered corpse, the bedeviled policemen soon find themselves with “a proper country house murder” on their hands.

Trapped for the weekend, Bryant and May must sort the victims from the suspects, including a hippie heir, a blond nightclub singer, and Monty himself - and nobody is quite who he or she seems to be."

Yeah to a new Bryant and May! Boo to that cover. Seriously, this series used to have the best covers.

As a long time fan of Bryant & May, I have wondered how much more there could be, given their age. By going back to 1969 and the very early days of PCU, it would appear, quite a lot can be told about this quirky duo. Like a fine wine or a well aged cheese, this team had to get their start someplace. Here is a case from the end of the psychedelic 60's. Bryant & May find themselves in a country house and a mystery. The very thought of these two - as we have come to know them in advanced age - being young and in such a setting is funny right from the start.
Not only is this a homage to the works of Agatha Christie featuring a stately home with a side of murder run amuck, it is also a nice twist on the locked room mystery. Due to events beyond their control, access to the country house is blocked and Bryant & May are on their own to catch the killer. What started out as a rather simple body guard assignment turns sideways when poor Arthur can't remember his alias and soon all pretense of being incognito fly out the window. They have a murder to solve, all on their own. Given what the fans of this delightful series know about these two, it comes as no surprise. It seems that Arthur can't blame his quirks on old age. He may have just plain been born quirky.
While this can be read as a stand alone, I would encourage a reader new to this series to pick up one of the many, equally wonderful, books in the series so that they have something for comparison. If you have come to love the older Bryant & May, this trip back in time will have more impact. Some questions will be answered and we can be assured that, no matter how old Bryant & May become, there might never be an end to their stories.