Another fantastic adventure with the Peculiar Crimes Unit - well plotted out with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end

How can an author keep a series about elderly detectives fresh for this long?! The characters are like visiting old friends and each new plot has unique angles and surprising twists. This is a great addition to a thoroughly enjoyable series.

This is the first Bryant & May that seems a bit gassed - there's a lot of reworking of situations and tics and quirks and bits and bobs that started to feel like treading water rather than plot movement or character development. Odd connections are made, Bryant is kind of an asshole, May has thoughts about aging, Janice is loyal, Raymond is a wet rag, etc. I limped my way to the end but this is a hard one to recommend (especially if you are jumping into the series; my suggestion is not to do that as you will be exceptionally lost); completists may enjoy but new readers may want to jump backwards a few titles.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. This book 17 in this series. I would recommend reading the first book to be introduced to the characters better. But overall since this is the first book by Christopher Fowler that I have read it is about 3 stars. But I would recommend to anyone and everyone. It is in stores now for $28.99 (USD).

I really enjoyed this story... it's funny, satirical, and suspenseful. Bryant and May have such a great odd couple chemistry, as does the rest of those in the peculiar crimes unit. I do have to admit, I think I missed a book somewhere in here, I don't remember May getting shot. I may need to go back and reread a few to catch up. There is a new character in the mix, Sidney. I loved her, she is the perfect compliment to both Bryant and May, in regards to Bryant, more of a mirror image... their interactions were hilarious.

I found the folklore and nursery rhymes regarding the oranges and lemons song with the multiple versions mentioned throughout including the churches and meanings behind each interesting. I definitely didn't see the ending coming as with all the Bryant and May books. I love books like this, ones where you can't figure out the twists until the end.

I highly recommend!

This is book 17 in the Bryant & May series and as a note if you have never read another of the series the character relationships and a decent amount of the story has no context. I made this mistake. There is no real back fill of the past story lines so you feel throughout the book like you are missing the inside joke.

Now with that said the story was interesting and I think mostly because it centers around a nursery rhyme that as and American I am not familiar with. Also the main character Arthur Bryant is so quirky that you can't help but be intrigued by him.

While the book was interesting the fact that it was so far into the series that there were large parts I did not understand. It might be best to read the other 16 novels first.

This was very entertaining! I was drawn in by the cover and, though this was the first I'd read in the series, it was easy to follow.

This is a sparkling addition to the Bryant & May, Peculiar Crimes Unit novels.

After their most recent shutdown, while their offices are actually being remodeled, news comes of a new case, a temporary reprieve. What follows is a complex case which takes them across London following the lyrics of a very old song about London church bells. Once again, Bryant is at his somewhat off kilter best, as he needs to be as May is still recuperating after their last "outing."

I think this may be one of my favorites in the series. All of our favorite members of the crew are along for another rather crazy ride. I'm already looking forward to the next volume in this excellent series.

A solid 5* for Oranges and Lemons (Bryant & May #17).

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

I was delighted to be able to read this episode of Bryant and May. The old crowd returns with a new addition and we also have a multitude of quirky characters to contend with. It was wonderful!
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I would like to wander around Christopher Fowler's mind sometime, if such a thing could be managed. What fascinating nooks and crannies there must be in it, just based on this fiendish new mystery involving senior detectives Arthur Bryant and John May. The latter is still in hospital after being shot by a woman which he had a relationship with, the former has disappeared, and the Peculiar Crimes Unit is finally being broken up.

Until the Speaker of the House of Commons is killed in a bizarre accident involving crates of oranges, and the PCU is reassembled not to solve the crime, but to look into the man himself and his state of mind at the time of death. But Arthur Bryant, as always, sees something in the event that no one else does, and when another mysterious death takes place, he comes to believe that someone is following the old nursery rhyme "Oranges and Lemons," meaning more deaths will come. The reinstated PCU faces more hurdles than usual: their former headquarters is in worse shambles than it's ever been, their titular head Raymond Land is on the verge of collapse, and they've had an observer (read: "spy") foisted off on them, not to mention they've been joined by a curious young intern. And, as in all of their investigations, things tend to go wrong; this time their quarry seems to always be one step ahead of them. Certainly the culprit seems to be a master of misdirection.

Our protagonists are also on journeys of discovery in this volume, Bryant trying to overcome his inability to empathize with people, May to get over his gunshot wounds and come to terms with possibly facing charges due to a personal relationship. The addition of Sidney Hargreaves to the PCU mix adds another layer

This is one of the more random stories in this series. The PCU has been disbanded and their building is about to be sold or torn down. Captain Land has retired to his country place, and the rest of the crew are waiting around to be reassigned. The Speaker of the English Parliament is almost killed in a street accident with a fruit truck that is unloading. Normally this would be a PCU case because it's thought that the Speaker might have caused to accident, but there is no PCU.

Land is ordered back to service by his superiors who want this problem solved. Is there something wrong with the Speaker?? But then there are two more murders that seem to be tied to old nursery rhymes that involved old London Churches and fruit. There are absolutely no connections between the people who have been hurt and killed.

May is still recovering from being shot and Bryant seems to be no where to be found. The rest of the Unit are all over the place and under different jurisdiction. As can be expected, when Bryant finally shows up things really get out of hand and out of reality. Interesting concept.

This book is another ingenious compilation of different story elements this time including nursery rhymes, a walking tour guide of London neighborhoods and segments of the murder’s book to name a few. This is another Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery solved by Bryant’ “whose face looks like an apple someone left on a warm windowsill...” and May. Hopefully the reader will Google some of the elements in the book. So you’ll have the enjoyment of a good mystery but, also, have fun learning stuff. Happily it ended with “Bryant and May will return”. I can’t wait.

Christopher Fowler has produced another delightful installment in the adventure of Bryant and May. Excellent characterization and an engaging plot.

When a prominent politician is crushed by a fruit van making a delivery, detectives Arthur Bryant and John May, along with their Peculiar Crimes Unit team, overcome the odds to reunite the PCU and solve the case. As the book begins, the PCU no longer exists due to events in the last book. This is the first book I've read in this series and I had no trouble beginning here, though there are major spoilers for the book immediately prior.

The plot is outrageous, fast moving, and intelligent. The characters are just as outrageous, funny and often endearing. Longtime readers will be particularly excited by the unmasking of some team member secrets that will affect the PCU moving forward. The author uses sarcasm and satire to comment on the world and skewer societal norms and problems, such as classism, sexism and racism. Some of this didn't work for me and content warnings are below.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own. #mystery #BryantMayOrangesandLemons









Content Warnings: uncountered use of a racial slur and ableism. But with chapter titles like "Old White Males," perhaps this is to be expected.

The adventures of the Peculiar Crime Unit never grow old. This is the 18th in the series and still the crimes and their solutions are intriguing, multi-faceted and always offer a surprise you never expect. Oranges & Lemons requires all of Bryant's convoluted thought processes.
The cast of reoccurring characters is joined by two new comers. There are a couple of surprises involving the some of the characters and some hilarious scenes involving a drone. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this delightful addition to the series.

Leave it to octogenarian Arthur Bryant to intuit that a British nursery rhyme is at the heart of a series of murders.

"Oranges and Lemons." book 19 in Christopher Fowler's Bryant & May canon, takes readers on tours to each London neighborhood where a church mentioned in the rhyme is located.

As usual, the conclusion is satisfying, almost as much fun as the journey.

As usual, the Peculiar Crimes Unit is in danger of being shut down.

As frequent, Bryant is missing. He turns up at the Golden Buddha Temple, the latest in a string of spiritual harbors where he has sought to learn how to empathize with the common man. At the end of the previous book, partner John May is in the hospital and Bryant cannot forgive him. Just as the temple master expels Bryant, the detective resolves to show May how much his partner means to him.

Reunited, the two return to the unit to solve another peculiar crime.

Bam! Pow! Wow! This is a rollicking good book. I have read many of the Bryant & May books but I think I enjoyed this one the most. This series is so well written - there is real humor, each of the characters remains true to their persona, the mystery and murders are always creative and the setting is up to date. I especially enjoyed the juxtaposition of the generations represented in this book and the challenges faced by the “older” generation in dealing with technology. But of course, Bryant and May prevail using their own wits and their own tools, not requiring any of the gadgets and technology available. I did begin to suspect who the murderer was and the surprise ending but I still thoroughly enjoyed reading to the very last page! I received an advance copy of this book through Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Suspend disbelief and go along for the ride! Great fun with the nonlinear thinking Arthur Bryant and his more staid friend John May. A new intern gives as good as she gets...Mr. Bryant may have met his match. Great fun, as always.

The Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) is being closed down. Arthur Bryant has disappeared, and John May is in the hospital after being shot. The building is being emptied. Then, the Speaker of the House of Commons walks from his apartment behind a fruit van, and disappears. He is found under a pile of oranges and lemons and their crates with a stave in his stomach. He isn't dead, but his wife insists he go to Scotland to recuperate. The government is concerned about his state of mind, so they revitalize the PCU to study the case.

Meanwhile, they bring Raymond Land back from the Isle of Wight and bring back other employees including Bryant & May eventually. Bryant is asked by the wife of the owner to look into the case of a bookstore which has recently been burned. The owner supposedly committed suicide in jail after being booked for arson. Then there is another murder at a church. Oranges and lemons remind them of an old nursery rhyme which names several London churches. Members of the PCU keep watching at the right places, but still miss the action. They are suspicious of a very wealthy business man who is difficult to pin down.

Bryant & May continue their questioning, including a magician, and witch, academics and politicians. As the story nears the end, they find the culprit has one of their own in his claws, and all the loose ends are tied up.

As in the prior books, it is both amusing and clever. I thank Netgalley and Bantam Books for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

Bryant & May: ORANGES AND LEMONS: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery
Christopher Fowler
Bantam Books
ISBN-13: 978-0525485926
Hardcover
Mystery/Police Procedural/Humor

Anyone who enjoys reading should have a complete set of the Bryant & May books within arm’s reach at all times. There is literally something for everyone in each and every volume of this clever, informative, and above all entertaining series. Author Christopher Fowler was already a veteran craftsman when he created this wondrous British sub-universe a couple of decades ago and somehow meets and exceeds expectations with each new installment. It doesn’t get any better than this.

This is especially true of ORANGES AND LEMONS, the latest in the Peculiar Crimes Unit (“PCU”) series. The PCU is a specialized London police team originally created in the 1940s to investigate, umm, peculiar crimes that might roil British society if gone unsolved or unchecked. For “peculiar crimes” think of what John Steed and Emma Peel faced in The Avengers television series in the 1960s. Arthur Bryant and John May are the team constants, the oddest of something-genarian odd couples. Bryant is a logically illogical technophobe who somehow manages to carry in his voluminous coats and satchels candies which haven’t been manufactured for decades as well as the odd tool at the most opportune moments. May is his steady, logical foil. They are the tip of a spear comprised of oddball law-enforcement misfits who somehow manage to solve case after case, even while seemingly constantly being on the edge of disbandment by the higher-ups.

Indeed, ORANGES AND LEMONS begins with May in the hospital recuperating from a near-fatal injury, Bryant off of the grid, and the PCU and its offbeat headquarters officially shut down. Events overtake them, however, when one of England’s most prominent politicians is severely injured in what first appears to be a bizarre accident involving a delivery truck and crates of fruit. The PCU is reunited for the sole purpose of investigating the victim’s mental state at the time of the incident but, as is its wont, the unit wanders far off its mission when Bryant almost immediately discovers that the injuries incurred were not a result of an accident at all. Subsequent attacks are visited upon seemingly unrelated individuals with greater success with the question being not only “who” but also “why.” As if that were not enough for PCU’s plate, Bryant engages on a frolic more or less of his own as he investigates the suicide of a bookstore owner whose shop was deliberately destroyed by fire. There is a good, old-fashioned, puzzling mystery at the heart of ORANGES AND LEMONS, one whose solution can be sorted out to some degree by examining elements of antiquity, but the pure unadulterated joy of this volume and the ones that precede it rests on the development and interaction of the characters. As complex, interesting, and funny as Bryant and May might be, the primary protagonist here is the city of London itself, both historically and geographically. Fowler, through Bryant, conducts a historical travelogue in the narrative, one which fascinates and informs, all the while shooting droll one-liners through the pages in rapid-style fashion. While you will be curious to see how things get sorted out, you will also tap your reading brakes so you won’t miss any of the scenery as you head toward the conclusion.

Fans of this series have often wondered why it has never been adapted for a television series. Just so. There are a number of excellent British actors of requisite age --- late seventies to early eighties --- who could play the part of Bryant or May against type, and, to my mind, do it quite well. It could not be done without Fowler, however, whose literary magic shines through, and remarkably so, on every single page. Strongly recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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