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jonathanrobert's review
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jwoodsum's review against another edition
4.0
Continue to love this series. This one is set in 1973 Britain - a little mind-bending to read a series which appears out of chronological order, but a lot of fun as well.
craftsy_auri's review against another edition
4.0
Took long too read, annoying library wouldn't lent it to me again within three weeks. But I liked it. Many strange deaths, a very annoying family which is big and rich, not willing to help by providing information or behaving. Two interesting detectives very unlike each other and a girl who has apparently nothing to do with it.
This was a very long and interesting mystery. Until almost the end there are many questions and many theories. The plot is very original and I wouldn't have thought of that option, like the detectives themselves.
I enjoyed reading it. The next one is already lying on my bed.
This was a very long and interesting mystery. Until almost the end there are many questions and many theories. The plot is very original and I wouldn't have thought of that option, like the detectives themselves.
I enjoyed reading it. The next one is already lying on my bed.
lowlife121's review against another edition
4.0
By now, it's a foregone conclusion that I'm going to enjoy any Bryant and May book, even an absurd one as this.
Seventy-Seven Clocks starts out with a framing device, where Bryant recollects to his biographer one of their many cases, this one set in the 70s during London's blackout. The setting is perfect - a distinguished English family is being terrorized by unknown assailants and Bryant and May are the only ones (of course) to solve the mystery.
The outcome of this novel may hinge on how much you can suspend disbelief. Even Fowler mentions the absurdity of this novel in another B&M book by saying that Bryant embellished a lot of elements of the story. But I loved it. The ties to Victorian and Industrial London hit the right buttons for me and the book really felt like a good balance between the supernatural and the logical (think Indiana Jones).
It's a pretty taught, suspenseful story and you'll grow to hate most of the Whitstables during the course of the novel. Which endears you more and more to Bryant and his quirky ways of dealing with murders.
I think Seventy-Seven Clocks is considered to be one of the worst B&M mysteries, but I loved it simply because it's such a peculiarity of the series (see what I did there?) and it's nice to see the detectives not talking about being old all the time (although it still happens quite a bit in this story).
Seventy-Seven Clocks starts out with a framing device, where Bryant recollects to his biographer one of their many cases, this one set in the 70s during London's blackout. The setting is perfect - a distinguished English family is being terrorized by unknown assailants and Bryant and May are the only ones (of course) to solve the mystery.
The outcome of this novel may hinge on how much you can suspend disbelief. Even Fowler mentions the absurdity of this novel in another B&M book by saying that Bryant embellished a lot of elements of the story. But I loved it. The ties to Victorian and Industrial London hit the right buttons for me and the book really felt like a good balance between the supernatural and the logical (think Indiana Jones).
It's a pretty taught, suspenseful story and you'll grow to hate most of the Whitstables during the course of the novel. Which endears you more and more to Bryant and his quirky ways of dealing with murders.
I think Seventy-Seven Clocks is considered to be one of the worst B&M mysteries, but I loved it simply because it's such a peculiarity of the series (see what I did there?) and it's nice to see the detectives not talking about being old all the time (although it still happens quite a bit in this story).
lithimna's review against another edition
4.0
This book was better than the previous mystery in the series, The Water Room, but not quite as awesome as the first book - Full Dark House.
chrissweeting's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
dgrachel's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Compulsively readable without being fluffy or oppressively dark, this is a well-crafted, clever, complex mystery. I love Bryant and May, especially the way they complement each other. There are just a couple of plot points that felt unnecessary and I think the book could have done without them, but overall, this was a really enjoyable read.
mike_brough's review against another edition
4.0
Not the best of the Bryant and May books. The plot, or the device, is too far-fetched. Still fantastic writing and fantastic reading.
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
Octogenarian detectives Arthur Bryant and John May are back in their third outing in the Peculiar Crimes Unit series and, while set in 1973, readers get a look back to discover how the pair became partners during World War II. As usual, the crimes that they are called upon to solve are peculiar indeed--a lawyer is found dead in a hotel lobby from a snake bite, a pre-Raphaelite painting in the National Gallery is vandalized by a man in Edwardian garb, a suspect explodes, make-up becomes toxic, and a starving tiger is a member of the cast. As usual, a good time is had by all.