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jonathanrobert's review against another edition
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
redshoeson's review against another edition
4.0
Bryant and May have done it again. That is to say, the Peculiar Crimes Unit is fast becoming my new favorite series. A dead woman is discovered, fully clothed, sitting in her living room. At first the case seems open and shut - until the body is moved and water pours out of the dead woman's mouth. Suddenly Bryant and May are thrust into a mystery involving the four elements, Druidism, Egyptian artifacts, and much, much more. Definitely recommend this one - another that kept me guessing till the end.
nancy33's review against another edition
5.0
It was a charming and interesting book. Thank you to my Mom for suggesting it!
jwoodsum's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really enjoying this series. In addition to the great characters (the elderly detectives, Bryant & May) and their usual sidekicks, The Water Room offers inriguing information about the history of London's "lost rivers", that is rivers that have been built over but which still flood during periods of heavy rain.
jo_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Arthur Bryant and John May are peculiar detectives and head up the Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) which is now after being blown up in the first book, housed in offices above the tube at Mornington Crescent. They have been working together since the Second World War and have yet to retire despite their age but not their experience. Along the way they have picked up some misfits of their own both in and out of uniform and they have become a fairly eclectic mix of people to be able solve 'peculiar' crimes. There is still some disagreement about who runs the unit; the Metropolitan Police or the Home Office or in fact Arthur Bryant himself with his own reasons and motives.
No more peculiar than what is found at 5 Balaklava Street, an elderly woman sat in a chair in her basement bathroom - dead. Her mouth is full of river water? How can that be when she and the bathroom are completely dry? The street opens up a tributary of characters and with a handy map at the front of the book (very Agatha Christie) we get to see how the story unfolds and how the PCU are drawn into a case that has not been allocated to them or is in fact in their jurisdiction.
As the body count grows it becomes a race against time and tide for it all to be solved. The unit's survival depends on it as they enter the secret world under London. This is not the criminal underworld but the water underworld where the lost underground of rivers of London are converge at one key place The Water Room. Where is the Water Room and what has a fire got to do with it and then a builder is found dead buried in earth? But an academic searching for something underground where a tramp is also hiding.
As the book progresses at a sedate pace for a greater part we begin to form ideas and clues as to what is happening. Bryant and May provide their pecuilarness to the PCU in the way they handle the case - rationally and with facts in May's case or unconventional gut instinct and with strange acquaintances and friends who can shed some light on the underground waters of the streets of London.
There is no make believe here with Fowler, he has clearly done his research as these places do exist and this made it a very fascinating read with what I felt a somewhat 'Da Vinci Code' plot weaved in to make it that little bit more challenging for the detectives but also thrilling for us as readers.
This is the second Bryant and May novel and I heartedly recommend this and the first, as previous reviews have mentioned it is worth reading them in order as there are references to the first book. And again, I did nearly give up as I did with the first but by persevering I then spent as much time as I could once the pace does pick up and the rain continues to fall on all the characters and the water moves with some revealing consequences.
For those who love crime, mystery and history with a quirkiness. Then I suggest you seek out Christopher Fowler and sit back and enjoy.
No more peculiar than what is found at 5 Balaklava Street, an elderly woman sat in a chair in her basement bathroom - dead. Her mouth is full of river water? How can that be when she and the bathroom are completely dry? The street opens up a tributary of characters and with a handy map at the front of the book (very Agatha Christie) we get to see how the story unfolds and how the PCU are drawn into a case that has not been allocated to them or is in fact in their jurisdiction.
As the body count grows it becomes a race against time and tide for it all to be solved. The unit's survival depends on it as they enter the secret world under London. This is not the criminal underworld but the water underworld where the lost underground of rivers of London are converge at one key place The Water Room. Where is the Water Room and what has a fire got to do with it and then a builder is found dead buried in earth? But an academic searching for something underground where a tramp is also hiding.
As the book progresses at a sedate pace for a greater part we begin to form ideas and clues as to what is happening. Bryant and May provide their pecuilarness to the PCU in the way they handle the case - rationally and with facts in May's case or unconventional gut instinct and with strange acquaintances and friends who can shed some light on the underground waters of the streets of London.
There is no make believe here with Fowler, he has clearly done his research as these places do exist and this made it a very fascinating read with what I felt a somewhat 'Da Vinci Code' plot weaved in to make it that little bit more challenging for the detectives but also thrilling for us as readers.
This is the second Bryant and May novel and I heartedly recommend this and the first, as previous reviews have mentioned it is worth reading them in order as there are references to the first book. And again, I did nearly give up as I did with the first but by persevering I then spent as much time as I could once the pace does pick up and the rain continues to fall on all the characters and the water moves with some revealing consequences.
For those who love crime, mystery and history with a quirkiness. Then I suggest you seek out Christopher Fowler and sit back and enjoy.
mehitabels's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, how I wish they would take this story and turn it into a movie.
Descriptively wonderful, crotchety old men, the type of mystery where you constantly think you have it figured out, but NO.
Adorable.
Descriptively wonderful, crotchety old men, the type of mystery where you constantly think you have it figured out, but NO.
Adorable.
whichthreewords's review against another edition
3.0
A little too much telling instead of showing, but a nicely twisty plot and good characters.
lowlife121's review against another edition
4.0
The second entry in the Bryant and May series starts almost exactly where the first book left off. This one was a slow burner for me. It took a while to get into, but the final 100 pages are brilliant. Sure, there's an exhausting monologue explaining nearly everything in the end to wrap things up (but not so neatly), but it felt earned in this book.
Bryant is even more witty and funny in this book than before and May really doesn't have a lot to do in this book except sigh exasperatingly and follow his partner. Whereas the other characters in the book start to develop - there's a few new additions to the team and hopefully they'll develop more in the next few books because they barely get thrown any decent background in this book.
The Water Room is a fun mystery, but the real gem here is finding out about the underground rivers and blighted history of London through the eyes of Bryant. If you're a fan of history and weird eccentricities of city life, then this is a book for you. There are a lot of characters thrown into this book that it is hard to keep track of, but by the end some of the revelations about each character make it worth the read itself. Particularly the homeless man known as Tate - who has a mysterious past that the whole plot hinges on - his story was very fun to discover.
Hard to get into, but easy to enjoy at the end, The Water Room may not be as clever as it wants to be, but it's a fun read nevertheless.
Bryant is even more witty and funny in this book than before and May really doesn't have a lot to do in this book except sigh exasperatingly and follow his partner. Whereas the other characters in the book start to develop - there's a few new additions to the team and hopefully they'll develop more in the next few books because they barely get thrown any decent background in this book.
The Water Room is a fun mystery, but the real gem here is finding out about the underground rivers and blighted history of London through the eyes of Bryant. If you're a fan of history and weird eccentricities of city life, then this is a book for you. There are a lot of characters thrown into this book that it is hard to keep track of, but by the end some of the revelations about each character make it worth the read itself. Particularly the homeless man known as Tate - who has a mysterious past that the whole plot hinges on - his story was very fun to discover.
Hard to get into, but easy to enjoy at the end, The Water Room may not be as clever as it wants to be, but it's a fun read nevertheless.