Reviews

Bryant & May and the Burning Man by Christopher Fowler

geekwayne's review against another edition

5.0

'Bryant & May and the Burning Man' is the 12th book in the series. Christopher Fowler has a great series going with no signs of slowing down.

It's the week before Guy Fawkes Night and a new financial scandal has protestors out in the streets in large crowds. Hidden among the rioters is a murderer, hiding his crimes in fire. The first victim is a homeless man killed by accident when a building is set on fire. When others begin to die, it looks like someone has an agenda. The problem is that there doesn't seem to be anything linking them together. Further complicating things are Bryant's quirky style which seems to leave him faltering a bit more. Can the Peculiar Crimes Unit stay open and solve the case?

I haven't read too many books in this series, but I love the ones I've read. I love the oddball inellectuals who have their own way of sniffing out criminals. I love Bryant's meandering knowledge that almost always leads to cracking a case, and May's steady support and dependence. I have more of these to read and I can't wait.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

jonathanrobert's review

funny mysterious 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

pinecone_mushroom's review against another edition

4.0

I had problems following it by the end; this often happens to me with the Bryant & May books. I don't know that that detracts from the pleasure of reading them.

doodlebuginarug's review

adventurous 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? It's complicated

5.0

debjazzergal's review against another edition

I really enjoy the quirkiness of this series.

rhexis's review against another edition

5.0

I was going to give this 4 stars until the last couple of minutes. A funny and imaginative story of murder and mayhem morphs into an examination of loss, of forgetting who you are and what you can contribute. A must read.

jmhobson's review against another edition

4.0

I love this series. Even though it seems like it's gotten formulaic, the end of this made me tear up a little.

henrismum's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
#12 in series (I started reading this series in November of 2017 and I have been committed to this series since June 2021.)
Will I read other installments? Probably Not Maybe Definitely I will follow this series through the end.
Comparison to others in series: Not as good About the same Better These stories are always amazing, but the emotional sentiment in this edition was good, and it was sad.
The narrator was Tim Goodman. Up to the usual high standards.
Source: LA Library

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Kidnapping, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder

judyward's review against another edition

4.0

I simply love this series featuring Arthur Bryant and John May and I hope that it goes on forever. Anyone who loves both mysteries and the British sense of humor will be delighted with the Bryant and May books. But please read them in order to fully appreciate the relationships that develop.

sten1238's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny informative mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0