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lynguy1's review against another edition
4.0
Bryant & May: Oranges and Lemons by Christopher Fowler blends wonderful humor, an odd mix of characters, multiple mysteries, and some London facts and history into a terrific crime novel. When Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Claremont, is injured in an odd accident, the recently disbanded Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) is reassembled for one last case. However, they are going to have to cobble together a work space in their old building since the Home Office’s police liaison CEO, Leslie Faraday, tore it apart after they were disbanded. He tries to derail the PCU at every turn.
The PCU is filled with characters that seem inept at ties, befuddled at other times, and competent at still other times. Somehow, they mesh together and manage to solve cases. Their unit chief is Raymond Land, who is inept with computers and often kept out of the loop. Arthur Bryant and John May are the detective chief inspectors. Arthur’s mind works differently than most peoples’ minds and therefore many don’t understand him or his methods. John provides a counterbalance to Arthur, but he is recovering from a bullet wound. Additional team members fill out the roles of detective inspector, crime scene, detective sergeant, forensic pathologist, and new in this book, an intern. Bryant seems to be the glue that holds the team together, but we also get to see some of the private lives of the secondary characters.
The plot is focused on a British nursery rhyme of Oranges and Lemons and the churches that the rhyme references. Who would have guessed that this could be such an entertaining read? The reader has more information than the investigators in this case, since we get occasional chapters from the antagonist’s point of view that give us motive.
Overall, this is a hilarious, well-written, and original crime drama that kept me entertained and engaged. Additionally, I learned something about London’s history. There are some surprises along the way that keep the story interesting and alive.
I don’t usually start a series with number seventeen, but this one worked well for me as a standalone novel. I am sure that reading the earlier books would provide additional background and add richness to the reading experience and I can’t wait to go back and read them. If you like unique characters, lots of humor, unorthodox crime solving, and lots of humor, then I recommend that you check out this series.
I won a digital copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
The PCU is filled with characters that seem inept at ties, befuddled at other times, and competent at still other times. Somehow, they mesh together and manage to solve cases. Their unit chief is Raymond Land, who is inept with computers and often kept out of the loop. Arthur Bryant and John May are the detective chief inspectors. Arthur’s mind works differently than most peoples’ minds and therefore many don’t understand him or his methods. John provides a counterbalance to Arthur, but he is recovering from a bullet wound. Additional team members fill out the roles of detective inspector, crime scene, detective sergeant, forensic pathologist, and new in this book, an intern. Bryant seems to be the glue that holds the team together, but we also get to see some of the private lives of the secondary characters.
The plot is focused on a British nursery rhyme of Oranges and Lemons and the churches that the rhyme references. Who would have guessed that this could be such an entertaining read? The reader has more information than the investigators in this case, since we get occasional chapters from the antagonist’s point of view that give us motive.
Overall, this is a hilarious, well-written, and original crime drama that kept me entertained and engaged. Additionally, I learned something about London’s history. There are some surprises along the way that keep the story interesting and alive.
I don’t usually start a series with number seventeen, but this one worked well for me as a standalone novel. I am sure that reading the earlier books would provide additional background and add richness to the reading experience and I can’t wait to go back and read them. If you like unique characters, lots of humor, unorthodox crime solving, and lots of humor, then I recommend that you check out this series.
I won a digital copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
jennie_cole's review against another edition
2.0
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.
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.
annieb123's review against another edition
5.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Bryant & May: Oranges and Lemons is the 17th outing for the Peculiar Crimes Unit's own odd couple Arthur Bryant and John May written by Christopher Fowler. Due out 12th Jan 2021 from Penguin Random House on their Ballantine imprint, it's 464 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This series as a whole has been and continues to be my favorite humorous police procedural. The humor is pervasive and the plots are always intelligent and wonky at the same time - so outlandish the solutions of the mysteries seemingly must have a paranormal bent, but they resolve with cleverly mundane skullduggery and "mystery fair play". They're delightful.
I'm a healthcare worker and my days the last year have been filled with stress and sadness. Reading is my escape and a lifeline for myself and many of my colleagues. This was a welcome break in an otherwise hectic time. It's an ensemble cast, so it was great to get a look-in on the returning characters. The author is undeniably talented with character driven plots and really witty repartee and the book flowed along at such a good pace and was so intricately put together that it was a joy to read.
Each of the books works well as a self contained unit, so while I do recommend reading the entire series as a whole, it's not necessary to have done so to enjoy this volume. This would make a superlative choice for readers of crime fiction, police procedurals, and British crime. Wonderful book. Five enthusiastic stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
Bryant & May: Oranges and Lemons is the 17th outing for the Peculiar Crimes Unit's own odd couple Arthur Bryant and John May written by Christopher Fowler. Due out 12th Jan 2021 from Penguin Random House on their Ballantine imprint, it's 464 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This series as a whole has been and continues to be my favorite humorous police procedural. The humor is pervasive and the plots are always intelligent and wonky at the same time - so outlandish the solutions of the mysteries seemingly must have a paranormal bent, but they resolve with cleverly mundane skullduggery and "mystery fair play". They're delightful.
I'm a healthcare worker and my days the last year have been filled with stress and sadness. Reading is my escape and a lifeline for myself and many of my colleagues. This was a welcome break in an otherwise hectic time. It's an ensemble cast, so it was great to get a look-in on the returning characters. The author is undeniably talented with character driven plots and really witty repartee and the book flowed along at such a good pace and was so intricately put together that it was a joy to read.
Each of the books works well as a self contained unit, so while I do recommend reading the entire series as a whole, it's not necessary to have done so to enjoy this volume. This would make a superlative choice for readers of crime fiction, police procedurals, and British crime. Wonderful book. Five enthusiastic stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
sten1238's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jrenee's review against another edition
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
alrey's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
timemm's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.5
sharonfalduto's review against another edition
5.0
I'm a big fan of this series, and this book was an especially good entry. A killer is targeting seemingly random people, and seems to be using the "Oranges and Lemons" poem to center the deaths (Oranges and Lemons/say the bells of St. Clements etc). Leslie Faraday has sent someone to "sit in" on the PCU to keep an eye on them; the unit, having nearly been disbanded before being brought back together for one last case, is in even more disarray--the floorboards are missing in some places, in spite of the two Daves' efforts. Funny and a twisty mystery, as usual.
vsbedford's review against another edition
2.0
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 ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.