Bryant & May and the Bleeding Heart by Christopher FowlerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I first came across the Bryant & May novels some years ago at the beginning of their career. Although I had certain reservations about the series, I picked this one up to see how the pair were getting along now.
OMG. There’s probably more London history here per inch of text than in any regular history book. Fowler clearly loves this city, and I was staggered by the sheer amount of research he’s put in, and not just with regard to the myriad settings he makes use of in this book. Want to know how coffins are sealed these days? It’s here. Want to know how magicians make doves appear from thin air? That’s here too (I have a sneaking suspicion Fowler once patronized the same magical supplies shop in Holborn in the late 1980s that I did—stage magic not wicca, I hasten to add; flash paper and silks, not bunches of sage and crystals).
My reservations of old still remain. I don’t respond well to an excess of arcane theories piled one atop another in an effort to create an atmosphere. A little goes a long way if you let it. But that’s my own predilection and maybe my loss, and I would hate to put anyone off reading this because of it. However, on balance I have to say I find Arthur Bryant more annoying than he is endearing (I suspect Fowler means me to), so I was extremely impressed to discover Bryant contemplating his nature and finding himself at fault.
So just how are the pair were getting along now? Quite well really, all things considered.
But that’s just my own humble opinion…what do you think? Do let me know!
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