Wild Chamber by Christopher Fowler

BRYANT & MAY: WILD CHAMBER by Christopher Fowler is number 14 in a series of mysteries involving London’s Peculiar Crimes Unit.  It’s fun and light-hearted, set in contemporary London, with this one involving murders in some of London’s parks – the wild chambers of the title. Fowler has won acclaim and awards for this series, although WILD CHAMBER was the first I had read.

Bryant and May are long time partners and the former is especially eccentric, with a long list of equally bizarre acquaintances and a tendency towards hallucinations. At one point his supervisor tells him, “You can do some proper police work for a change and be a bit more realistic, instead of spending all of your time rooting about in filthy old books and talking to autistic academics.” I love Bryant’s response: “Reality is for those who lack imagination …” And his colleagues clearly respect him and hold him in affection, often joining him for a pint at a local pub. That’s one of the places where Fowler has fun with his readers, since the characters imbibe local brews such as Camden Liver Damage and Farmer's Arse Best Bitter. One can’t help but smile and enjoy the surprises in this solid mystery which received starred reviews from both Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.