Bryant & May

Full Dark House
Christopher Fowler

genre: mystery
series: Bryant & May
pages: 356
rating: ***1/2

Full Dark House, is the first Bryant and May Mystery.  (It's always nice to read the first in the series.)  The pair work in the Peculiar Crimes Unit.  This book parallels Bryant and May's first case with what could be there last case.  There first case took place in 1940's London, during the Blitz, as the pair investigate the death of a dancer at a local theater.  Then 60 years later their office explodes and Bryant is inside.  The stories are interwoven as May remembers the old case and tries to solve the new one.

Bryant & May are a cross between the odd couple and ghost busters.  Bryant is an ardent believer in all things paranormal and May is the light of reality, sort of.  They are loads of fun to read.  Both characters are smart, witty, and adept at thinking out of the box.  I really enjoyed reading reading the book, for the characters and for the historical aspect.  I have never read much on life during the blitz.  This is a work of fiction, but it seems well researched.  I can't imagine living through the constant fear of bombs falling from the sky.  Supporting characters are just as interesting and well developed as the main characters.  A few times I did have to pull the dictionary out to look up words, that's not a bad thing.  I'm not sure if it is because it was set in the 40s or because it is British.  The only negative I have to mention is that when Fowler switches from past investigation to present, sometimes it was hard to tell when, in time, things were happening. 

Regardless, it was a fun read, not necessarily a fast read, but full of interesting characters and a good plot.


-Caren