When Christopher Fowler announced that he was to write a series of books based around his repeating characters, Detectives Bryant and May of the Metropolitan Police's Peculiar Crimes Unit, I was initially quite excited. A couple of books later, however, I was less enthusiastic. "Full Dark House", the first of these books, was not amongst Fowler's better works and the second, "Seventy Seven Clocks" was merely a slightly edited version of his earlier novel "Darkest Day", which had also not counted among my favourites.So it was that I approached "The Water Room" with a degree of trepidation. As a long time fan of Fowler, I was not put off enough not to buy the book, but I was a little worried about what I may find within.The PCU is recovering from the events of "Full Dark House" when Bryant is approached by an old friend, Benjamin Singh, who has recently discovered the dead body of his sister Ruth. Ruth apparently drowned whilst sitting upright in her own kitchen, fully clothed. This is the kind of conundrum that Bryant loves and he agrees to help his old friend. Meanwhile, May is also approached by an old friend, as her husband is acting suspiciously and, she fears, illegally, digging around some of the missing underground rivers that run beneath much of London.Initially, the death of Ruth Singh, whilst strange, is not something peculiar enough to keep Bryant and May as busy as their boss would like and he's keen to get them involved in other, more lucrative cases. However, people keep dying in Balaklava Street and there is a strange tramp who keeps hanging around. Is he responsible, or is it another resident of the street, all of whom seem to have a slightly shady past or present. No-one is entirely above suspicion and it is possible that no-one is completely safe.After the last couple of Bryant and May novels, Fowler has returned to his strengths with The Water Room". His books were always intermingled with a fascinating glimpse at the history of London and with most of the underground rivers that feature heavily in the story having vanished during Victorian times, mostly being incorporated into the newly built sewer system, he gets his chance to show off his knowledge. As with much of Fowler's work, there is a history lesson mixed in with the mystery, which was missing from much of his previous books and it makes a welcome return.Fowler appears to have gotten more used to writing with Bryant and May. Although they have always been old, Bryant has become more of a grumpy and bumbling old fool than ever before and he is the major character this time, much like May was in "Full Dark House". Fowler has grown into him and there are some very funny insults coming from his mouth this time around which, while not enough to make him a comedy character, do give him more depth and make the whole story a lot more fun to read. For the first time, I found myself rooting for the two detectives, whereas previous novels didn't really give me enough incentive to care too much.Whilst playing to his strengths, Fowler has also managed to pay attention to what I always thought was his major weakness, in closing the book better than many of his others. Whilst it's perhaps a little formulaic in terms of mystery novels, he closes with a bit more style than usual, instead of dragging things out for too long, which has long been a failing of the author. This time around, one of the books funnier lines is saved for the end, meaning you can end this book with a smile on your face, rather than wishing he would get on with it, as has been the case many times before.The one slight downside to "The Water Room" is that it does help to have read other Fowler works beforehand. There are references back to previous cases, one that has been referred to many time over the years, but the fan will also pick up asides to three or four of his previous novels. Indeed, the whole book is designed to follow on directly from events of "Full Dark House". It is not essential to have read any of Fowler's previous novels, even the Bryant and May ones, as "The Water Room" could stand alone, but some of the references may confuse those who have not.I wouldn't count "The Water Room" as Fowler's best work, but it's certainly his best Bryant and May novel. After several attempts, the main characters are far more likeable and London's history firmly back in place as an integral part of the novel and an uncharacteristically decent ending makes this a decent read.Thanks to the references back, this may not be the best place to start with Fowler's work as a whole, but despite this, it's possibly the best place to start reading his Bryant and May mysteries. Some references may be lost, but it's more likely to encourage the new reader to read more than some of his previous works.If you're a fan of strange crimes and bad tempered detectives, this could well be worth a look. Whilst Bryant and May aren't as much fun as Sherlock Holmes, the kind of mysteries they often end up with can be as inexplicable as his work, with an added touch of humour to make it all the more enjoyable. It's less violent and slower paced than many of the modern police thrillers, possibly due to the age of the detectives, but that makes it more of a relaxing and enjoyable read. It's been a while since I've been able to recommend a Bryant and May novel to Fowler newcomers, but this is definitely one I can, as well as being one existing fans shouldn't miss.This review may also appear, in whole or in part, under my name at any or all of www.ciao.co.uk, www.thebookbag.co.uk, www.goodreads.com, www.amazon.co.uk and www.dooyoo.co.uk
Christopher Fowlers excellent Bryant & May series continues with “The Water Room”. I first discovered this series after winning one in a contest and fell in love with these two octogenarian gentlemen immediately. Arthur Bryant and John May are London’s two longest serving detectives and lead the Met’s Peculiar Crimes Unit. Delightfully eccentric and filled with quirks and idiosyncrasies, they lead us on an intriguing path filled with wit, charm and originality. Fowlers novels manage to please the reader on so many levels- they are so much more than your average bog-standard thriller. Whenever I pick up a Bryant and May mystery I know that it will be guaranteed to make me laugh out loud, thrill with ingenious twists and turns of plot, entertain with its rich and colourful atmosphere and educate with its constant references to the history and trivia of London.In “The Water Room” our two antiheroes probe into a curious death when a woman is found dead with a throat full of river water. Nothing curious about that you think until it is revealed that the lady concerned was found sitting peacefully in her completely bone dry suburban basement!Enter the remarkable world of Bryant and May and you will find yourself truly thrilled.
What do You think about The Water Room (2006)?
Installment #2 in this series featuring the Peculiar Crimes Unit finds our heroes, Bryant and May (and the other people in the PCU) trying to solve the death of a woman drowned in her basement. Sounds straightforward, right? However, the dead woman was completely dry, sitting in a chair, in a dry basement. If that was the only problem for them to deal with, the book would have definitely been a lot shorter -- but add in a death by saran wrap, arson, and a fellow buried alive by his own truck. And then you still don't have the complete story. Once again we have a detective story with a rather X-filish feel to it, where the detectives may be old but still have a lot to offer. The characters are very well drawn, and there is a wealth of history that is part of the story between the two covers. At 356 pages, this is not your typical detective story, and Bryant and May are not your typical detectives. And the PCU is not your typical police unit. So...if you like something quirky and offbeat, then you might want to give this series a try, but don't start with this one: start with Full Dark House. The book offers a bit of fun along with a good mystery and really kept me entertained for quite a while. I've just bought the next book in the series and will probably read them all. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read Full Dark House and wants to follow the series, as well as someone looking for something a bit different in the mystery world. However, it's NOT for you if you want a standard police procedural-type book that's more down to earth. I thought the book was quite good and a cut above what's normally on my local bookstore's mystery shelves. Overall...a fun read with a fine mystery.
—Nancy Oakes
This was another wonderful mystery by Christopher Fowler. The characters are unique. The two past retirement police inspectors are John May who is crisp and well dressed and Arthur Bryant who is like a Columbo, shabbily dressed with knowledge of arcane and ancient historical matter that has come in handy in solving cases. The other detectives under them are just as unusual. This mystery involves the many rivers that still flow under London. When an old woman is found dead in her home with water from the river Thames in her mouth this starts this story of mystery, murder and mayhem. Mr. Fowler has a great descriptive way with words. "Here, swirling litter and glaring skateboarders warded off all but the hardiest visitors. Rainwater sluiced from the flyover on to the roof of the building, dripping through brickwork, rotting floorboards and spreading mildew into the damp-fattened books with wet fingers of decay." Beguiling and eccentric, a great read.
—Sallee
This is the second in the Bryant and May mystery series and from memory I prefer the first instalment. Fowler has created an interesting set up with the Peculiar Crimes Unit, however I found there was quite a bit of repetition and recapping about their position within the police force, and this was reflected through repetition and recapping that occured frequently through the book with regards to the plot, characters, etc. It's not plodding, but there are perhaps too many pages here to justify the telling. The plot itself is intriguing, the denouement rather improbable. I enjoyed it and will continue reading the series, but did feel that shaving 100 pages would have made for a tighter read.
—Andrew
