Got this with 2 others in a deal with the bookpeople in the summer 2013.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one - it's a well-written, quirky and interesting murder mystery book, and I could quite happily read more from the series - good thing, too, as I have the next two books here at home waiting to be read!

This is actually number seven in the series, and the first one I've read. So I am not as attached to the characters as people who started fromt he beginning, and there are probably all kinds of back stories that went over my head. But I didn't have too much trouble getting into this, and enjoyed it, so I wouldn't say you have to start at the beginning with this series.

Murders aside, it's actually really interesting if you want to experience London. And I don't mean in a big tourist-theme park way, like ticking off all the major sights in an i-spy book (and I've never ever read a book that's employed that tactic, ho ho). This is about zooming right into an area and learning about the local history, the people, the buildings, and really feeling the constant change, the length of time, and that even what you're reading about now is just a step in the continuous story of the area. The author really knows his stuff and clearly loves the area. I don't really know that much about London, so I found this interesting, and almost want to dash back now to see everything through fresh eyes.

This story is set in Kings Cross, and is about headless corpses that start turning up; a strange man dressed like a stag with kitchen knives for antlers, and big corporations, planning laws and regeneration of run down areas. Bryant and May are two older detectives, quite eccentric, especially Bryant it seems whose head is full of local history, randomness, the supernatural (he seems to hang out with witches) and all such things. They are part of the PCU - Peculiar Crimes Unit - in the London police force. This unit has just been disbanded at the start of the book (what a book to choose to start reading a series!) but because of the strange crimes that start happening, the team feel compelled to regroup and start investigating.

Taking to the October York bookcrossers meet up in search of a new reader.

Picked up at the York monthly Bookcrossing meetup. Love Bryant and May, looking forward to reading this!

This is the third Bryant and May mystery I've read, and I'm now noticing certain similarities of plot. The unit will be disbanded or threatened in some way, Bryant will be getting old and grumpy, and May will pull him back to the unit and the day will be saved. But the plots of the mysteries themselves are always unusual and keep me reading - I loved the Pan-type god in this!

To be released at the monthly York Bookcrossing meetup.

Picked up at the York Bookcrossing Meetup, 16th December 2014 at Brigantes Bar, Micklegate, York. Just catching up with my journaling!

I've read a couple of the Bryant and May mysteries before, and this didn't disappoint. Characteristically bizarre, both in content and execution. The mystery involves a man wearing antlers made of knives and a growing toll of decapitated bodies. Meanwhile, the reader is directly shown a big part of the riddle long before B&M figure it out, and the ending isn't quite your standard "Villainy is punished, all's well with the world." My only gripe is that we get a lot of Byrant. not so much May.

To be released tonight at the York Bookcrossing Meetup.

Picked up at the meetup because it looked fun and a little quirky.