Welcome to Litsy!

When the HQ of the Peculiar Crimes Unit is blown up with Arthur Bryant inside, John May finds links to their first case together when he joined the unit during the Blitz.

I went into this with high hopes having heard good things about the series and expecting urban fantasy along the lines of the Rivers of London. It wasn't like that at all. It was basically a procedural investigating a series of gruesome crimes committed in a London theatre. ⬇

#coffeeandabook

A dancer dies in a gruesome way in an empty theater, setting off a series of deaths among the cast of a production. It just so happens that the London Blitz is occurring, making for an interesting backdrop to the story. There were aspects of this that I liked, but I found it plodded along a bit and the detectives didn‘t so much investigate as hang around and watch things happen.

I‘m just starting this. It follows 2 timelines; present day when detective May finds out his partner, Bryant, has been killed and 1940 when they met during the war when May joined Bryant in the Peculiar Crimes Unit in London during the Blitz. The details of wartime London feel genuine, with commonplace observations and not like Fowler did exhaustive research on it. Liking it so far

This is such a great series. Bryant, May, and all of the staff at the Peculiar Crimes Unit are well-developed, complex characters. The crimes they seek to solve are often bizarre, at least on the surface. There‘s never a straight line to the solution, no matter how twisted or banal it may be.

Very much enjoyed this mystery set in WW2 London. Its probably a common trope to have a pair of detectives, one sensible and one eccentric and misunderstood but the setting made it more interesting. There was a little sexism, some of which was due to the setting, but hopefully thats handled better in the rest of the series because I‘m keen to try more.

It‘s been 7 years since I read book 2, but this jumped out at me when I went shopping my bookshelves for my next read and I‘m so glad. This is a well-crafted, complex mystery with interesting characters. There are a few plot points that feel superfluous and unnecessary, but overall I enjoyed it. It was exactly what I wanted to read - compulsively readable without being either fluffy or oppressive.

Had to add a few other books from the #cozy series as my #orange post because I do love the covers! #ominousoctober @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs #teammonstermash #scarathlon2022 @staycurious

A colleague recommended this series to me...cozies are hit and miss for me but I love the covers of these! #OminousOctober prompt for orange @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs #Scarathlon2022 #teammonstermash

Another book in the Peculiar Crimes Unit. These books also delve into aspects of London which I am not familiar with - in this case the lost rivers which are now underground. A little meandering at times but the dry wit does help me through.