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Bryant & May and the Burning Man    by Christopher Fowler Amazon.com order for
Bryant & May and the Burning Man
by Christopher Fowler
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Bantam, 2015 (2015)
Hardcover, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Bob Walch

London's Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) has their hands full when the city's streets become a battleground as riots break out after an insider trading scandal comes to light. With just days before the annual Guy Fawkes celebration, Senior Detectives Arthur Bryant and John May don't have much time to investigate the death of a homeless man who is killed by a Molotov cocktail while seeking shelter in front of a bank.

Was the man simply in the wrong place at the wrong time or is there much more to the violent death? Weaving the financial upheavals that have plagued many European cities with the more esoteric crime puzzles that the members of the PCU have solved in the previous eleven novels, this latest installment of the series features all the elements that have made this such an entertaining set of stories.

Obviously the key protagonists, Bryant and May, continue to be the characters that most readers want to follow as the investigation unfolds. These quirky and quite likable senior citizens not only complement one another but their different personalities make for an amusing odd couple relationship that has become more complex with each new adventure.

Given Bryant's failing health, which is again a factor in this novel, one has to wonder how long this series will continue. Some readers may speculate that this is the duo's Swan Song, but I don't think so. Hopefully there are at least one or two more adventures planned before Bryant and May retire.

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