Review: Bryant & May and the Burning Man by Christopher Fowler

Published December 15, 2015
 by Bantam

In this 12th installment of the Peculiar Crimes Unit, it's chaos in London as Bryant & May seek out a killer who is using different forms of fiery deaths to accomplish his goals. 

"It was as if after a drowsy, sluggish summer, the streets had undergone spontaneous combustion. It had taken just one match to ignite this inferno, going by the name of Mr. Dexter Cornell." (location 203 on my Kindle) The result is crowds of protesters belonging to various groups all over London concentrating in the financial district as Guy Fawkes night approaches. 

The deaths take place under cover of the activities of the protesters. The Peculiar Crimes Unit is called in to investigate the identity of the first man killed in front of a bank. From there Bryant starts making connections that are obvious to him, but not so much to the others. 

As the riots continue, the body count rises. What is the connection? Who is responsible? When will it end? Can Bryant & May figure it out before it costs the life of one of their own?

This is a good addition to the Bryant & May series. I'd like to say Bryant is in top form, but there are some days where he's not quite himself. On the days that he is together, he accomplishes more than some of the policemen outside of the unit on a good day. I love the characters that make up the Peculiar Crimes Unit. And the pace of the book is well done. The wit and sarcasm add nice spice to the story.

I give this book 4 stars out of 5. It's well written, well paced, and has interesting characters. It can be read as a stand alone even though it is part of a series. It will just whet your appetite to go back and read some of the others.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.