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  • Published: 5 July 2022
  • ISBN: 9781529176674
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 448
  • RRP: $22.99

Bryant & May - London Bridge is Falling Down




Detectives Arthur Bryant and John May, assisted by the oddballs and eccentrics of the Peculiar Crimes Unit, return to break rules, infuriate officialdom and maybe, just maybe, catch the criminal in this hugely entertaining and unorthodox new investigation.

'If you have never entered the curious world of Bryant and May, you're in for a treat.' THE TIMES

It was the kind of story that barely made the news.

When 91-year-old Amelia Hoffman died in her top-floor flat on a busy London road, it's considered an example of what has gone wrong with modern society: she slipped through the cracks in a failing system.

But detectives Arthur Bryant and John May of the Peculiar Crimes Unit have their doubts. Mrs Hoffman was once a government security expert, even though no one can quite remember her. When a link emerges between the old lady and a diplomat trying to flee the country, it seems that an impossible murder has been committed.

Mrs Hoffman wasn't the only one at risk. Bryant is convinced that other forgotten women with hidden talents are also in danger. And, curiously, they all own models of London Bridge.

With the help of some of their more certifiable informants, the detectives follow the strangest of clues in an investigation that will lead them through forgotten alleyways to the city's oldest bridge in search of a desperate killer.

But just when the case appears to be solved, they discover that Mrs Hoffman was smarter than anyone imagined. There's a bigger game afoot that could have terrible consequences.

It's time to celebrate Bryant and May's twentieth anniversary as their most lunatic case yet brings death and rebirth to London's most peculiar crimes unit.


  • Published: 5 July 2022
  • ISBN: 9781529176674
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 448
  • RRP: $22.99

About the author

Christopher Fowler

Christopher Fowler is the author of more than forty novels (sixteen of which feature the detectives Bryant and May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit) and many short story collections. A multiple award-winner, including the coveted CWA ‘Dagger in the Library’, Chris has also written screenplays, video games, graphic novels, audio plays and two acclaimed memoirs, Paperboy and Film Freak. His most recent non-fiction book is The Book of Forgotten Authors. Chris divides his time between London's King’s Cross and Barcelona. You can find out more by visiting his website and following him on Twitter.

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Praise for Bryant & May - London Bridge is Falling Down

One of the glories of the modern crime fiction field? The deliriously eccentric books by Christopher Fowler . . . this exuberantly written entry is as entertaining as any of its predecessors

Barry Forshaw, FINANCIAL TIMES

Clever, funny

THE SUN

As always, Fowler does a masterly job of balancing humour with an ingeniously crafted plot. Devoted fans will be more than satisfied.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY starred review

Christopher Fowler's writing is exquisite. His deep reverence for - and knowledge of - the dark and lonely pathways trodden by centuries of Londoners is compelling . . . the dialogue sparkles and the jokes are laugh-out-loud.'

FULLY BOOKED 2017

There is always room for comic crime capers on the bookshelves of discerning readers, with Christopher Fowler's books having long been on the forefront of the subgenre. Here's to many more tales of our intrepid heroes as they solve seemingly impossible crimes in the most entertaining fashion.

CRIMINAL ELEMENT

A heady mixture combining a fast-paced plot with an agglomeration of oddballs that could have been taken from a Monty Python sketch . . . quirky, witty, wonderfully atmospheric and entertaining . . . absolutely brilliant.'

REVIEWING THE EVIDENCE
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