London Bridge is Falling Down by Christopher Fowler

Reviewed by Jeanne

Once again, the Peculiar Crimes Unit—an office devoted to investigating incidents that other departments don’t want to deal with—is threatened with closure.  Since this happens on a fairly regular basis, the motley crew of non-conformists aren’t overly concerned, at least until workers come and start removing all the furniture and fixtures.  It seems that the Powers That Be are serious about shutting them down this time. This can’t be done until the last case the unit is working on is cleared, however. 

The problem is they aren’t working on a case, but they need to find one and fast.

Hence their initial interest in the death of ninety-one year old Amelia Hoffman who was found dead in her apartment, apparently due to appalling neglect.  Bryant and May, the two unorthodox detectives that head the PCU, begin to notice some things that don’t quite add up about Amelia’s death.  It turns out that she was once a government worker with a high-level security clearance and there are indications that she never quite stopped working.

It soon becomes apparently that there’s something nefarious going on, and only the PCU can stop a disaster.

This is the final novel in the long-running PCU series.  While some series seem to lose steam and inspiration, this one never did. I found this last novel to be brilliant in terms of characters, plot, insights, and the series’ trademark humor.  All the elements I love are here: eccentric characters, fascinating history, a complex plot, laugh-out-loud lines, but most of all heart. I’m reminded of Terry Pratchett in the underlying themes about humanity and social contracts, of looking out for one another.  The PCU seems chaotic in their disregard for authority and failure to do things by the book, but they are deeply dedicated to truth and justice.

And I so admire how Fowler manages to upend expectations.  For example, Amelia Hoffman seems at first to have been a frail, fragile old woman, a pathetic victim. Instead, she turns out to have been one very strong, very resourceful individual.

The books are also very, very funny without being silly. The humor lightens the darkness, because the cases they investigate can be very dark indeed.  Practically every page has a line or two that begs to be read aloud and I will confess to walking around, book in hand, looking for likely listeners.  Since I have trouble reading the sections aloud without giggling incoherently, most people suddenly remember urgent appointments as far away from me as possible.

While this can certainly be read as a standalone, I think it would be better enjoyed if one or two other books in the series were read first.  I am certainly going to read the titles I’ve missed because I love not only the characters but the folklore and history of London that Fowler weaves into the narrative.

This book is definitely my cup of tea.