Review: Bryant & May and the Secret Santa by Christopher Fowler

Title: Bryant & May and the Secret Santa, A Peculiar Crimes Unit Story, Bryant and May #11.5

Author: Christopher Fowler

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Alibi

Release Date: November 17th, 2015

Rating 4/5

This s a fast paced short story featuring the detectives Arthur Bryant and John May as they  seek answers to why a child died after visiting Santa in a London store.

The detectives are brilliant characters, their dialogue decidedly droll for the time of year as the two visit Santa’s Wonderland in Selfridges to investigate why an eleven year old boy ran from there only to be killed in an accident in the street outside. The reader is taken with the detectives as they seek answers to why the boy ran and who was responsible.

This is a tragic tale involving boarding school bullying, a scrap of blue cloth and the two diligent detectives. It is the first story in this series that I’ve read, but it works well as a standalone story in its own right. I’ll certainly be looking out for more in this series as the innate humour between the detectives, their camaraderie, strategies and the ingenious plot make this a quick but riveting festive read and one I have no hesitation in highly recommending!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for this, an honest review.

This book is available from a variety of sources including

amazon.co.uk           amazon.com          barnes and noble