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Bryant & May: Peculiar Crimes Unit #5
White Corridor
From using crackpot psychics to cutting-edge forensics, Arthur Bryant and John May are famous for their maddeningly unorthodox approach to solving crimes that the ordinary police cannot. Now Christopher Fowler, “a new master of the classical detective story,”* brings back crime detection’s oddest—and oldest—couple to solve the ultimate locked room mystery.
It’s an “impossible” crime—a member of the Peculiar Crimes Unit killed inside a locked autopsy room populated only by the dead and to which only four PCU members had a key. And to make matters worse, the Unit has been shut down for a forced “vacation” and Bryant and May are stuck in a van miles away in the Dartmoor countryside during a freak snowstorm on their way to a convention of psychics.
Now, with Sergeant Janice Longbright in charge at headquarters, Bryant and May must crack the case by cell phone while trying to stop a second murder without freezing to death. For among the line of snowed-in vehicles, a killer is on the prowl, a beautiful woman is on the run from a man who seeks either redemption or another victim, and an innocent child is caught in the middle.
Weaving together two electrifying cases, White Corridor is an unforgettable triumph—by turns hilarious and harrowing—as two of detective fiction’s most marvelous characters confront one of human nature’s darkest mysteries: the ability to deceive, deny, and destroy.
From the Hardcover edition.
It’s an “impossible” crime—a member of the Peculiar Crimes Unit killed inside a locked autopsy room populated only by the dead and to which only four PCU members had a key. And to make matters worse, the Unit has been shut down for a forced “vacation” and Bryant and May are stuck in a van miles away in the Dartmoor countryside during a freak snowstorm on their way to a convention of psychics.
Now, with Sergeant Janice Longbright in charge at headquarters, Bryant and May must crack the case by cell phone while trying to stop a second murder without freezing to death. For among the line of snowed-in vehicles, a killer is on the prowl, a beautiful woman is on the run from a man who seeks either redemption or another victim, and an innocent child is caught in the middle.
Weaving together two electrifying cases, White Corridor is an unforgettable triumph—by turns hilarious and harrowing—as two of detective fiction’s most marvelous characters confront one of human nature’s darkest mysteries: the ability to deceive, deny, and destroy.
From the Hardcover edition.
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 29, 2007
136 people are currently reading
1387 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Fowler
266 books1,286 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Christopher Fowler was an English writer known for his Bryant & May mystery series, featuring two Golden Age-style detectives navigating modern London. Over his career, he authored fifty novels and short story collections, along with screenplays, video games, graphic novels, and audio plays. His psychological thriller Little Boy Found was published under the pseudonym L.K. Fox.
Fowler's accolades include multiple British Fantasy Awards, the Last Laugh Award, the CWA Dagger in the Library, and the inaugural Green Carnation Award. He was inducted into the Detection Club in 2021. Beyond crime fiction, his works ranged from horror (Hell Train, Nyctophobia) to memoir (Paperboy, Film Freak). His column Invisible Ink explored forgotten authors, later compiled into The Book of Forgotten Authors.
Fowler lived between London and Barcelona with his husband, Peter Chapman.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Christopher Fowler was an English writer known for his Bryant & May mystery series, featuring two Golden Age-style detectives navigating modern London. Over his career, he authored fifty novels and short story collections, along with screenplays, video games, graphic novels, and audio plays. His psychological thriller Little Boy Found was published under the pseudonym L.K. Fox.
Fowler's accolades include multiple British Fantasy Awards, the Last Laugh Award, the CWA Dagger in the Library, and the inaugural Green Carnation Award. He was inducted into the Detection Club in 2021. Beyond crime fiction, his works ranged from horror (Hell Train, Nyctophobia) to memoir (Paperboy, Film Freak). His column Invisible Ink explored forgotten authors, later compiled into The Book of Forgotten Authors.
Fowler lived between London and Barcelona with his husband, Peter Chapman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 308 reviews
February 11, 2021
How can you not love this series of books about the Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) led by the aged detectives Bryant and May? The stories are truly surreal and more fun that the proverbial barrel of monkeys. In this entry, the boys are trapped in a blizzard where a murder takes place. Meanwhile, back at the PCU, one of their own is found dead under suspicious circumstances and the team must try to solve it in the absence of their mentors. Of course, the story is completely far-fetched and the author ensures that the reader cannot possibly figure out what is going on until the last few pages. It never fails to surprise and delight. It is possible that this series is an acquired taste but I am totally hooked.
January 6, 2014
The best yet! I loved the banter between the characters. Here is one example:
"The doctrine of salvation by faith is the essence of Gospel teaching", said Alma hotly, "It's protestant not pick n' mix! I don't approve of throwing all these religions together with non-believers." "There's no such thing as a non-believer", Bryant stated, "Everyone believes in something, whether it involves alien visitations or simply being nice to each other and repairing a fractured world with good deeds. A cabalistic lesson you might learn the next time you consider torturing me with your culinary experiments!"
Here is another that also highlights the author's creative use of language:
"I don't think you should make so many off-colour jokes about him becoming a cuckold. You're only getting away with it because he doesn't know what it means." (John May) "That's the beauty of the English language. One can wrap insults inside elegance like anchovies into pastry". (Arthur Bryant)
It's wonderfully written & fun whilst also causing you to pause & think! I love the prose, the eccentric fully developed characters & the amazingly inventive plots!
"The doctrine of salvation by faith is the essence of Gospel teaching", said Alma hotly, "It's protestant not pick n' mix! I don't approve of throwing all these religions together with non-believers." "There's no such thing as a non-believer", Bryant stated, "Everyone believes in something, whether it involves alien visitations or simply being nice to each other and repairing a fractured world with good deeds. A cabalistic lesson you might learn the next time you consider torturing me with your culinary experiments!"
Here is another that also highlights the author's creative use of language:
"I don't think you should make so many off-colour jokes about him becoming a cuckold. You're only getting away with it because he doesn't know what it means." (John May) "That's the beauty of the English language. One can wrap insults inside elegance like anchovies into pastry". (Arthur Bryant)
It's wonderfully written & fun whilst also causing you to pause & think! I love the prose, the eccentric fully developed characters & the amazingly inventive plots!
August 16, 2020
There were 2 cases in this story and I was blindsided by both investigations!
November 25, 2011
The fifth Bryant and May mystery. With the Unit’s future on the line due to an unexpectedly scheduled royal visit within hours, the Peculiar Crimes Unit must solve a locked room mystery --- the baffling murder of their ancient pathologist, Oswald Finch. Alone with a corpse in the morgue, he appears to have been murdered, while investigation reveals he had flare-ups with several of the Unit’s own that morning. But Sergeant Janice Longbright must attack the problem alone, because Bryant and May find themselves in a “locked room” murder of their own, stuck in a rural roadside snowdrift, a murderer loose somewhere in one of the frozen cars stranded with them. Both mysteries, of course, require the trademark non-linear thinking and historical knowledge of the elderly detectives, as neither victim is what she appears to be at first.
This is an absolutely terrific entry in the series: riveting, suspenseful, and witty. Bryant and May are up to their old tricks, aligning themselves with white witches and using recondite and ostensibly unrelated knowledge to help solve cases. But it’s a fresh take on the series as well, with the Unit on its own and the main characters far out of their natural element. I must be getting used to the convoluted nature of Fowler’s puzzles, as one key to Finch’s murder presented itself to me immediately; but this didn’t in any way detract from the brilliance of this book, with its eerie mood, clever obfuscations, knowing wit, red herrings, and intelligent characters who leave no stone unturned. Utterly enjoyable, with a final resolution that is eminently satisfying.
This is an absolutely terrific entry in the series: riveting, suspenseful, and witty. Bryant and May are up to their old tricks, aligning themselves with white witches and using recondite and ostensibly unrelated knowledge to help solve cases. But it’s a fresh take on the series as well, with the Unit on its own and the main characters far out of their natural element. I must be getting used to the convoluted nature of Fowler’s puzzles, as one key to Finch’s murder presented itself to me immediately; but this didn’t in any way detract from the brilliance of this book, with its eerie mood, clever obfuscations, knowing wit, red herrings, and intelligent characters who leave no stone unturned. Utterly enjoyable, with a final resolution that is eminently satisfying.
November 28, 2020
The best so far ....
Reading Bryant and May is like eating peanuts, or pretzels (my fav.) or fudge, or something you just can't STOP eating! I want more, then more and then more and more. And now...
Writers are sometimes told to chase their MC (MCs) up a tree, then throw rocks at them. Well in this particular book our MCs, elderly, curmudgeonly Arthur Bryant, and elderly, more conservative John May, are sent up a tree, in a blizzard, with a murderer at large. Not only are they dealing with that, but one of their oldest colleagues, a forensic pathologist, has been found dead in the morgue in which he works. Meanwhile, their precious, prized investigative team - the PCU, or Peculiar Crimes Unit - is, as always, being threatened with dismantling. The two are cold, alone, stuck in a van, off a road, in a long line of traffic which is also snow-bound, in a location hard to reach due to landslides and snow drifts and all sorts of weathery mayhem in both directions. OMGOSH! Not just stones being tossed at Arthur and John, but snowballs, and mudballs, and screwballs and spitballs, endlessly!
The story veers between Arthur and John, trapped in a car in a blizzard - to the offices of the PCU where Detective Sergeant Janet Longstreet and others are trying to 'sort out' who killed their forensic specialist, as well as what connection it has to the last victim said specialist was working on - a young woman found dead (or dying) in a building entryway. Wow, so much happens in this rather tidy little book. (It's a bit shorter than some in this series.) There are puzzles and people who aren't what they seem and even though that's a familiar trope in many a mystery or crime story novel, I was completely and utterly flummoxed and fooled! There are two overlapping crimes, or situations here, and I didn't figure out either one, or come even remotely close to doing so. (And I've read dozens and dozens of mysteries, thrillers, crime fiction and so on.)
At any rate, a real humdinger of a book and though I've loved all the Bryant and May stories I've read so far, THIS is absolutely my favorite.
Five stars
Reading Bryant and May is like eating peanuts, or pretzels (my fav.) or fudge, or something you just can't STOP eating! I want more, then more and then more and more. And now...
Writers are sometimes told to chase their MC (MCs) up a tree, then throw rocks at them. Well in this particular book our MCs, elderly, curmudgeonly Arthur Bryant, and elderly, more conservative John May, are sent up a tree, in a blizzard, with a murderer at large. Not only are they dealing with that, but one of their oldest colleagues, a forensic pathologist, has been found dead in the morgue in which he works. Meanwhile, their precious, prized investigative team - the PCU, or Peculiar Crimes Unit - is, as always, being threatened with dismantling. The two are cold, alone, stuck in a van, off a road, in a long line of traffic which is also snow-bound, in a location hard to reach due to landslides and snow drifts and all sorts of weathery mayhem in both directions. OMGOSH! Not just stones being tossed at Arthur and John, but snowballs, and mudballs, and screwballs and spitballs, endlessly!
The story veers between Arthur and John, trapped in a car in a blizzard - to the offices of the PCU where Detective Sergeant Janet Longstreet and others are trying to 'sort out' who killed their forensic specialist, as well as what connection it has to the last victim said specialist was working on - a young woman found dead (or dying) in a building entryway. Wow, so much happens in this rather tidy little book. (It's a bit shorter than some in this series.) There are puzzles and people who aren't what they seem and even though that's a familiar trope in many a mystery or crime story novel, I was completely and utterly flummoxed and fooled! There are two overlapping crimes, or situations here, and I didn't figure out either one, or come even remotely close to doing so. (And I've read dozens and dozens of mysteries, thrillers, crime fiction and so on.)
At any rate, a real humdinger of a book and though I've loved all the Bryant and May stories I've read so far, THIS is absolutely my favorite.
Five stars
March 26, 2014
This is the second book I have read by Christopher Fowler and both have been from his Bryant & May series.
Arthur Bryant and John May are Golden Age Detectives in a modern world. They head the Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU), London's most venerable specialist police team, a division founded during the Second World War to investigate cases that could cause national scandal or public unrest.
It's an unusual and original set up, two crimes have to be solved and these are cleverly interwoven whilst Bryant and May are trapped far from London and their colleagues at the PCU. White Corridor contains more of Christopher Fowler's trademark humour, London history, some acerbic social insights, and a ripping yarn that gets progressively more compelling and exciting.
Click here to read the History Of Bryant & May on Christopher Fowler's website.
4/5
Arthur Bryant and John May are Golden Age Detectives in a modern world. They head the Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU), London's most venerable specialist police team, a division founded during the Second World War to investigate cases that could cause national scandal or public unrest.
It's an unusual and original set up, two crimes have to be solved and these are cleverly interwoven whilst Bryant and May are trapped far from London and their colleagues at the PCU. White Corridor contains more of Christopher Fowler's trademark humour, London history, some acerbic social insights, and a ripping yarn that gets progressively more compelling and exciting.
Click here to read the History Of Bryant & May on Christopher Fowler's website.
4/5
July 22, 2016
Fifth in the Bryant & May detective mystery series and revolving around two over-retirement-age detectives who are quite unorthodox and based in London with each story in the series a case in Arthur's biography. I'll be curious to read how Fowler intends to end Bryant and May. As a series, I mean.
My Take
Time marches on in this locked room mystery filled to the brim with red herrings. Nor is that autopsy room the only locked room, as Fowler locks us out with his craftily scattered "clues" about Madeline and Bellocq whose own situation screams out the need for parents to be licensed.
Fowler builds up the tension and then flips a clue out to distract you again and again only to return to the build-up. One that will knock you on your backside. It's an unexpected switch-up that will leave you gobsmacked with its mad mix-up of deception and denial that ends in such horrible destruction and senseless losses.
Still, you can't help but love Arthur for his whimsical self-centeredness and snarky attitude that slaps away at officialdom and bureaucracy. I gotta admit I'd love to taste some of those candies he carts around, if only because of their names. Pink sugar shrimps? Milk Bottles? I adore April as well, and I'm so glad that April is enjoying her work. She certainly saves the day at the end, lol.
It's a fascinating blend of today and yesterday, as Bryant reminisces on their journey to Devon about a past we have only read as a dry history. Listening to Bryant brings that past to life, creating a reality one can empathize with, of his childhood before the war, of superstitions. Then again, there's that arcane fascination of his with woo-woo anything.
Fowler likes to rant on about society and its ills as well. Not that I disagree with him. At. All. It simply strikes me as strange to "listen" to a couple of detectives discuss the social environment with such intellectual depth. Fowler, er, I mean, May, is certainly accurate about the Internet, lol.
I didn't buy Johann falling in love with Madeline, but then maybe that's why his interactions with her felt so disjointed. It certainly was a scary chase for Madeline and Ryan, and an unhealthy obsessive one by Johann, leading to a scene in which Sherlock Holmes' deductive style comes to the fore.
Oh, mama, *she says laughing*, that visit with the princess was so fraught. While Fowler is describing all the "necessary details" for the royal visit, I was cringing inside, as this is simply not how the PUC operates *more laughter*. It is amazing, however, what loyalty and a can-do attitude can accomplish…ROFLMAO.
Poor May. Land is closing up shop while Banbury switches out the computer systems for the office. It's the perfect opportunity for Bryant to snag May's help for the coven at the International Spiritualists' Convention in Plymouth.
A "vacation" that backfires when a member of the PCU is murdered behind a locked door, and Kasavian has scheduled the princess to tour the station…while Bryant and May are trapped with a murderer on a snowed-in roadway. It'll be up to the junior members of the PCU to figure it out and save the day.
The Characters
Partners (and Senior Detectives) Arthur Bryant (with his fascination for historical tidbits, the occult, practical jokes, and ghastly experiments — he mostly means well) and John May (of the fashionable suits and easy way with the ladies) refuse to retire. The plump Antiguan, Alma Sorrowbridge, is Bryant's former landlady who moved in with him to his not-yet-converted false-teeth factory home. Monica Greenwood is the artist with whom John has been having an affair.
…a highly unorthodox specialist police division that has come into disrepute and is based in Mornington Crescent. Detective Sergeant Janice Longbright emulates screen stars of the 1950s and adores doing undercover work. Oswald Finch is the aged unit pathologist at the Bayham Street Morgue who finally intends to retire to his place in Hastings. Dan Banbury is the crime scene manager and IT guy while Giles Kershaw is technically their forensic scientist and social sciences liaison. The rest of the unit includes Detective Constables Meera Mangeshkar (she's ambitious and hard; Jezminder is her sister having problems with an ex-boyfriend, Jake) and the spatially challenged Colin Bimsely and the agoraphobic April May, John's granddaughter, who is the office manager. Raymond Land is the "acting" unit chief — and has been for the past few decades; Leanne is his long-suffering wife who was caught, ahem. Crippen is the office cat.
The bitter Sergeant Renfield has a moral blindness when it comes to his own men.
Leslie Faraday is the Home Office liaison with PCU. Oskar Kasavian is the new supervisor of Internal Security.
The thirty-year-old Madeline Gilby works as a grocery store clerk and fears her abusive husband, Jack. Ryan is their son. Andrea is her half-sister. Kate Summerton is a fraud who runs a women's shelter, scamming middle-aged women. Roger is her husband. Jessica is one of the attendees.
France
Johann Bellocq is a survivor. He has to have been to have survived his mother! Unfortunately, he took his mother's words too much to heart and lives a larcenous life. His grandfather, Marcel, is dying. La Société Du Diable is a cybersite. Mme Funes is the proprietor of L'Auberge des Anges. Momo is the chef at La Vieille Ville.
On the snow-covered road…
…Danny is the van driver. Jez Morris is a staff nurse at Exeter General Hospital. Louis is a delivery driver for a department store. Maggie Armitage, an old, old friend of Bryant's, is the Grand Order Grade IV White Witch of the Coven of St. James the Elder. Maureen will be the designated driver. Wendy is the organist — she speaks Piskie. Dame Maud Hackshaw is a true force for positive energy. Stanley Olthwaite is the junior warlock who impressed at the snack 'n' spells party.
Eleanor Newman was a camerawoman at Pinewood Studios before she retired. She's also a hard-to-impress witness, lol. The Camley Road Canoe Club kicked Owen "Dizzee" Mills out. Pravin works at the club. Lilith Starr is the daughter of self-help guru Felicity Bronwin who needs quite a bit of help herself. We won't bother mentioning her cypher of a husband. Samuel/Samael had been Lilith's other half. Dr. Harold Masters is an academic with the Insomnia Squad. Edward Winthrop is a lawyer who was killed in a police station in 2004. Pascal Favier was his attacker. Johann Bellocq owns a villa in Eze-sur-Mer.
The Temple is…
…an exclusive salon with its own scam and is owned by Monsieur Alphonse, a.k.a., Darren Spender, a former Chelsea footballer. Sonya is one of his beauticians. Dr R. Martino is one of their trained physicians. Miss Grutzmacher and Juan-Luis do inductions at Circe, the health club side of things.
The Cover and Title
The cover is red with a ragged white "corridor" of a banner crossing its center line, providing a background for the red of the title and the gold of the author's name. The collage of images against that red background includes elements from the story, from the bridge arching across the top to the blended London skyline at the bottom.
The title should really be plural for the four crossroads, the corridors that Stanley and Maggie "see" via the spirit writing, the White Corridor through which evil can pass.
My Take
Time marches on in this locked room mystery filled to the brim with red herrings. Nor is that autopsy room the only locked room, as Fowler locks us out with his craftily scattered "clues" about Madeline and Bellocq whose own situation screams out the need for parents to be licensed.
Fowler builds up the tension and then flips a clue out to distract you again and again only to return to the build-up. One that will knock you on your backside. It's an unexpected switch-up that will leave you gobsmacked with its mad mix-up of deception and denial that ends in such horrible destruction and senseless losses.
Still, you can't help but love Arthur for his whimsical self-centeredness and snarky attitude that slaps away at officialdom and bureaucracy. I gotta admit I'd love to taste some of those candies he carts around, if only because of their names. Pink sugar shrimps? Milk Bottles? I adore April as well, and I'm so glad that April is enjoying her work. She certainly saves the day at the end, lol.
It's a fascinating blend of today and yesterday, as Bryant reminisces on their journey to Devon about a past we have only read as a dry history. Listening to Bryant brings that past to life, creating a reality one can empathize with, of his childhood before the war, of superstitions. Then again, there's that arcane fascination of his with woo-woo anything.
Fowler likes to rant on about society and its ills as well. Not that I disagree with him. At. All. It simply strikes me as strange to "listen" to a couple of detectives discuss the social environment with such intellectual depth. Fowler, er, I mean, May, is certainly accurate about the Internet, lol.
I didn't buy Johann falling in love with Madeline, but then maybe that's why his interactions with her felt so disjointed. It certainly was a scary chase for Madeline and Ryan, and an unhealthy obsessive one by Johann, leading to a scene in which Sherlock Holmes' deductive style comes to the fore.
Oh, mama, *she says laughing*, that visit with the princess was so fraught. While Fowler is describing all the "necessary details" for the royal visit, I was cringing inside, as this is simply not how the PUC operates *more laughter*. It is amazing, however, what loyalty and a can-do attitude can accomplish…ROFLMAO.
We'll never be able to set the world upright and end all of its inequalities, but each of us can make a small difference until they add up to something more."The Story
Poor May. Land is closing up shop while Banbury switches out the computer systems for the office. It's the perfect opportunity for Bryant to snag May's help for the coven at the International Spiritualists' Convention in Plymouth.
A "vacation" that backfires when a member of the PCU is murdered behind a locked door, and Kasavian has scheduled the princess to tour the station…while Bryant and May are trapped with a murderer on a snowed-in roadway. It'll be up to the junior members of the PCU to figure it out and save the day.
The Characters
Partners (and Senior Detectives) Arthur Bryant (with his fascination for historical tidbits, the occult, practical jokes, and ghastly experiments — he mostly means well) and John May (of the fashionable suits and easy way with the ladies) refuse to retire. The plump Antiguan, Alma Sorrowbridge, is Bryant's former landlady who moved in with him to his not-yet-converted false-teeth factory home. Monica Greenwood is the artist with whom John has been having an affair.
"Mr. Bryant is so old that most of his lifetime subscriptions have run out."The Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU) is…
…a highly unorthodox specialist police division that has come into disrepute and is based in Mornington Crescent. Detective Sergeant Janice Longbright emulates screen stars of the 1950s and adores doing undercover work. Oswald Finch is the aged unit pathologist at the Bayham Street Morgue who finally intends to retire to his place in Hastings. Dan Banbury is the crime scene manager and IT guy while Giles Kershaw is technically their forensic scientist and social sciences liaison. The rest of the unit includes Detective Constables Meera Mangeshkar (she's ambitious and hard; Jezminder is her sister having problems with an ex-boyfriend, Jake) and the spatially challenged Colin Bimsely and the agoraphobic April May, John's granddaughter, who is the office manager. Raymond Land is the "acting" unit chief — and has been for the past few decades; Leanne is his long-suffering wife who was caught, ahem. Crippen is the office cat.
The bitter Sergeant Renfield has a moral blindness when it comes to his own men.
Leslie Faraday is the Home Office liaison with PCU. Oskar Kasavian is the new supervisor of Internal Security.
"It was his absence of humanity others found so perturbing, as if Countess Bathory and Vlad the Impaler had mated to create the perfect bureaucratic hatchet man."Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of Connaught, a.k.a., Princess Poison, a.k.a., Baroness Katarina-Marachmaine von Treppitz, has a terrible reputation, and this second cousin once removed is the weapon Kasavian intends to use against PCU. Rosemary Armstrong is the princess' angry and unfulfilled social secretary.
The thirty-year-old Madeline Gilby works as a grocery store clerk and fears her abusive husband, Jack. Ryan is their son. Andrea is her half-sister. Kate Summerton is a fraud who runs a women's shelter, scamming middle-aged women. Roger is her husband. Jessica is one of the attendees.
France
Johann Bellocq is a survivor. He has to have been to have survived his mother! Unfortunately, he took his mother's words too much to heart and lives a larcenous life. His grandfather, Marcel, is dying. La Société Du Diable is a cybersite. Mme Funes is the proprietor of L'Auberge des Anges. Momo is the chef at La Vieille Ville.
On the snow-covered road…
…Danny is the van driver. Jez Morris is a staff nurse at Exeter General Hospital. Louis is a delivery driver for a department store. Maggie Armitage, an old, old friend of Bryant's, is the Grand Order Grade IV White Witch of the Coven of St. James the Elder. Maureen will be the designated driver. Wendy is the organist — she speaks Piskie. Dame Maud Hackshaw is a true force for positive energy. Stanley Olthwaite is the junior warlock who impressed at the snack 'n' spells party.
Eleanor Newman was a camerawoman at Pinewood Studios before she retired. She's also a hard-to-impress witness, lol. The Camley Road Canoe Club kicked Owen "Dizzee" Mills out. Pravin works at the club. Lilith Starr is the daughter of self-help guru Felicity Bronwin who needs quite a bit of help herself. We won't bother mentioning her cypher of a husband. Samuel/Samael had been Lilith's other half. Dr. Harold Masters is an academic with the Insomnia Squad. Edward Winthrop is a lawyer who was killed in a police station in 2004. Pascal Favier was his attacker. Johann Bellocq owns a villa in Eze-sur-Mer.
The Temple is…
…an exclusive salon with its own scam and is owned by Monsieur Alphonse, a.k.a., Darren Spender, a former Chelsea footballer. Sonya is one of his beauticians. Dr R. Martino is one of their trained physicians. Miss Grutzmacher and Juan-Luis do inductions at Circe, the health club side of things.
The Cover and Title
The cover is red with a ragged white "corridor" of a banner crossing its center line, providing a background for the red of the title and the gold of the author's name. The collage of images against that red background includes elements from the story, from the bridge arching across the top to the blended London skyline at the bottom.
The title should really be plural for the four crossroads, the corridors that Stanley and Maggie "see" via the spirit writing, the White Corridor through which evil can pass.
February 17, 2021
I enjoyed White Corridor, but I didn’t think it was one of Christopher Fowler’s best.
This time, John and Arthur end up stranded in a snowstorm on the way to Devon with a van full of arcane objects and theatrical props (of course they do – Arthur is involved) while the Unit is again under threat from Whitehall who have unleashed a Royal Visit on them at a very difficult time. Two deaths have to be solved simultaneously, one in the snowbound road and one in the Unit itself.
As always, Fowler writes with wit, insight and an excellent sense of his characters. It’s a very good, well told and well paced mystery. However, Arthur and John when out of London are never quite as satisfying; Arthur’s inexhaustible fund of arcane London knowledge is a source of immense pleasure to me, but in a snowbound location in the country it doesn’t have much of a chance to shine. This is still a very good read and a cut above a lot of crime fiction, but isn’t one of my favourites in the series.
This time, John and Arthur end up stranded in a snowstorm on the way to Devon with a van full of arcane objects and theatrical props (of course they do – Arthur is involved) while the Unit is again under threat from Whitehall who have unleashed a Royal Visit on them at a very difficult time. Two deaths have to be solved simultaneously, one in the snowbound road and one in the Unit itself.
As always, Fowler writes with wit, insight and an excellent sense of his characters. It’s a very good, well told and well paced mystery. However, Arthur and John when out of London are never quite as satisfying; Arthur’s inexhaustible fund of arcane London knowledge is a source of immense pleasure to me, but in a snowbound location in the country it doesn’t have much of a chance to shine. This is still a very good read and a cut above a lot of crime fiction, but isn’t one of my favourites in the series.
contemplating-its-sins
April 2, 2017I gave it a couple of chapters, but it wasn't working for me at all. It felt different from the other books in the series somehow. DNF.
October 10, 2019
Best one yet! Multiple mysteries for the price of one. Brilliant stuff.
January 7, 2016
Meh ... as Sara would say. Am I getting tired of the two elderly detectives? I think I am. What has been driving me crazy is the time (or is it the number of pages?! it takes to get the plot (or is it me?) in gear.
At the end of the day, I like it when in the first twenty pages of a novel, I understand who is who and the plot is on track.
Take Robert Galbraith, or D.E. Stevenson, and there you are.
I might just drop Bryant and May altogether.
At the end of the day, I like it when in the first twenty pages of a novel, I understand who is who and the plot is on track.
Take Robert Galbraith, or D.E. Stevenson, and there you are.
I might just drop Bryant and May altogether.
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2024
This is the fifth in the Peculiar Crimes Unit series featuring detectives Arthur Bryant and John May. In this instance, Bryant and May must solve the murder of one of their own. A member of the PCU was killed inside a locked autopsy room whose only other occupants were dead. Moreover, only four members of the unit have keys to the room. Meanwhile, Bryant and May are stuck in a van miles away in the Dartmoor countryside as a freak snowstorm rages. They had been on their way to a convention of psychics. It will take all of their skill to solve the murder remotely.
June 25, 2018
Years ago, I read the first book in Fowler's Bryant and May series and didn't care for it at all, but always at the back of my mind, I thought there might have been extenuating circumstances. You see, I read Full Dark House while on my very first trip to the UK, and I'm pretty sure my brain was on sensory overload. I am very happy to announce that I thoroughly enjoyed this fifth book in the series, and now I'm wanting to catch up with all the adventures of these two men.
One of the small things that was so enjoyable was that Fowler increased my vocabulary. It's not often that writers use words that I'm not familiar with (and may I also add that the built-in dictionary is one of the perks of owning an eReader). Both storylines worked together extremely well. Everyone at the Peculiar Crimes Unit is used to having Bryant and May on hand to solve the crimes, but this time Sergeant Janice Longbright is in charge, and she's petrified that she's going to make a hash of it all. Then there's the young mother and son running from the homicidal maniac while the wind howls and the snow piles up. Fowler lets readers see things from several different perspectives, and my mind really got a workout trying to piece together the clues for both crimes.
As marvelous as the story is in White Corridor, the characters of Bryant and May are superb, especially if you like mysteries with flashes of brilliant humor. How old is Arthur Bryant? "Mr. Bryant is so old that most of his lifetime subscriptions have run out." One of the books in his office is Code-Breaking in Braille, and he planned the route to the psychics convention using a map printed in 1907. You'd never think in a million years that such a person could be any good at solving crimes or be allowed to get away with the things that he does. For the most part, John May is the slightly younger and steadier of the two, but at this stage of the game, May knows it's useless trying to rein in his determined partner. And as far as that "getting away with things" goes, as Fowler says in White Corridor, "The PCU got away with murder because few of their suspects ever did." And that's what it's all about, isn't it? Well, except for the fact that those two have a cell phone with a charge that seems to last till the end of time....
I am thrilled that I gave this series a second chance. Now I have fourteen books to read in order to catch up. Happy reading for me!
One of the small things that was so enjoyable was that Fowler increased my vocabulary. It's not often that writers use words that I'm not familiar with (and may I also add that the built-in dictionary is one of the perks of owning an eReader). Both storylines worked together extremely well. Everyone at the Peculiar Crimes Unit is used to having Bryant and May on hand to solve the crimes, but this time Sergeant Janice Longbright is in charge, and she's petrified that she's going to make a hash of it all. Then there's the young mother and son running from the homicidal maniac while the wind howls and the snow piles up. Fowler lets readers see things from several different perspectives, and my mind really got a workout trying to piece together the clues for both crimes.
As marvelous as the story is in White Corridor, the characters of Bryant and May are superb, especially if you like mysteries with flashes of brilliant humor. How old is Arthur Bryant? "Mr. Bryant is so old that most of his lifetime subscriptions have run out." One of the books in his office is Code-Breaking in Braille, and he planned the route to the psychics convention using a map printed in 1907. You'd never think in a million years that such a person could be any good at solving crimes or be allowed to get away with the things that he does. For the most part, John May is the slightly younger and steadier of the two, but at this stage of the game, May knows it's useless trying to rein in his determined partner. And as far as that "getting away with things" goes, as Fowler says in White Corridor, "The PCU got away with murder because few of their suspects ever did." And that's what it's all about, isn't it? Well, except for the fact that those two have a cell phone with a charge that seems to last till the end of time....
I am thrilled that I gave this series a second chance. Now I have fourteen books to read in order to catch up. Happy reading for me!
August 9, 2023
Reading this for the second time (Dec 2011). This takes the two detectives out of London and strands them in a blizzard on a side road leading to Plymouth. There is a murderer amongst the stranded motorists, but meanwhile back in London the Home Office villain is sure he has finally been able to shut down the PCU. When Bryant & May return to London they have to finish up the investigation they had been monitoring by cell phone from the blizzard, including the need to determine how their pathologist died. The unit meets in Arthur's home in Chalk Farm until Mrs. Sorrowbridge bans them and they try meeting in a pub.What could happen next?
Third reading (Jan 2017) I thought I would skip the early part of the book which takes place in France but I did read most of it in the end because you just had to. There are parts of this story which really gave me the cold shudders, and not just because the characters are caught in one of the worst blizzards you could imagine. Knowing you are isolated in a situation like that and knowing there is a murderer loose in the line of stalled cars is terrifying just to read about. I could have lived without the purely imaginary Princess Beatrice, but she was good for a laugh.
Third reading (Jan 2017) I thought I would skip the early part of the book which takes place in France but I did read most of it in the end because you just had to. There are parts of this story which really gave me the cold shudders, and not just because the characters are caught in one of the worst blizzards you could imagine. Knowing you are isolated in a situation like that and knowing there is a murderer loose in the line of stalled cars is terrifying just to read about. I could have lived without the purely imaginary Princess Beatrice, but she was good for a laugh.
July 12, 2016
Yet another excellent installment in the Bryant & May mystery series. All the novels are on par with each other, but it feels like they just keep getting better. Without a doubt it's Christopher Fowler's prose and intelligent writing that keeps me coming back for more. I love learning about the real world while reading fun fiction stories and there's always something new in these books.
I enjoyed the split narrative of this one. There are two separate crime scenarios running side by side. First, a member of the Peculiar Crime's Unit is killed while working and the rest of the team is scrambling to solve the case within the confines of a very tight deadline. Meanwhile, Bryant and May contend with a different criminal situation occurring as they're stuck out in the English Countryside during a terrible blizzard.
Five novels in and I'd still recommend this series. It's unique, quirky, and fun with intelligent prose and memorable characters.
I enjoyed the split narrative of this one. There are two separate crime scenarios running side by side. First, a member of the Peculiar Crime's Unit is killed while working and the rest of the team is scrambling to solve the case within the confines of a very tight deadline. Meanwhile, Bryant and May contend with a different criminal situation occurring as they're stuck out in the English Countryside during a terrible blizzard.
Five novels in and I'd still recommend this series. It's unique, quirky, and fun with intelligent prose and memorable characters.
February 21, 2019
5 Stars. I've listened to this twice on audiobook because I enjoyed it so much. How could I have missed this author and his two crotchety old detectives? Arthur Bryant should have retired, or been retired, years ago except he and his partner, John May, keep coming up aces. They work for the Peculiar Crimes Unit in London, and this time find themselves stranded on a remote highway near Dartmoor in a blizzard when problems develop at the office. Their coroner has been found dead on the premises just after the body of a young woman was brought in. And Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice will be visiting the unit in 48 hours. Plus, there's a dangerous young man chasing a mother and child in the area. There's a bonus, you'll also learn about Inuit words for "snow," a nice Canadian touch, and palm reading in old London. (August 2017)
October 11, 2014
As always; taut, intricate, loopy characters who are a lot more sensible than they appear. I am not usually overfond of book series which have strong ordinal continuity, but it suits the Bryant & May series. You would need a programme to keep up with the cast of characters otherwise.
Loved this book. Absolutely love the series. I love the writing which is consistently top notch and the dialogue which is unforced and natural. The pacing is taut (which is difficult when half the book is played out in a blizzard in a 'closed seting') and the denoument is brilliant. Usually I can anticipate the ending halfway into a book. That is almost never the case with Christopher Fowler.
White corridor is a strong book in a very strong series.
Loved this book. Absolutely love the series. I love the writing which is consistently top notch and the dialogue which is unforced and natural. The pacing is taut (which is difficult when half the book is played out in a blizzard in a 'closed seting') and the denoument is brilliant. Usually I can anticipate the ending halfway into a book. That is almost never the case with Christopher Fowler.
White corridor is a strong book in a very strong series.
September 24, 2009
This is a rather odd entry in the Bryant & May series. When the PCU is confronted with a most unusual locked room mystery, Bryant and May are trapped in a blizzard.
Why is this important? Well, the dead body belongs to crusty coroner, Oswald Finch. Furthermore, it looks like an inside job. Can the PCU solve the mystery without its heart and soul?
Also, there’s a secondary suspense plot playing out in the blizzard, which is completely bizarre. In my opinion, this entry is just not up to snuff. Bummer.
Why is this important? Well, the dead body belongs to crusty coroner, Oswald Finch. Furthermore, it looks like an inside job. Can the PCU solve the mystery without its heart and soul?
Also, there’s a secondary suspense plot playing out in the blizzard, which is completely bizarre. In my opinion, this entry is just not up to snuff. Bummer.
April 19, 2012
My latest foray in to the world of Bryant & May.
Must say I found the background intro a bit laborious.
Story wise it was good to get away from London. I know how much Christopher Fowler loves writing about London, however to me it can get a bit preachy at times.
The twist at the end was a surprise, didn’t see it coming.
There are a wonderful few lines concerning Jehovah Witnesses and a toaster.
Made me laugh out load.
One final thing, given my review of “Ten Second Corridor” I found it amusing to see a reference to The Avengers and Emma Peel.
Must say I found the background intro a bit laborious.
Story wise it was good to get away from London. I know how much Christopher Fowler loves writing about London, however to me it can get a bit preachy at times.
The twist at the end was a surprise, didn’t see it coming.
There are a wonderful few lines concerning Jehovah Witnesses and a toaster.
Made me laugh out load.
One final thing, given my review of “Ten Second Corridor” I found it amusing to see a reference to The Avengers and Emma Peel.
March 11, 2019
Enjoyable PCU book with 3 mysteries going on at the same time. The ending was a complete surprise as I didn't see it coming at all. Truly felt the cold, wind and snow in the blizzard scenes. Brrr!
I very much enjoy this series so will go on to the next!
I very much enjoy this series so will go on to the next!
June 20, 2016
I'm always a big fan of Bryant and May, but this one was particularly good. Two murders, lots of improbability and tons of snow. If you like the PCU books, you'll love this one.
May 3, 2019
Exceptionally moving, intelligent, erudite, whimsical and extraordinary.
March 10, 2023
Up until the last 100 or so pages, this was a 5-star read: well plotted, well written, solid characters. And then the threads began resolving in laughably ludicrous ways. (Many many were my eye-rolls). I’ll give Fowler another shot. He clearly has writing chops, and good ideas. But if my second (future) serving resolves as absurdly as this one did, that’ll be it for me.
February 24, 2013
A strange story - but I rather liked it.
John May and Arthur Bryant are the head of the Peculiar Crimes Unit. They are a relatively obscure unit in London, dealing with the obscure crimes very few know about. They are both aging and are afraid the unit will be closed when they are gone. Their acting supervisor has decided he is closing the office down, so Arthur talks John into helping him take stuff to a spiritualist gathering. He borrows a van from a neighbor and he and John set off. Unfortunately, the only map Arthur has is a pre-WWI map. There is a rare blizzard blowing up - soon he and John are stranded in a snowstorm. The roads are all closed with the cars piled up and blocked in by the snow.
There are other people caught on that road in the storm, too. A woman and her son - and a man pursuing her who killed his mother many years ago. Then a driver of a van is killed and John and Arthur have to try to find the killer. But there's something a little strange about the story the woman tells before she disappears with her son into the storm.
Meanwhile, at the Peculiar Crimes office, Raymond Land has decided that he will not shut down the offices after all. But the staff discover the medical examiner dead in the morgue with the door locked and no forced entry or exit. So, the staff are trying to solve the crime because it looks like an inside job, like one of them killed him. The Detective, has been calling Arthur and John to consult. Arthur finally tells her that he and John won't be around forever and he will not solve the case for her, although he has figured out what happened.
A member of the Home Office has it in for the unit because of something they know about him and he wants to close them down. So, he has arranged for a royal visit when he knows everything will be turned upside down. He is hoping they will insult the Princess Beatrice a connection of the ruling family and he will be able to close them down.
All of the action takes place over just a few days. The story is told in chapters from the various points of view. So you know pretty well what four people are thinking. And in their thoughts is the clue to the killer - but it still completely blindsided me. Of course, I'm usually taken by surprise. I don't try to figure it out before the ending, but you often can tell which way the story is trending. Not this time.....
This is the 3rd book in the series, so now I guess I will have to go back to read the first...
John May and Arthur Bryant are the head of the Peculiar Crimes Unit. They are a relatively obscure unit in London, dealing with the obscure crimes very few know about. They are both aging and are afraid the unit will be closed when they are gone. Their acting supervisor has decided he is closing the office down, so Arthur talks John into helping him take stuff to a spiritualist gathering. He borrows a van from a neighbor and he and John set off. Unfortunately, the only map Arthur has is a pre-WWI map. There is a rare blizzard blowing up - soon he and John are stranded in a snowstorm. The roads are all closed with the cars piled up and blocked in by the snow.
There are other people caught on that road in the storm, too. A woman and her son - and a man pursuing her who killed his mother many years ago. Then a driver of a van is killed and John and Arthur have to try to find the killer. But there's something a little strange about the story the woman tells before she disappears with her son into the storm.
Meanwhile, at the Peculiar Crimes office, Raymond Land has decided that he will not shut down the offices after all. But the staff discover the medical examiner dead in the morgue with the door locked and no forced entry or exit. So, the staff are trying to solve the crime because it looks like an inside job, like one of them killed him. The Detective, has been calling Arthur and John to consult. Arthur finally tells her that he and John won't be around forever and he will not solve the case for her, although he has figured out what happened.
A member of the Home Office has it in for the unit because of something they know about him and he wants to close them down. So, he has arranged for a royal visit when he knows everything will be turned upside down. He is hoping they will insult the Princess Beatrice a connection of the ruling family and he will be able to close them down.
All of the action takes place over just a few days. The story is told in chapters from the various points of view. So you know pretty well what four people are thinking. And in their thoughts is the clue to the killer - but it still completely blindsided me. Of course, I'm usually taken by surprise. I don't try to figure it out before the ending, but you often can tell which way the story is trending. Not this time.....
This is the 3rd book in the series, so now I guess I will have to go back to read the first...
August 3, 2009
White Corridor is installment number five in the Bryant and May series (aka the Peculiar Crimes Unit series). In this book, the author has given his readers two mainstay elements of classic mystery -- the locked-room murder (in which a member of the PCU is killed in a most impossible fashion so that suspicion points to the others) -- and weather so incredibly bad that it prevents our heroes Bryant and May from having any hope of returning to London to help with this crime. It wouldn't be so bad, but once again, someone is scheming to close down the PCU -- so the other members of the team have to solve the crime themselves and quickly. It doesn't mean that our favorite detectives are just sitting bundled up in the car waiting for the storm to pass...they also get involved when a truck driver is killed during the standstill traffic produced by the storm.
What I liked about this book was precisely that we get to see the team at work without Bryant and May, but I just didn't think it was as good as the previous four. Normally I can't wait to dive right in...this time I could actually put the book down and do other things instead of sticking to it like glue. Dont' get me wrong...it's still quite good, quite quirky and the author's writing is great as always, but it just seemed to me that something was lacking here that is found in the other books leading up to this one series order-wise.
I definitely recommend it to people who are following the series, and to people who want something rather different in their reading (you'll definitely find it in this set of books). Don't by any means start with this one or you'll lose a lot of backstory and character development from the others. Overall...a good read and a nice way to pass a few hours on a summer's day.
What I liked about this book was precisely that we get to see the team at work without Bryant and May, but I just didn't think it was as good as the previous four. Normally I can't wait to dive right in...this time I could actually put the book down and do other things instead of sticking to it like glue. Dont' get me wrong...it's still quite good, quite quirky and the author's writing is great as always, but it just seemed to me that something was lacking here that is found in the other books leading up to this one series order-wise.
I definitely recommend it to people who are following the series, and to people who want something rather different in their reading (you'll definitely find it in this set of books). Don't by any means start with this one or you'll lose a lot of backstory and character development from the others. Overall...a good read and a nice way to pass a few hours on a summer's day.
September 5, 2007
WHITE CORRIDOR (Police Proc-Bryant & May- England-Cont) – VG
Fowler, Christopher – 5th in series
Doubleday, 2007, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 9780385610674
First Sentence: NOTICE: THE PECULIAR CRIMES UNIT WILL BE SHUT FOR ONE WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 19th FEBRUARY
*** While the Met’s Peculiar Crimes Unit is closed down for repairs, Detectives Arthur Bryant and John May had off for an international convention of psychics. Caught in a blizzard and stuck in their van, they are tasked with solving two crimes. Back at the office, the retiring pathologist is found dead within his locked autopsy room. A woman, who escaped her abusive husband with her young son, now finds herself on the run from a man who admitted killing his mother.
*** One of the things I love about this series is the creativeness of the plots, and there are so many elements I enjoyed in this book. First, I love the characters; the quirkiness of Bryant and the protectiveness of May. The sense of place was excellent; you felt them stuck in that blizzard and dreaded every time they had to get out of their van and into the cold. I appreciated their helping their colleagues solve the case back at headquarters and the approach that they wouldn’t always be there to solve the cases. Fowler took what could have been a cliché story line of the woman running from a stalker and gave us something new with it. I am a definite fan and end each book eagerly awaiting the next.
Fowler, Christopher – 5th in series
Doubleday, 2007, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 9780385610674
First Sentence: NOTICE: THE PECULIAR CRIMES UNIT WILL BE SHUT FOR ONE WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 19th FEBRUARY
*** While the Met’s Peculiar Crimes Unit is closed down for repairs, Detectives Arthur Bryant and John May had off for an international convention of psychics. Caught in a blizzard and stuck in their van, they are tasked with solving two crimes. Back at the office, the retiring pathologist is found dead within his locked autopsy room. A woman, who escaped her abusive husband with her young son, now finds herself on the run from a man who admitted killing his mother.
*** One of the things I love about this series is the creativeness of the plots, and there are so many elements I enjoyed in this book. First, I love the characters; the quirkiness of Bryant and the protectiveness of May. The sense of place was excellent; you felt them stuck in that blizzard and dreaded every time they had to get out of their van and into the cold. I appreciated their helping their colleagues solve the case back at headquarters and the approach that they wouldn’t always be there to solve the cases. Fowler took what could have been a cliché story line of the woman running from a stalker and gave us something new with it. I am a definite fan and end each book eagerly awaiting the next.
July 23, 2011
c2007: Okay, so what the blurb doesn't tell you is that there is another murder that happens throughout the book which I found to be more creepy than any of the others in the series. I do wish that the continuing theme of possible closure of the Division would come to a conclusion and that there would be a bit more happiness. Good to find out that there may be more of May's history to be revealed. Probably, one of the best lines in the book when describing a croissant - "Only the French could invent bread that explodes when you try to eat it"
January 24, 2010
Another in the Bryant and May series. This time two parallel story lines play out with the duo snowbound on a rural motorway tracking a vicious killer, while their team is back in London trying to quickly solve a inconceivable murder all on their own before in order to save the unit from permanent closure. Enjoyable as usual but I'd probably place this lower on my rankings of "favorite installments." But still a great read.
November 3, 2014
Another good installment in the series. I can see development in the characters, the writing and in plot development, all of which made this very enjoyable reading. In fact I have the next book, The Victoria Vanishes: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery on my table waiting to be started.
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