Seventy-Seven Clocks

September 19, 2005
Set in 1973, Fowler's bloody and compelling third mystery to feature eccentric London detectives Arthur Bryant and John May details how the pair first joined Scotland Yard's Peculiar Crimes Unit. The murders Bryant and May investigate more than fit the unit's mission to handle cases outside the norm—an elderly lawyer is found poisoned in a hotel lobby, apparently from a snake bite, while other victims are killed by toxic makeup and a starved tiger. The odd sleuthing couple find that these terrifying crimes are all connected with the strange Whitstable family, whose Victorian patriarch founded a bizarre group called the Alliance of Eternal Light. Fans of the previous books in the series, Full Dark House
and The Water Room
, will appreciate the portrait of a younger Bryant and May, but even they are likely to feel let down by the far-fetched solution. Still, that won't erase the pleasure of a twisty thriller, full of action and plot surprises. Agent, Howard Morhaim.

Bizarre and whimsically strange, the third Bryant and May detective novel is an exhilarating and intricate mystery set in 1973 London. The Peculiar Crimes Unit duo investigates a mystery that starts with a violent death in the legendary Savoy Hotel. Bryant and May are joined by Sam, the brave and haunted Savoy desk clerk,in the race to save the quickly dwindling members of the Whitstable family. Tim Goodman skillfully captures Sam's female timbre, as well as the accents of the story's many Indian characters. Goodman's depiction of the dichotomy between Bryant and May's personalities is spot-on, which enables the listener to differentiate the two. This fast-paced listen not only features a surprising ending, but unexpected twists throughout. A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine