Londonâs craftiest and boldest detectives, Arthur Bryant and John May, are back in this deviously twisting mystery of black magic, madness, and secrets hidden in plain sight. When a young woman is found dead in the pews of St. Brideâs Churchâalone and showing no apparent signs of traumaâArthur Bryant assumes this case will go to the Peculiar Crimes Unit, an eccentric team tasked with solving Londonâs most puzzling murders. Yet the city police take over the investigation, and the PCU is given an even more baffling and bewitching assignment.
Called into headquarters by Oskar Kasavian, the head of Home Office security, Bryant and May are shocked to hear that their longtime adversary now desperately needs their help. Oskarâs wife, Sabira, has been acting strangely for weeksâsuccumbing to violent mood swings, claiming an evil presence is bringing her harmâand Oskar wants the PCU to find out why. And if thereâs any duo that can deduce the method behind her madness, itâs the indomitable Bryant and May.
When a second bizarre death reveals a surprising link between the two womenâs cases, Bryant and May set off on a trail of clues from the notorious Bedlam hospital to historic Bletchley Park. And as they are drawn into a world of encrypted codes and symbols, concealed rooms and high-society clubs, they must work quickly to catch a killer who lurks even closer than they think.
Witty, suspenseful, and ingeniously plotted, The Invisible Code is Christopher Fowler at the very top of his form.
Praise for The Invisible Code âDelightful . . . priceless dialogue . . . Fowlerâs small but ardent American following deserves to get much larger. . . . The Invisible Code has immense charm. . . . Fowler creates a fine blend of vivid descriptions, . . . quick thinking and artful understatement. . . . Best of all are the two main characters, particularly Bryant, whose fine British stodginess is matched perfectly by the agility of his crime-solving mind.ââJanet Maslin, The New York Times âExcellent . . . In the light of the challenges that Fowler has given his heroes in prior books, itâs particularly impressive that he manages to surpass himself once again.ââPublishers Weekly (starred review) Praise for the ingenious novels featuring the Peculiar Crimes Unit âWitty, charming, intelligent, wonderfully atmospheric and enthusiastically plotted.ââThe Times (UK)
âA series of narratives that exert an Ancient Marinerâlike grip on the reader . . . Christopher Fowler is something of a British national treasure.ââCrime Time
âQuirky, ingenious and quite brilliant . . . If you havenât indulged you are really missing out. . . . Wonderful, gently humorous stuff, so clever.ââThe Bookseller
âA brilliant series of impossible crime novels.ââThe Denver Post
âGrumpy Old Men does CSI with a twist of Dickens! Bryant and May are hilarious. I love this series.ââKaren Marie Moning
âAn example of what Christopher Fowler does so well, which is to merge the old values with the new valuesâreassuring, solid, English, and traditional. Heâs giving us two for the price of one here.ââLee Child
Londonâs craftiest and boldest detectives, Arthur Bryant and John May, are back in this deviously twisting mystery of black magic, madness, and secrets hidden in plain sight. When a young woman is found dead in the pews of St. Brideâs Churchâalone and showing no apparent signs of traumaâArthur Bryant assumes this case will go to the Peculiar Crimes Unit, an eccentric team tasked with solving Londonâs most puzzling murders. Yet the city police take over the investigation, and the PCU is given an even more baffling and bewitching assignment.
Called into headquarters by Oskar Kasavian, the head of Home Office security, Bryant and May are shocked to hear that their longtime adversary now desperately needs their help. Oskarâs wife, Sabira, has been acting strangely for weeksâsuccumbing to violent mood swings, claiming an evil presence is bringing her harmâand Oskar wants the PCU to find out why. And if thereâs any duo that can deduce the method behind her madness, itâs the indomitable Bryant and May.
When a second bizarre death reveals a surprising link between the two womenâs cases, Bryant and May set off on a trail of clues from the notorious Bedlam hospital to historic Bletchley Park. And as they are drawn into a world of encrypted codes and symbols, concealed rooms and high-society clubs, they must work quickly to catch a killer who lurks even closer than they think.
Witty, suspenseful, and ingeniously plotted, The Invisible Code is Christopher Fowler at the very top of his form.
Praise for The Invisible Code âDelightful . . . priceless dialogue . . . Fowlerâs small but ardent American following deserves to get much larger. . . . The Invisible Code has immense charm. . . . Fowler creates a fine blend of vivid descriptions, . . . quick thinking and artful understatement. . . . Best of all are the two main characters, particularly Bryant, whose fine British stodginess is matched perfectly by the agility of his crime-solving mind.ââJanet Maslin, The New York Times âExcellent . . . In the light of the challenges that Fowler has given his heroes in prior books, itâs particularly impressive that he manages to surpass himself once again.ââPublishers Weekly (starred review) Praise for the ingenious novels featuring the Peculiar Crimes Unit âWitty, charming, intelligent, wonderfully atmospheric and enthusiastically plotted.ââThe Times (UK)
âA series of narratives that exert an Ancient Marinerâlike grip on the reader . . . Christopher Fowler is something of a British national treasure.ââCrime Time
âQuirky, ingenious and quite brilliant . . . If you havenât indulged you are really missing out. . . . Wonderful, gently humorous stuff, so clever.ââThe Bookseller
âA brilliant series of impossible crime novels.ââThe Denver Post
âGrumpy Old Men does CSI with a twist of Dickens! Bryant and May are hilarious. I love this series.ââKaren Marie Moning
âAn example of what Christopher Fowler does so well, which is to merge the old values with the new valuesâreassuring, solid, English, and traditional. Heâs giving us two for the price of one here.ââLee Child