Bryant and May and the Bleeding Heart by Christopher Fowler

I can't remember why this particular title in the Bryant and May series was in my TBR list, but it sounded like something I was in the mood for so I decided to pick it up. And guess what? A strange mystery involving our odd detectives was what I wanted to read.

Bryant and May and the Bleeding Heart starts with what appears to be a zombie rising from the grave. Obviously this freaks out the poor boy and the girl he was trying to impress. But then said boy is murdered and Bryant is convinced that there is a link. The only thing is that the department has a new boss and she only speaks organisational jargon (and I really laughed when I read her first lines).

Like the previous book I read, this story takes a meandering course as Bryant goes after not only a murderer but also the person who stole the ravens at the Tower of London. It very much mimics his thought pattern and made for and interesting read. I did wonder if I would find the ending a bit too unbelievable but I realised that every conclusion Bryant reached made sense (even if he didn't follow proper investigation protocols).

I'm also started to get a better sense of the supporting characters. Bryant and May I liked from the start, but now I can picture Raymond Land (the reluctant boss without authority), Janice Longbright and Renfield (although I found Renfield's daughter to have a stronger personality), and Meera. There's still one or two that didn't leave much of an impression, but I'm sure that this will rectify itself if I continue reading about the Peculiar Crimes Unit.

If you're interested in an off-beat mystery with a cast of odd and mostly lovable characters, you'll want to pick up this book (and I suppose the whole series). I found this to be an easy and interesting read and I will definitely be reading more of this series, although I doubt I'd be reading it in order. (That might mess up some character subplots but I think the books should be able to work as standalones too)