GREAT READS

The Victoria Vanishes

Christopher Fowler.

I think I've found the destination for my next vacation.  After reading Christopher Fowler's book, The Victoria Vanishes, I really need to go to London to check things out for myself. And I'll make sure not to go alone....
This fun and lively mystery is the latest in Fowler's Peculiar Crimes Unit series. The PCU, led by elderly detectives Arthur Bryant and John May, is a branch (or rather, the ugly stepchild) of the London Police Department. As evidenced by the name, this is the group that is assigned the crimes with unusual circumstances. Their crime-solving methods are somewhat unorthodox (and occasionally illegal!) but effective, much to the chagrin of the Home Office, which is constantly threatening to eliminate the PCU.  In this book, the PCU is on the trail of a serial killer-one who is murdering seemingly-random women in crowded pubs. 80-year-old Arthur Bryant appears to be the leader on this one, as the group tries to figure out the connections among the victims, and the motives and profile of the killer. The book's title refers to The Victoria Cross-a pub that Mr. Bryant saw one of the victims walk into just minutes before she was killed. The problem is The Victoria Cross was destroyed in 1925, forcing Bryant to wonder if he's going mad or if something fishy is going on. The action builds as they close in on the culprit, but just when London's female population breathes a sigh of relief that the pubs are safe again the PCU realizes that the mystery continues.  Fowler does a good job of fleshing-out the characters-you come to know the frustrations and idiosyncrasies of the members of the PCU, and can understand their loyalty to each other and to the Unit. The eccentric Arthur Bryant in particular is well-drawn by Fowler, as we learn about his quirky personal habits and encounters. Bryant has an eclectic collection of books and is a master of arcane information, which he shares throughout the story. In fact, the wealth of historical details about London and its pubs is one of my favorite things about this book. In one passage we learn that pubs have even influenced our language: "Drinkers used to share the same mug, in which the level of ale was marked with a wooden peg, hence the expression ‘to take someone down a peg'". Fowler also sprinkles in plenty of British dialect, lending authenticity to the clever dialogue. One other thing--The Victoria Vanishes includes a two-page appendix listing the names and addresses of all the pubs mentioned in the story-a useful resource for my "research" while on vacation.....

Recommended by Angela Prandini