What do you think?
Rate this book
Bryant & May: Peculiar Crimes Unit #11.5
Bryant & May and the Secret Santa
In this fast-paced Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery, available as an eBook short story, detectives Arthur Bryant and John May must crack a puzzling Christmas case with some extra assistance from Santa’s little helpers.
Includes a preview of Christopher Fowler’s upcoming Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery, Bryant & May and the Burning Man!
The streets of London are covered in twinkling lights and freshly fallen snow, but the mood inside the Christmas department of Selfridges is decidedly less cheery. Bryant and May have arrived there to investigate the death of an eleven-year-old boy who inexplicably fled the store after a routine visit to Santa’s Wonderland. Their only clue is a torn scrap of blue cloth discovered at the scene. Now, Bryant and May are making a list of suspects, but they’d better check it twice to catch a shifty culprit in disguise.
Praise for Christopher Fowler’s brilliant Peculiar Crimes Unit novels
“Fowler, like his crime-solvers, is deadpan, sly, and always unexpectedly inventive.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Delectably droll . . . brainy and pure.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times
“Fowler reinvents and reinvigorates the traditional police procedural.”—The Boston Globe
“May and Bryant make a stellar team.” —The Wall Street Journal
“Fowler has few peers when it comes to constructing ingenious and intricate plots.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Includes a preview of Christopher Fowler’s upcoming Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery, Bryant & May and the Burning Man!
The streets of London are covered in twinkling lights and freshly fallen snow, but the mood inside the Christmas department of Selfridges is decidedly less cheery. Bryant and May have arrived there to investigate the death of an eleven-year-old boy who inexplicably fled the store after a routine visit to Santa’s Wonderland. Their only clue is a torn scrap of blue cloth discovered at the scene. Now, Bryant and May are making a list of suspects, but they’d better check it twice to catch a shifty culprit in disguise.
Praise for Christopher Fowler’s brilliant Peculiar Crimes Unit novels
“Fowler, like his crime-solvers, is deadpan, sly, and always unexpectedly inventive.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Delectably droll . . . brainy and pure.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times
“Fowler reinvents and reinvigorates the traditional police procedural.”—The Boston Globe
“May and Bryant make a stellar team.” —The Wall Street Journal
“Fowler has few peers when it comes to constructing ingenious and intricate plots.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
22 pages, ebook
First published November 17, 2015
About the author
Christopher Fowler
240 books1,238 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Christopher Fowler was an English novelist living in London. His books contain elements of black comedy, anxiety and social satire. As well as novels, he wrote short stories, scripts, press articles and reviews.
He lived in King's Cross, on the Battlebridge Basin, and chose London as the backdrop of many of his stories because any one of the events in its two-thousand-year history can provide inspiration.
In 1998 he was the recipient of the BFS Best Short Story of the Year, for 'Wageslaves'. Then, in 2004, The Water Room was nominated for the CWA People's Choice Award, Full Dark House won the BFS August Derleth Novel of The Year Award 2004 and 'American Waitress' won the BFS Best Short Story of the Year 2004. The novella 'Breathe' won BFS Best Novella 2005.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Christopher Fowler was an English novelist living in London. His books contain elements of black comedy, anxiety and social satire. As well as novels, he wrote short stories, scripts, press articles and reviews.
He lived in King's Cross, on the Battlebridge Basin, and chose London as the backdrop of many of his stories because any one of the events in its two-thousand-year history can provide inspiration.
In 1998 he was the recipient of the BFS Best Short Story of the Year, for 'Wageslaves'. Then, in 2004, The Water Room was nominated for the CWA People's Choice Award, Full Dark House won the BFS August Derleth Novel of The Year Award 2004 and 'American Waitress' won the BFS Best Short Story of the Year 2004. The novella 'Breathe' won BFS Best Novella 2005.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
November 5, 2015
3.5 after finishing a rather emotionally draining book this was just what the doctor ordered. Although there is a serious event in this book too. I just love Bryant and his quirkiness, his grumbling of Christmas, all its excesses and ornamentation. Things were of course, much better when he was a child. May and Bryant seem like such a mismatched pair yet they have been friends for a long time. A very welcome short story.
ARC from Netgalley.
ARC from Netgalley.
September 5, 2017
I've been curious about the Bryant and May series for a while now and when I saw this short story on NetGalley was it a perfect opportunity to get a small glimpse into Bryant and May's world. Bryant & May and the Secret Santa is a very short story about a child getting scared after visiting Santa at a store. And, fleeing from the store across the street is he run over and dies. Bryant and May are called to the store to find out what scared the boy.
I found the story enjoyable and despite being so short it manage to tell its story very well. I found Bryant and May to be interesting characters and I'm curious about them and I'm thinking about reading the books to get to know them better. I was for some reason expecting a historical crime and was a bit surprised when I realized that the Bryant and May series is taking place in present time. There is just something about the covers to the books that make me think the setting would be perhaps the 50s. That really shows how little I knew about this series. I have to remedy that.
3.5 stars
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I found the story enjoyable and despite being so short it manage to tell its story very well. I found Bryant and May to be interesting characters and I'm curious about them and I'm thinking about reading the books to get to know them better. I was for some reason expecting a historical crime and was a bit surprised when I realized that the Bryant and May series is taking place in present time. There is just something about the covers to the books that make me think the setting would be perhaps the 50s. That really shows how little I knew about this series. I have to remedy that.
3.5 stars
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
November 16, 2015
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.
I love a good mystery. I had actually never heard of the Bryant & May series when I saw this short story listed on NetGalley. I am always on the lookout for a new mystery series so I decided to read this short piece as a way of sampling the author's writing and try to get a feel for the series. This story was really short but enjoyable.
This story is part of the Bryant & May series which is a long standing detective series. I doubt that anything in the short story will end up being important to the series but it was a nice episode in Bryant & May's caseload. There really wasn't much of a mystery to be solved but it was really interesting to see how they went about solving the case.
This story focuses on the death of an 11 year old boy just outside a department store. Bryant and May are called in to investigate the death. They focus on the store's Santa since the boy had just visited with Santa before running from the store. There were a couple of pieces that needed to be fit together in order to solve the mystery.
I liked the way the writing in this story flowed. The main characters were just wonderful. They had a camaraderie that was a lot of fun. Their personalities really complimented each other well. I would imagine that long time fans of the series will want to pick this one up just to spend a few minutes with Bryant & May.
I would recommend this story to both long time readers of the series and the inexperienced like myself. I would definitely be interesting in checking out one of the full length books in the series after reading this story.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Alibi via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.
Initial Thoughts
This was pretty short. I haven't read this series before but I would definitely be interested in checking out one of the full length books. There wasn't a whole lot of mystery in this short story but I really enjoyed the writing style.
I love a good mystery. I had actually never heard of the Bryant & May series when I saw this short story listed on NetGalley. I am always on the lookout for a new mystery series so I decided to read this short piece as a way of sampling the author's writing and try to get a feel for the series. This story was really short but enjoyable.
This story is part of the Bryant & May series which is a long standing detective series. I doubt that anything in the short story will end up being important to the series but it was a nice episode in Bryant & May's caseload. There really wasn't much of a mystery to be solved but it was really interesting to see how they went about solving the case.
This story focuses on the death of an 11 year old boy just outside a department store. Bryant and May are called in to investigate the death. They focus on the store's Santa since the boy had just visited with Santa before running from the store. There were a couple of pieces that needed to be fit together in order to solve the mystery.
I liked the way the writing in this story flowed. The main characters were just wonderful. They had a camaraderie that was a lot of fun. Their personalities really complimented each other well. I would imagine that long time fans of the series will want to pick this one up just to spend a few minutes with Bryant & May.
I would recommend this story to both long time readers of the series and the inexperienced like myself. I would definitely be interesting in checking out one of the full length books in the series after reading this story.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Alibi via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.
Initial Thoughts
This was pretty short. I haven't read this series before but I would definitely be interested in checking out one of the full length books. There wasn't a whole lot of mystery in this short story but I really enjoyed the writing style.
November 18, 2015
This is a seasonal short story featuring Bryant and May of the Peculiar Crimes Unit. An apparently simple tale, in terms of it's development and length, and as Peculiar Crimes go, it was fun to read and to watch the curmudgeonly Bryant during the holidays. An eleven year old boy runs in a panic from Selfridges after a visit to Santa, and dies. Of course the questions are why, how, who, etc. Bryant, May and the team are on the job. I enjoyed it prior to starting the next full length book, Bryant & May and the Burning Man. And it's a nice addition to seasonal crime/mystery fiction.
A copy of this work was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
A copy of this work was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
January 7, 2018
4 stars
I have not read a Peculiar Crimes book or any Bryant & May story so I decided to try this short story to see if I liked the author's writing style. Well, guess what? This was a delightful story, even though a murder is committed, and now I will be adding this series to my ever increasing TBR list. I guess it is a good problem to have too many good books to read.
I have not read a Peculiar Crimes book or any Bryant & May story so I decided to try this short story to see if I liked the author's writing style. Well, guess what? This was a delightful story, even though a murder is committed, and now I will be adding this series to my ever increasing TBR list. I guess it is a good problem to have too many good books to read.
November 16, 2015
This is a very short story - we're talking about a 10-15 minute read for me. I have only read a couple of the Bryant & May stories, and not for a while. I think this book would appeal to those who love these detectives and want a quick peek at what they're up to, but will seem pointless to those not interested in the characters of this series. There is very little detective work or mystery, and no real tension at all. This is definitely just about character; and thus those who haven't read a lot of the series will probably find it falls a little flat.
December 14, 2015
Fowler bemoans the loss of the great department stores in London. He remembers fondly the Christmas trip to check out the windows at Gamages - as I recall the yearly trips for the windows of Marshall Field in Chicago. This was based apparently on an event that happened to him.
A boy visits Santa at Selfridges, gets scared by something and runs out blindly into the street, only to be run over by a bus. What could have scared this boy so badly?
The point is made that Santa no longer has the child sitting on his lap - a reference to the post-Jimmy Savile era. A GR friend had reviewed a book yesterday about Mr. Savile, who up until that time I had never heard of. So I definitely had to run to Wikipedia to find out about him. Kind of a disgusting perv with access to enough power that no one ever believed his victims (if they ever told).
So they pose in kids in costumes, they get a gift and leave by a tunnel. And Santa disappears.
I liked it. Especially how Fowler evokes the feeling on Christmas in urban streets. How snows is nice at first but then quickly turns grungy under tires and feet clomping through it. And that gray sludge seems to last forever.
A nice little Christmas story. And I'm not sure that I want to know what part of this (other than the trips to the department store) was based on his life. Unless he had reactions to Santa similar to mine. They had to drag me kicking and screaming across a cement floor at the volunteer fire station. They gave up before I did.
A boy visits Santa at Selfridges, gets scared by something and runs out blindly into the street, only to be run over by a bus. What could have scared this boy so badly?
The point is made that Santa no longer has the child sitting on his lap - a reference to the post-Jimmy Savile era. A GR friend had reviewed a book yesterday about Mr. Savile, who up until that time I had never heard of. So I definitely had to run to Wikipedia to find out about him. Kind of a disgusting perv with access to enough power that no one ever believed his victims (if they ever told).
So they pose in kids in costumes, they get a gift and leave by a tunnel. And Santa disappears.
I liked it. Especially how Fowler evokes the feeling on Christmas in urban streets. How snows is nice at first but then quickly turns grungy under tires and feet clomping through it. And that gray sludge seems to last forever.
A nice little Christmas story. And I'm not sure that I want to know what part of this (other than the trips to the department store) was based on his life. Unless he had reactions to Santa similar to mine. They had to drag me kicking and screaming across a cement floor at the volunteer fire station. They gave up before I did.
November 17, 2015
This s a fast paced short story featuring the detectives Arthur Bryant and John May as they seek answers to why a child died after visiting Santa in a London store.
The detectives are brilliant characters, their dialogue decidedly droll for the time of year as the two visit Santa’s Wonderland in Selfridges to investigate why an eleven year old boy ran from there only to be killed in an accident in the street outside. The reader is taken with the detectives as they seek answers to why the boy ran and who was responsible.
This is a tragic tale involving boarding school bullying, a scrap of blue cloth and the two diligent detectives. It is the first story in this series that I’ve read, but it works well as a standalone story in its own right. I’ll certainly be looking out for more in this series as the innate humour between the detectives, their camaraderie, strategies and the ingenious plot make this a quick but riveting festive read and one I have no hesitation in highly recommending!
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for this, an honest review.
The detectives are brilliant characters, their dialogue decidedly droll for the time of year as the two visit Santa’s Wonderland in Selfridges to investigate why an eleven year old boy ran from there only to be killed in an accident in the street outside. The reader is taken with the detectives as they seek answers to why the boy ran and who was responsible.
This is a tragic tale involving boarding school bullying, a scrap of blue cloth and the two diligent detectives. It is the first story in this series that I’ve read, but it works well as a standalone story in its own right. I’ll certainly be looking out for more in this series as the innate humour between the detectives, their camaraderie, strategies and the ingenious plot make this a quick but riveting festive read and one I have no hesitation in highly recommending!
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for this, an honest review.
November 28, 2015
'Bryant & May and the Secret Santa' by Christopher Fowler just proves that these two curmudgeonly detectives are even good in a brief story.
This time around, they are investigating a murder around a department store during the holidays. This brings back memories to both Bryant and May as they trudge through the false cheer to interrogate Santa. A young boy has apparently fled in terror after seeing Santa, but why is an interesting puzzle. Bryant and May turn Santa's helpers to uncover who's been naughty and who's been nice.
At a short 22 pages, it whips by pretty quick, but it's a really fun read. As a bonus, the book includes an excerpt from the next full length novel 'Bryant & May and the Burning Man' which is out in a couple weeks.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Random House Publishing Group-Alibi and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
This time around, they are investigating a murder around a department store during the holidays. This brings back memories to both Bryant and May as they trudge through the false cheer to interrogate Santa. A young boy has apparently fled in terror after seeing Santa, but why is an interesting puzzle. Bryant and May turn Santa's helpers to uncover who's been naughty and who's been nice.
At a short 22 pages, it whips by pretty quick, but it's a really fun read. As a bonus, the book includes an excerpt from the next full length novel 'Bryant & May and the Burning Man' which is out in a couple weeks.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Random House Publishing Group-Alibi and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
November 7, 2015
This short story featuring Arthur Bryant & John May of London's Peculiar Crimes Unit is an early Xmas gift for fans of this long running series.
To keep it seasonal, the senior detectives are tracking down a suspicious man last seen in a red suit, handing out toys. It's a quick read so I won't spoil it but when it comes to this duo, the investigative aspect of the story is almost secondary.
It's really an excuse to spend time with the curmudgeonly Bryant while he expounds on all things Xmas & the long suffering May who keeps him firmly in his place. Their sharp wit & social commentary keeps the story from sliding into "cozy" territory & is as entertaining as usual.
And darn that Mr. Fowler....he sneaks in a snippet from the next full length book that's just long enough to ensure we'll be waiting in line when it's released in December.
To keep it seasonal, the senior detectives are tracking down a suspicious man last seen in a red suit, handing out toys. It's a quick read so I won't spoil it but when it comes to this duo, the investigative aspect of the story is almost secondary.
It's really an excuse to spend time with the curmudgeonly Bryant while he expounds on all things Xmas & the long suffering May who keeps him firmly in his place. Their sharp wit & social commentary keeps the story from sliding into "cozy" territory & is as entertaining as usual.
And darn that Mr. Fowler....he sneaks in a snippet from the next full length book that's just long enough to ensure we'll be waiting in line when it's released in December.
August 1, 2022
I feel bad including this in my reading challenge, because it's basically a 54-page story, but here we are. This case whizzes along and the conversations aren't quite as fully fleshed out as they would be in a novel, but it still managed to set the scene, throw in a little dig at the rigid class system, and have an emotional hook at the end.
September 1, 2017
Short story, quick read, probably a good one to read in December.
February 5, 2018
Interesting enough but not a very satisfying short story.
September 17, 2018
I liked this book because it was reminiscent of childhood imaginings and mysteries
December 8, 2018
this is a good short story, but doesn't have the quirks of the normal novel in the series. still a good read for Christmas.
January 9, 2019
Short story featuring our Peculiar Crimes Unit odd couple.
July 2, 2019
Short Christmas Story
I prefer whole books, but for a short story this was very good, as I would expect from this author. Rather sad.
I prefer whole books, but for a short story this was very good, as I would expect from this author. Rather sad.
April 24, 2020
Just a short story.
Read
September 21, 2020Always love a Bryant & May.
November 23, 2020
nothing to it. too short to be worthwhile
July 31, 2022
Quite a little gem
Economy of style, quirky characters, humorous and irreverent approach to Christmas (that is, the commercial part of it) - what’s not to like?
Economy of style, quirky characters, humorous and irreverent approach to Christmas (that is, the commercial part of it) - what’s not to like?
December 24, 2022
Very quick without much development
March 24, 2022
Novella so very short but decent mystery. Very sad story.
December 31, 2020
Just a short story, but how I love the characters, Bryant and May! Very Christmas-y!!
February 20, 2021
In the U.S. this little ebook is included in "London's Glory Book" 12.5 (includes 7.5 & 11.5). Thanks to the GoodReads.com librarians for cross-referencing these titles.
March 27, 2021
Very good. Very short. Lovely read. Clever tie.
November 17, 2015
As far as I can tell this story is only available in ebook version. I'm hoping there will be more collections of Bryant and May short stories at some point because I am definitely partial to this series and the way Christopher Fowler writes the characters and the puzzles.
This story came about from an incident that happened to Fowler in the past and his details give the story a realistic vibe that rings very true. Bryant and May have been called to a department store to investigate the death of a young boy after he visited the store Santa Claus. Since no other police unit sees any need to investigate, the Peculiar Crimes Unit sends their two senior detectives (Arthur Bryant and John May) to find out what happened. Naturally they get to the bottom of it all, but not without calling on their investigative peculiarities that make perfect sense when explained in the story.
Included with this ebook short story is a sample of the novel Bryant and May and the Burning Man set for release in December 2015. If you like what you read of Burning Man, by all means begin reading this series. Just don't begin reading with the Burning Man book. This is one series where I always recommend people new to the series begin with the first book. If you like that one, move around within the series as much as you want. I found some information in Burning Man which would be a spoiler to share here so I don't feel that is the best book in the series to begin with.
I received an e-ARC of this short story through NetGalley.
This story came about from an incident that happened to Fowler in the past and his details give the story a realistic vibe that rings very true. Bryant and May have been called to a department store to investigate the death of a young boy after he visited the store Santa Claus. Since no other police unit sees any need to investigate, the Peculiar Crimes Unit sends their two senior detectives (Arthur Bryant and John May) to find out what happened. Naturally they get to the bottom of it all, but not without calling on their investigative peculiarities that make perfect sense when explained in the story.
Included with this ebook short story is a sample of the novel Bryant and May and the Burning Man set for release in December 2015. If you like what you read of Burning Man, by all means begin reading this series. Just don't begin reading with the Burning Man book. This is one series where I always recommend people new to the series begin with the first book. If you like that one, move around within the series as much as you want. I found some information in Burning Man which would be a spoiler to share here so I don't feel that is the best book in the series to begin with.
I received an e-ARC of this short story through NetGalley.
November 14, 2015
Bryant & May and the Secret Santa by Christopher Fowler is a short story available November17, 2015.
It's Christmas time in London with the cold, snow and slush expected with the season. Department store Santas have been hired and perform their tasks. But, after one boy visits Santa he becomes frightened and runs out of the store and winds up under a bus. Why did the boy react this way? Who is responsible for frightening him? Bryant and May are quickly called to the scene and begin to investigate.
I don't know much about boarding schools, so I couldn't really anticipate where the pair was going with their line of questioning. But, I didn't mind. All the clues are given that you need to solve along with Bryant and May. There were a few twists.
I gave this story 4 stars out of 5 possible. Overall, it's a good, entertaining short story. It's worth your time. It can be read whether you are familiar with Bryant and May or not, but it's certainly more enjoyable knowing them from the novels.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this story in exchange for my honest opinion.
It's Christmas time in London with the cold, snow and slush expected with the season. Department store Santas have been hired and perform their tasks. But, after one boy visits Santa he becomes frightened and runs out of the store and winds up under a bus. Why did the boy react this way? Who is responsible for frightening him? Bryant and May are quickly called to the scene and begin to investigate.
I don't know much about boarding schools, so I couldn't really anticipate where the pair was going with their line of questioning. But, I didn't mind. All the clues are given that you need to solve along with Bryant and May. There were a few twists.
I gave this story 4 stars out of 5 possible. Overall, it's a good, entertaining short story. It's worth your time. It can be read whether you are familiar with Bryant and May or not, but it's certainly more enjoyable knowing them from the novels.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this story in exchange for my honest opinion.
November 18, 2015
In this Peculiar Crime Unit story, Bryant and May are investigating the death of a young boy who ran out into the street and was killed by a bus. It is Christmas time and London is festive and celebrating the season. Unfortunately for Selfridges department store, the death of a customer after visiting Father Christmas has put a damper on the holiday spirit. Bryant and May set out to discover what this boy was doing immediately before his mad dash into the street and what frightened him enough to do it. With Bryant's usual grumpiness the curmudgeon and his partner are able to figure out what caused the boy to dart into the street to his death. Not a real difficult mystery per se, but still an interesting case solved quickly. I am looking forward to more from Bryant and May. I would recommend this to mystery and crime lovers who are looking for a short, quick read that is still a good story with a decent plot.
I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 14, 2015
This was a short but interesting story, as Bryant and May investigate the death of a young boy right after a visit to Santa. Since the story is rather short, there was little time for any clues or build-up, but the author did manage to insert a short bit of mystery in the form of one clue and a pertinent back story about the characters involved. The story made me want to read more about the detective duo, and I will. I think this is a pretty good short story about the season and reads quickly and smoothly. It is British and does have some British terms that can confuse, but not enough to turn a reader off. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews