Fowler, Christopher – TEN-SECOND STAIRCASE

[LJ Roberts]

TEN-SECOND STAIRCASE (Police Proc-London-Cont) – G+ Fowler,
Christopher – 4th in series
Doubleday, 2006- Hardcover

Arthur Bryant and John May, the oldest working members of the London Police and the heads of the Peculiar Crimes Unit are on the hunt for a murder of some of London’s minor celebrities. Their witness to the first murder being a 12-year old student who swears he saw someone dressed as a Highwayman of old. Adding to the pressure is the assurance that the PCU will be shut down, and Bryant and May retired, unless they also solve the case of the Liecester Square Vampire; the case that took the life of John May’s daughter.

This fourth entry into the May and Bryant series is a wonderful combination of social and political commentary, English history, comments on aging and on family, with elements locked-room mystery and illusion. All the characters are wonderful and quirky and it’s the relationships that make the story so human. Although there was a good twist at the end, I did identify the perpetrator very early into the book. However, I love Fowler’s writing and his geriatric characters and will continue to follow their exploits.