Ron K. (WhidbeyIslander) -
I generally enjoy the PCU books (my favorite is The Water Room), but I think the characters do not translate well into the short story form. A big part of the books' charm is the complicated plots and arcane bits of knowledge about London, neither of which can be felt in these stories.
A nice touch is a paragraph by Fowler about each story. Brief plot overview and my rating (* to ****)
Secret Santa: Bryant and May look into what terrorized a small boy during a visit to a store Santa. ***
In the Field: A woman dies in the middle of a snowy expanse where her footprints are the only ones visible. **
On the Beat: a man dies inside a locked room with windows sealed shut from years of paint **
In the Soup: a man dies during a lethal London fog, but Bryant feels he was murdered by a human hand and not the noxious gasses blanketing the city ***
The Nameless Woman: a woman informs May of her intention to kill a man. When the man dies a week later, May confronts the woman, but lacks proof of her crime. **
The Seven Points: Bryant and May investigate the disappearance of a government employee last seen entering a park where an old-style sideshow is set up. *
On the Cards: As Bryant is sidelined at the office, May looks into the shooting of a restaurant hostess, whose ex-husband is suspect #1, although he couldn't possibly have afforded the murder weapon: the most expensive hand gun in the world. **
Ahoy!: Arthur and John's planned relaxing vacation aboard a former client's yacht of the Turkish coast winds up stressful as they look into a possible crime aboard. **
The Blind Spot: Janice Longbright recounts the time she was given an assignment outside of the PCU as part of a security detail for a visiting dignitary and how she was able to spot something others didn't. ***
Bells of Westminster: Although they are sure of the killer of a pair of men, Bryant and May are unable to obtain the proof they need. ***
Bryant and May's Mystery Tour: The pair spend a morning aboard a London tour bus to capture the killer of a woman. **
Bryant and May: the Cases So Far : Recounts the plots of all the PCU books up to The Burning Man.
A nice touch is a paragraph by Fowler about each story. Brief plot overview and my rating (* to ****)
Secret Santa: Bryant and May look into what terrorized a small boy during a visit to a store Santa. ***
In the Field: A woman dies in the middle of a snowy expanse where her footprints are the only ones visible. **
On the Beat: a man dies inside a locked room with windows sealed shut from years of paint **
In the Soup: a man dies during a lethal London fog, but Bryant feels he was murdered by a human hand and not the noxious gasses blanketing the city ***
The Nameless Woman: a woman informs May of her intention to kill a man. When the man dies a week later, May confronts the woman, but lacks proof of her crime. **
The Seven Points: Bryant and May investigate the disappearance of a government employee last seen entering a park where an old-style sideshow is set up. *
On the Cards: As Bryant is sidelined at the office, May looks into the shooting of a restaurant hostess, whose ex-husband is suspect #1, although he couldn't possibly have afforded the murder weapon: the most expensive hand gun in the world. **
Ahoy!: Arthur and John's planned relaxing vacation aboard a former client's yacht of the Turkish coast winds up stressful as they look into a possible crime aboard. **
The Blind Spot: Janice Longbright recounts the time she was given an assignment outside of the PCU as part of a security detail for a visiting dignitary and how she was able to spot something others didn't. ***
Bells of Westminster: Although they are sure of the killer of a pair of men, Bryant and May are unable to obtain the proof they need. ***
Bryant and May's Mystery Tour: The pair spend a morning aboard a London tour bus to capture the killer of a woman. **
Bryant and May: the Cases So Far : Recounts the plots of all the PCU books up to The Burning Man.
