Installment #2 in this series featuring the Peculiar Crimes Unit finds our heroes, Bryant and May (and the other people in the PCU) trying to solve the death of a woman drowned in her basement. Sounds straightforward, right? However, the dead woman was completely dry, sitting in a chair, in a dry basement. If that was the only problem for them to deal with, the book would have definitely been a lot shorter -- but add in a death by saran wrap, arson, and a fellow buried alive by his own truck. And then you still don't have the complete story.
Once again we have a detective story with a rather X-filish feel to it, where the detectives may be old but still have a lot to offer. The characters are very well drawn, and there is a wealth of history that is part of the story between the two covers. At 356 pages, this is not your typical detective story, and Bryant and May are not your typical detectives. And the PCU is not your typical police unit. So...if you like something quirky and offbeat, then you might want to give this series a try, but don't start with this one: start with Full Dark House. The book offers a bit of fun along with a good mystery and really kept me entertained for quite a while. I've just bought the next book in the series and will probably read them all.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has read Full Dark House and wants to follow the series, as well as someone looking for something a bit different in the mystery world. However, it's NOT for you if you want a standard police procedural-type book that's more down to earth. I thought the book was quite good and a cut above what's normally on my local bookstore's mystery shelves.
Overall...a fun read with a fine mystery.
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