Seventy-seven Clocks [Import] [Hardcover]

Christopher Fowler (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; First Edition edition (2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385608853
• ISBN-13: 978-0385608855
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,052,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christopher Fowler was born in Greenwich, London. He is the multi award-winning author of thirty novels and ten short story collections, and the author of the Bryant & May mystery novels. His first bestseller was 'Roofworld'. Subsequent novels include 'Spanky', 'Disturbia', 'Psychoville' and 'Calabash'. His books have been optioned by Guillermo Del Toro ('Spanky') and Jude Law ('Psychoville'). He co-founded Creative Partnership, a company that changed the face of film marketing, and spent many years working in film. His memoir of growing up without books, entitled 'Paperboy', was highly acclaimed.

He has written comedy and drama for BBC radio, including Radio One's first broadcast drama in 2005. He writes for the FT and the Independent on Sunday, Black Static magazine and many others. His graphic novel for DC Comics was the critically acclaimed 'Menz Insana'. His short story 'The Master Builder' became a feature film entitled 'Through The Eyes Of A Killer', starring Tippi Hedren and Marg Helgenberger. In the past year he has been nominated for 8 national book awards. He is the winner of the Edge Hill prize 2008 for 'Old Devil Moon', and the Last Laugh prize 2009 for 'The Victoria Vanishes'.

Christopher has achieved several pathetic schoolboy fantasies, releasing a terrible Christmas pop single, becoming a male model, writing a stage show, posing as the villain in a Batman graphic novel, running a night club, appearing in the Pan Books of Horror, and standing in for James Bond.

His short stories have appeared in Best British Mysteries, The Time Out Book Of London Short Stories, Dark Terrors, London Noir, Inferno, Neon Lit, Cinema Macabre, the Mammoth Book of Horror and many others. After living in the USA and France he is now married and lives in King's Cross, London.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and lively but only a so-so mystery, December 23, 2010

By 

Slick "sck007" (Dover, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Seventy-Seven Clocks: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery (Peculiar Crimes Unit Mysteries (Bantam Paperback)) (Paperback)

I like the Peculiar Crimes Unit mysteries, however, this one is rather weak compared to the others. The same old lovable characters are here but, the plot is outside the realm of the feasible. No matter, I enjoyed the story because of the characters and plot suspense; as a mystery, the ending is meh.

5.0 out of 5 stars More PCU, please, June 3, 2011

By 

Tigger "kkegley" (Little Elm, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seventy-Seven Clocks: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery (Peculiar Crimes Unit Mysteries (Bantam Paperback)) (Paperback)

I'm growing very fond of this series, despite - or maybe due to - its extremely improbable storylines. That's to be expected from Scotland Yard's PCU (Peculiar Crimes Unit), though, and the very implausibility is what gives it its charm. This episode is set in 1973, which was neat - modern era, but before cell phones and PC's. Starts off with a lively, two-prong bang: the bizarre poisoning death of an elderly man in the lobby of the famous Savoy Hotel, and an Edwardian-garbed maniac storming into the National Gallery of London to deface a Waterhouse painting. More curious and rather gruesome deaths occur, along with much dry wit (but not overdone; kudos to Fowler for perfect pitch). All is connected with one strange wealthy family, a secret society, and the ever-fascinating, labyrinthine history of London, which seems to be Fowler's niche. I love the two crotchety old English detectives, Arthur Bryant and John May, and as with The Water Room, additional character POV's are equally satisfying (the young, privileged Geraldine `Jerry' Gates in this case).

I'm rarely one to stick with any series for too long, or at least not consistently, but so far I'm game for a few more on this one.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars They Can't All Be Great, December 28, 2010

By 

Grey Wolffe "Zeb Kantrowitz" (North Waltham, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Seventy-Seven Clocks: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery (Peculiar Crimes Unit Mysteries (Bantam Paperback)) (Paperback)

This is the third PCU mystery featuring John May and his off center partner Mr Arthur Bryant. Unlike the first two this one is a reminiscence by Arthur that he is relating to his biographer. I happened in 1973 and was the first major case for PCU after is had been given it's own quarters above a train station. Though they had been given new quarters, the idea was that they would fail. John May was told that they only had two months within which to prove their worth. In between trying to solve an increasing number of murders in a old line money family, they are trying to get their sea-legs.

Fowler, as he does in the other novels of the series, is enjoying himself making fun of people from the period, especially the personality challenged Mr Heath. Heath's Ministry was one of the most difficult of the late 20th century and was marred by major coal strikes that left the country short of electricity and heat. There is also a comment that Margaret Thatcher would make a better PM because being a woman she would show more 'compassion' for the people. There are also many mentions of different 'Gilbert & Sullivan' operettas and how they relate to the actions of the criminals. But very little of it will mean much to anyone who isn't 'into' G&S.

The little mystery that there is, isn't well presented and parts of the book just drag like an anchor. The 'mystery' seems to have a life alone and away from the story and it's like a play where lots of things seem to happen off-stage and are never explained. I got the feeling that Fowler was trying to give us incite into the May and Bryant characters, but much of it seemed to be irrelevant or obscure. Here's hoping that the next volume is up to the standards of the first two.

Zeb Kantrowitz