Book description
The defenestration of a ruthless theatre impresario's young son was
definitely not the best way to end the play's first night party. And
the crime scene itself was most unusual: a locked bedroom, with no
sign of forced entry, no prints or traces of blood, just a sinister,
life-size puppet of Mr Punch lying on the floor...
Everyone at the party - from the dodgy producer and rakish male lead
to the dour set designer and the assistant stage manager (the wild
daughter of a prominent civil servant) - is a suspect.
It's a perfect case for Bryant and May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit
but the Home Office, wary of the PCU's eccentric methods and intensely
aware of the potential political embarrassment, wants them off the
investigation.
The elderly detectives are not so easily deterred, however. Delving
into the history of London theatre and the gruesome origins of 'Punch
and Judy', they uncover a maniacal killer is at work - one who must be
caught before it's curtains for everyone!
Christopher Fowler is the acclaimed author of the
Bryant & May
mysteries and
Paperboy
, his memoir about growing up in London in the '60s. His horror novel,
Hell
Train, has also just been published. He lives in King's Cross.
