Bryant & May: Death Or Glory?

Bryant and May
24th August 2008

Well, the sixth and final book came out in the UK, the votes are in, the publishers have put their heads together, I’ve thought about it carefully and now it’s official.

Bryant & May are going on. They have no status, no unit, no authorization and nowhere else to go. How could I leave them like this? So the elderly detectives are coming back with a few surprises, out of the system and on the loose, searching for body parts, behaving disgracefully and exposing London’s most closely guarded secret – a secret kept by the ground upon which the city itself is built…

The novel will be called ‘Bryant & May On The Loose’, and will appear next year. You brought this on yourselves.

28 comments on “Bryant & May: Death Or Glory?”

  1. I.A.M. says:
    August 24, 2008 at 12:12 pm

    HUZZAH!

    Now I just have to read books five and six… which are waiting for me to arrive in October. Due to their delivery location and me not matching.

    Patience is a virtue, they say… much like our waiting on tenterhooks for the decision of Book VI being the last or not.

    Where was I… oh yes!

    HUZZAH!

  2. Chris Lancaster says:
    August 24, 2008 at 2:05 pm

    Excellent news that Bryant & May will continue, and hopefully it won’t be a story too far. It will be interesting to see how the characters work when not working in the PCU. A principle element of most of the books has been the attempts of the ‘powers that be’ to close the unit down, and I look forward to seeing how the storyline will work without this in the background.

    I had half thought that the next Bryant & May novel (if there was one) would be based upon happenings in their (distant) younger days. If this thought crosses your mind, I hope you can resist; I would hate to see my memories of the great twosome spoiled by a ‘First of the Summer Wine’ style outing!

  3. Mike Cane says:
    August 24, 2008 at 2:43 pm

    You know, some of us here haven’t yet read the Victoria Vanishes and have — HAD! — no idea how it ends.

    However, I will sacrifice the surprise for the news that B&M will be back!!

    Now to do a post!

  4. Pingback: Bryant & May To Continue!! « Mike Cane 2008
  5. Martin says:
    August 24, 2008 at 7:18 pm

    Yaaaaaay!!!!

    I am so happy to hear there will be another book. I am a bit surprised though – the ending of “The Victoria Vanishes” did have quite an air of finality about it – indeed, my wife thought that the last two paragraphs represented a timeshift to the present day or perhaps the near future and that B+M had themeselves become history!

    Nevertheless, good news indeed.

  6. D G says:
    August 26, 2008 at 1:20 am

    Great news, ‘tho I hope they will allow you time for your other writing, would hate to see the series continue just because it’s making money, and the quality suffering – mentioning no names *cough Laurell K Hamilton cough*

  7. Johnny K says:
    August 28, 2008 at 5:30 am

    Whoop…Yay…and other sounds of rejoicing and merriment…I shall look forward to it’s publication with bated breath (and a bag of assorted retro sweets!)

    …though I feel you could, if you wanted, add a further tome to the chronicles of Bryant and May by recounting the case of the Deptford Demon (hint, hint) especially as you appear to have forgotten to reveal anything about this oft mentioned case in your blog (as you said you would some weeks back). Or, indeed, other elderly cases from the archives of our beloved not-too-dynamic duo…quite reasonably as Bryant *still* hasn’t finished his memoirs LOL!!!

  8. LJR says:
    August 28, 2008 at 8:16 am

    I have loved each of the books and was sad to think “Victoria Vanishes” would be the last. That the series will continue is good news, indeed. I’ve placed “Bryant & May on the Loose” on my “must buy” list for next year. May they continue for many years to come!

  9. Nick Ware says:
    August 28, 2008 at 11:19 am

    Great news to gladden what was up until now the worst day ever. Suddenly the birds are singing; sun is shining but sadly only in my overactive imagination.

    Bring on volume 7

  10. Steve says:
    August 28, 2008 at 2:15 pm

    Haven’t read “Victoria” yet; but I’m glad to hear it won’t be the last of the “old gits”! If we readers had our druthers, they’d discover a youth serum along the way and just keep on going forever.

  11. Darryl Cunningham says:
    August 30, 2008 at 12:13 pm

    What about the Depford Demon case? That story’s not been told yet.

  12. Anne Thomas says:
    August 30, 2008 at 1:54 pm

    …I can only add my cheers to the rest, having just read The Victoria Vanishes on holiday the thought of no more Bryant and May had incited me to a further draught of Old Peculiar – still sold in some Cumbrian pubs thank God and in its own way a youth serum. Well, I felt better anyway!

  13. Paul Plane says:
    September 4, 2008 at 5:30 am

    I have literally just finished The Victoria Vanishes and was so panicked by the ending that I have visited your website for the first time. To find that there will be another Bryant & May is just delightful. I now look forward to next year.

  14. Jeremy Precieux says:
    September 4, 2008 at 2:58 pm

    I have just suffered an excruciatingly long journey home(London)from Cheshire, however the journey was tinged with both laughter and a little sadness, having just finished ‘The Victoria Vanishes’, what I thought was the final episode in this wonderful series. Another absolute Bryant and May belter. To now find out their raucous behaviour will continue in another installment is fantastic news. I am moving to Australia in December and taking the B&M series to OZ will feel like I am taking a quirky piece of London with me.

  15. Carol Mello says:
    October 12, 2008 at 9:36 am

    I’m a US mystery reader. Since the city tore down my local library (they are rebuilding but damn slowly), I am buying a lot of mystery novels now to feed my addiction.

    I am so glad you decided to continue Bryant & May. I just discovered them earlier this year so I am playing catch-up. I discovered your B&M novels on Amazon.com in US — searching for new mystery authors with good reviews — because so many of the other mystery novel series I have been following (reading & buying) are getting washed up (latest in series very disappointing) or ended.

    Keep writing & I’ll keep buying!

  16. Keri Freeman says:
    October 28, 2008 at 3:00 pm

    Thank you from Houston, TX.

    When I thought there would be no more, I decided to save reading the sixth for at least 20 years or a really bad day. I have loved these books ever since Murder by the Book in Houston recommended Full Dark House. I give them as gifts to everyone since then. Bryant and May are truly some of the greatest mystery characters. One never looks at London in the same way again.

  17. Miriam Lafontaine says:
    November 2, 2008 at 8:50 am

    Thank you, oh thank you. I have all the Bryant and May books, in fact I just bought The Victoria Vanishes because it just appeared here in Canada. The ending nearly drove me to panic because there are so few good writers around these days. I don’t mean popular writers, we all know who they are, the ones who keep churning out the same old tired books year after year. Especially the American ones, aaaargh. To know that Bryant and May will continue assures me that at least there will one book coming next year that will be worth spending time with. Your sense of humor is so appreciated as are the delightful characters who abound in your books. Thanks again for making many people very happy.

  18. Susan Wright says:
    November 4, 2008 at 5:16 pm

    Felt crummy last evening when I finished The Victoria Vanishes. Felt goooood today after finding out that my dear friends Bryant and May will be around a bit longer. Thank goodness for the WEB. I got pretty quick relief. I also feel GREAT because here in the USA we’re going to get a brand new President tonight and he’ll be an African American. Holy Moly! A new beginning!

  19. Tanya says:
    March 27, 2009 at 10:40 am

    Yay! Thanks so much! keep em coming!

  20. frances says:
    May 30, 2009 at 9:29 pm

    Bryant and May are my favorite detectives.
    I have read Full Dark House three times, appreciating it more each time as the multilayered organization, humor and characters complexities become clearer and clearer to my mind.

    I think of DUSTIN HOFFMAN as Bryant and KEVIN KLINE as May. Don’t know who I would choose to play their younger counterparts. I wonder what English actors people imagine in the roles? Would you like to see these characters in film?

    Keep the books coming.
    frances

  21. Kay Rout says:
    June 29, 2009 at 8:39 pm

    I have just read all the six Bryant and May novels in one huge gulp after buying Full Dark House from B&N online as part of a 3 for 2 deal. I selected it because it sounded really interesting. It was! This is exactly my speed. I was very sad when I finished The Victoria Vanishes over the weekend; actually, I was both sad and in denial. But now I learn that hope should never die! I cannot wait for On the Loose!

  22. Patricia Epperson says:
    July 1, 2009 at 6:23 pm

    Golly! I just finished The Victoria Vanishes last night and was DISCOMBOBULATED – wait, I have to check the spelling -right – actually, I was disconsolate – until I just read your blog about On the Loose. For goodness sake, Christopher, I know it’s not my place to tell you what to do, but DON’T STOP WRITING about these wonderful folk and their adventures! With great respect to above-mentioned actors, PLEASE do not get any Americans with fake British accents to play B&M. That would be very disrespectful to B&M – and I’m from America.

  23. Penny Wright says:
    July 10, 2009 at 10:01 am

    writing again to enthusiaastically praise your marvellously wonderful creations Bryant and May. The writing is superb and the historical anecdotes fascinating and truly make London not the third, but the first character in the series. wonderfully entertaining, instructive, humorous, realistic, and such a good read. Once I pick one up, life stops till I reach the back cover, and then I read them again! was delighted to find another book Victoria Vanishes as I feared you’d put them out to a much deserved retirement and now from your website excited to know they’ll be more! Bryant and May and all the PCU seem like family. i love the ongoing dynamics of the characters, the rewards as you call them, for being faithful to the characters and the author and reading them all over and over again.
    they can’t go on forever, not at their ages, for they truly do seem like real people, but long may they persist from your pen to delight your loyal and very satisfied readership. your books are like a feast – satiating and such pleasure devouring and digesting them, but then one yearns for another helping! so keep them coming and many many thanks for the pleasure you’ve given us.

  24. Marlyn Schima says:
    July 14, 2009 at 10:34 am

    I’m so relieved that B&M will continue. I finished The Victoria Vanishes last night and got on the web today to (heart in mouth) check out their possible continuing existence. I have loved these books since I happened upon them in a search for new mystery authors. They continue to haunt me long after I finish the story (The Water Room in particular.) Selfishly, I’m delighted to anticipate another adventure. Now if I can only follow-up on the arcane, tantalizing and intriguing off-hand references studding the narratives….

    I’m also pleased to have found your blog;I look forward to wandering there.

  25. Jessica says:
    December 1, 2009 at 9:58 am

    I know that all good things must come to an end, but I am delighted to know there will be at least one more book with Bryant and May. They feel more like friends than characters in a book and I will be deeply saddened when their run comes to an end.

  26. cks says:
    May 31, 2010 at 6:57 pm

    Just finished The Victoria Vanishes… can’t bear to lose the PCU now… So glad there is another book to look forward to. And is Raymond really going to keep Crippen?

  27. Janette says:
    June 4, 2010 at 8:40 pm

    Glad to hear there’s more to B&M. Good stuff!

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