It seems my luck has run out. After a highly improbable run of exemplary books, I finally returned to earth with a decidedly mundane selection. Christopher Fowler’s The Victoria Vanishes is a pedestrian exercise in crime fiction that tends to focus more on the drama inside the “Peculiar Crimes Unit” than it does the actual case it purports to solve. The thing is – once Fowler gets around to the actual meat of the book, his story is a rather good one. A killer is on the loose, and he is dispatching his victims in crowded pubs. He is targeting lonely, middle aged women, and administering death at the end of a syringe. If not for the good work of the pathologist, the very existence of a crime would have gone unnoticed. A check of other deaths reveals the work of a serial killer, and our heroes are on the case.
Fowler has created a team of unorthodox crime sleuths detached from the mainstream crime fighting apparatus. Despite the energy expended in making the soap opera come to life, the results fall short of the mark. Regrettably, all he managed is a group of caricatures devoid of substance. The main protagonist, Senior Detective Arthur Bryant, the heart of the unit, is set up as an eccentric genius. But the evidence of his profound intellect is notably absent. His partner is never fully developed, and is relegated to the role of “fixer” with the brass. Fowler’s supporting characters are wooden and predictable, and in one unfortunate case, utterly ludicrous: an experienced investigator enters a dark basement with no back-up, believing the perpetrator to be present, and falls victim to the prey. Unorthodox? Perhaps. Stupid? Assuredly. Believable? Not on your life!
The Victoria Vanishes is the sixth in a series. Perhaps it would have been more enjoyable to me if I had read the previous mysteries, but it doesn’t excuse the lack of craftsmanship that would have made this read a fine stand-alone novel. With the exception of a fairly good first chapter that sets the hook, the reader finds himself wandering through several chapters of events in the characters’ lives, obviously designed to bring dedicated followers up to date. A clumsy introduction chapter is offered that lacks imagination, and covers the cast far too quickly. For me, just picking up the book, the beginning chapters are irritating and tedious. Fowler makes the mistake of giving too many details about characters that the reader hasn’t come to care about, in a manner that lacks subtlety and finesse – a classic mistake of the grind-’em-out author.
Toward the end of the book, even the well oiled wheels of the plot seem to come off. We are thrust into a conspiracy in which the Ministry of Defense is involved, and yet the inestimable resources of that institution are never brought to bear. The ministry’s use of unreliable operatives with little to no supervision defies cognizance, as does the ease of the team’s success in turning them. We are led to believe that a black ops exercise is allowed to be penetrated by a couple of geezers, generating no official backlash or meat-fisted suppression. Suspension of belief only goes so far.
The one bright spot of the book was an in depth discussion of public houses in Britain. It is evident that Fowler did a decent amount of research on English pubs (an arduous endeavor and great sacrifice I am sure), and the results of his scholarship provide a welcome addition to the story. Besides that, I found this effort to be juvenile and amateurish – more the stuff of a cheap late night thriller than bona-fide mystery novel. I recommend it as a time waster to be turned to only in the absence of more worthwhile activities, like doing dishes or washing socks.
Rating: 
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8:30 am on August 31st, 2009
Thanks, Lazlo!
Looks like this one won’t be among the three for the price of two books I pick up next time I am in Waterstones.
Now where did I put those socks……?
4:42 am on September 1st, 2009
Thanks for the review, although I think you badly miss the point. Far from being a ‘grind-em-out’ author, I’ve been writing this series as an homage to Golden Age mysteries, in which each book emulates a famous authorial style – this one is very clearly modelled on the writer Edmund Crispin (look him up).
Try other styles of books from me, like the multi-award-winning ‘Paperboy’, ‘Spanky’ or ‘Calabash’ – they may be more to your liking. Or try any of my ten volumes of short fiction, like ‘Old Devil Moon’, which won a total of eleven awards. Or my graphic novel, which Guillermo Del Toro and Harlan Ellison seemed to like well enough – maybe you will too!
8:38 am on September 1st, 2009
Christopher, thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Perhaps I jumped the gun on calling you a hack, but such is the danger of putting out half-assed efforts like this one. You are judged on every work you produce, and unfortunately, the one a reader picks up could be the only one he ever reads.
I don’t care who you were trying to emulate. It still does not excuse what I read. You are damned lucky I finished the thing. I am glad that you have produced some real quality, and in fairness, I plan to read one of the books you mentioned, and hopefully return a glowing review for you. I don’t like wasting my time with mediocrity, and if Ellison thinks it’s great, I’m sure I will too.
Thanks again for for your comments, and the leads to what I am sure will be great reading experiences.
12:15 pm on September 1st, 2009
Hi Lazio,
You’re entitled to your opinion, but calling my book ‘half-assed’ is pretty insulting. Just for balance, here’s what crime novelist Val McDermid said in The London Times; ‘Clever and mordantly funny, sometimes heartbreakingly moving.’ And here’s the New York Times; ‘Another dizzying tumble down the rabbit hole…there’s always a serious point in Fowler’s drolly mannered mysteries.’
But that’s the good thing about readers & writers – there’s always a division of opinion. Don’t give up on me, and keep up the good work with the site.
1:23 pm on September 1st, 2009
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8:31 pm on September 1st, 2009
Mr. Fowler, my comment is bolstered by your reference to your many awards. I have no doubt that you are capable of masterly work. I didn’t see it in this effort. I saw a book that had huge potential reduced to a weekday drama, and I always rail against wasted potential. I do not know the details surrounding this recent offering, but I have read many serials over the years that exhibit similar attributes. It was my impression that the characters in this story were simply moved about on a board, instead of being developed anew for the fresh reader. I fully understand that the wellsprings of inspiration run dry, and that sequels peter out over time. That may be the case here.
As for the positive reviews you received from others – I am glad there are those who liked your book. There is truly something for everyone available in this world today. If you would be so kind as to supply the names of these intrepid scribes, that I may discount their opinions in future Amazon trolls, I will be forever in your debt. With such weighty opinion in obvious opposition with my assessment, I am flattered that you have spent the effort to respond to my humble musings.
And I have not given up on you. I am making you a promise that I will read one of the aforementioned texts, and give an honest accounting of what I find. I also want to thank you for linking our site. While you are here, please browse around, both on the Front Page where we are now, and in the forums. There is something for everyone here, if you have the stomach, and it would be an honor to see your contributions to our Three Things discussions. Again, thanks for your interest in my review, and good luck with your future endeavors.
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