And to see my decree is obeyed as it should be;
To the shades I shall go in propria Personæ!
"Act 1 Finale," Orphée aux enfers, Jacques Offenbach
I’ve seen authors start their series in many different ways, but this is the first time I’ve seen one begin by killing off one the main characters. Full Dark House is the first entry in the Bryant & May series (also known as the Peculiar Crimes Unit, or PCU, series). I’ve been wanting to read it for quite a while, since Fowler intended it in part as a homage to the Golden Age of detective fiction. Plus, a series centered around strange crimes with historical connections to London is just cool. I had actually intended to start with the second book in the series, The Water Room, which has a reputation as one of the strongest mysteries in the series, but since this one was in system at my library, I figured I might as well try reading a series in order for once. Was that a good idea? We shall see…
The book has a duel-narrative structure, alternating between the present and the 1940s. It’s used to good effect, drawing parallels between the two narratives and frequently using one of them to fill in gaps of information in the other. More time spent on the WWII murder plot, which was a wise choice for a couple of reasons. One is that the integration of the historical setting and the mystery is a central part of the series. The other is that, just as a general point, a mystery concerning baroque executed murders in the depths of an old theater is likely to be more interesting than the semi-procedural investigation of a bombing. (Which is not to say that the modern plot is uninteresting, it just couldn’t support the length accorded to the other plot.)
As for that other plot, it is suitably intriguing. Members of the production are being killed off in ways that reflect their roles (a dance has her feet cut off, the singer playing Jupiter is crushed by a large metal globe, etc.). There seems to be no way for anyone to have committed them as, although the theater is a labyrinthine building filled with odd nooks, crannies, and hiding places, the only door to the backstage is kept locked at all times and all the people known to have been there were accounted for. In addition, there have been sightings of a cloaked figure wearing a mask of comedy, who has potentially been stalking members of the cast. It seems likely that someone wants to see the production shut down, but as the government intends for it to boost wartime morale, it falls to Bryant and May to see that the killer is caught before that can happen.
Now, I really enjoyed this book, but the mystery plot wasn’t the reason why. Quite honestly, it had some serious problems. In the first place, it was not in any way fair. There’s no cluing to speak of and there’s a major Knox violation. It’s not unlikely that you’ll cotton on to the solution, the existence of gur phycevg jub jr'ir arire frra orsber is pretty obvious from the Phantom of the Opera parallels and another character’s ntbencubovn is hinted at in an unrigorous thematic way which is interesting but in no wise a clue. That said, none of these issues were the source of my problem with the plot. I knew going in that Full Dark House was not a fair-play mystery, but, as shall be seen, I liked other aspects of it so much that even that wasn’t going to seriously impact my enjoyment of it. No, my problem came from the way the false solution was handled. (Some may consider revealing even the existence of a false solution as something of a spoiler, but I disagree. When the detective gives their summation with something like a fifth of the book remaining, it’s a fair bet that things aren’t done yet. To discuss the issues with the way it’s handled, however, would involve going into details about the relation between the false and true solutions, details which, although they don’t spoil the culprit’s identity, would most certainly give too much away. Therefore, part of the discussion will be in rot-13. You can come back and read it after reading the book.)
The basic problem here is that the false solution is more interesting and more satisfying than the true one. But while that’s an accurate description as far as it goes, it is also overly reductive. The false solution is prompted by Oelnag'f ernyvmngvba gung gur rnpu bs gur xvyyvatf jnf pnevrq bhg va n jnl gung fhttrfgf bar bs gur Zhfrf bs Terrx zlgubybtl. Ur pbaarpgf guvf jvgu n ehzbe nobhg gur zna jub svanaprq gur cebqhpgvba, bar fnlvat gung uvf zbgure envfrq uvz va gur eryvtvba bs pynffvpny Terrpr, cynpvat uvz haqre gur cebgrpgvba bs gur Zhfrf. Oelnag gurbevmrf gung, ol pbzzvgvat zheqref cngrearq nsgre rnpu bs gur Zhfrf, va n gurngevpny frggvat, ur vf pbzzvgvat fnpevyntr ntnvafg gurz, qvfnibjvat gurz naq fubjvat gung ur pna fgnaq nf n frys-znqr zna jvgubhg gurve cebgrpgvba. Shegurezber, vg furqf yvtug ba jul ur jnf vagrerfgrq va svanapvat gur cebqhpgvba. Becurr nhk rasref gnxrf n fnglevpny naq veerirenag crefcrpgvir ba pynffvpny zlgubybtl, naq jbhyq guhf cebivqr gur cresrpg onpxqebc sbe fhpu n cyna. When this theory is introduced, we, and the other characters, can see that it has major flaws. In fact, it has to be, since it serves a narrative purpose outside of the mystery. However, despite its holes, this proposed solution has a number of excellent points. It has that element of grandeur that is possessed by many of the genre’s greatest works, it is deeply rooted in specific aspects of the characters and setting, and, most importantly, it gives meaning to the preceding events. I don’t mean that it just explains them, although it certainly does (and in a mystery that sort of meaning is absolutely necessary). Perhaps it would be better to say that it gives the events not just meaning, but also significance. There is a satisfying pattern inherent in that solution, which, were it correct, would also shed light on the characters involved.
The real solution, on the other hand, does none of these things. In it, gur pbeerfcbaqrapr orgjrra gur zheqref naq gur Zhfrf vf fgvyy qryvorengr, ohg bayl nf n jnl gb senzr gur svanapvre va beqre gb sbepr gur cebqhpgvba gb pybfr. And that’s not exactly the most interesting solution. Sure, the zlgubybtvpny cnenyyryf are striking, but without a reason to exist they just feel like window dressing. (Not to mention that it was an unreliable and bizarrely convoluted way for the culprit to achieve their goal. If the case had been investigated by someone without Bryant’s interesting methodology, it couldn’t achieve what it was meant to. It’s like in those Ellery Queen novels where the criminal counts on Ellery’s taste for complicated explanations, only without the culprit having any reason to think that there would be a “great detective” to manipulate…) But leaving that rather large flaw aside, the bigger problem is that the solution has been evacuated of everything that gave it significance. All of the thematic resonance and context from the characters that gave it “meaning” is missing. Vg jnf whfg n trarevp jnl gb senzr fbzrbar. Jub jnf senzrq be ubj gurl jrer senzrq orpbzrf na veeryrinag. On its own the true solution would have been tolerable, but following a more interesting and meaningful false solution makes it disappointingly anticlimactic.
Even without the benefit of a satisfyingly resolved mystery, however, Full Dark House has much to recommend it. First off, as I alluded to in my discussion of the plot, the characterization in the novel is superb. The dual narrative allows for a moving portrayal of the friendship between Bryant and May, alternating as it does between their first getting to know each other and May’s grieving for his friend. The rest of the cast is equally well drawn. In particular, the performers in the opera may not be quite as fully realized, but they are well sketched, with several subtle touches. Furthermore, the writing is extremely good throughout. The dialogue and description were both a joy to read. The tone was mostly comic, but at times it switched seamlessly to the menacing or the sincere. That is not an easy thing to do, but Fowler made it look effortless. Finally, excellent use is made of the historical setting, both as regards the plot and in general. Fowler thoroughly researched London during the blitz, and it shows, not in long blocks of exposition, but in all sorts of interesting historical details worked into the narrative. These make reading the novel a very immersive experience. I had a very hard time putting it down when I was reading it.
So, despite some notable flaws, I wholeheartedly recommend Full Dark House. While the mystery is weak, it succeeds admirably as an entertainment and as a novel. Having finished it, I now look forward to reading The Water Room all the more. The promise of this kind of writing and a satisfying mystery is a very exciting one indeed.
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