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1 " I hate the endless admonishments of a nanny state that lives in fear of its lawyers. While colonies of dim-witted traffic wardens swarm about looking for minor parking infringements, nobody seems to notice that our very social fabric is falling apart. "
― Christopher Fowler , The Victoria Vanishes (Bryant & May #6)
2 " The true mark of English conversation is not being able to tell when you've been insulted. I think the more sophisticated society becomes, the more it hides behind the masks it manufactures. "
― Christopher Fowler , Bryant & May and the Memory of Blood (Bryant & May #9)
3 " Life is a very beautiful dream, he thought. I'm so glad I chose not to wake up from it just yet. "
― Christopher Fowler , Bryant & May On the Loose (Bryant & May #7)
4 " Statistics show that the nature of English crime is reverting to its oldest habits. In a country where so many desire status and wealth, petty annoyances can spark disproportionately violent behaviour. We become frustrated because we feel powerless, invisible, unheard. We crave celebrity, but that’s not easy to come by, so we settle for notoriety. Envy and bitterness drive a new breed of lawbreakers, replacing the old motives of poverty and the need for escape. But how do you solve crimes which no longer have traditional motives? "
― Christopher Fowler , Ten Second Staircase (Bryant & May #4)
5 " It was true that the city could still throw shadows filled with mystifying figures from its past, whose grip on the present could be felt on certain strange days, when the streets were dark with rain and harmful ideas. "
6 " She had a smile that could put a froth on a cup of coffee, and she knew it. "
― Christopher Fowler , Full Dark House (Bryant & May, #1)
7 " The clouds of night opened like ink blossoming in water. "
― Christopher Fowler , Seventy-Seven Clocks (Bryant & May #3)
8 " The Victorians lost a few workers in everything they built, rather like a votive offering. "
9 " Yes, he wanted to do the right thing, but perhaps this time the right thing was something different. "
10 " What humanity wants most is crude sensation.Really? I thought what humanity wanted most was dignity. "
11 " His unique skill had always been to absorb the talents and knowledge of others, use what he needed and discard the rest. He never allowed anyone to get to close. He kept the world at arm's length in order to look down on it. "
12 " The fierce overhead strip lighting buzzed like the memory of a head injury. "
― Christopher Fowler , The Water Room (Bryant & May #2)
13 " If any lesson from war is to be learned, John, it must be always to prepare for the unexpected and face the unthinkable. "
14 " Tremble had a secret. Underneath his dreary exterior, he was quite interesting. When his penchant for investigating the area's past was indulged, a light shown in his eyes and he became almost passionate, which is why his wife kept a stack of local history books on her bedside table. "
15 " I don’t think you should make so many off-colour jokes about him becoming a cuckold. You’re only getting away with it because he doesn’t know what it means.’ ‘That’s the beauty of the English language. One can wrap insults inside elegance, like popping anchovies into pastry. "
― Christopher Fowler , White Corridor (Bryant & May #5)
16 " There are always regrets, of course. But you have to try and make a difference without hurting anyone along the way, so that you can reach a final state of grace without shame. "
17 " Whenever the cadaverous Home Office security supervisor became involved in their affairs, babies cried, women cowered, innocence was punished and blame was wrongly apportioned. "
18 " I do not mind lying but I hate inaccuracy "
19 " My life was never intended to be one long slow descent into respectability. "
― Christopher Fowler , Bryant & May and The Bleeding Heart (Bryant & May #11)
20 " The gap between rich and poor was not just one of wealth but of accountability. "
