title: Error when trying to deserialize json string with json.Net
body: <p>I am encountering a strange error when I try to deserialize the following simple json string:</p>
  
  <pre><code>{ "items": [ "IZ01", "MTSQ", "VM16", "CR05" ]}
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The error that I am getting from the json.net dll is the following:</p>
  
  <pre><code>Invalid property identifier character: &amp;. Path '', line 1, position 2.
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The full stack trace is as follows:</p>
  
  <pre><code>at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonTextReader.ParseProperty() at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonTextReader.ParseObject() at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonTextReader.ReadInternal() at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonTextReader.Read() at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CheckedRead(JsonReader reader) at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateObject(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, JsonContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract containerContract, JsonProperty containerMember, Object existingValue) at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateValueInternal(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, JsonContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract containerContract, JsonProperty containerMember, Object existingValue) at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.Deserialize(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, Boolean checkAdditionalContent) at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonSerializer.DeserializeInternal(JsonReader reader, Type objectType) at Metastorm.Runtime.Models.SIMSCommonLib.UtilitiesLib.JSONDeserialize(String jsonText, Type valueType) at Metastorm.Runtime.Models.JobProject.ExternalExtendedHelper.GetMaintenanceCodesForVehicle(String LPEntityCode, String UMC, String VIN, String EquipmentList)
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>This is the method that I am using for deserialising a json string:</p>
  
  <pre class="lang-cs prettyprint-override"><code>    public static object JSONDeserialize(string jsonText, Type valueType)
  {
      Newtonsoft.Json.JsonSerializer json = new Newtonsoft.Json.JsonSerializer();
  
      json.NullValueHandling = Newtonsoft.Json.NullValueHandling.Ignore;
      json.ObjectCreationHandling = Newtonsoft.Json.ObjectCreationHandling.Replace;
      json.MissingMemberHandling = Newtonsoft.Json.MissingMemberHandling.Ignore;
      json.ReferenceLoopHandling = Newtonsoft.Json.ReferenceLoopHandling.Ignore;
  
      StringReader sr = new StringReader(jsonText);
      Newtonsoft.Json.JsonTextReader reader = new JsonTextReader(sr);            
      object result = json.Deserialize(reader, valueType);
      reader.Close();
  
      return result;
  }
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I am having this issue only in the UAT environment of our application. The strange thing is that the same code and the same data work correctly in our Development and Test environments.</p>
  
  <p>Any idea why json.net is reporting an issue with character "&amp;"?
  It does not seem to make much sense...</p>