REVIEW: The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch (PC Peter Grant #6)

REVIEW: The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch (PC Peter Grant #6)

Series: PC Peter Grant

Book Number: 6

Read this book for: dry humour, accurate police procedures, supernatural/magical/fantasy elements, action, London and its history, FBI ties

Quick Review: The brand new Peter Grant instalment is action-packed and fun, with a refreshing return to the main series story and interesting new characters.

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PC Peter Grant doesn’t usually deal with non-magical suspicious deaths but when he has a favour called in by one of the Thames goddesses, he can’t refuse. What should be a relatively easy request drops him into the world of London’s super-rich, and some magical items and individuals that are all too familiar, and all too dangerous…

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REVIEW: Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch (DC Peter Grant #3)

REVIEW: Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch (DC Peter Grant #3)

Series: DC Peter Grant

Book Number: 3

Read this book for: dry humour, accurate police procedures, supernatural/magical/fantasy elements, action, London and its history, FBI ties

Quick Review: An excellent (if slightly weird) instalment in this fantastic series that tends toward Neil Gaiman at points, with all the fun and focus of a good murder mystery.

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The body of an American exchange student – the son of a senator – is found murdered on the tracks at Baker Street tube station, and PC Peter Grant gets pulled in over some of the stranger elements of the case. While DI Nightingale tracks the ‘Faceless Man’, Peter gets to literally dig through the tangled depths of London to get to the bottom of the case. This task is further complicated by the arrival of an FBI agent who Peter is not supposed to tell about magic…

 

WHISPERS UNDER GROUND is the third Peter Grant novel by Ben Aaronovitch, and stands alone slightly better than most of the other novels in the series. However, I would still recommend reading RIVERS OF LONDON and MOON OVER SOHO before tackling this one in order to really be able to best follow what is happening (particularly in the ‘Faceless Man’ plot).

As I have said before, these books are so closely linked that it is extremely difficult to read any of them as a standalone. This novel’s particular link to the others is the Faceless Man, which is referenced consistently but not really explained in this novel, making a read through the other books a must.

While the Faceless Man exists as a separate plotline, this novel predominately focuses on Peter’s investigation into the death of the American art student, and an entire realm of magic he had never previously considered. While the ‘urban fantasy’ element of the novel is much stronger in this book – think along the lines of magical people and places embedded in everyday London, like Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley or Grimmauld Place – the mystery plot is also quite well done. While it gets a bit complicated by the end, the whodunnit element makes a good starting point for the supernatural elements of the book, and balances the fantasy portion well.

Definitely pick up WHISPERS UNDER GROUND, particularly if you have enjoyed any of the prior novels! It’s hard to put down, and a fun read.

REVIEW: Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch (DC Peter Grant #2)

REVIEW: Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch (DC Peter Grant #2)

Series: DC Peter Grant

Book Number: 2

Read this book for: dry humour, accurate police procedures, supernatural/magical/fantasy elements, action, London and its history

Quick Review: A bridging book in this fantastic series but still a fun and intriguing story.

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DC Peter Grant – young constable and apprentice wizard – has his hands full with a few strange happenings, from a mysterious creature preying on unsuspecting men to the mysterious death of a part-time jazz musician that bears a strange magical signature. When he discovers a pattern of strangely high mortality rates of Soho jazz musicians, he begins to believe something sinister is at work. He never dreams he might be putting his own family in danger…

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REVIEW: Rivers of London (Midnight Riot) by Ben Aaronovitch (DC Peter Grant #1)

REVIEW: Rivers of London (Midnight Riot) by Ben Aaronovitch (DC Peter Grant #1)

Series: DC Peter Grant

Book Number: 1

Read this book for: dry humour, accurate police procedures, supernatural and magical elements, action, London and its history

Quick Review: A crime novel as funny as it is exciting, with loads of history and incredibly detailed police procedure packed in. One of my most recommended novels!

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PC Peter Grant has reached the end of his probation period as a new constable and assigned to the Case Progression Unit, doomed to do paperwork. But his fate changes when he’s called out to play a minor role in crowd control over a particularly vicious murder, and happens to interview a key witness – who just happens to be a ghost. This brings him to the attention of DCI Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and the supernatural, and who also happens to be a wizard. His move to this new unit and decision to become an apprentice wizard could put his career – and life – in danger.

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