Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

 We found a Ben Aaronovitch novel in, not surprisingly, London while we were visiting family. It caught my husband's eye. As Harry Potter addicts, how could we resist the Harry Potter grows up and becomes a policeman vibe written on the piece of paper advertising the book? So we bought it, brought it home on the plane, and were hooked.

I have to wait for my husband to finish one before I can start, so I'm following the series slowly, and these are the ones I read in 2024 while my broken wrist was keeping me from writing book reviews.

Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch

Peter Grant makes for a great narrator. Sarcastic, cynical, bitingly humorous, fiercely honest and loyal, and frequently out of his depth, he’s the human face of London’s rather secretive magic police. Together with Leslie, who “lost” her face some time ago, a dog that barks at magic, and a boss who feels like a cross between Gandalf, Dumbledore, and a regular police inspector, he investigates and solves mysteries across the titular rivers (visible and hidden) of London.

It's fun to visit parts of the city that I’ve never seen – I’ve even been known to bring up Google street view to see what I’m missing! And we made a special visit to Elephant and Castle (from this book) on our last visit.

It’s fun to imagine a secret world behind the one we know as well. Not a safe secret world. But not a totally scary one either. Just scary in places, with great magical characters, and filled with character and plot.

And it’s fun to watch the various pieces of real-world police technology come together. In fact, just any time spent reading these books is fun!

Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

It’s not set in London!!! Heresy. But it does have rivers, and rivers of London, and some really great surprises, and I love it!

The Hanging Tree

Peter Grant is not and never was rich. Viewing the homes of the rich and (probably not) famous through his eyes is great fun. But deaths of the rich can provoke extreme police responses, and it’s his job to find out what really happened and why at that super-over-the-top party where somebody died. Especially because someone magical (and powerful in a different way from just money) might be charged with a crime.

It makes for another fun foray into London, policing, magic and mayhem, and it’s great fun.

Tales from the Folly by Ben Aaronovitch

Short stories set in the world of Peter Grant, magical Rivers of London, and the Folly are bound to be fun. They fit perfectly between the novels, add nicely to the landscape of people and characters, and include short paragraphs explaining the world of the author too – why write short stories when he’s writing novels, and how does he interact with publishing and sales forces? Highly recommended to anyone who’s following the series.