Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll face is a paper cut. But Peter’s prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter’s ability to speak with … with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic.
From the Paperback edition.
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Very inventive plot but a little too violent for my taste.
Beautiful writing, well-developed characters, unusual and interesting story.
Excellent narration on the audible version
I’m a big Harry Potter fan and I loved this! Well developed characters and plot. Very clever and fun!
Great fun and can’t wait to hear rest of series
This is a great first book in a wonderful series.
A series that’ll stick in the memory for a long time. With a flawed main character, set in the magical world of London, this series draws you in and takes you on a rather humorous journey. I love the way this is set in real-world London with magic sitting just beneath the surface if you look that bit closer…
This is the first book of a series about a pair of London policemen who comprise the whole of a secret section of the Police Force that deals with supernatural crime. I’m now reading the entire series for the can’t-remember-how-many-th time.Good characters, lots of excitement, not too much dread (I don’t like dread).
The first book in a great series.
3.5
Rivers of London was recommended to me by a bookstore owner (one who carries my novels too, and was trying to find similar target audiences). Considering my love of urban-fantasy detective, especially with an historical bent, I dived right in.
*** What to expect
Expect an interesting twist on Urban Fantasy, when an unsuspecting British constable is suddenly exposed to a world of ghosts and spirits. PC Peter Grant is a likeable fellow, a constable at the beginning of his police career. Doing the dreary standing around guarding a crime scene past midnight, PC Grant meets a ghost — and his world is never the same afterwards.
We get an interesting mix of a modern British police novel, a constable who has a knack for the supernatural but needs to learn the ropes, and plethora of trivia from London’s history. The books starts a little slow but picks up later, there’s plenty of twists and humour along the way, and if some of the female characters are a tad flat it can be chalked to the genre.
*** What I liked
I liked the immersion in London’s culture and history (which can get dizzying at times). PC Grant has a good voice and the plot progresses at a good pace. The beginning might seems a bit episodic, with murders every few weeks with some down time for Grant in between – but about two thirds in all hell breaks loose and it becomes more thriller than mystery.
Aaronovitch gives us an interesting mix. It’s certainly fantasy with a supernatural world populated by ghosts and rivers gods, with spell-casting wizards and all the trappings – but it isn’t high magic in the vein of Harry Dresden. Similarly, it’s not exactly a classic police procedural, though I’m sure fans of Law & Order would appreciate the details given to police work. And while ghosts of the past keep coming up, it’s isn’t exactly historical fantasy either. All in all, though, I’d say it presents a very interesting world-building.
*** What to be aware of
The books takes place in London (duh), and some working knowledge of the city would help. It shouldn’t stop or slow you down (you can pick up cues from the text) but having never been there I used some google maps and Wikipedia article to orient myself. Then again, that could be just me. There are also plenty of English references and slang which can be understood from the text but you’d lose something without them.
Also, for some reason that always baffles me, my American readers should note that in the US this title was released as “Nidnight Riot”. Same book, but got all the wrong spelling for you (which must be odd, not having a constable in charge of the Queen’s Peace use the Queen’s English).
*** Summary
If you love London history and British crime drama, if you like urban fantasy and are looking for something fresh, this is definitely a book you should check out.
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Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic – for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
I love this series, with its terrific combo of urban fantasy/mystery. Great prose and great characters!
I love all of his books. I just wish they were true.
this is a really fun series! he’s a policeman who discovers he can talk to ghosts. then he gets a boss who is also teaching him magic. and a girlfriend who is the human incarnation of one of the rivers of london. and that’s just part of the trouble he gets into! very funny, fascinating, and enjoyable!
I think Midnight Riot (and the sequels) are the best Urban Fantasy out there.
Midnight Riot is the first in the series featuring London Constable Peter Grant. Ben Aaronovitch invites us into Peter’s world, where in contemporary London Peter learns to be a cop and a wizard in a division of the police force dedicated to crimes of magic. Witty and full of action!
A book which is funny, scary and filled with action is a gift.
Loved this book! Would like to read more of his books but for a working woman the price is too high…even the Kindle editions.
First in a wonderful, addictive series
What if Harry Potter joined Scotland Yard?