Foxglove Summer, book review. (Ben Aaronovitch)

If you're in need of a book that has, Wizard police investigating child kidnapping in the heart of Herefordshire, whilst trying to track down invisible Unicorns that can only be seen at full moon, then this is the book for you.

If you're after a book which is fun, fast a bit bonkers but a damned good read, then this is also the book for you.

If you're into this series, you'll know that this is the first book set outside of London, and I have to admit, after four previous books, I think this was the right time to break from tradition, introduce new characters and get a bit of country air.

Nightingale's still there, well, he's on the other end of the phone, as is Peter's ex-partner, Lesley May, who texts him a few times throughout the book, keeping the narrative active.

Beverley Brook is here too, all naked and sexy, and she and Peter's relationship moves on a few notches, as they search for the two missing eleven year old girls who left their homes in the middle of the night and vanished.

There is country policing, country pubs and countryside, to deal with, and with much mirth and a little bit of help, Peter Grant gets the job done.

With an ex practitioner living virtually on the doorstep, the enquires start there, but on further investigation of the original statements, taken when the girls disappeared, P.C Grant soon uncovers that one of the girls has an invisible friend!

Of course, normally, invisible friends turn out to be imaginary, but of course this book isn't normal, this is wizard policing after all, and the invisible friend turns out to be a Unicorn from an alternate timeline, an invisible Unicorn with very powerful friends.

With a trip into the unknown, some clever policing and a large chunk of luck, the two girls are returned, and all seems right with the world; only one of the girls isn't quite who she used to be!
There is much to like about this book, and what with book 5.7 just out, (The Furthest Station), it's an ideal time to read it.
Three and a half stars.

Broken Homes, book review. (Ben Aaronovitch)

This is part four of Ben Aaronovitch’s magical journey with the Met Police, and it’s a good one.

There are strange things happening in London, especially south of the river.

Why would a normal man, run a red light and crash into another car? Why did that same man kill a woman and leave her body in a shallow grave? Why would someone leave a tube station, only to walk back down to the platform and jump in front of a train? And why was a very rare and expensive, magical book, pawned at a bookshop of the Charring Cross road, having been stolen from an ex-practitioner's house in leafy Hampstead?

With some diligence, a bit of luck and a hell of a lot of help, Peter Grant and Lesley May manage to advance their magic, whilst: trying to track down the faceless man, avoid being killed by a homicidal Russian, Varvara Sidorovna, police the Spring Court for the God and Goddess of the Thames, protect the monstrosity that is the grade two listed tower at Skygarden, (an ugly concrete sky scrapper built by an eminent architect who designed the building to harness large quantities of magic), and walk the dog.

Sky, the wood nymph, dies when her trees are attacked. Abigail is taken on as an ad hoc apprentice. Molly works her way through one of Jamie Oliver’s cook books. The book thief is discovered at his house, cooked from the inside! Nightingale rescues Peter and Lesley from certain death and the Skygarden tower blow up with Peter standing on the roof.

Quite a lot happens then, and all wrapped up in a little over three hundred and fifty pages.

Well, this book is worth reading for the farm scene alone; it is one of the best scenes so far in this entire series. Nightingale steams into an already tense situation, where Peter and Lesley have been overpowered, and are about to die a very uncomfortable death at the hands of the not so friendly Varvara, but with much magic and trickery, Nightingale manages to wreck the barn, destroy a bungalow, capture the villains, and . . .

No, I’m not going to spoil it for you. I’m not even going to tell you why Lesley shots Peter in the back at the end. I’ll just let you read it for yourselves.

Four and half well deserved stars for this one then. On to book five: Foxglove Summer.

Moon over Soho, book review. (Ben Aaronovitch)

Oh I do love a quick dip into books about magic policing, chimeras and sex!

It's quite apt I think, that out of the first four books, this one is the most racy because it's set in Soho, and Soho is, or used to be, synonymous with sin.

That aside, we have another wonderful jaunt with P.C. Peter Grant, through the pitfalls of policing in the capital, whilst trying to practice magic, learn Latin, keep the status quo between the King and Queen of the Thames, and last but not least, catch criminals.

There's an illegal practitioner of magic in London, three girls who died when a bomb dropped on a jazz club in World War II, renting an apartment off of Denmark Street, and there's The Pale Lady; she bites men's penises off with her vagina.

The death of a journalist, who had the misfortune of meeting the Pale Lady, leads P.C. Grant on a journey of jazz venues, where he finds a group of musicians whose lead saxophonist has recently passed on, suspiciously. It turns out he's not the only one; after further investigation, it appears that quite a few jazz musicians have met with untimely deaths recently.
There are also people being magically spliced together with animals.

So, during this escapade, P.C. Grant steals an Ambulance, running amok through the streets of the West End - just managing to save his wards life by dumping him in the river - helps his friend and fellow P.C., Lesley May, (who lost her face in book one), come to terms with her disfigurement, whilst keeping the families of the Thames happy enough to avoid a turf war.

Just like with Rivers of London, I enjoyed this book a lot, and it is in fact, the second time I've read it.

It is funny, fast paced, original and at around four hundred pages, just the right length.

A four star book then, and on to book three, Whispers Underground.

Mad Mike's writing blog, book of the year 2016

This isn't about books written this year, or even books published this year; this is about the books I have read this year, and there are thirty or so to choose from, so, where does one start?

I won't bore you with a big list and go through each book individually, suffice to say that many of the books I've read this year have already been reviewed on this blog, but bear with, there might be a surprise or two in store!

For those of you that are new here, or just flitter in and out, you can check back through my historic posts or look at Amazon/Goodreads, for other reviews, if you like.

So, without further ado, let's move straight to the top five.

In at number 5, with its searing pace and intoxicating soundtrack is, Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman. It was a close call between this book and Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club, but Robin Wasserman's book just edged it for me, being just a bit fresher and fiercer in its delivery, and I like the way the characters comes back to me, every time I listen Nirvana. (Original post 25.7.16)

In at number 4, with some seriously weird shit going on, in good old London town, is Ben Aaronovitch's, Rivers of London, (see blog post 20.11.16) which is fresh, funny, factual and a bloody good read.

On to number 3 then, and Diane Setterfield's, The Thirteenth Tale. Haunting and deliciously written in equal measure - with hints of Susan Hill and Kate Mosse - this brilliantly told story of the dysfunctional upbringing of a bestselling, multi award winning, critically acclaimed, world renowned author, (who tells her tale, her thirteenth) about life in a crumbling mansion, has all the twists and turns and spookiness, of the best books in the genre. (Watch out for a full review soon).

And the book that just missed out on the top spot? In at number 2 this year, is Carlos Ruiz Zafon's, The Angel's Game, and like the book it beat into third, it has such atmosphere, such eloquence in its delivery, and characters like those in only the best books, characters that stick with you long after you've turned the last page. (8.11.16)

So, my favourite book of the year, the book that beat them all, is a book I read and blogger about, way back in April (25/4/16), Alice Sebold's, The Lovely Bones. Even after all that time, I can still feel Susie Salmon's panic, as she realises that she is going to die in a hole in the ground. I can still picture the gathering, when the town's people, friends and family, hold their vigil, where she went missing, and there is much, much more too. 'Wow. A book about murder, death, abandonment loss and depression, that leaves you feeling happy, joyous and longing for more,' I said at the time, and I stand by that statement and it's why it is my number one choice for 2016.

An honorary mention, goes to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Pt 1 + 2), which is a great story, but because it is a screenplay and (in my opinion) far to short, I have discounted it from the rankings.

Don't forget to search my blog for your favourite authors and books and if I haven't read them, message me with your recommendations.

Rivers of London, book review. (Ben Aaronovich)

I just had to re-read this classic series again, before book six came out. (Too late!)

It's been a few years now, and what with Rivers of London, Moon over Soho, Whispers Underground and Broken Homes, starting to blend into one, I sort of needed a refresher.

Well, I've finished book one and I'm half way through book two, and if anything, I'm liking them more now than the first time.

Ben Aaronovich paints a picture of the secret magical wing of the Metropolitan police force, (which consists of: one man - who is over a hundred years old - a vampire ghost, and an H.Q called The Folly), very convincingly, and then, P.C Grant starts talking to a ghost in Covent Garden and the Folly has a new recruit.

P.C. Peter Grant, who, up until that fateful night, was just a regular probationary constable, is our main character here. On the discovery of ghosts being real and their ability to inflict serious damage on the living, (our first victim is beheaded), our story begins.

The normal police take a very dim view of the Folly and its purpose, until an ancient malevolent ghost starts killing people that is. After that results are expected and expected fast.

Whilst spending a lot of the book discovering that magic is real, trying to learn it, (as well as Latin), P.C Grant, also finds himself embroiled in the middle of a feud between the mother and father of the river Thames. (Hence the book’s title).

With centuries of history and immense power between them, the two entities, along with their extended families, control all the river of London; the Thames of course being the biggest. With much fumbling, and only a small amount of destruction, our intrepid trainee magician, mediates the situation the best he can.

There is horror in this book, fun, laughter, genuine intrigue and as you tread the cobbles of one of the most famous placing in the world, (Covent Garden), you get trapped; trapped in a world of magic, policing, and fear, a world that hovers behind a thin veil between normality and fiction.

Exquisitely researched, so much so that I thought the author was a Jazz playing ex policeman, who wondered the streets of London of an evening, smoking something that could result in his arrest, and it’s fast paced too.
The chase at the end, with P.C Grant running through a London that gets magically younger, before finally disappearing altogether, going back to pre-Roman times, is just fantastic.

So, five big fat delicious stars for this book then, and with Moon over Soho under way, I'll be back in touch in a week or so with another update.

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