Moon over Soho

PC Peter Grant has been steadily learning magic, and now he's thrown into a new case where a jazz musician has died. Digging into the case, he finds other cases, and gets entangled with Simone, who turns out to be something unexpected. ( )

Well-written and plotted. ( )

I am really loving this series. Peter Grant is a great character -- he's flawed, but he tries hard, and sometimes he's damn funny. Definitely recommend this! ( )

After finishing the second book, I now understand why some critics call the Rivers of London series a blend of CSI and Harry Potter. Glad I scoured about for the entire series; it's a great winter binge. ( )

When Constable (and sorcerer apprentice) Peter Grant examines the body of a musician, he hears notes of old jazz, notes that aren't actually being played in the here and now, so Grant knows it's time for him and DCI Nightingale to go on the hunt for a supernatural killer. Aaronovitch has really built a wonderful world, firmly based in real life London, but with the supernatural added in such a way that it all seems possible, even probable; when Grant hijacks an ambulance to save one of the river gods, he gets a run-of-the-mill bollocking from his boss, as if he had broken any regular copper's rule. Also, when the people get hurt in this series, they stay hurt - there are no instant fixes for magical damage, which really adds tons to the story's verisimilitude. It's all very good, but what really brings it home for me are the characters who are just so witty and real that I need to root for them - this is another of the few books (authors, really) where I find myself going back in the text just to read some passages out loud. Very entertaining installment in a series I hope to follow for a very long time. ( )