Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch
“The police career of techie Peter Grant was stuck in “pause” until a ghost whispered in his ear. The insights of this deceased eyewitness help solve a baffling homicide and bring paranormal Peter to the attention of his London Metropolitan Police bosses. What follows is a smoothly-paced supernatural procedural that is grounded enough to keep you guessing and strange enough to keep you amused.”
I was given Midnight Riot by a friend who said that I “must read this book so we can talk about it” and asked a few times before I got to it if I had finished it yet. We haven’t yet had that discussion. I expect we will now.
All in all, I found it enjoyable. There were unexpected twists that I didn’t see coming.
It is very much fantasy, but bordering on horror. The world is built well and so is believable. You know, as much as magic and ghosts can be when set in modern-day London.
The descriptions were well done. I could certainly visualize the action, even when I didn’t want to. (It can be a bit gruesome.)
The characters were fresh, real, quirky, likable and smart. Our hero is a cop with magical tendencies he didn’t know he had. He is smart but lost, funny but not snarky, quirky and charming. He discovers a whole new world just below the surface of the one he’s always known. Magic is new to him but known and accepted in certain circles. And, there is an explanation why others don’t know of all this even with it’s long history. It made sense to me, I bought into it.
It is set in London. I have been to London once but am certainly not an expert. It does involve some quirks in setting, vocabulary, cultural references that are very London-centric . Sure, a few I didn’t get but it didn’t change the story.
Some descriptions of this story I saw referenced Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, Simon Green’s Nightside series, Neil Gaiman’s American Gods and Kim Harrison. These are other series and authors I enjoy greatly and they are apt references. There are many elements here that appeal to me-dark, funny, well-built new world, humor, imaginative. The pacing is well done, it keeps moving but not enough to lose you.
Turns out he’s a TV writer (he’s written some Doctor Who, so there you go). Yep, I can see this being set up as a TV series or film, but I don’t feel any story was sacrificed to this end. It is to be a book series.
I liked it. I give it a 4. Don’t be put off by the unfortunate title or the cover art, as I was.
I really love these books, I have read the second and have the third on pre-order. Yes there are some very London-centric references and if you were brought up in the sixties and seventies in the UK a lot of other age and country specific references. It’s good to know that you found it an enjoyable read with out necessarily getting all of that.
The second book has a lot of jazz references that I suspect went right over my head, but I still enjoyed it.
I just finished the second book and it was spooky! Not because of the paranormal references but because I was just in London walking those streets and eating in those restaurants. Patisserie Valerie in Soho, check. Yo! Sushi at the Brunswick Centre, check. Darting down Bedford Place behind the British Museum, check.