Rivers of London

Rivers of London, Book 1

By: Ben Aaronovitch

Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

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 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.

©2011 Ben Aaronvitch (P)2012 Tantor

I LOVE this Book!

For several years now, I have studiously avoided any and all of the current books involving vampires, ghosts, werewolves, spirits and similar creatures in mystery and other genres. I didn't read horror stories, period.

Then I read some member reviews of "Midnight Riot," and thought I'd give it a try, despite the dead, undead and non-human monsters. What a revelation! This book gives the reader a rollicking ride through modern day London in the course of a murder investigation. It is fast-paced, engrossing and hilarious. I laughed out loud repeatedly when listening. In addition, I learned a bit of history about various sites in and around London.

Constable Peter Grant, having just finished his probationary period with the Metropolitan Police, interviews a witness to murder, only to find out that his witness is the ghost of a man who died 120 years before. As a result of his being able to see and converse with the ghost, he is recruited by Inspector Thomas Nightingale to work in a unit (made up of only Nightingale and Peter) whose "beat" is anything non-human, undead or uncanny. Turns out Nightingale is a wizard, and Peter becomes his apprentice. Now, sweep all ideas of Harry Potter out of your mind -- this is not a Hogwarts type of story.

As Peter, Nightingale and Constable Lesley May, a friend of Peter's, work their way through the mystery. they encounter a great deal of violence, a number of River Spirits, ghosts, vampires, and general confusion. Peter Grant is a lovely character, who is smarter than he realizes, and who looks at London and its residents with a jaundiced eye and very ironic comment.

Other reviews give a much more detailed description of the book, and I refer you to those other descriptions. I want to talk about the narrator, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. He is perfect! He gives Peter's character just the right accent and attitude, that of a young mixed race man from a working class background who has a breezy attitude and many a smart remark to make. Then he makes Nightingale a well educated gentleman of at least a century earlier. Male and female voices, London accents, German, Indian, Middle Eastern, African, Caribbean and Japanese voices are all wonderful. KHS brings the book to life beautifully.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Unique story

Thiswasapretty(take deep breath)good story.(take deep breath) Narraterspoke(take deep breath)prettyfast.(take deep breath) Hisbreathing( take deep breath)wasmadeoverly (Take deep breath)aware.

Hogwarts Meets Agatha Christie

These books are great! I've listened or read all of the Peter Grant series and can't wait for the next book to come out. They have humor, mystery, and magic all rolled up into one and the narrator does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life. I would highly recommend this series to anyone particularly fans of Torchwood, Doctor Who, and Sherlock.

A+ Narrator

I've just started my relationship with Peter Grant and am having a great time! It's made even better with the exceptional narration of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. I tend to cringe when I start in with a new book and discover that the narrator is going to use different accents because they are usually horrible but Kobna is fantastic! Thanks so much to the author and narrator for the good times.

Decent enough story, bad narration

The story was a decent modern urban fantasy. It was a little too-London specific in tone and style. Too often knowledge of British police procedures and acronyms are expected to be known, though not as bad as some books I have read. Fortunately, I have watched enough BBC shows and read some other books that I had an idea what he was referring to. I might get the next book if I decide I can get past the narrator.

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith's narration took away from the story. His thick accent was hard to follow on occasion, but the real issue was his constant heavy breathing and moist smacking when speaking really detracted from the listening experience. Other than that, his experience as an actor shows through and his style works for the book and the character.