Rivers of London

Available here from Amazon

I had a lucky find recently. 

Yes, I know this a bit of a theme for this blog. One can draw one of four conclusions: 1) Since starting this blog I've had a lot of lucky finds; 2) I'm very lucky naturally; 3) I lie about my lucky finds; 4) I can't count to three. 

Only I know that 3 is untrue, which of 1 or 2 applies you'll have to apply to the goddess Fate for an adjudication. 

I've previously written about books I love by Ben Aaronovitch, a Doctor Who scriptwriter and novelist from an age ago. I was shopping for birthday books with my children recently when I spotted in the bookshop two – yes, count them, two! – new-ish novels by Mr A. 

Reader, I bought them. 

This is a review of the first one, Rivers of London. In the true spirit of abject non-objectivity that characterises this blog, I'm already part-way through the second one. I'm also seething furious about the fact that whilst I thought I'd picked up the books for a song on offer at £12 (call it $18) for the pair, as soon as I was lyrical to Jay she waltzes off and picks them up for about £5. Well, the next time she begs me to be let into my hotel room for adult companionship, she will have to look elsewhere. Which I can write in the confident knowledge that there's never been any such begging to date...

Rivers of London is great. It's a story that absolutely lives and breathes London as a city: Jay will have to help me out here once she's read it, to counterbalance my semi-local knowledge.  Perhaps there's a bit too much London in places, but overall it's a lovely story that mixes magic and modern policing. 

I don't think it has the sheer confidence and exuberance of Ben's earlier Doctor Who novels, but I liked it nonetheless. Liked, not adored. A brilliant holiday read, but I may not go back to it.  Oh, and you can testify, I hope, that the title of our second book is and has been "Magic" for some time. Mr Aaronovitch has clearly read my finished book and used time travel to steal some of the ideas. Well, sunshine, all I can say is that my lawyers have watched Doctor Who too, and I've kept a log of dates. Unless you can have me assassinated last month, I'll be gunning for you. 

Once I've finished writing the book.