Whispers Under Ground (edition 2012)

Unlike some series that become boring and repetitive, this supernatural police series just improves with age. Normally this type of fantasy fiction is so out of my wheel house that I wouldn't even pick it up, but a recommendation from a friend helped me discover this talented author.
This magical branch of the London Metropolitan Police, fights unusual acts of crime, with a very small force of special police officers. I love the humor interjected throughout and maybe that's why I enjoy them so much, or it could be the great writing.
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Another fine comic fantasy, the third in the Peter Grant series. I'll admit that some of the British words and phrases baffled me at first. I know what a Ford Focus is, for example. I used to own one. But why does Peter refer to his as an 'Asbo'? I looked it up. Now I know (sort of). There were others, most of which I knew, probably because I lived in England for a while as a kid, my favorite novelists and Brits, and I watch Doctor Who... but I know a lot of my fellow countrymen (USA) will probably be asking WTF a lot when they read this. But read it they should. The stories about a young detective assigned to the 'magic' branch of the London constabulary are a hoot. The characters are engaging, the plots are not overly absurd (for fantasy), and the pacing is quite good. If you liked the other Peter Grant stories, you'll like this one too. ( )

Ah, Peter. What am I going to do with you?

Don't get me wrong, I love Aaronovitch's ability to create atmosphere. He describes London in such great length and succinct detail that I'm there, looking up at the grey sky, battling the traffic and queueing with the rest of them. I appreciate his ability to seamlessly add magic to this urban fantasy world and do it with dry wit and self-deprecating British humour all the while.

... but can we talk about Peter Grant? Oh my god, Peter, can you not be a problematic dick for like five minutes? Let's talk about the treatment of your female partner, shall we? Y'know what? I'm gonna rant and add a spoiler for those who haven't read the other two books in the series.

Or, more specifically, could you not talk about her face? Yeah, sure, it melted off. Fucking deal with it, mate. She went through this whole traumatic event and has to deal with constantly being reminded every single day of what happened to her. A few weeks with her family in Essex isn't going to fix that, and the fact that you think she looks ugly and sometimes can't stand to look at her just makes me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit. So stop drawing attention to it, stop undermining her and suck it up.

And while you're fucking at it, stop objectifying her and her body. She's a better copper, a better magician and a better person than you by far.

... spoiler aside, I can see why people find Peter Grant problematic now, and I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner. I love the series and I love the characters but Peter's behaviour will be the only reason I wait till I pick up the next book.

(Anyone for a Lesley May spin-off series? She's incredible. I adore her to bits.)

It's a solid addition to the series, but I am tired of your shit, Peter Grant.

This is the second book that I've read in this series and I intend to read them all, something that I do not usually do. While the plots are inventive, it is really the sly and amusing tone of the books that I love the most. This time I listened to the audiobook and I thought that the narrator was absolutely perfect. I also enjoyed the little snippets of jazz between chapters. ( )

Despite not being a big fan of fantasy, I love this series which combines magic with a police procedural. It looks like there are still four more books in this series so I should be good for a while.

Peter Grant, the London police constable who discovered he could sense magic in the first book of the series, is being trained by Inspector Nightingale to perform magic. Nightingale is a wizard who is much older than he looks. He is one of the few wizards left after World War II. Nightingale and Grant and now Lesley May (another police constable who was badly hurt in one of the previous books) all live in the Folly where Molly looks after them and the house. Molly is some kind of magical creature who is also a great cook. Peter is still an active member of the constabulary so he is called in on cases which seem "different". When an American is found dead in Baker Street station in the middle of the night having bled to death from an attack further down the subway line, there is just enough of an off flavour for Inspector Stephanopoulos to call Peter in. Sure enough Peter senses magic on the murder weapon which was a broken piece of pottery. Thus Peter, Lesley and Nightingale are called in to assist with the murder inquiry. Because the victim was an American the FBI sent an agent to observe how the Metropolitan Police Force handle the investigation. Agent Kimberley Reynolds has some difficulty remaining as an observer and turns up in the most unexpected places. Of course this means she sees magic and other things she probably shouldn't see. Is this going to blow the cover off the subtle British handling of magical occurences? Read the book and find out. ( )