A Lovely Premise, and the Book to Match.

Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A lot of clever ideas in this brisk novel. Both fantasy and police procedural--a combination that works well--this book brings in magic, folktales, pop culture, the immigrant experience, history, and the London streets in a way that is both entertaining and satisfying. Peter Grant, a new cop, is a good character, neither too amazing nor too helpless, kind of an everyman, and I could see reading more stories with him as the main character. That is to say, he's sympathetic, not generic; he has a specific and unique backstory, and it makes the plot work better than if he were the typical British main character. It's an effective plot, too, with the steady drip of clues and character development. The action gets nicely complex near the end, with lots of plot strands coming together, and ends up a bit meatier than I had taken it for when I bought it. So, that's cool.

Another plus for me is that it clocks in a little under 100,000 words, a nice relief after reading too many long books that require a lot of commitment. This one didn't wear out its welcome like big fat fantasies sometimes do.

I already ordered the next book, despite the height of my (virtual) TBR pile, and I hope to squeeze it in sometime soon. I can always use a sure bet sitting on the bedside table.

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