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My name is Peter Grant, and I'm a keeper of the secret flame. Truth be told, there's a lot I still don't know. My superior Nightingale is trying to teach me proper schooling for a magician's apprentice. But even he doesn't have all the answers. A mutilated body in Crawley means another murderer is on the loose. But then I get word of something very odd happening in Elephant and Castle. Just the typical day for a magician constable.Tags
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Paranormal procedural mysteries with a heavy hand for architecture, urban planning, and jazz. Yeah, it's not everyone's cuppa, but I freaking love this series. In this particular entry, Grant is dealing with the kind of hideous high-rise so common to housing projects for the poor in big cities. My Le Corbusier rant is long and full of vitriol, so I won't go into it here, plus Aaronovitch makes it sound better coming out of Peter Grant. Here I'll just point out that associating evil with these kinds of projects is a natural. And there are all kinds of geeky Dr. Who and Harry Potter jokes, so, yay!
Personal copy because after starting the sample I could not wait to read the rest.
Personal copy because after starting the sample I could not wait to read the rest.
LESLEY! You two time, backstabbing, shit on the people that care about you, wanker you better have a good reason for this ending! end rant This book just proved why you're my favorite character. sobs at the beauty of the reveal
Holy wow that was a book. I can't even still believe how it ended.
As with the other books in the series, this mystery takes you deeper into the magical realm of London. I love exploring all of the weirdities with Peter. His commentary is spot on, and I love how well these books are written. They are more like a journal or pub chat than just a story told from Peter's perspective.
The faceless man becomes more of a flawed human in this book, than the mysterious villain he was in the last book. Dying to know his show more backstory, and what has led him onto this path of destruction. It's all too calculated to be the ravings of a mad man bent on death.
I also noticed that Peter only used maybe one reference to other IPs in this book, and that leads me to believe that he is owning the magical universe he is apart of more, and not needing to compare it to other books he's read.
Can't wait to read the next installment! show less
Holy wow that was a book. I can't even still believe how it ended.
As with the other books in the series, this mystery takes you deeper into the magical realm of London. I love exploring all of the weirdities with Peter. His commentary is spot on, and I love how well these books are written. They are more like a journal or pub chat than just a story told from Peter's perspective.
The faceless man becomes more of a flawed human in this book, than the mysterious villain he was in the last book. Dying to know his show more backstory, and what has led him onto this path of destruction. It's all too calculated to be the ravings of a mad man bent on death.
I also noticed that Peter only used maybe one reference to other IPs in this book, and that leads me to believe that he is owning the magical universe he is apart of more, and not needing to compare it to other books he's read.
Can't wait to read the next installment! show less
If you've read any other Broken Homes reviews or checked out the range of ratings, you'll know that opinion on this book runs the gamut. For me, Aaronovich is starting to feel like he is coming into his own. It's mature, developed writing with rich characters and a thoughtfully developed magic and supernatural system. Without doubt, pacing is a little off from a traditional detective story, but I found that for me, it reflected the inconsistent nature of real-life police work; one does not work a case to the exclusivity of all others, and sometimes the pieces are slow to fit into place. The result is a plot that is a little more "day in the life" until it gestalts together at the end, but was an enjoyable tour on the way. If you want show more nicely sophisticated characters, sly humor and an insider's view to England, this is an excellent installment in a quality urban fantasy detective series.
The summary: Peter and Leslie are at the Folly, developing their magic skills and researching an Oxford University dining club group that was learning magic a couple of decades ago. Research is interrupted when they're called to an unusual car accident that resulted in one of the driver's deaths. Blood in the back seat leads them to another dead body--strangely missing a face. It sets off vague internal alarms, but with nothing clear to go on, Peter continues on with his mandatory Officer Safety training. As someone who was required to attend annual recertifications every year, I found his asides on the usual dry dust mandatory topics to be snort-worthy:
"The morning lecture was on stop and search with reference to spotting suspicious behavior... he did warn us to make an exception for tourists, because London needed the foreign currency."
There's a sidebar with a River peace summit and a cameo with the Folly cadet, giving more insight into the complicated nature of supernatural politics. At one point in the case, Peter and Leslie go undercover at an estate (project housing), giving a very unique glimpse from a police perspective into the local human denizens.
"I know trouble when it's below the age of criminal responsibility, and while my first instinct was to arrest his parents on general principles, I gave him a cheery wave instead."
I was really enjoying the mischievous, dry wit until about page 200 or so when Aaronvitch started to become quite serious. The wit was still there, but more sly, less frequent, letting the reader focus on the impact of the story. I found it refreshing; although I love a snarky remark, at a certain point, they become incongruent with the emotion of the story.
Honestly, I can't say enough. I love Aaronvich's tone and style. I love that his dogs are dogs, but are still amusing; that Peter is not an anti-hero, and as wry as he is, still believes in loyalty and justice; that Peter doesn't describe all women in terms of sexability, just the one(s) he wants to have sex with; that magic isn't easy; that magic is part of an ambient system living all around us; that Peter is self-depreciating as much as he chaffs others. Add to it that unlike most UF books, the police are not bumbling idiots or obstructive foils, and you have a UF detective read with a very different flavor.
I think it is also worth noting that these books have high re-read potential. Ilona Andrews recently noted "a writer can teach the readers pretty much anything through the narrative, but the lower is that starting threshold, the wider is the audience." Aaronovich doesn't handhold the reader, resulting in a higher threshold. He uses London slang, British police vocabulary, architectural terms and stories that are heavily influenced by local geography. Yet, I feel so satisfied after reading his works. This ending especially was a gobsmacker. I wouldn't call it a cliff-hanger, exactly, since I'm pretty confident in his characterizations and Peter's reflections. I think Aaronovich's tv roots are showing, and it's more of a titillating lead-in to the next installment. There's a reason I've made an effort to get the series in hardcover--I want them around for a long time.
Laughs:
"Arts and Antiques, definitely not known by the rest of the Met as the Arts and Crafts squad, occasionally recover an item so valuable that even the evidence storage locker in the middle of New Scotland Yard isn't secure enough."
"I said she could have a look around the fair as long as she didn't talk to any strange people.
'Okay,' she said.
'Or strange things,' I said.
'Whatever,' she said and skipped off.
'Or strange things that are also people,' I called after her."
"'They're probably waiting for one of us to get freeze dried,' said Lesley, whose attitude towards taser deployment was that people with heart conditions, epilepsy and an aversion to electrocution should not embark upon breaches of the peace in the first place." show less
The summary: Peter and Leslie are at the Folly, developing their magic skills and researching an Oxford University dining club group that was learning magic a couple of decades ago. Research is interrupted when they're called to an unusual car accident that resulted in one of the driver's deaths. Blood in the back seat leads them to another dead body--strangely missing a face. It sets off vague internal alarms, but with nothing clear to go on, Peter continues on with his mandatory Officer Safety training. As someone who was required to attend annual recertifications every year, I found his asides on the usual dry dust mandatory topics to be snort-worthy:
"The morning lecture was on stop and search with reference to spotting suspicious behavior... he did warn us to make an exception for tourists, because London needed the foreign currency."
There's a sidebar with a River peace summit and a cameo with the Folly cadet, giving more insight into the complicated nature of supernatural politics. At one point in the case, Peter and Leslie go undercover at an estate (project housing), giving a very unique glimpse from a police perspective into the local human denizens.
"I know trouble when it's below the age of criminal responsibility, and while my first instinct was to arrest his parents on general principles, I gave him a cheery wave instead."
I was really enjoying the mischievous, dry wit until about page 200 or so when Aaronvitch started to become quite serious. The wit was still there, but more sly, less frequent, letting the reader focus on the impact of the story. I found it refreshing; although I love a snarky remark, at a certain point, they become incongruent with the emotion of the story.
Honestly, I can't say enough. I love Aaronvich's tone and style. I love that his dogs are dogs, but are still amusing; that Peter is not an anti-hero, and as wry as he is, still believes in loyalty and justice; that Peter doesn't describe all women in terms of sexability, just the one(s) he wants to have sex with; that magic isn't easy; that magic is part of an ambient system living all around us; that Peter is self-depreciating as much as he chaffs others. Add to it that unlike most UF books, the police are not bumbling idiots or obstructive foils, and you have a UF detective read with a very different flavor.
I think it is also worth noting that these books have high re-read potential. Ilona Andrews recently noted "a writer can teach the readers pretty much anything through the narrative, but the lower is that starting threshold, the wider is the audience." Aaronovich doesn't handhold the reader, resulting in a higher threshold. He uses London slang, British police vocabulary, architectural terms and stories that are heavily influenced by local geography. Yet, I feel so satisfied after reading his works. This ending especially was a gobsmacker. I wouldn't call it a cliff-hanger, exactly, since I'm pretty confident in his characterizations and Peter's reflections. I think Aaronovich's tv roots are showing, and it's more of a titillating lead-in to the next installment. There's a reason I've made an effort to get the series in hardcover--I want them around for a long time.
Laughs:
"Arts and Antiques, definitely not known by the rest of the Met as the Arts and Crafts squad, occasionally recover an item so valuable that even the evidence storage locker in the middle of New Scotland Yard isn't secure enough."
"I said she could have a look around the fair as long as she didn't talk to any strange people.
'Okay,' she said.
'Or strange things,' I said.
'Whatever,' she said and skipped off.
'Or strange things that are also people,' I called after her."
"'They're probably waiting for one of us to get freeze dried,' said Lesley, whose attitude towards taser deployment was that people with heart conditions, epilepsy and an aversion to electrocution should not embark upon breaches of the peace in the first place." show less
There’s no rest for the wicked, and no time off for PC Peter Grant.
A man is murdered in horrific fashion when his bones seem to literally burn, and Peter is certain it’s connected to the Faceless Man. But one body wouldn’t be enough of a challenge for our snarky hero, would it? So let’s add in a man who threw himself under a train, who turns out to have owned an old German grimoire. And then let’s spice it up with a connection to a housing estate that definitely has something “special” going on. Are they all related? What does the Faceless Man have to do with an old London housing estate built by an eccentric architect? And will Peter Grant finally get his man?
Let’s start off with that ending. I literally screamed show more “WHAT” at my Kindle and startled the absolute shite out of my husband. Looking back I can see the foreshadowing, especially in this book. I’m still gobsmacked and I’m desperate for the next book to see what happens.
In terms of overall pacing and plot, I feel like this one faltered a bit in comparison to the previous book, Whispers Under Ground. It took it a little longer to get off the ground and really pull all the elements together. Despite that it’s still enormous fun. We don’t get as much of Nightingale in this one, but we do get a lot more time with Lesley, as she and Peter go undercover in the Skygarden estate. I really like her character and the friendship between the two. We also get more Zach which is a delight, and more of London’s supernatural occupants like Oberon, Effa, etc.
This series feels like it’s starting to really hit its stride and find its core personality. I love that Peter is dry and sarcastic but also believes strongly in doing what’s right and being loyal to his friends, without being super showy and high-horse about it.
As before the police procedural elements are front and center, with magical trappings. And again I love that Peter doesn’t start every description of a female character with his musings on her luscious skin or gravity defying breasts. (That’s not to say he isn’t ever attracted to any of them, or describe them. He just doesn’t immediately objectify every woman. It’s so refreshing.)
And again. THAT ENDING. WTF. If you’re looking for a series to scratch an urban fantasy detective itch, you really have to check this one out. I’ll keep recommending it. Over and over. Y'all are going to get sick of hearing about it, until you finally read it for yourselves and join me on the Peter Grant Train. show less
A man is murdered in horrific fashion when his bones seem to literally burn, and Peter is certain it’s connected to the Faceless Man. But one body wouldn’t be enough of a challenge for our snarky hero, would it? So let’s add in a man who threw himself under a train, who turns out to have owned an old German grimoire. And then let’s spice it up with a connection to a housing estate that definitely has something “special” going on. Are they all related? What does the Faceless Man have to do with an old London housing estate built by an eccentric architect? And will Peter Grant finally get his man?
Let’s start off with that ending. I literally screamed show more “WHAT” at my Kindle and startled the absolute shite out of my husband. Looking back I can see the foreshadowing, especially in this book. I’m still gobsmacked and I’m desperate for the next book to see what happens.
In terms of overall pacing and plot, I feel like this one faltered a bit in comparison to the previous book, Whispers Under Ground. It took it a little longer to get off the ground and really pull all the elements together. Despite that it’s still enormous fun. We don’t get as much of Nightingale in this one, but we do get a lot more time with Lesley, as she and Peter go undercover in the Skygarden estate. I really like her character and the friendship between the two. We also get more Zach which is a delight, and more of London’s supernatural occupants like Oberon, Effa, etc.
This series feels like it’s starting to really hit its stride and find its core personality. I love that Peter is dry and sarcastic but also believes strongly in doing what’s right and being loyal to his friends, without being super showy and high-horse about it.
As before the police procedural elements are front and center, with magical trappings. And again I love that Peter doesn’t start every description of a female character with his musings on her luscious skin or gravity defying breasts. (That’s not to say he isn’t ever attracted to any of them, or describe them. He just doesn’t immediately objectify every woman. It’s so refreshing.)
And again. THAT ENDING. WTF. If you’re looking for a series to scratch an urban fantasy detective itch, you really have to check this one out. I’ll keep recommending it. Over and over. Y'all are going to get sick of hearing about it, until you finally read it for yourselves and join me on the Peter Grant Train. show less
Great fun, as always, with a magnificently ruthless twist of the plot-screw towards the close of the book. (I am simultaneously delighted and devastated, which is always the best.) I continue to really enjoy the blithe and cynical voice of these books, with the passing references and offhand asides that leave me in stitches of laughter, working smoothly together to always advance a complex plot with interesting core ideas. (The architectural mystery at the centre of this book was always intriguing to me.)
Double-great to see Nightingale bad-ass all over the scenery. Booyah.
Double-great to see Nightingale bad-ass all over the scenery. Booyah.
This series seems to be only getting better. The characters are getting more fascinating and the developments are definitely keeping me on the edge of my seat.
London police and a sideline of magic has never felt more realistic. Peter gets to show off a bit of his architectural background this time, too, and I think this aspect was probably my very favorite part of the book.
Architecture has always been a bit magical, don't you think? There's been plenty of literature on the idea and enough evidence to make most people suspect it even if they don't quite admit to believing it. Cathedrals, monuments, and even those atrocities that make everyone wish that they were dead rather than live in them all have a certain charm and flair, no? Good show more and bad magic. :)
Well, this one brings together a great number of previous elements from the other books and we even get to face the faceless man again, much to my enjoyment. I definitely get the creepy factor off of him and practically everyone here seems to be planning for the very worst.
For good reason, I think.
There are some great explosions and magic scenes, too, but I'll be honest... I come back to it for the in-between parts. It's a real pleasure to be in these people's lives and experience what they experience.
No spoilers, but this one is a real treat. :) show less
London police and a sideline of magic has never felt more realistic. Peter gets to show off a bit of his architectural background this time, too, and I think this aspect was probably my very favorite part of the book.
Architecture has always been a bit magical, don't you think? There's been plenty of literature on the idea and enough evidence to make most people suspect it even if they don't quite admit to believing it. Cathedrals, monuments, and even those atrocities that make everyone wish that they were dead rather than live in them all have a certain charm and flair, no? Good show more and bad magic. :)
Well, this one brings together a great number of previous elements from the other books and we even get to face the faceless man again, much to my enjoyment. I definitely get the creepy factor off of him and practically everyone here seems to be planning for the very worst.
For good reason, I think.
There are some great explosions and magic scenes, too, but I'll be honest... I come back to it for the in-between parts. It's a real pleasure to be in these people's lives and experience what they experience.
No spoilers, but this one is a real treat. :) show less
The Folly is hunting the Faceless Man, a German Grimoir has found its way onto the market, and a sink estate south of the river is showing signs of more than its fair share of magic. This installment has a lot of twists and turns, so fasten your seatbelts - and get ready for a wicked twist at the end. This is an amazingly entertaining series - the heroes are clever and funny, the baddies are unpredictable and dangerous, and the storylines are as fantastical as they are fantastic
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- Canonical title
- Broken Homes
- Original title
- Broken Homes
- Original publication date
- 2013-07-25
- People/Characters
- Peter Grant (Constable); Thomas Nightingale (DCI); Lesley May; Abdul Haqq Walid; The Faceless Man; Varvara "Varenka" Sidorovna Tamonina (show all 11); Zachary Palmer; Abigail Kamara; Neckinger; Oberon; Effra
- Important places
- London, England, UK
- Epigraph
- The problem of the house is a problem of the epoch. The equilibrium of society today depends upon it. Architecture has for its first duty, in this period of renewal, that of bringing about a revision of values, a revision of ... (show all)the constituent elements of the house. We must create the mass production spirit.
Charles-Edouard Jeanneret (Le Corbusier) - Dedication
- This book is dedicated to all the people who get up and do something about it, whatever "it" is and however small the thing it is that they do.
- First words
- At twenty-three minutes past eleven Robert Weil drove his 53 registered Volvo V70 across the bridge that links Pease Pottage, the improbably named English village, with Pease Pottage, the motorway service station.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)'If she gets in touch with you, will you let me know?' I asked.
'What do you think?'
I thought that there was not a chance in hell he would.
'Fair enough,' I said and went home. - Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 823.087663
Classifications
- Genres
- Fantasy, Fiction and Literature, Mystery
- DDC/MDS
- 823.087663 — Literature & rhetoric English & Old English literatures English fiction By type Genre fiction Adventure fiction Speculative fiction Fantasy fiction Urban fantasy
- LCC
- PR6101 .A76 .B76 — Language and Literature English English Literature 2001-
- BISAC
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- 2,812
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- Reviews
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- Rating
- (4.02)
- Languages
- 5 — Chinese, Czech, English, French, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 26
- ASINs
- 16