strange and random happenstance

From Hell: Master Edition by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell
Published by: Top Shelf Productions
Publication Date: 1999
Format: Kindle, 582 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Queen Victoria's eldest son Eddy has been a bad boy. He's been slumming in the East End with his tutor Walter Sickert. There Eddy met and secretly married a shop girl, Annie Crook. This will not do for the future King of England and his mother decides to set it right. She separates the couple, bringing Eddy home and sending the wife to Bedlam, unaware that there was a child in the care of one Mary Kelly. This is when Sir William Withey Gull enters the picture. He is a respected doctor, an esteemed and high ranking freemason, who saved the Prince's life when he was ill years previously. For his services he was promoted to Physician-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria. The Queen calls on him to deal with her son's wife and he operates on Annie Crook's thyroid gland impairing her sanity. The Queen and her doctor believe the threat is past when Mary Kelly realizes that she and her friends have a meal ticket thanks to her knowledge of the marriage and the baby named Alice. Prostitutes Polly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Liz Stride, and Mary Kelly would never resort to blackmail if not for the fact their very lives are in danger by the Old Nichol Gang unless they pay up. So Mary sends Walter Sickert a letter. Walter goes to Princess Alix, Eddy's mother. After what happened previously she says this matter must be taken to Victoria immediately and Victoria calls in Sir William. Sir William has recently recovered from a stroke and approaches this undertaking in the name of the Queen as his great work. With the help of his driver Netley they identify the four women and Sir William goes about plotting their deaths. He has informed his fellow Masons at the police that murders are about to commence, but neither realize how significant they will be or how they will terrorize London. Sir William's knowledge of anatomy allows him to be brutal and precise with his work, though at least the first death is as painless as he can make it. The fear that grips London after the death of Polly Nichols means that all the prostitutes are steeped in terror. The newspapers make a sensation of the cases, dubbing the killer "Jack the Ripper." And Jack is here to usher in the future no matter the body count.

Alan Moore is the grand old wizard of graphic novels and it would not be an understatement to say that he created the genre as we know it today. But for all that he is divisive. You either love his work or you hate it, or you're one of those weird people who is really into Watchmen and when they released a totally credible and faithful adaptation you say it's not "your" Watchmen. I sometimes just don't get people. But I'm starting to get the Alan Moore fantascism, despite my hatred of Watchmen and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, whose adaptation everyone should be complaining about. And I somehow saw that twice in theaters. For me From Hell is his magnum opus, his great work. And being an armchair Ripperologist I was able to enjoy it without believing anything that he wrote about the crimes. Because for all the theories out there on who Jack the Ripper is I have never once found it even slightly plausible that it was a Freemason cover-up at the behest of Queen Victoria. And no matter how fun they made the film Murder by Decree with a camp James Mason and a psychic Donald Sutherland flailing through the streets of London if they couldn't make me believe the theories spouted by Stephen Knight in Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution, I'm sorry, but Alan Moore didn't stand a chance. And while I could blame my dislike of the theory for avoiding the graphic novel for so many years, I didn't know that this was the theory espoused, the only knowledge I really had of the comic was that it was loosely, and I say very loosely, the inspiration for the 2001 Johnny Depp film. Which, well, the less said the better. Except for this, they tried to combine Abberline and Lees into one character to have a psychic cop. Yeah. They did that. So why did I finally decide to pick up the book after all this time? Honestly, I'm not sure. I was just feeling in a gloomy Victorian mood and was rewatching Penny Dreadful and just thought, you know what, now's the time. And here's the thing, if I had known it was more about the world the murders happened in I would have picked it up so much sooner, though I'm glad I didn't because the colorization by Eddie Campbell gave the artwork more depth and definition. The way that Sir William discusses the history of London reminded me of what I love so much about the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. There's a depth and richness to the history of London with it constantly building and reinventing itself on the remnants of history. Always moving forward into the future. And if this book shows one thing it's that these murders were a force that would move London inexorably forward into a whole new world.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alan Moore, Eddie Campbell, For the Love of Book Clubs, Freemasons, From Hell, Jack the Ripper, Murder by Decree, Penny Dreadful, Queen Victoria, Ripperologist, Rivers of London, Sir William Withey Gull, Watchmen

The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: January 31st, 2017
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Peter owes Lady Ty. When he was trapped under the platform at Oxford Circus she saved his life for a favor. And she has come to cash it in. Her daughter, Olivia McAllister-Thames, was out with her classmates from St. Paul's. The teens had snuck into the posh One Hyde Park where they were partying in a vacant flat when Olivia's classmate, Christina Chorley, overdosed. Christina died on the way to the hospital. Lady Ty wants Olivia kept out of it. She doesn't just want her daughter exonerated, she wants her daughter's name never to be even mentioned in connection to the overdose at One Hyde Park. But that isn't how Peter works, even if he does owe her his life. He was willing to go easy on Olivia, but that became complicated when she admitted to supplying the drugs that killed Christina. And that's when Olivia was arrested and low-lying areas around the Tyburn were in danger of flash flooding. Just because Olivia confessed doesn't mean she actually did it, and Peter is nothing if not thorough, you kind of have to be when you're a magician, so he starts digging. And what he finds is interesting and disturbing. Interesting in that Olivia is obviously covering up for someone, who turns out to be her girlfriend, she just hadn't come out to her mother yet. Disturbing in that Reynard Fossman seems to be involved. Peter and Nightingale have never figured out quite what he is. Is he the spirit of Reynard the Fox? Is he someone who wants people to think that? Or is he just a creepy pedophile who just happens to get in their way? Whatever he is other than a pedophile, because that is confirmed, he seems to have been up to something with Christina Chorley. They were selling stolen magical artifacts. But Reynard didn't realize that his partner had been stupid enough to put them up on eBay. Magical artifacts need to be sold secretly, by word of mouth, because otherwise everything goes tits up. Which is what happens here. The main item of interest is Isaac Newton's Third Principia, rumored to have the secret of eternal life and turning lead into gold. Everyone wants it. The Americans, the Linden-Limmer's, the Folly, and any other practitioner who ever had a classical education. Which means Christina put a big ol' target on her back. Moreso because, if Peter and Nighttingale are correct, the Faceless Man is involved as well. Anyone could have killed her, but one thing is certain, it probably wasn't the pills but magic.

Peter and the crew are back in top form in The Hanging Tree with architectural collateral damage and big developments on the Faceless Man front. Though what I really connected to with this volume was the interwoven narrative of women within the magical community. In the present day we see that the Folly is quite open to female practitioners, with Lesley being taught by Nightingale, before her betrayal, and with plans for Abigail to be taught once she comes of age. But other than the Night Witch, Varvara Sidorovna, most magical women are creatures from the demimonde or Genius Loci. Here we get not just witches, but the history of witches. Lady Helena Linden-Limmer and her daughter Caroline Linden-Limmer might both have had connections to the Faceless Man of their generation. Helena was revolutionary in her medical experimentation and healing, which she only recently started to have qualms about. Whereas her daughter encountered Peter before in his pursuit of the Faceless Man and has one goal in life, to learn how to fly. And she doesn't mean aviation. The two of them come to the Folly for tea and sympathy and in short order they are setting history straight. Because back in the days when Isaac Newton was codifying magic men and women were equals. They were hanging out at disreputable coffee houses and taking on the mysteries of the universe. Together. This Society of the Wise then was able to get a premise on Russell Square and the doors of the Folly were closed to women. Women didn't take this lying down. They continued teaching each other in secret. Magic was passed down through the female line for generations. Magic that men couldn't even contemplate. At one point Peter tries to figure out the forma of a spell Caroline is doing and it's unlike anything he's ever seen. Because women invented, created, worked around all that was standing in their way, and they made their own branch of magic. What I love about this isn't the sad history that is all too common of women being shunned, what I love is that they persisted. They developed their own skillsets because they were pushed aside. I mean, there's a part of me that wants to liken this to "home arts" and wise women and their healing, which I think Aaronovitch is implying, but it's so much more, because domesticity doesn't mean what some people think it means. Just because women have been pigeonholed for so long it doesn't mean they've let these restrictions hold them back. It's like Lesley was always saying to Peter with regard to rebuilding her face, it's not like the Folly knows everything. Just because they are the academic repository of magical knowledge doesn't mean they're the only way. There's more in heaven and earth and all that, especially if you're trying to deny the abilities of half the people on the planet. Let the world of magic expand!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ben Aaronovitch, Caroline Linden-Limmer, Faceless Man, Lady Helena Linden-Limmer, Lady Ty, London Calling, Magic, Nightingale, Peter Grant, Rivers of London, The Folly, The Hanging Tree, Tyburn, Witches, Women

The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: Subterranean Press
Publication Date: June 27th, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 144 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

When you limit a talented person to one specific thing they tend to get really good at it. Peter should have known all along that making a deal with his cousin Abigail was dangerous. She's almost as cunning as the Fae of legend with their bargains. Never agree to teach someone magic if you don't want to by adding a condition that they can easily meet, like getting a GCSE A Level in Latin. Because Abigail is way better than Peter at Latin. Which is very worrying. Though her age means that he and Nightingale have some time until they have to ask her parents for permission to teach her magic. Of course that would require a lot more explanations, but Peter did promise. Until that time comes Abigail is like the Folly's intern and has become the defacto ghost expert. Being unable to practice magic she's really good at finding the uncanny, and ghosts are the most easily observed of phenomena. And at this moment that phenomena is causing trouble on the London Underground. The Metropolitan Line has had a rash of reports. The problem is their witnesses aren't very helpful. Most people who encounter a ghost tend to forget the incident within minutes of it happening. It's like waking up from a dream, try as hard as you might the dream slips away. So the police get 999 calls that when followed up lead to very confused witnesses who don't even remember calling them. Therefore they must catch a ghost interacting with a member of the public and interview the witness immediately. Which doesn't go as well as they hoped. Walking the trains at night when they're in storage does lead to an interesting discovery though, the ghosts don't appear normal. Or should that be disappear. The ghost Peter encounters has an important message it needs to deliver and then it shatters like porcelain. The next ghost he encounters gives him some more information before shattering as well. This leads them into the archives of the Folly and the County Practitioner for Buckinghamshire, George Buckland, who died in 1815. He lived in Chesham and made rose jars, which were a unique form of ghost trap. But most importantly, Chesham happens to be the terminus of the Metropolitan Line. They might have just found out where their ghost commuters are coming from. Now to find out why.

What I love about this series is that you never know where it's going to go and that's rare for me to actually embrace and enjoy. I'm the kind of person who likes to try to figure out where things are going in books, shows, really, anything, that's why I'm addicted to whodunits, because I don't just want to know I want to figure it out before the killer is revealed. I want to be smarter than everyone else. Which is probably a trait I shouldn't encourage. I should know by now that a series ready to randomly drop in jazz vampires and talking foxes is unpredictable to say the least, but this story in particular was a wonderful surprise. You think it's going to be a simple ghost hunting on the Underground story with Peter and Sergeant Jaget Kumar of the British Transport Police, in a similar vein to them working together in Whispers Under Ground, but then it turns out that the ghosts aren't the problem, they're the messengers making them all red herrings. The ghosts have been haunting the Underground in an attempt to save a life. And while, read chronologically and not by publication date, that means we've basically had three cases of kidnappings in a row, I'll forgive Ben Aaronovitch because of those three stories two of them were amazing and this one at least didn't involve children. Plus this case is building on the lore of ghosts. The fact that to most people they disappear like dreams is fascinating. Like the brain can't cope with this information so it just deletes it. So what does that mean about those who retain the memory of seeing ghosts? Are they more observant or just wired differently when it comes to the uncanny? Also the knowledge that ghosts can be caught and that catching them changes them in some manner. I would literally love to read just like Abigail writing a dissertation on her thoughts of ghosts. Because I'm sure that she's going to study those rose jars that remained and figure out a way to recreate them. Which leads us to George Buckland. His wife, who was creole and from New Orleans, taught him how to make rose jars. Which means there are obviously different sets of skills and beliefs depending on where you've learned or practiced your magic. And while I adore the history of magic as codified by the Folly, it's only been around since 1775 which means even George Buckland himself lived in a world without the Folly for awhile. Which makes you wonder about the really old history. I would just love to read a history of the magical systems of Ben Aaronovitch's world. It could be a couple thousand pages and I would devour them all. Or just let me into the Folly and set me loose in those libraries, I want to know everything. I just love this world so much!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Abigail Kamara, Ben Aaronovitch, Chesham, Ghosts, Kidnapping, Latin, London Calling, London Underground, Peter Grant, Rivers of London, Sergeant Jaget Kumar, The Folly, The Furthest Station, Whispers Under Ground

Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: April 12th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

In one of the most secure places in London a man loses his heart by an invisible assailant. The London Silver Vaults rarely has anyone stupid enough to attempt a robbery, and yet that's just what David Moore more tried to do, and failed, when a giant hole appeared where his heart should have been. This case has Falcon written all over it, those "special" cases that the Folly comes in to handle. The victim was looking for a ring that his ex-wife supposedly sold. A ring that he desperately wanted back. A ring that his ex-wife was still in possession of. When Peter Grant and Danni Wickford, who's on the Basic Falcon Management Course, show up at her house to say Althea Moore is channeling Gollum would be an understatement. The ring is unique, it can expand to form an armillary sphere and has writing inside from more languages than they can recognize. Soon though that ring is stolen. When they stumble on another dead body with the same cause of death as David Moore, they start to form a picture of what's going on. Years ago up in Manchester, a man named Preston Carmichael, AKA the second body, ran a prayer group that David Moore was a part of. There were seven members of the group in total, seven rings for the dwarf-lords in their halls of stone. And these rings were magical. They were also misfiled at a local library instead of with the Sons of Weyland, the magical blacksmiths whom Nightingale learned from. Which is how they got into the hands of the public. Obviously something magical happened at one of these meetings and since then the bearers of the rings have become overly attached to them. It is when they are questioning one of the other members of the group that Peter has to fight off what he is quite sure is the Angel of Death. Now is not the time for him to die, Bev is about to give birth to twins any day now and he's not going to leave his daughters fatherless. Plus the Folly hasn't really ever come across "angels." And anyhow what would an angel want with rings? Whatever it is there are obvious religious connotations, it's just figuring them out before another person dies, another person that hopefully isn't Peter, that is going to be tricky.

There are very few authors whose sense of humor is perfectly aligned with mine. Ben Aaronovitch happens to be one such author. I honed my humor at the feet of Monty Python. I watched the entire series and then rewatched it while bootlegging it. I know bits off completely by heart, enough to retroactively know that my friends in eighth grade really biffed up the "Dead Parrot" sketch for our talent show that year. Needless to say I, like many, especially the writers of the film Sliding Doors, have a strong reverence for "The Spanish Inquisition" sketches. So when I saw that the title of the next Rivers of London book was Amongst Our Weapons I instantly hoped beyond hope that it was in reference to said sketch. Needless to say, it was. Aaronovitch hasn't let me down yet. But what's more it's used as a structure for the book as well, creating a flow not seen since Whispers Under Ground. Plus, it's not just a a humorous veneer, though I did snort laugh when DCI Seawoll uttered a certain profanity before declaring he "wasn't expecting them," Aaronovitch has worked the Spanish Inquisition into the plot of the book making the reference so important and tying it into the ever expanding magical world. One of the reasons that "The Spanish Inquisition" sketches resonate with me is because I had eight years of Catholic school. Needless to say eight years made me pretty convinced that there isn't a God and there had to be something else that people got out of going to church. Whether it was a sense of community or safety or patronage, I felt that there was something other than God that had to be why thinking people kept going back. I am not alone in thinking this way, and one person who has spent quite a considerable about of time on it is Professor Harold Postmartin D.Phil, F.R.S. As the Folly's literary liaison he is convinced that mass is actually magic. A form of magic that allows one practitioner, the preacher, to use the gathering of the congregants to work a spell. Thus giving Postmartin some tangible reason as to why the congregants would believe, because they got something out of it despite having no magical ability themselves. And I buy this theory, but the more I learn about this world Aaronovitch has created the more I need to know. The Catholic Church might have their own version of the Folly!?! And there are just so many different magical traditions all over not just Britain, but the world. This series could be hundreds of books and it would never be enough. More!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Amongst Our Weapons, Ben Aaronovitch, Beverly Brook, Catholic, London Calling, Magic, Monty Python, Peter Grant, Professor Postmartin, Religion, Rivers of London, The Spanish Inquisition, Whispers Under Ground

The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: Subterranean
Publication Date: May 28th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 216 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy

Tobias Winter works in Meckenheim, Germany, under the Director at the Abteilung KDA, the Department for Complex and Unspecific Matters. In other words, he is Germany's answer to Peter Grant, and Peter Grant has a lot to answer for. Tobias has been called to Trier because the death of an unidentified male ticked the right boxes to alert the KDA that they might have a possible supernatural infraction. Kriminalkommissarin Vanessa Sommer, AKA the local fuzz, is on hand to take him to the crime scene. The body was found in a ditch abutting the vineyard of Frau Stracker. It has since been sent off to the KDA's pathologist of choice, Professor Doktor Carmela Weissbachmann, which means that Tobias is to assess the crime scene for vestigia before meeting up with her. Very faintly there's something like wriggling roots but it's not enough to be sure that this case is his. That is until he sees the body. It's covered in fur. But the "fur" is actually fungus. Fungus that Carmela delightfully informs him is unique to grapes. Noble rot is a fungus used to make a sweet wine. And the Stracker winery used to be renowned for it, so says resident wine expert Vanessa Sommer. That can't be a coincidence. Nor can the fact that Tobias gets that same sense of wriggling roots from the corpse, this time with hints of turned soil and half-discordant musical notes. The only lead that Winter and Sommer have is a recent tattoo the man had gotten, which leads them to All Art is Transitory, a tattoo studio where they learn the identity of their victim, one Jörg Koch, and that he came in with a group of friends to have Dionysus tattooed on his arm because of a dare. These friends could be suspects, witnesses, or even potential victims. Soon another body turns up, this time the victim choked on his own vomit, but that was due to an astronomical blood alcohol content. Which means it's imperative they find Koch's friends. The murderer is changing their modus operandi, or are they? Here's hoping they can stop the killer before they escalate again. Because if there's one thing that Tobias Winter has learned in his short time in Trier it's that the town is about wine and Romans, and those two things are inextricably linked so therefore they have to be at the heart of these crimes.

I don't know what the purpose of this book is because so much of it is wading through shit we've heard a million times before but in a better voice until finally we are able to concentrate on the crime. We have to hear Tobias talk down to us like we've never heard what vestigia is. Peter Grant has a way of imparting knowledge in a way that makes you eager to learn, Tobias is no Peter. Tobias is pedantic and just an asshole. I never want to have to read anything in his voice ever again. What I found mildly interesting is the differences that have arisen in how Germany and England categorize and label their magical systems, but these are too few and far between and again, the way it's imparted to us through Tobias is just annoying. I had some hope for the crime, this bizarrely furry situation, but it fell apart because it ended up repeating so many of the tropes of the main series, from baby river goddesses to sequestration, it's just the same thing told in a slightly different way. And not for the better. Plus it went really dark with attempted rape and stalking and Nazis. Oh and don't get me started on the wine. I'm not a drinker. I never want to go to a vineyard or on a winery tour. I want nothing at all to do with the pretension of being a vintner. So to have that be the core of the crime with all this "previously on" swirling around it, it's like I didn't care to get to the center of the Tootsie Pop. I DO NOT CARE ABOUT WINE. I NEVER WILL! Nothing will make me change my stance. Not even one of my favorite authors. Which brings me back to the why of it all. Why does Tobias Winter exist? The only way I can justify his existence in my mind is that he's going to be the next Big Bad. Now on the surface he looks like a normal police officer. He solves the crimes, he gets things done, but in the process we learn some startling things about Germany. Does Nightingale know that the forbidden knowledge that wasn't meant to be kept was kept anyway? That the Nazis research of the Ahnernerbe and the Black Library which was the reason for Ettersberg where almost all was lost still lives? There's a reason it's kept behind a door in the Folly and yet Winter has access to this knowledge. Maybe that's why I hate Tobias Winter so very very much, because I know Nightingale would and I will always side with Nightingale.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Abteilung KDA, Ben Aaronovitch, Big Bad, Ettersberg, Germany, London Calling, Nazis, Nightingale, Noble Rot, Peter Grant, Rivers of London, The Folly, The October Man, Tobias Winter, Trier, Vanessa Sommer, Wine

Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: Gollancz
Publication Date: November 20th, 2018
Format: Paperback, 406 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Martin Chorley and his co-conspirator Lesley May will be run to ground and made to pay for all their crimes. Which are numerous. Operations Tinker, Wentworth, Carthorse, Cartwheel, and Marigold were all separate investigations into their crimes, now combined under the aegis of the Folly and Operation Jennifer. The Folly is groaning under the influx of police officers, but Molly seems happy to feed them all, even opening up the dining room. Their only hope of finding Martin Chorley is through his connections to other Little Crocodiles, that Oxford dining club that was more about magic and less about running riot. Which is why Richard Williams is under surveillance. He ticks all the boxes. And soon his heart will tick no more because Chorley is tying up loose ends and as soon as the police approach Richard Williams all hell breaks loose. He doesn't die immediately. But he does die. But they find a clue in his papers. A screenplay for movie set in Roman London called Against the Dark written by Richard Williams and Gabriel Tate from a story by John Chapman. This is right up Chorley's alley. His romantic view of the Dark Ages might just have something to do with his plans, why else would he silence Williams? And Chapman and Tate as it turns out once they hear back from Australia and America. All three people associated with the screenplay being deceased is a dead giveaway that it's integral to Chorley's plans. But the first real lead they get is Richard Williams's interest in bells. He made several visits to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry where they forged a bell for him. He provided them with the materials, some of it nicked from archaeological sites throughout London. The bell draws Peter in and he knows it's magic. This bell is important and could very well be the lure they need. They use the large police presence for Michelle Obama's visit to Whitechapel to make the foundry look unguarded. But Lesley fails to make off with the bell and they all think that despite it's beauty, destroying the bell is a plus because it hobbles Chorley's plans. It won't stop them, he'll just make another bell, but bells take time. And in that time they start to put the pieces together; Roman London, the Temple of Mithras, St. Paul's, The Silmarillion, and last but not least, Mr. Punch. Will this knowledge be enough or will Martin Chorley make myth reality?

Lies Sleeping is the big culmination of, well, basically everything that has come before. The book hits the ground running with all the various MET operations that are folded into one unwieldy operation, Jennifer, that is to deal with all of Martin Chorley's crimes under the remit of the Folly. That means Nightingale is in charge. From the first few pages it feels as if this book is struggling to do too much. I've been reading this series over the last three months so there hasn't been the passage of time that usually occurs between volumes, so, logically, I should know every single little detail, and yet I found myself spending an inordinate about of time on Follypedia. Every police officer that has ever appeared is pulled into this operation. And yeah, apparently I should have remembered who David Carey was but by the time I got to Follypedia I'd forgotten his name. This happened repeatedly. He's very forgettable. So while Aaronovitch does successfully tie together all the loose ends, from Martin Chorley to Lesley May to Mr. Punch to all that stuff I'd rather forget from the comics, I really don't like the comics, it doesn't create a satisfying story. It's just one thing happening after another with what feels like a cast of thousands. The Rivers of London series has always perfectly balanced the character of Peter Grant with the character of London itself. With little moments and asides that feel like lovely character studies. Quiet moments. Here there's no time for those quiet moments. There's no working along with Peter to solve a crime it's just them, and a lot of them, trying to run Chorley to ground. All the characters have become stock figures and the one who suffers the most is Lesley May. I no longer get where she's coming from. Yes, revenge and a return to her life before Mr. Punch has always seemed her motivator, but here, here she has a chance at that and she blows it all up. Yes, Aaronovitch is probably setting her up to be the next Big Bad, but her change seems too out of character. She monologues about her hatred of magical creatures at one point and I couldn't help thinking she's turning into a bit of a bigot but without any reason why. I need the why. But I'll give Aaronovitch the benefit of the doubt, because the ending with Mr. Punch in the very first book felt convoluted and dreamlike, and here Aaronovitch is, seven books later, and he knows he messed up and is trying to set it to right. And as someone who has recently watched all of I, Claudius, I gotta admit he got Roman Britain and the Roman mindset down perfectly, when in doubt kill someone and make them a god.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ben Aaronovitch, Faceless Man, Follypedia, Gods, I Claudius, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lesley May, Lies Sleeping, London Calling, Martin Chorley, Mr. Punch, Nightingale, Peter Grant, Rivers of London, Romans, Whitechapel

Tales from the Folly by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.
Publication Date: November 17th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 238 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

The world surrounding the Folly and it's denizens grows every time Peter and Nightingale investigate a crime or meet a strange new creature or practitioner. Peter has his own share of adventures. There's an old French wizard whose guilt over the death of his master during the last London Olympics has caused him to return to the scene of the crime and attempt suicide by Nightingale. Then there's the domestic disturbance which is much more disturbed than the little old lady's neighbors could ever guess. There's a ghost. But is it the ghost of her supposedly dead husband or something else? Peter doesn't trust her one bit. Also when a bookstore appears to develop a poltergeist it's dangerous when it likes to hang out in the section containing the art books because some of those Taschen books are huge. Plus, what's a man to do when his girl, who happens to be an all powerful goddess, decides to adopt a granny? The answer is agree and do whatever your goddess asks of you. And what would happen if a genius loci wasn't human but just possibly an ape... Also, what happens when you investigate a magical book when your colleague will try to make off with anything mystical for "research purposes" of course. You don't want to alienate the British Library, but you also don't want to endanger their collection. Who knew that Professor Postmartin was known as "Pirate" Postmartin? Then there are the stories that happened before Peter was even born. There was a drug dealer in London in the sixties. He had a love for fashion and in order to cover his loses bought the most beautful fabric and stored it in the basement of a house he and his friends were living in. Only there was a flood from the canal. The room sealed itself tight. There was no way in or out. But then beuatiful fabric threads started to come through the door. Soon there were flowers made of the most amazing silks. Then, one day, when the thugs came to collect their payment in blood, the door opened and there was a baby instead a cocoon of fabric. A baby who would captivate all the men and become their lives work. And babies seem to be the order of the day as two years after Dominic and Victor got married they receive a rather elaborate congratulatory speech from the foxes. But what is it the foxes know that they don't? They're sure to find out when three river goddesses show up the next day.

I'm not really a fan of short stories. They're an art form in and of itself that many authors who write full length novels aren't able to transition to. But Aaronovitch, more than any other writer, has created a large universe for his characters to play in. From the novels to the novellas, the comics to the short stories to the moments, his characters weave in and out of all these different mediums, and if you're not following all the disparate threads, you might find yourself scratching your head. Because he will reference it. It doesn't matter what it is, Abigail talking to a fox or Guleed helping Peter with mould or the River Lugg finally being born again, Aaronovitch will at some point reference it and if you're not au courant you will feel like you've missed a step. Therefore I've read the comics, for my sins, and everything else I can get my hands on. I'm still not sure how I'll ever get my hands on ROBOT100. Povídky, but one day I will. I might have to learn Czech... Therefore it was a forgone conclusion that I would read Tales from the Folly. And occasionally Aaronovitch knocks it out of the park. In particular "Three Rivers, Two Husbands and a Baby" was just perfection. Getting to see Dominic and Victor from Foxglove Summer get their happily ever after with a bit of a twist was wonderful. Plus it neatly tied up the one loose end that Peter and Bev left in Herefordshire. But Aaronovitch displays time and time again the number one reason I dislike short stories, he ends them too abruptly. This is why I like television shows over movies and doorstop books over novellas, I really want to be fully immersed in the world I'm reading about. I want to know everything, not be left feeling dissatisfied. Which is why the short story is an art form. To tell all you want to tell and tell it perfectly in a limited capacity is hard. Looking over my notes from Tales from the Folly for "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Granny" I wrote "3 Stars, ended abruptly" for "King of Rats" "2 Stars, NO ending!" and "A Rare Book of Cunning Device" as "3 Stars, would have been four but again abrupt ending." The "non-endings" really took their toll. And trust me, it wasn't just these three, there were others. Yet that isn't the only problem here, the other is this sense of déjà vu. Aaaronovitch was occasionally lifting his plotlines from his own material. The most obvious is "A Dedicated Follower of Fashion" which used plot points from both The Furthest Station and Rivers of London Volume 2: Night Witch. I mean, another author whose work isn't so entwined might have been able to get away with this... but not Aaronovitch. We fans are hardcore. I read the comics for him! And I don't like them. At all.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ben Aaronovitch, Comics, Foxglove Summer, London Calling, Moments, Novella, Peter Grant, Rivers of London, Rivers of London Volume 2: Night Witch, Short Stories, Tales from the Folly, The Furthest Station

The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: January 31st, 2017
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Peter owes Lady Ty. When he was trapped under the platform at Oxford Circus she saved his life for a favor. And she has come to cash it in. Her daughter, Olivia McAllister-Thames, was out with her classmates from St. Paul's. The teens had snuck into the posh One Hyde Park where they were partying in a vacant flat when Olivia's classmate, Christina Chorley, overdosed. Christina died on the way to the hospital. Lady Ty wants Olivia kept out of it. She doesn't just want her daughter exonerated, she wants her daughter's name never to be even mentioned in connection to the overdose at One Hyde Park. But that isn't how Peter works, even if he does owe her his life. He was willing to go easy on Olivia, but that became complicated when she admitted to supplying the drugs that killed Christina. And that's when Olivia was arrested and low-lying areas around the Tyburn were in danger of flash flooding. Just because Olivia confessed doesn't mean she actually did it, and Peter is nothing if not thorough, you kind of have to be when you're a magician, so he starts digging. And what he finds is interesting and disturbing. Interesting in that Olivia is obviously covering up for someone, who turns out to be her girlfriend, she just hadn't come out to her mother yet. Disturbing in that Reynard Fossman seems to be involved. Peter and Nightingale have never figured out quite what he is. Is he the spirit of Reynard the Fox? Is he someone who wants people to think that? Or is he just a creepy pedophile who just happens to get in their way? Whatever he is other than a pedophile, because that is confirmed, he seems to have been up to something with Christina Chorley. They were selling stolen magical artifacts. But Reynard didn't realize that his partner had been stupid enough to put them up on eBay. Magical artifacts need to be sold secretly, by word of mouth, because otherwise everything goes tits up. Which is what happens here. The main item of interest is Isaac Newton's Third Principia, rumored to have the secret of eternal life and turning lead into gold. Everyone wants it. The Americans, the Linden-Limmer's, the Folly, and any other practitioner who ever had a classical education. Which means Christina put a big ol' target on her back. Moreso because, if Peter and Nighttingale are correct, the Faceless Man is involved as well. Anyone could have killed her, but one thing is certain, it probably wasn't the pills but magic.

Peter and the crew are back in top form in The Hanging Tree with architectural collateral damage and big developments on the Faceless Man front. Though what I really connected to with this volume was the interwoven narrative of women within the magical community. In the present day we see that the Folly is quite open to female practitioners, with Lesley being taught by Nightingale, before her betrayal, and with plans for Abigail to be taught once she comes of age. But other than the Night Witch, Varvara Sidorovna, most magical women are creatures from the demimonde or Genius Loci. Here we get not just witches, but the history of witches. Lady Helena Linden-Limmer and her daughter Caroline Linden-Limmer might both have had connections to the Faceless Man of their generation. Helena was revolutionary in her medical experimentation and healing, which she only recently started to have qualms about. Whereas her daughter encountered Peter before in his pursuit of the Faceless Man and has one goal in life, to learn how to fly. And she doesn't mean aviation. The two of them come to the Folly for tea and sympathy and in short order they are setting history straight. Because back in the days when Isaac Newton was codifying magic men and women were equals. They were hanging out at disreputable coffee houses and taking on the mysteries of the universe. Together. This Society of the Wise then was able to get a premise on Russell Square and the doors of the Folly were closed to women. Women didn't take this lying down. They continued teaching each other in secret. Magic was passed down through the female line for generations. Magic that men couldn't even contemplate. At one point Peter tries to figure out the forma of a spell Caroline is doing and it's unlike anything he's ever seen. Because women invented, created, worked around all that was standing in their way, and they made their own branch of magic. What I love about this isn't the sad history that is all too common of women being shunned, what I love is that they persisted. They developed their own skillsets because they were pushed aside. I mean, there's a part of me that wants to liken this to "home arts" and wise women and their healing, which I think Aaronovitch is implying, but it's so much more, because domesticity doesn't mean what some people think it means. Just because women have been pigeonholed for so long it doesn't mean they've let these restrictions hold them back. It's like Lesley was always saying to Peter with regard to rebuilding her face, it's not like the Folly knows everything. Just because they are the academic repository of magical knowledge doesn't mean they're the only way. There's more in heaven and earth and all that, especially if you're trying to deny the abilities of half the people on the planet. Let the world of magic expand!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ben Aaronovitch, Caroline Linden-Limmer, Faceless Man, Lady Helena Linden-Limmer, Lady Ty, London Calling, Magic, Nightingale, Peter Grant, Rivers of London, The Folly, The Hanging Tree, Tyburn, Witches, Women

The Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: Subterranean Press
Publication Date: June 27th, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 144 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

When you limit a talented person to one specific thing they tend to get really good at it. Peter should have known all along that making a deal with his cousin Abigail was dangerous. She's almost as cunning as the Fae of legend with their bargains. Never agree to teach someone magic if you don't want to by adding a condition that they can easily meet, like getting a GCSE A Level in Latin. Because Abigail is way better than Peter at Latin. Which is very worrying. Though her age means that he and Nightingale have some time until they have to ask her parents for permission to teach her magic. Of course that would require a lot more explanations, but Peter did promise. Until that time comes Abigail is like the Folly's intern and has become the defacto ghost expert. Being unable to practice magic she's really good at finding the uncanny, and ghosts are the most easily observed of phenomena. And at this moment that phenomena is causing trouble on the London Underground. The Metropolitan Line has had a rash of reports. The problem is their witnesses aren't very helpful. Most people who encounter a ghost tend to forget the incident within minutes of it happening. It's like waking up from a dream, try as hard as you might the dream slips away. So the police get 999 calls that when followed up lead to very confused witnesses who don't even remember calling them. Therefore they must catch a ghost interacting with a member of the public and interview the witness immediately. Which doesn't go as well as they hoped. Walking the trains at night when they're in storage does lead to an interesting discovery though, the ghosts don't appear normal. Or should that be disappear. The ghost Peter encounters has an important message it needs to deliver and then it shatters like porcelain. The next ghost he encounters gives him some more information before shattering as well. This leads them into the archives of the Folly and the County Practitioner for Buckinghamshire, George Buckland, who died in 1815. He lived in Chesham and made rose jars, which were a unique form of ghost trap. But most importantly, Chesham happens to be the terminus of the Metropolitan Line. They might have just found out where their ghost commuters are coming from. Now to find out why.

What I love about this series is that you never know where it's going to go and that's rare for me to actually embrace and enjoy. I'm the kind of person who likes to try to figure out where things are going in books, shows, really, anything, that's why I'm addicted to whodunits, because I don't just want to know I want to figure it out before the killer is revealed. I want to be smarter than everyone else. Which is probably a trait I shouldn't encourage. I should know by now that a series ready to randomly drop in jazz vampires and talking foxes is unpredictable to say the least, but this story in particular was a wonderful surprise. You think it's going to be a simple ghost hunting on the Underground story with Peter and Sergeant Jaget Kumar of the British Transport Police, in a similar vein to them working together in Whispers Under Ground, but then it turns out that the ghosts aren't the problem, they're the messengers making them all red herrings. The ghosts have been haunting the Underground in an attempt to save a life. And while, read chronologically and not by publication date, that means we've basically had three cases of kidnappings in a row, I'll forgive Ben Aaronovitch because of those three stories two of them were amazing and this one at least didn't involve children. Plus this case is building on the lore of ghosts. The fact that to most people they disappear like dreams is fascinating. Like the brain can't cope with this information so it just deletes it. So what does that mean about those who retain the memory of seeing ghosts? Are they more observant or just wired differently when it comes to the uncanny? Also the knowledge that ghosts can be caught and that catching them changes them in some manner. I would literally love to read just like Abigail writing a dissertation on her thoughts of ghosts. Because I'm sure that she's going to study those rose jars that remained and figure out a way to recreate them. Which leads us to George Buckland. His wife, who was creole and from New Orleans, taught him how to make rose jars. Which means there are obviously different sets of skills and beliefs depending on where you've learned or practiced your magic. And while I adore the history of magic as codified by the Folly, it's only been around since 1775 which means even George Buckland himself lived in a world without the Folly for awhile. Which makes you wonder about the really old history. I would just love to read a history of the magical systems of Ben Aaronovitch's world. It could be a couple thousand pages and I would devour them all. Or just let me into the Folly and set me loose in those libraries, I want to know everything. I just love this world so much!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Abigail Kamara, Ben Aaronovitch, Chesham, Ghosts, Kidnapping, Latin, London Calling, London Underground, Peter Grant, Rivers of London, Sergeant Jaget Kumar, The Folly, The Furthest Station, Whispers Under Ground

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: Gollancz
Publication Date: March 1st, 2011
Format: Paperback, 375 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

A body is just a body unless something uncanny happened to it. Cyrus Wilkinson apparently dropped dead of a heart attack while playing with his jazz quartet. He wasn't the first and he won't be the last jazz musician to die in such a fashion. But his body is different. As PC Peter Grant examines the body he sees why he was brought in. Or should that be hears why. Because he hears the strains to the song "Body and Soul." Despite outward appearances, this man died by magic. And the song is the key. Which means instead of turning to his boss, DCI Thomas Nightingale, he's turning to his dad. "Lord" Grant was a legend in his time. That's when he was able to play and not crippled by his addiction. It has always broken his father's heart that Peter just doesn't like jazz, but he is more than happy to spend time with Peter looking for the exact version of "Body and Soul" that Cyrus Wilkinson's body was emitting. This version has a little swing, a little something special, and it was played by one Ken "Snakehips" Johnson who died in the Blitz when a bomb hit the Café de Paris in Soho. Which leads Peter into the heart of Soho. He's sure that Cyrus Wilkinson's death wasn't the first and won't be the last. Someone is draining the life force out these talented musicians like some sort of jazz vampire, and yes, he realizes that he should have probably thought of a better name, but it's too late to change it now. With Nightingale recuperating from his recent gunshot wound and Lesley on medical leave in Brightlingsea, Peter is on this case by himself, until he picks up the remaining members of Cyrus Wilkinson's quartet as his own Irregulars who view him as a descendant of royalty. But really, the "Lord" is just a moniker gifted to his father by Ray Charles. But then there's also Simone. Simone was living with Cyrus Wilkinson before his death and she just keeps showing up wherever Peter turns. Sure Soho is small, but it can't be a coincidence. Soon she is all he is concerned with. His obsession leaves his police work by the wayside. Peter needs to remember there are jazz vampires and something far worse walking the streets of Soho and he's at the center of it.

As it so happens with the randomness of the universe I read two books set in Soho back to back. One perfectly captured Soho, and let's say, it wasn't the one written by a heavily lauded author known for her historical fiction, it was the one written by a former writer of Doctor Who novelizations which happened to include jazz vampires. While repeatedly saying jazz vampires might make you think that this book which perfectly blends the paranormal with the procedural might be a bit absurd and silly, I would counter that there's more snark and the humor is perfectly dark so the jazz vampires really do make sense even if Peter will forever feel a bit silly about giving them that name. There's also this storied history about Soho, we see the layers of time and the shifting of taste and music. I kept thinking it was the supernatural equivalent of Last Night in Soho. These two different forms of art captured a time and a place better than the previously alluded to historical fiction award winner. Then adding the procedural element on top and, oh my, I started to get Endeavour vibes. That seediness, that world where the line between cops and criminals was so narrow as to hardly exist. Clubs with smoke clinging to the wallpaper and the ever present threat of danger. And don't even get me started on the Strip Club of Doctor Moreau. Again, sounds funny, but really terrifying. Like the most horrific mashup of the London nightclub scene with "human" trafficking. I devoured this book over two days in which I literally did nothing else that wasn't necessary to keep myself alive. I enjoyed the first book, I worship this one. But what has given Peter a permanent place in my heart is his opinion on jazz. Peter's inner monologue when his Dad "played a couple of bars of 'Body and Soul', stating the melody before vamping and then taking the line in a direction that I've never been able to follow or appreciate. He looked disappointed at my reaction - he keeps hoping that I'll grow into it one day." Made my heart sing. I can't stand jazz, I can't stand the vamping. I NEED a melody that doesn't spiral off into wankery for thirty minute impromptu solos of experimentation. The music will never take me, or Peter, like that, and I am forever grateful to find a kindred soul.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ben Aaronovitch, Doctor Who, Endeavour, Jazz, Jazz Vampires, Kate Atkinson, Last Night in Soho, London Calling, Lord Grant, Moon Over Soho, Nightingale, Peter Grant, Rivers of London, Soho, The Island of Dr. Moreau

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: Gollancz
Publication Date: January 10th, 2011
Format: Paperback, 392 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy (different edition than on reviewed)

PC Peter Grant feels his police career slipping through his fingers. He's had his career progression meeting with Inspector Neblett and has been told they think he'd make a good fit with the Case Progression Unit. He'd be "performing a valuable role" by doing paperwork that no one else wants to do. He's too easily distracted is the kindest way his partner Lesley can think of to put it. And technically it is a valuable role. This vision of his future spurs Peter into doing something desperate. The day before he and Lesley were both guarding an important crime scene. A man literally had his head knocked off in the middle of Covent Garden. When Lesley was off getting them coffees Peter happened to find a witness. A witness that has been dead for over a hundred years. Peter's a sensible man, he doesn't believe in ghosts, but if that ghost could give him valuable information leading to the killer, who is he to complain? And then goodbye Case Progression Unit, hello murder team. Of course when he's off secretly ghost hunting he runs into a senior officer, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale. And in that moment all possible futures collapse into a singularity. He knew he was bound for the Case Progression Unit. Until Neblett informs him that he has been seconded by Nightingale, who he is to meet in a Japanese restaurant. Nightingale informs Peter that ghosts do in fact exist, as do ghouls, faeries, demons, witches, warlocks, elves, goblins, but no aliens, as yet. As for the current investigation, they are on the lookout for the uncanny, a flash of laughter and violence. Nightingale is offering Peter something beyond the ordinary, an apprenticeship to a wizard. He'd be a part of the Special Assessment Unit based out of the Folly instead of pushing paperwork with the Case Progression Unit. Peter's rather quick to swear his fealty, which is something they still do apparently, because he wants to make a real difference. Only maybe he should have paid attention to the fine print. This is a dangerous job and as more people die in oddly theatrical manners with killers whose faces reshape itself into a mask he realizes he'll be lucky to survive his first case.

Rivers of London is a supernatural police procedural that fills a very specific niche that I don't think many people realized they were missing in their lives. Aaronovitch has created a world were we have a protagonist who has grown up in a mundane world with a scientific background and is thrust into a world of magic. And while that world of magic has drawn comparisons to Gaiman and American Gods in particular due to the personification of rivers, though you could make an argument for Neverwhere too, this book does for me what American Gods was never able to do, make me enjoy the ride. I apologize to all those American Gods fans out there, but sometimes Gaiman's execution doesn't live up to the concept. And I'm by no means saying that Rivers of London is a perfect book, it fumbles the explanation of exactly who the villain is in the end, but would I read this book again? You bet. Because I just love this tension of magic and science. Peter Grant is unwilling to accept that magic can't be explained by the scientific method. So he tests magic. He notices that if he does magic it will fry his phone, so perhaps the magic is draining the energy from the battery, thus proving that the energy magic needs doesn't come out of thin air and also answering the lifelong question of anyone who reads magical books, why don't electronics work in conjunction with magic. Plus he does it with calculators. It's way cooler than I make it sound. But in the end it's the theatricality that sold me on this book. The spirit of riot and rebellion that brings together the bizarre history of Punch and Judy with a V for Vendetta bent. I challenge you to actually find a more dramatic, in all senses of the word, climax than the one at the Royal Opera House. It's scary, funny, and totally over the top. And now I will end with a random aside, I think Ben Aaronovitch has had bowel issues. All the gastroenterology jokes combined with referring to the Punch "possession" as a sequestration, when acid sequestration is a way to rebalance the biome of the gut, it just tracks as it were... Also you DO NOT want to know why I know so much about this.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: American Gods, Ben Aaronovitch, London Calling, Magic, Mr. Punch, Neil Gaiman, Nightingale, Peter Grant, Procedural, Punch and Judy, Rivers of London, Royal Opera House, Sequestration, Theatrical, V for Vendetta

If there's two things that get my geeky blood pumping it's London and urban fantasy. I read a lot of books that fall into either one category or the other but rarely both. But last year when the third Checquy book by Daniel O'Malley was released and I was deep into reading the Lockwood and Co. series by Jonathan Stroud I started to think, hang on, these are both urban fantasy with a paranormal bent all set in London, there's something here, I am living my dream. And of course I take any chance I can to read more books of a similar bent once I find something I love and I picked up the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch and the Kate Kane series by Alexis Hall on the recommendation of a friend, and I was like, this isn't just a theme month, this is an epic summer-long journey! This is going to be legendary. I hope you'll join me. Though it is mandatory to sing The Clash on a loop in your head... So get ready for London Calling! And get ready for that song to be stuck in your head for months and months..."London calling to the faraway towns. Now war is declared and battle come down. London calling to the underworld. Come out of the cupboard, you boys and girls...."

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexis Hall, Ben Aaronovitch, Daniel O'Malley, Jonathan Stroud, Kate Kane, Lockwood & Co., London, London Calling, Paranormal, Rivers of London, Supernatural, The Checquy, The Clash, Theme Month, Urban Fantasy

All Hallows by Christopher Golden
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: January 24th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author Christopher Golden is best known for his supernatural thrillers set in deadly, distant locales...but in this suburban Halloween drama, Golden brings the horror home.

It's Halloween night, 1984, in Coventry, Massachusetts, and two families are unraveling. Up and down the street, secrets are being revealed, and all the while, mixed in with the trick-or-treaters of all ages, four children who do not belong are walking door to door, merging with the kids of Parmenter Road. Children in vintage costumes with faded, eerie makeup. They seem terrified, and beg the neighborhood kids to hide them away, to keep them safe from The Cunning Man.

There's a small clearing in the woods now that was never there before, and a blackthorn tree that doesn't belong at all. These odd children claim that The Cunning Man is coming for them...and they want the local kids to protect them. But with families falling apart and the neighborhood splintered by bitterness, who will save the children of Parmenter Road?

All Hallows. The one night when everything is a mask..."

I'm always here for Christopher Golden, but this one, this one is extra spooky!

Murder Grove by E.V. Adamson
Published by: Scarlet
Publication Date: January 24th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 312 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Death seems to follow her: two murders, three decades apart...

In 1990, within the deceptively peaceful woods of her Sussex neighborhood, Mia witnesses the brutal murder of her mother and wakes up in a shallow grave. A man confesses to the murder and later dies in prison, but Mia never comes to terms with her mother's death.

After another brush with tragedy in 2021, Mia and her boyfriend Rich move from London to a small Spanish village where they can begin a new life. At first, Val Verde seems to be everything they could wish for. But when a body is found in the olive grove outside of town, they realize that their would-be safe haven harbors a terrible secret. Will they discover the deadly root of evil before it's too late?

Breathlessly paced with an atmospheric setting, Murder Grove is a twisty psychological thriller from the author of Five Strangers."

Death follows!

Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
Published by: Redhook
Publication Date: January 24th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the macabre mind of a Bram Stoker Award-nominated author, this heart-pounding novel of horror and psychological suspense takes a ghost hunting reality TV crew into a world they could never have imagined.

Fade to Black is the newest hit ghost hunting reality TV show. Led by husband and wife team Matt and Claire Kirklin, it delivers weekly hauntings investigated by a dedicated team of ghost hunting experts.

Episode Thirteen takes them to every ghost hunter's holy grail: the Paranormal Research Foundation. This brooding, derelict mansion holds secrets and clues about bizarre experiments that took place there in the 1970s. It's also famously haunted, and the team hopes their scientific techniques and high tech gear will prove it. But as the house begins to reveal itself to them, proof of an afterlife might not be everything Matt dreamed of. A story told in broken pieces, in tapes, journals, and correspondence, this is the story of Episode Thirteen - and how everything went terribly, horribly wrong."

Oh yes, ghost hunting TV shows, of the fictional variety, are my jam. Too scared to watch the real thing.

The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly
Published by: Mobius
Publication Date: January 24th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This reunion will tear a family apart....

Summer, 2021. Nell has come home at her family's insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Fifty years ago, her father wrote The Golden Bones. Part picture book, part treasure hunt, Sir Frank Churcher created a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of The Golden Bones led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried - gold and precious stones, each a different part of a skeleton. One by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore's pelvis remained hidden.

The book was a sensation. A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous degree. People sold their homes to travel to England and search for Elinore. Marriages broke down as the quest consumed people. A man died. The book made Frank a rich man. Stalked by fans who could not tell fantasy from reality, his daughter, Nell, became a recluse.

But now the Churchers must be reunited. The book is being reissued along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting everything that follows. Nell is appalled, and terrified. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone. And then all hell breaks loose.

From the bestselling author of He Said/She Said and Watch Her Fall, this is a taut, mesmerizing novel about a daughter haunted by her father's legacy..."

Book within books that contain a treasure hunt, yes please!

Rivers of London: Deadly Ever After by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: Titan Comics
Publication Date: January 24th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 112 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"CSI meets Harry Potter in this graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch - writer of the bestselling Rivers of London supernatural police procedural crime novel series, Andrew Cartmel author of The Vinyl Detective and Celeste Bronfman.

Illustrations from a mysterious book of fairy tales drawn in the late 1800s are coming to life in the 21st Century and causing havoc. The illustrations were originally painted by a Victorian artist called Jeter Day who disappeared one night in an enchanted forest when he was spirited away by tree nymphs never to be seen again...

Now, with the enchantment accidentally broken by Olympia and Chelsea, daughters of the river goddess Mama Thames, Jeter, twisted by his time spent with the nymphs, has returned to our world bitter and resentful. It is a world he neither recognises nor likes. All he wants is his life returned to him and woe betide any man who stands in his way.

With Peter and Nightingale busy on another case, it falls to sisters Olympia and Chelsea with the help of the Foxes to stop Jeter and save the day."

This book might be VERY important to what's coming to my blog this year...

The Twyford by Janice Hallett
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: January 24th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The mysterious connection between a teacher's disappearance and an unsolved code in a children's book is explored in this fresh novel from the author of the "clever and often wryly funny" (PopSugar) novel The Appeal.

Forty years ago, Steven "Smithy" Smith found a copy of a famous children’s book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. When he showed it to his remedial English teacher Miss Iles, she believed that it was part of a secret code that ran through all of Twyford's novels. And when she disappeared on a class field trip, Smithy became convinced that she had been right.

Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Smithy decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. In a series of voice recordings on an old iPhone from his estranged son, Smithy alternates between visiting the people of his childhood and looking back on the events that later landed him in prison.

But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn't just a writer of forgotten children's stories. The Twyford Code holds a great secret, and Smithy may just have the key."

I love mysteries that are about a fictional author's oeuvre. 

The Marriage Season by Jane Dunn
Published by: Boldwood Books Ltd
Publication Date: January 24th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 338 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"'It's not a fair world I'm afraid. Beauty or fortune carries the day. You have the beauty and I the fortune, so there's every chance we'll succeed'

In Regency England, marriage is everything. For young widow Sybella Lovatt, the time has come to find a suitable husband for her sister and ward Lucie. Male suitors are scarce near their Wiltshire estate, so the sisters resolve to head to London in time for The Season to begin.

Once ensconced at the Mayfair home of Lady Godley, Lucie's godmother, the whirl of balls, parties and promenades can begin. But the job of finding a husband is fraught with rules and tradition. Jostling for attention are the two lords - the charming and irresistible Freddie Lynwood and the preternaturally handsome Valentine Ravenell, their enigmatic neighbour from Shotten Hall, Mr Brabazon, and the dangerous libertine Lord Rockliffe, with whom the brooding Brabazon is locked in deadly rivalry.

Against the backdrop of glamorous Regency England, Sybella must settle Lucie's future, protect her own reputation, and resist the disreputable rakes determined to seduce the beautiful widow. As the Season ends, will the sisters have found the rarest of things - a suitable marriage with a love story to match?

Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Dunn brings the Regency period irresistibly to life in a page-turning novel packed with surprising revelations, which all comes wittily, gloriously, good in the end. Perfect for fans of Gill Hornby, Janice Hadlow, Jane Austen, and anyone with a Bridgerton-shaped hole in their lives."

If you're having Regency Romp withdrawals, here's a book for you!

A Fashionable Fatality by Alyssa Maxwell
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: January 24th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Set in the Downton Abbey era of post-WW1 England, Alyssa Maxwell's latest historical mystery finds sleuthing duo Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady's maid, Eva Huntford, investigating a murder at a house party attended by fashion royalty. This evocative, well-crafted historical series appeals to fans of Rhys Bowen, Deanna Raybourn and Victoria Thompson.

Amid the aftermath of the Great War and its hardships, it's no wonder that many wish to rediscover life’s pleasures - parties, fashion, dancing. Still, Lady Phoebe and Eva are disconcerted when a small gathering at the home of Phoebe's sister, Julia, becomes a far larger and more glamorous affair...Julia has invited her favorite French fashion designer, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, and Coco's current beau, the Earl of Chesterhaven. Coco has brought an entourage of her own, including two models, and intends to use the gardens as a photographic setting for her latest creations. Madame Chanel is as outspoken as she is talented, offering a scathing critique of Phoebe's fashion sense. There is tense competition between the models as well. When one of the guests is found dead of smoke inhalation, it appears to be a tragic accident. But was a footman really to blame for mistakenly closing the fireplace flue, or is there a more sinister explanation? Phoebe is determined to find out, despite the protestations of her sweetheart, Owen Seabright. Both above and below stairs, Phoebe and Eva uncover myriad motives - career ambition, romantic rivalries, and even deeper betrayals. For despite the surface beauty, there are ugly secrets in the world of Maison Chanel, ones that a killer will risk anything to protect"

Because the twenties are the ideal time for a murder mystery!

The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: January 24th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A woman learns to expand the boundaries of her small world and let love inside it in this sparkling and unforgettable novel by Audrey Burges.

From her attic in the Arizona mountains, thirty-four-year-old Myra Malone blogs about a dollhouse mansion that captivates thousands of readers worldwide. Myra's stories have created legions of fans who breathlessly await every blog post, trade photographs of Mansion-modeled rooms, and swap theories about the enigmatic and reclusive author. Myra herself is tethered to the Mansion by mysteries she can't understand - rooms that appear and disappear overnight, music that plays in its corridors.

Across the country, Alex Rakes, the scion of a custom furniture business, encounters two Mansion fans trying to recreate a room. The pair show him the Minuscule Mansion, and Alex is shocked to recognize a reflection of his own life mirrored back to him in minute scale. The room is his own bedroom, and the Mansion is his family's home, handed down from the grandmother who disappeared mysteriously when Alex was a child. Searching for answers, Alex begins corresponding with Myra. Together, the two unwind the lonely paths of their twin worlds - big and small - and trace the stories that entwine them, setting the stage for a meeting rooted in loss, but defined by love."

The perfect book for the dollhouse obsessed who spent their childhood marveling at the Thorne miniature rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago or Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle. 

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: January 24th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Longtime personal assistant Georgie Mulcahy has made a career out of putting others before herself. When an unexpected upheaval sends her away from her hectic job in L.A. and back to her hometown, Georgie must confront an uncomfortable truth: her own wants and needs have always been a disconcertingly blank page.

But then Georgie comes across a forgotten artifact - a "friendfic" diary she wrote as a teenager, filled with possibilities she once imagined. To an overwhelmed Georgie, the diary's simple, small-scale ideas are a lifeline - a guidebook for getting started on a new path.

Georgie's plans hit a snag when she comes face to face with an unexpected roommate - Levi Fanning, onetime town troublemaker and current town hermit. But this quiet, grouchy man is more than just his reputation, and he offers to help Georgie with her quest. As the two make their way through her wishlist, Georgie begins to realize that what she truly wants might not be in the pages of her diary after all, but right by her side - if only they can both find a way to let go of the pasts that hold them back.

Honest and deeply emotional, Georgie, All Along is a smart, tender must-read for everyone who's ever wondered about the life that got away..."

So this book is telling me, I really need to make a list.

Against the Currant by Olivia Matthews
Published by: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date: January 24th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Olivia Matthews's Against the Currant, the first Spice Isle Bakery Mystery, investigating a murder was never supposed to be on the menu...

Little Caribbean, Brooklyn, New York: Lyndsay Murray is opening Spice Isle Bakery with her family, and it's everything she’s ever wanted. The West Indian bakery is her way to give back to the community she loves, stay connected to her Grenadian roots, and work side-by-side with her family. The only thing getting a rise out of Lyndsay is Claudio Fabrizi, a disgruntled fellow bakery owner who does not want any competition.

On opening day, he comes into the bakery threatening to shut them down. Fed up, Lyndsay takes him to task in front of what seems to be the whole neighborhood. So when Claudio turns up dead a day later - murdered - Lyndsay is unfortunately the prime suspect. To get the scent of suspicion off her and her bakery, Lyndsay has to prove she's innocent - under the watchful eyes of her overprotective brother, anxious parents, and meddlesome extended family - what could go wrong?"

A tight-knit community, a bakery, and murder? Second helping please!

Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: January 24th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The first book in an epic fantasy series set in an Arabian-inspired land with secret spice magic. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, sixteen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother, whose betrayal is now the country's greatest threat.

In the hidden desert city of Qalia, there is secret spice magic that awakens the affinities of those who drink the misra tea. Sixteen-year-old Imani has the affinity for iron and is able to wield a dagger like no other warrior. She has garnered the reputation as being the next great Shield for battling djinn, ghouls, and other monsters spreading across the sands.

Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother, who tarnished the family name after it was revealed that he was stealing his nation's coveted spice - a telltale sign of magical obsession. Soon after that, he disappeared, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes. Despite her brother’s betrayal, there isn't a day that goes by when Imani doesn't grieve him.

But when Imani discovers signs that her brother may be alive and spreading the nation's magic to outsiders, she makes a deal with the Council that she will find him and bring him back to Qalia, where he will face punishment. Accompanied by other Shields, including Taha, a powerful beastseer who can control the minds of falcons, she sets out on her mission.

Imani will soon find that many secrets lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes - and in her own heart - but will she find her brother?"

You say djinn I say I'm in!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alyssa Maxwell, Audrey Burges, Ben Aaronovitch, Christopher Golden, Craig DiLouie, E.V. Adamson, Erin Kelly, Jane Dunn, Janice Hallett, Kate Clayborn, Maiya Ibrahim, Olivia Matthews, Regency Romp, Rivers of London

Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: April 12th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The ninth novel of the bestselling Rivers of London urban fantasy series returns to the adventures of Peter Grant, detective and apprentice wizard, as he solves magical crimes in the city of London.

There is a world hidden underneath this great city.

The London Silver Vaults - for well over a century, the largest collection of silver for sale in the world. It has more locks than the Bank of England and more cameras than a paparazzi convention.

Not somewhere you can murder someone and vanish without a trace - only that’s what happened.

The disappearing act, the reports of a blinding flash of light, and memory loss amongst the witnesses all make this a case for Detective Constable Peter Grant and the Special Assessment Unit.

Alongside their boss DCI Thomas Nightingale, the SAU find themselves embroiled in a mystery that encompasses London’s tangled history, foreign lands and, most terrifying of all, the North!

And Peter must solve this case soon, because back home his partner Beverley is expecting twins any day now. But what he doesn’t know is that he’s about to encounter something - and somebody - that nobody ever expects...

Effortlessly original, endlessly inventive and hugely entertaining - step into the world of the much-loved, bestselling Rivers of London series."

I might be such a fan of this series that I'm plotting something for the blog next year...

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: April 12th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT, MADNESS LIES...

Emma can’t sleep.

CHECK THE WINDOWS.

It’s been like this since her big 4-0 started getting closer.

LOCK THE DOORS.

Her mother stopped sleeping just before her own fortieth birthday.

She went mad and did the unthinkable because of it.

LOOK IN ON THE CHILDREN.

Is that what’s happening to Emma?


WHY CAN’T SHE SLEEP?"

Bringing a whole new level of fear to those who suffer from insomnia.

Asian Ghost Short Stories by Various
Published by: Flame Tree Collections
Publication Date: April 12th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A new collection of stories from submissions and classic literature offering the best and most incredible ghost stories from East, South and Southeast Asia, combining new and classic authors across the region.

Another deluxe edition of new writing and neglected perspectives. Asian ghosts - from India to Sri Lanka, China to Korea, Japan to the Philippines - can be both terrifying and comforting. Underpinned by strong cultural beliefs in the cycles of life and ancestor worship, the nature of Asian spirits differs from that of their counterparts in other areas of the world. The possibility is more instinctually accepted that ghosts remain with us, as part of the world, whether we can see them or not. Featured here are all kinds of stories from across East, South and Southeast Asia: classic weird tales by the likes of Pu Songling, Rabindranath Tagore, S Mukerji, Im Bang and Yi Ruk, Lafcadio Hearn and Yei Theodora Ozaki, are complemented by stories by Asian writers of today. An egui (the Chinese version of a 'hungry ghost') is exorcised, a vicious jiangshi (Chinese zombie-like revenant) is encountered in the night, a Bengali shakchunni (the ghost of an unsatisfied bride) poignantly seeks love with devastating effect, a family is haunted by vengeful Korean gwishin, and the iconic Japanese tragedies of Oiwa and O-Kiku are revisited."

How can you call yourself a book person if you haven't been collecting the people books that Flame Tree Collections puts out?

Fierce Poison by Will Thomas
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: April 12th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"London, 1893, there is poisoner loose in the city, with deaths piling up, and private enquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn are apparently his next target in Fierce Poison by Will Thomas.

Private Enquiry agent Cyrus Barker has just about seen it all - he's been attacked by assassins, his office has been bombed, and evil-doers have even nearly killed his dog. But never before has a potential client dropped dead in his office. When Roland Fitzhugh, Member of Parliament arrives to consult Barker and his partner Thomas Llewelyn, he falls to the floor, dead, upon entering. As they soon learn, he's been poisoned with a cyanide laced raspberry tart, and the adulterated tarts also take out an entire family in the East End. Labelled the Mad Pie Man by the press, Barker and Llewelyn are hired by former Prime Minister William Gladstone to find out who has targeted the House of Commons's newest member.

But before they can even begin, they find themselves the latest target of this mad poisoner - with Barker's butler poisoned with digitalis and dozens of diabolic traps discovered at their home. On the run from their unseen adversary, Barker and Llewelyn must uncover the threads that connect these seemingly random acts and stop the killer before they and their closest friends and family become the latest casualties."

I've been really into murder mysteries with poison lately... I wonder what that says about me?

Mrs. England by Stacey Halls
Published by: Mira Books
Publication Date: April 12th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Simmering with slow-burning menace, Mrs. England is a portrait of an Edwardian marriage, an enthralling tale of men and women, power and control, courage, truth and the very darkest deception.

West Yorkshire, 1904. When recently graduated Ruby May takes a nanny position looking after the children of Charles and Lilian England, a wealthy couple from a powerful dynasty of mill owners, she hopes it will be the fresh start she needs. But as she adapts to life at the isolated Hardcastle House, it becomes clear something is not quite right about the beautiful, mysterious Mrs. England.

Distant and withdrawn, Lilian shows little interest in her children or charming husband and is far from the angel of the house Ruby was expecting.

As the warm, vivacious Charles welcomes Ruby into the family, a series of strange events forces her to question everything she thought she knew. Ostracized by the servants and increasingly uneasy, Ruby must face her own demons in order to prevent history from repeating itself. After all, there's no such thing as the perfect family - she should know.

This captivating new feminist novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Stacey Halls is her third work of fiction and proves her one of the most exciting and compelling new storytellers of our time."

Edwardian Yorkshire!

The Mayfair Bookshop by Eliza Knight
Published by: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: April 12th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"USA Today bestselling author Eliza Knight brings together a brilliant dual-narrative story about Nancy Mitford - one of 1930s London’s hottest socialites, authors, and a member of the scandalous Mitford Sisters - and a modern American desperate for change, connected through time by a little London bookshop.

1938: She was one of the six sparkling Mitford sisters, known for her stinging quips, stylish dress, and bright green eyes. But Nancy Mitford’s seemingly dazzling life was really one of turmoil: with a perpetually unfaithful and broke husband, two Nazi sympathizer sisters, and her hopes of motherhood dashed forever. With war imminent, Nancy finds respite by taking a job at the Heywood Hill Bookshop in Mayfair, hoping to make ends meet, and discovers a new life.

Present Day: When book curator Lucy St. Clair lands a gig working at Heywood Hill she can’t get on the plane fast enough. Not only can she start the healing process from the loss of her mother, it’s a dream come true to set foot in the legendary store. Doubly exciting: she brings with her a first edition of Nancy’s work, one with a somewhat mysterious inscription from the author. Soon, she discovers her life and Nancy’s are intertwined, and it all comes back to the little London bookshop - a place that changes the lives of two women from different eras in the most surprising ways."

Here for Nancy Mitford. ALWAYS here for Nancy!

Hello, Molly! by Molly Shannon
Published by: Ecco
Publication Date: April 12th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A candid, compulsively readable, hilarious, and heartbreaking memoir of resilience and redemption by comedic genius Molly Shannon.

At age four, Molly Shannon’s world was shattered when she lost her mother, baby sister, and cousin in a car accident with her father at the wheel. Held together by her tender and complicated relationship with her grieving father, Molly was raised in a permissive household where her gift for improvising and role-playing blossomed alongside the fearlessness that would lead her to become a celebrated actress.

From there, Molly ventured into the wider world of New York and Los Angeles show business, where she created her own opportunities and developed her daring and empathetic comedy. Filled with behind-the-scenes stories involving everyone from Whitney Houston to Adam Sandler to Monica Lewinsky, many told for the first time here, Hello, Molly! spans Molly’s time on Saturday Night Live - where she starred alongside Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Cheri Oteri, Tracy Morgan, and Jimmy Fallon, among many others. At the same time, it explores with humor and candor her struggle to come to terms with the legacy of her father, a man who both fostered her gifts and drive and was left with the impossible task of raising his kids alone after the loss of her mother.

Witty, winning, and told with tremendous energy and heart, Hello, Molly!, written with Sean Wilsey, sheds new and revelatory light on the life and work of one of our most talented and free-spirited performers."

The thing I find most interesting here is that she actually credits her co-writer!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Amongst Our Weapons, Asian Ghost Short Stories, Autobiography, Ben Aaronovitch, Edwardian, Eliza Knight, Molly Shannon, Nancy Mitford, Rivers of London, Sarah Pinborough, Stacey Halls, Will Thomas, Yorkshire