Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch

Broken Homes (Book #4 of the Peter Grant series) by Ben Aaronovith

Kindle Edition

Published July 2013

Review by N. E. White

It’s been over two years since I last visited with Peter Grant, our endearing, magic-wielding, London constable. After reading Broken Homes, I wondered what kept me away from him for so long. While I’m getting to this a year late, at least I’ve shown up with my own collapsible baton and flashlight so I can follow Peter Grant around the dark side of London as he tries to solve yet another mystery.

The fourth book of this series, Broken Homes immediately drops us into a deadly traffic accident that eventually links to a murder. A decidedly weird murder. So, weird, in fact, that London’s magically enhanced coppers are brought in.

Peter Grant, wizard-in-training and constable, along with Thomas Nightingale, wizard not to be messed with, head the murder investigation and find clues that lead to a larger struggle they have been dealing with for the last three books. It’s the Faceless Man along with his Little Crocodiles and they’re cooking up dastardly deeds (along with a body or two). Leslie May, another wizard-in-training and fellow constable, aids in the investigation, even though she has to run around with a mask (because in the first book, her face got magically blown off).

While trying to uncover the origins of a few murders, Peter discovers there’s something he and the Faceless Man share: an interest in architecture. More importantly, one specific building called the Skygarden Estate that just may be something other than a public housing building. Their chase of the Faceless Man takes the trio (along with a few fairies) on a deadly path to betrayal.

In this issue, we get to see Peter and Leslie’s relationship shift to a deeper, but strained, friendship. We also get a chance to (sort of) see Nightingale strut his magical stuff. While most of it was described second hand by Peter cowering behind a truck, it was cool to see that it wasn’t just the bad guys that could do some serious damage.

I love Ben Aaronovitch’s writing style. While some may find the stories bogged down in the details, those are what keeps me coming back. That and lines like this:

“It’s a police mantra that all members of the public are guilty of something, but some members of the public are more guilty than others.”

In addition, it is refreshing how this author handles race. In this series, every person is described, as they would be in real life. There’s no default here, except smart writing, an excellent plot and a witty, endearing protagonist that will have you rooting for him the entire way.

While I was not too happy with the pace of this book (middle of a series doldrums), this book is a must read for those who love police procedural, London, and magic. If you haven’t picked up the first in this series, Rivers of London (or Midnight Riot in the U.S.), please do and catch up with the rest of us. You won’t regret it. Highly recommended.

SFFWorld.com reviews of the first three books here:

N.E. White, November 2014.