Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
DAW
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Mystery. HTML:The seventh book of the bestselling Rivers of London series returns to the adventures of Peter Grant, detective and apprentice wizard, as he solves magical crimes in the city of London. The Faceless Man, wanted for multiple counts of murder, fraud, and crimes against humanity, has been unmasked and is on the run. Peter Grant, Detective Constable and apprentice wizard, now plays a key role in an unprecedented joint operation to bring him to justice. But even as the unwieldy might of the Metropolitan Police bears down on its foe, Peter uncovers clues that the Faceless Man, far from being finished, is executing the final stages of a long term plan. A plan that has its roots in London's two thousand bloody years of history, and could literally bring the city to its knees. To save his beloved city Peter's going to need help from his former best friend and colleague�??Lesley May�??who brutally betrayed him and everything he thought she believed in. And, far worse, he might even have to come to terms with the malevolent supernatural killer and agent of chaos known as Mr Pun… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member JJbooklvr
A perfect blend of an urban fantasy with a police procedural plus a dash of London history. How could I not love the latest entry in this long running series?
LibraryThing member quondame
For all the interesting bits of British history hand and foot holds on this climbing wall of a tale, the overall journey isn't as involving as some of the others. It is good to spend time with Peter Grand, is liquid associates, and magical co-workers, but the contrivances and co-incidences stuck
Show More
out a bit to far. Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
Peter is now a Detective constable and they're still on the hunt for Martin Chorley, the Faceless Man, and they're getting closer to him. He has a plan that could change the future and Peter is going to need help from everywhere he can get it. What you get is what Peter sees mostly and sometimes he
Interesting to see Peter progress through his career and how things change for him and also how his relationship with Beverly changes.
I enjoyed this as always and look forward to the next instalment.
Show More
doesn't see anything. Bells feature and more of they mythos of London and it's all quite complicated.Interesting to see Peter progress through his career and how things change for him and also how his relationship with Beverly changes.
I enjoyed this as always and look forward to the next instalment.
Show Less
LibraryThing member rivkat
At last, a big confrontation with the Faceless Man. I honestly didn’t have a huge reaction to this one—it was a perfectly consistent entry into the series, with attention to rigorous policework and realistic-for-the-setup dead ends. My reaction suggests that it was indeed the right time to
Show More
close a chapter on the Faceless Man, though in doing so there’s a rather unusual alliance. Show Less
LibraryThing member Shrike58
As others have noted, while this book does feature the final climactic battle with Martin ("The Faceless Man") Chorley it doesn't seem to be as important as one might have thought, considering how much the previous books in this series were invested in this long chase. Perhaps the death of
Show More
Chorley's daughter previously was the real climax of this story arc (I'd still like a story from her perspective). That said those who have been following this series will be happy with this book and one can only speculate what Aaronovitch will do with Peter, now that he is basically a functioning adult. With the forthcoming side adventure set in Germany perhaps the goal with be to generally broaden this universe. Also, I was generally bemused that my old home town (Cleveland, Ohio) was invoked in the course of the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Nice! All those threads from The Hanging Tree start connecting up - well, ok, many of them do. Not all. The major villain is The Faceless Man, again, but directly this time rather than through yet another patsy. Various and assorted plots are variously dealt with - and Lesley is important on many
Show More
levels. Glad to see she's not entirely on the other side... Peter seems to grow up a bit, too, in terms of accepting that he needs to study his own field. And some interesting mentions of other fields - the Rivers, of course, but new and different angles as well. Not an ending, I don't think, but some major stuff dealt with - and some very interesting things started. Hope there's more coming! Show Less
LibraryThing member AHS-Wolfy
Book 7 of the Rivers of London series finally sees a resolution to a long running saga that has been ongoing since book 1. A huge police operation is put together so we get to meet all the regular characters and by the end of it even Molly gets a new friend. This series is still very much part
I always enjoy spending time with Peter and the rest of the ensemble and this one proved no different. Although it might provide a conclusion to a main story arc it didn’t feel like an ending to the series and I’m happy to see another book exists on the series page already. There are definitely enough elements ongoing in both Peter’s personal and professional life to keep things interesting in future instalments. Even with all the weird stuff going on, I still like how these books stay very much rooted in a recognisable world and all the problems this brings with it.
Show More
police procedural as well as the magical elements being thrown around and that is even more highlighted with the Folly serving as a proper “nick” this go around and also with Peter now a Detective Constable. The reader also gets a bit more London/British history thrown in for good measure. My copy of the book also included a short story where Abigail takes centre stage as she investigates a school friend’s mysterious uncle who seems to have been around for over a hundred years.I always enjoy spending time with Peter and the rest of the ensemble and this one proved no different. Although it might provide a conclusion to a main story arc it didn’t feel like an ending to the series and I’m happy to see another book exists on the series page already. There are definitely enough elements ongoing in both Peter’s personal and professional life to keep things interesting in future instalments. Even with all the weird stuff going on, I still like how these books stay very much rooted in a recognisable world and all the problems this brings with it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lauriebrown54
This is the conclusion of the Faceless Man (ver. 2.0) arc that has carried through all the previous Rivers of London books and graphic novels. Narrator Peter Grant has had a lot of adventures through the series, but this arc has always hung over him. Finally it comes to a close.
This installment
This installment
Show More
uses pretty much the entire cast of characters that have been introduced through the years, both police and river gods. The Faceless Man has pulled together his own army, too, in a very different way than the good guys have. The good and bad guys clash a number of times through the book before the final battle, and the energy stays high most of the time. Of course, all these people and events and of course the great descriptions of places and history gets confusing, at least for me, and I found myself looking back at pages before – and wishing I had the entire series to check things in. But I loved the book. Peter Grant is one of the world’s great characters; the attention to details that Aaronovitch gives him is wonderful, and his dry humor is great. And I have loved seeing him mature through the books; in his abilities, his character, and in his relationship with Beverly. The author has started a different series set in the same universe, and I do hope this doesn’t mean the last of Peter Grant and co.! There are still things that have not been tidied up, even some things just started in this book. Five stars! Show Less
LibraryThing member Unreachableshelf
Another fun magic packed police procedural with Peter Grant's classic nerdy interjections.
LibraryThing member macha
book #7 in the Rivers of London series with Peter Grant. this one seems to finally settle up with a long-running case file, while adding some new characters and even briefly visiting Londinium when it was pretty much still just a bridge. lots of popculture references and the usual breezy
Show More
freewheeling style keeps the momentum going, but the territory does feel a teensy bit too comfy for the writer (is that a bug or a feature? too soon to tell). Show Less
LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
This book is the showdown on the Faceless Man. The Met has geared up and given the Folly all it needs to bring him in. If you haven’t read any of the comics that go along with the series, there are several nods to the various stories but nothing that will completely leave you scratching your
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
Show More
head. Everything that has gone on before in the series gets mentioned almost in passing as if to remind the reader what has happened before. There will be more books in the series, but I think this one shuts down the first story arc in this setting. I don’t want to really give anything away with the plot but everything is moving as fast as it can in the book and yet there are times of a bit of quiet that almost lets everyone catch their breath as they wait to see what the Faceless Man will do next. Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
Show Less
LibraryThing member MrsLee
Peter Grant is still protecting the Rivers, or is it the other way around? This book gives a bit more depth to the nature of Punch, more evil shenanigans of Lesley and the Faceless Man 2. Peter is growing and learning about his nature as well.
Sorry for the brief review/run-down. I find it difficult
Sorry for the brief review/run-down. I find it difficult
Show More
to review books like this in a series because I don't read them so much for their individual plots as to be in the world with the characters I like spending time with. Happily, there are other proper reviews available. Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Closing in on the FacelessMan (2) because after a succession of incidents there's finally be a determination to put enough police resource behind the problem and He's finally starting to run out of shell companies and operatives. Peter discovers that the Man's current alias is planning to cast a
Every time Peter starts to get close however he's distracted by Lesley. Try as he might he doesn't manage to learn enough significant details and eventually ends up captured in an oubliette with no-one but one of the un-mentioned Fairy/Fey for company. Peter has to try and learn some humility and compassion, which doesn't come easily.
It all wraps up as chaotically as expected, but feels substantially more final than previous entries in the series. Lesley has to make a choice, and Peter face some consequences.
Show More
special bell and ring it from central London. They're not quite sure where and what he might be summoning but are sure it's not a good idea to let it happen.Every time Peter starts to get close however he's distracted by Lesley. Try as he might he doesn't manage to learn enough significant details and eventually ends up captured in an oubliette with no-one but one of the un-mentioned Fairy/Fey for company. Peter has to try and learn some humility and compassion, which doesn't come easily.
It all wraps up as chaotically as expected, but feels substantially more final than previous entries in the series. Lesley has to make a choice, and Peter face some consequences.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Carol420
I have always liked this series even when I didn’t totally understand where the storyline was going. It seems that sometimes a great idea just runs out of steam, and it appears to have been the case with this one. I found that it just rambled on and on with twists that had no logic whatsoever. I
Show More
was very surprised that this one was like this and actually looked to see if someone else had written it. I guess all authors have off days but I hope Mr. Aaronovitch gets it together for the next one. Show Less
LibraryThing member Skybalon
My favorite of the series so far. (I'd rate a 4.5 if I could). There is a hard to describe feeling of increased smoothness of the story. Both in the prose and the plot. Not perfect but pretty good. Well worth the read.
LibraryThing member PDCRead
The Faceless Man has been unmasked. Wanted for a list of crimes that seems to get longer and longer, the Metropolitan Police have finally got him on the run. Detective Constable Peter Grant and his partner DC Sahra Guleed are uncovering clues that show that Martin Chorley is far from
Tracing him though is proving difficult, so they are chipping away at his contacts and associates. They visit a guy called Richard Williams to ask some questions. Before they can question him to much, Chorley ensures that Williams will remain silent. What they find doesn't really answer anything, rather it poses yet more questions. As they follow things up, Grant realises that he has discovered something that has been years in the making, something magical and dark that has its roots 2000 years ago from the pagan past and is something that could bring chaos to the capital city.
When the bell sings, who knows what will survive after.
This is another cracker of a book from Aaronovitch with all the regular characters as you'd expect. I thought that the plot was really strong, full of subtle moments and comic touches along with the threads going all the way back through to the first books. It finished in a fast-paced and dramatic way. Again I would like a little more of Nightingale as I think he is such a strong character with a lot to offer. Liked the threads that are solved in this book, and those link onto the next ones that he is still writing.
Show More
finished.Tracing him though is proving difficult, so they are chipping away at his contacts and associates. They visit a guy called Richard Williams to ask some questions. Before they can question him to much, Chorley ensures that Williams will remain silent. What they find doesn't really answer anything, rather it poses yet more questions. As they follow things up, Grant realises that he has discovered something that has been years in the making, something magical and dark that has its roots 2000 years ago from the pagan past and is something that could bring chaos to the capital city.
When the bell sings, who knows what will survive after.
This is another cracker of a book from Aaronovitch with all the regular characters as you'd expect. I thought that the plot was really strong, full of subtle moments and comic touches along with the threads going all the way back through to the first books. It finished in a fast-paced and dramatic way. Again I would like a little more of Nightingale as I think he is such a strong character with a lot to offer. Liked the threads that are solved in this book, and those link onto the next ones that he is still writing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Ma_Washigeri
Grabbed the book from the library the day the library shut for the Covid-19 lockdown. Has been a perfect distraction from the real world. Well written as usual. Always delighted when he visits places I know - for example St Pauls YHA. Love the juxtaposition of a river goddess running out of
Show More
underwear. Show Less
LibraryThing member Andorion
I badly wanted to give this 5 stars, but the ending is quite rushed.
LibraryThing member bardbooks
A bitchin' blend of history, magic, and police work with dashes of time travel, sex, fae, and Arthurian legend. Plus, maps. Gorgeous maps. Honestly, I haven't had this much fun since the Iron Druid Chronicles.
LibraryThing member jennybeast
I'm still chewing on this latest installment in the Peter Grant series. I'm not sure how I feel about it quite yet -- like it's missing bits here and there, like the build up to the series at this point has maybe not quite been satisfyingly addressed? And yet, it's good to be back with them, it's
Show More
good to see the clever sideways thinking; it has action and adventure and some surprises. I think that perhaps Aaronovitch's storytelling style is starting to be influenced by the graphic novel in-between adventures, which are more spare, more terse. I also think that one of the things I have loved about this series until now is that it has a murder mystery at the center of each book's plot line. This one does not -- it's only and all the consummation of the larger story arc, and as such it is quite different from previous books. I'm not sure where the series goes from here. I hope it continues and flourishes, because it remains a fascinating world with a deeply compelling set of characters at its heart. Show Less
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
I've let this series fall by the wayside for far too long. This outing was as delicious as the previous ones.
The London Police have decided that Martin Chorley, aka The Faceless Man, is such a danger that an operation, called Operation Jennifer, must amalgamate a number of other operations into one
I have a couple more books from this series in the TBR pile. I'm going to try to get to them sooner rather than later.
The London Police have decided that Martin Chorley, aka The Faceless Man, is such a danger that an operation, called Operation Jennifer, must amalgamate a number of other operations into one
Show More
headed up by the Special Assessment Unit. In other words, Peter Grant and Inspector Nightingale and others who can do magic are tasked with finding Chorley and bringing him to justice. They know that Chorley has been recruiting members of an Oxford dining club called the Little Crocodiles. So they've been going around to former members and "poking" them to see if there is any reaction from Chorley. When they go to "poke" Richard Williams they get rather more of a reaction than they had expected. The Williams' nanny tried to kill Richard by biting his neck and then she jumped from the roof of the house to the pavement where Grant and his partner Guleed tried to restrain her. Despite their best efforts she evaded capture and disappeared. Williams survived the attack but is comatose and he is being closely guarded because it is expected Chorley will try to kill him again. In the meantime the group is trying to figure another way to track down Chorley including Peter reaching out to his former partner, Lesley May, who is now working with Chorley. It's not all slogging police work though; Peter still manages to spend time with his girlfriend (and goddess) Bev. There is a resolution, of sorts, to the Chorley problem but that doesn't mean villainy is at an end.I have a couple more books from this series in the TBR pile. I'm going to try to get to them sooner rather than later.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bgknighton
Another ripping tale about paranormal policing in London. Martin Chorley is still trying to kill Punch. Peter just has this knack for being a disruptive influence… Fun read, love the River characters.
LibraryThing member catseyegreen
The continuing story of the Folly's search for the Faceless Man. This one brings in more elements of the previous books including Leslie May and Mr Punch.
read 2/8/2024
read 2/8/2024
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Fantasy Novel — 2019)
Dragon Award (Finalist — Fantasy Novel — 2019)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Fiction — 2018)
Original publication date
2018-11-13
Local notes
Rivers of London, 7
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF Aaronovitch |