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The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
Nov. 16th, 2016 10:48 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
Suspicious deaths are not usually the concern of PC Peter Grant or the Folly, even when they happen at an exclusive party in one of the flats of the most expensive apartment blocks in London. But Lady Ty’s daughter was there and Peter owes Lady Ty a favour.
Plunged into the alien world of the super-rich, where the basements are bigger than the houses and dangerous arcane items are bought and sold on the open market, a sensible young copper would keep his head down and his nose clean. But this is Peter Grant we’re talking about.
He’s been given an unparalleled opportunity to alienate old friends and create new enemies at the point where the world of magic and that of privilege intersect. Assuming he survives the week …
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
The sixth in Ben Aaronovitch’s PETER GRANT SERIES is a plot twisting return to form that advances the Faceless Man storyline while cleverly tying back to events in the preceding books. Although the drug overdose storyline is a bit of a red herring (and the investigation is more stumbling from one event to another rather than actual investigation), I really enjoyed the window it opened into Lady Tyburn’s home life and the way it ties into Peter’s own relationship with Beverley (and I particularly enjoyed his mum’s pidgin interrogation of where it’s going). Also good is Peter’s professional relationship with Guleen (who is a fantastic character and in fact praise should be given to the diversity of the cast in the book), the way questions are introduced about Nightingale and whether he has his own agenda and the way Aaronovitch expands his world building to bring in US wizards and newcomers Lady Helena and her daughter Caroline. What I really enjoyed though is the tie backs to bits in the earlier books and the way Aaronovitch uses it to advance the overarching story – small cameos in previous books are picked up and developed here and there are more hints here on what the Faceless Man is trying to achieve. Ultimately, this restored everything I enjoyed about the series and I am really looking forward to the next book.
Suspicious deaths are not usually the concern of PC Peter Grant or the Folly, even when they happen at an exclusive party in one of the flats of the most expensive apartment blocks in London. But Lady Ty’s daughter was there and Peter owes Lady Ty a favour.
Plunged into the alien world of the super-rich, where the basements are bigger than the houses and dangerous arcane items are bought and sold on the open market, a sensible young copper would keep his head down and his nose clean. But this is Peter Grant we’re talking about.
He’s been given an unparalleled opportunity to alienate old friends and create new enemies at the point where the world of magic and that of privilege intersect. Assuming he survives the week …
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
The sixth in Ben Aaronovitch’s PETER GRANT SERIES is a plot twisting return to form that advances the Faceless Man storyline while cleverly tying back to events in the preceding books. Although the drug overdose storyline is a bit of a red herring (and the investigation is more stumbling from one event to another rather than actual investigation), I really enjoyed the window it opened into Lady Tyburn’s home life and the way it ties into Peter’s own relationship with Beverley (and I particularly enjoyed his mum’s pidgin interrogation of where it’s going). Also good is Peter’s professional relationship with Guleen (who is a fantastic character and in fact praise should be given to the diversity of the cast in the book), the way questions are introduced about Nightingale and whether he has his own agenda and the way Aaronovitch expands his world building to bring in US wizards and newcomers Lady Helena and her daughter Caroline. What I really enjoyed though is the tie backs to bits in the earlier books and the way Aaronovitch uses it to advance the overarching story – small cameos in previous books are picked up and developed here and there are more hints here on what the Faceless Man is trying to achieve. Ultimately, this restored everything I enjoyed about the series and I am really looking forward to the next book.
