# Rivers of London

By Ben Aaronovitch · Rivers of London, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/rivers-of-london-17fb27b7/

A ghost gives probationary constable Peter Grant a witness statement and opens up an unexpected career in London policing. Detective Thomas Nightingale takes an interest in Peter, who must learn to handle magic while investigating a series of bizarre murders.

## What makes it funny?

Peter can get absorbed in a lion statue’s inscription while his colleague struggles with troublemakers. Her scolding, quoted in Dear Author’s review, gives his curiosity an immediate cost: someone else has to keep doing the job.

### The comedy at work

Police work requires attention, but Peter doesn’t always direct his to the expected place. His distracting curiosity supplies the friction in everyday exchanges and helps make him a plausible officer to stop and listen to a ghost.

### Try this if…

London police procedure, supernatural investigation and a witty narrator share the appeal here. Readers in book-group discussions praise the wider series’ sarcastic humor and audio narration, though some describe comedy as a lighter ingredient in the fantasy adventures.

### Good to know

Published in the United States as Midnight Riot, this is the same novel. The murders include gruesome bodily destruction.

## What to expect

- Genre: Fantasy · Mystery
- On the shelf: Private eye & detective · Paranormal mystery · Urban fantasy
- Kind of humor: Banter · Dry wit
- Format: Novel
- Published: 2011

## A few distinguishing details

- A police witness who has already died changes Peter’s career.

## Questions readers ask

### Is there any romance?

The reviewer answering readers in the Dear Author discussion says Peter has two potential love interests, but those relationships remain unresolved in this volume.

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/ben-aaronovitch/rivers-of-london/9780575097582)
- Review: [Dear Author review](https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-b-reviews/b-plus-reviews/review-midnight-riot-by-ben-aaronovitch)
- Reader discussion: [Reader discussion](https://facebook.com/groups/TwoGirlsMustReads/permalink/1790098238455993)