Whispers Under Ground

Peter Grant, Book 3

By: Ben Aaronovitch

Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

It begins with a dead body at the far end of Baker Street tube station, all that remains of American exchange student James Gallagher - and the victim's wealthy, politically powerful family is understandably eager to get to the bottom of the gruesome murder. The trouble is, the bottom - if it exists at all - is deeper and more unnatural than anyone suspects...except, that is, for London constable and sorcerer's apprentice Peter Grant. With Inspector Nightingale, the last registered wizard in England, tied up in the hunt for the rogue magician known as "the Faceless Man", it's up to Peter to plumb the haunted depths of the oldest, largest, and - as of now - deadliest subway system in the world.

At least he won't be alone. No, the FBI has sent over a crack agent to help. She's young, ambitious, beautiful...and a born-again Christian apt to view any magic as the work of the devil. Oh yeah - that's going to go well.

©2012 Ben Aaronvitch (P)2012 Tantor

Absolute Favorite

What other book might you compare Whispers Under Ground to and why?

The Cuckoos Calling, The Absent Ones,

Have you listened to any of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, in other books in this series.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laughed out loud many times.

Any additional comments?

Absolutely love this book and the narrator. It is funny, interesting, full of twists, cheeky, and endlessly entertaining. It is also complex enough for multiple listens. This is my favorite in the series, but I love them all. The narrator is awesome and keeps getting better.

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith - All Day Every Day Please

Another fun murder mystery in magical London, solved by the Metro Police’s apprentice wizard, Peter Grant. I enjoyed it as a mystery, although I’m not sure I could have figured it out from the clues sprinkled throughout the book – it depends on an intuitive leap on Peter’s part at the end. The charm, though, is in the story, the characters, and the world created by the author.

Every book in this series adds to the magical London that the metro police’s “unusual” events unit must deal with. We got a little visit with our old friends, the sassy river goddesses, and to meet new ones, half-fairy (or is that half-goblin?) and those who live in the secret places that they’ve carved out underneath London, all of whom have their own set of natural laws and etiquette that Peter must learn to navigate. It becomes apparent that Nightengale isn’t exactly infallible or omniscient. And more Lesley – I’m really looking forward to how her character evolves over the series.

Audiobook, via Audible. Once again, the performance by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is perfect in every way. I could listen to that man’s voice all day, every day.

keeps getting better

I like the developing story lines. character development is getting better. great story this time. going to keep on the series.

Rivers of London

Great story, well written, highly entertaining. I really love this series. I will be sad to finish it!

Super get-away

This series is a super get-away from our tumultuous world. The story is riveting, the performance superb. I don’t recommend it for ages below 17 because there is some sexual content. Nothing disgusting but may startle those who are still just dreaming about adult intimacy. I won’t write about the storyline as I don’t want to spoil surprises.

witty and entertaining

slyly referential to the genre, great multi-voiced narrator, just enough mystery, very amusing and entertaining!

Wonderfully Creative

Incredibly imaginative; engaging dialogue and narrative. The series gets better with each adventure. Good fun.

Interesting, but slow

I enjoyed this book, but at times it felt like it was dragging on and the main character is sort of bland. The magic system is interesting and feels integrated. I will be purchasing the next in the series.

Not as good as others, but still darned good!

Though, the narrator has greatly improved greatly since book 1. There are no bad Peter Grant stories, but this isn’t as good as some others.

Another fun mix of mystery and magic with a slightly noir feel.

The narrator does a fantastic job of bringing voice to Peter’s adventures. I like the growth of the characters and the story was entertaining as well as engaging.