Broken Homes

A Rivers of London Novel

By: Ben Aaronovitch

Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

My name is Peter Grant, and I am a keeper of the secret flame - whatever that is.

Truth be told, there's a lot I still don't know. My superior Nightingale, previously the last of England's wizardly governmental force, is trying to teach me proper schooling for a magician's apprentice. But even he doesn't have all the answers. Mostly I'm just a constable sworn to enforce the Queen’s Peace, with the occasional help from some unusual friends and a well-placed fire blast. With the new year, I have three main objectives: a) pass the detective exam so I can officially become a DC, b) work out what the hell my relationship with Lesley Mai, an old friend from the force and now fellow apprentice, is supposed to be, and, most importantly, c) get through the year without destroying a major landmark.

Two out of three isn’t bad, right?

A mutilated body in Crawley means another murderer is on the loose. The prime suspect is one Robert Weil, who may either be a common serial killer or an associate of the twisted magician known as the Faceless Man - a man whose previous encounters I've barely survived. I've also got a case about a town planner going under a tube train and another about a stolen grimoire.

But then I get word of something very odd happening in Elephant and Castle, on a housing estate designed by a nutter, built by charlatans, and inhabited by the truly desperate. If there's a connection to the Crawley case, I'll be entering some tricky waters of juristiction with the local river spirits. We have a prickly history, to say the least.

Just the typical day for a magician constable.

©2014 Ben Aaronovitch (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Not Quite Up To Par

Any additional comments?

First let me say, i loved this book! I have to admit i was a little disappointed by this 4th in the series. Aaronovitch still weaves a wonderful tale but it is not near as good as the 1st three books. i hope he isn't going the path of some authors who are just writing for the paycheck. One of the negative points is his obsession with architecture! It was cute in the first three books but absolutely boreing here. 20% of the book must be dedicated to describing buildings! Now, i get it, that is important to the story but when the story goes into some of the depths and frequency as he does here i start to drift and loose interest in the book. Fortunately the story and characters are completely real and compelling enough to easily overlook this flaw. I must say that the ending is rather anti climatic (except for a twist that almost caused me to have an accident while listening in the car!) I am also not a fan of the trend toward ending a book with a total set up for the next in the series, but that is just my pet peeve. This is a series that you must start from the beginning. Aaronovich doesn't re-tell a lot of back story. I stongly recommed this book (and series if you haven't started) i am a huge Peter Grant fan as I believe any reader will be.

Excellent!

Love the humour, the world, the subtlety, the London culture, the characters. Read wonderfully by actor. You should start with Midnight Riot and follow the series. And you're in for a treat.

Well Worth the Wait

I've been checking Audible almost daily since the book came out. I'm glad to say I didn't have to wait too long. Once again Ben A. takes us on a thrilling ride. Some reviewers have said this story is scattered, but I say go with it and enjoy the different tangents. Ultimately, you will be gobsmacked by the ending. I can't imagine this series without Kobna Holdbrook-Smith's remarkable performance. I believe this is Holdbrook-Smith's best performance ever. He's amazing and you can tell he really enjoys reading these stories.The only negative is that we have to wait for the next one to come out.

Unexpected Ending

Still an excellent job by the narrator.

The story was good and interesting. The ending was unexpected and leaves you wanting for the next book in the series.

Thoroughly enjoyed

I am a huge fan of the Rivers of London series so this is not an unbiased review. That said, I think this is one of the best individual books within the series, story wise.
The narrator and narration are excellent. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith will forever be the voice of these stories to me. He effectively and skillfully brings the characters to life. I find his narration fantastically engaging.
So overall, brilliant and you should just listen and fall in love with these books and the deceptively seductive vocal stylings of Mr. Holdbrook-Smith.

Nice Bobbys

I love this series. I wish the American police could be more like this team. Then we'd invite them in for a cuppa tea as well! I love that every British or Irish police procedural I read includes willingness to invite detectives in AND offer them tea. I can't imagine offering more than a bottle of water at the door and that's iffy.

OMG How will I survive until the next book?

Would you consider the audio edition of Broken Homes to be better than the print version?

The Narrator keeps me grounded in the differing accents of the characters... adding a level of complexity I might have missed had I read the book in my own American accent in my head.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES, it was hard to stop.

Any additional comments?

Book three was not as great as the first two, leading me to wonder whether Mr Aaronovitch was having difficulty maintaining his commitments. This book brought me back as thoroughly as PC Grant escorting a suspect in for questioning. Do not miss this series.

Magical police procedural

The rivers of London series combines magical whimsy with London scenery and police mysteries. The narrator is one of the most engaging and imaginative I have ever heard. You will love it.

Holbrook-Smith continues to be superb

Holbrook-Smith continued to be a superb voice for Pete Grant and the whole divers cast of London inhabitants. while this book of the series gets a bit heavy on the technical details of architecture, the material isn't wasted, and I look forward to later use of the physics of magic demonstrated here. And who can get enough of Abigail, Zach, and Varvara Sidorovna.

Really enjoyable

I really like this one over the others so far. The architectural history of London is fascinating and using the backdrop of the paranormal makes it all more interesting. I also think this was more nicely detailed than the first and second books. There are a couple of loose ends, but I hope they get tied up in future stories.