Moon Over Soho

Peter Grant, Book 2

By: Ben Aaronovitch

Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's summary

Body and soul. The song. That's what London constable and sorcerer's apprentice Peter Grant first notices when he examines the corpse of Cyrus Wilkins, part-time jazz drummer and full-time accountant, who dropped dead of a heart attack while playing a gig at Soho's 606 Club. The notes of the old jazz standard are rising from the body - a sure sign that something about the man's death was not at all natural but instead supernatural.

Body and soul - they're also what Peter will risk as he investigates a pattern of similar deaths in and around Soho. With the help of his superior officer, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, the last registered wizard in England, and the assistance of beautiful jazz aficionado Simone Fitzwilliam, Peter will uncover a deadly magical menace - one that leads right to his own doorstep and to the squandered promise of a young jazz musician: a talented trumpet player named Richard "Lord" Grant - otherwise known as Peter's dear old dad.

©2011 Ben Aaronvitch (P)2012 Tantor

This is a great series

Would you consider the audio edition of Moon Over Soho to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version, so I can't say, but at this point the narrator is as much a part of my enjoyment of these books as the text, so I don't think I'd ever switch.

What other book might you compare Moon Over Soho to and why?

It's like a cross between Red Dwarf (humor, ludicrosity, British particularities) and Men in Black (guy dealing with things that are unreasonbly above his pay grade and also crazy). Not books, but I think that combination captures the feel.

Which character – as performed by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith – was your favorite?

I love the main character, but the narrator's nasal aristocratic accent for Nightingale is great too.

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

I suck these books down, but I hate to see them end, so not staying up late to get them finished. Also, I recently relistened to the whole series, which I started 4 or 5 years ago, and loved every minute. There's so much that goes on, that you can't remember how you get from A to B, so all the surprises and disasters are just as much fun the second time.

Any additional comments?

Police procedural + crazy magical nonsense + lots of humor + wry observations about the cruelties done to architecture by central planning, and to the common man by bureaucratic demands. Really, lots of throw-away observations that make me laugh out loud, all the while that some mystery is pulling me along...

Great series and narration!

The characters develop throughout the book. The narrator keeps the story engaging and love the music.

Loved it!

I stumbled on this series by accident... looking for something else and thought I'd give it a listen. I actually listened to the first book while driving to Ohio. An eight hour drive is not exactly exciting, but the book made it worth it! just the right amount of booga-booga, well developed characters, and plots that draw you in from the beginning. Being a history nerd, I love all the historical facts that make their way into the storyline. The narrator is EXCELLENT. I'm totally invested now and moving on to book 3!

Captivating.

It was worth every word. Great story and great narrating. I love the series. Give me more.

Priceless. will haunt me forever - in best ways

Beautiful storytelling and storyline. More real than reality. more worthwhile than most fiction of this century.

Best urban fantasy.

Aaronovitch does a remarkable job populating his fantasy with real people, and displays droll humor that is notably absent in most modern fantasy.

Good series

Second time going through this series. Like a previous reviewer I found the protagonist to be a bit naive and idealistic in this book in the series. All in all though, I like the series.

Just what you want

Fun interesting superb narrator -funny cozy and charming without being too sweet. Edgy without being too dark

Funny but more explicit than the previous installment

I enjoy the setup here - the Jazz scene , the gangsters and the voluptuous lover. I just really wish that they hadn't been quite as explicit as it was. really I could have skipped all the sex and just gone for a nice curtain drop.

Series just gets better and better

Any additional comments?

I really love this series. Aaronovitch continues to build upon the momentum and characters introduced in the first book of the series (Rivers of London/Midnight Riot). Unlike too many fantasy novels, he does not make magic a panacea - there are plenty of real world consequences in this slightly magical London, and characters can be hurt (devastatingly so) without easy remedies. Leslie is still dealing with the aftermath of her encounter with a vengeful spirit in the first book and those ramifications are both physical and psychological. Nightingale is still recovering from a gunshot wound, and nothing can rush that recovery or his lingering vulnerability. Peter Grant, in turn, has to deal with Leslie's disfigurement and Nightingale's diminishment, as well as his own increasing vantage point on magic and its drawbacks (from dark magicians to magical creatures tortured or run amok). Grant has to come to grips with the ramifications of magic and the ethics of those involved. All of these details give the book more depth and allow the mystery (jazz vampires and a rampant woman of mystery with vagina dentata) and police procedure play out as stakes grow. The book is left in a cliff hanger with what appears to be a potential nemesis. I look forward to the next entry.