Rivers of London: PC Peter Grant, Book 1

Fantastic listen - the best new author I have come across in a long time. I just wish you would hurry up and put his next book on audio - I couldn't wait so bought and read the hardback version - and that he will keep writing more of them. Fascinating for his detailed account of modern and historical London, blended with lighthearted spookiness and magic, and a convincing idea of how the Met would deal with magic, not only from the villains, but with the wizard in their ranks.

I listened to the first few sentences of this book and nearly turned it off, but so glad I did not! A fantasy/crime/historical novel, I was never bored and amazed at the level of research the author has put into this book. At no time did I have to cringe and reach for the off switch because something was just too ridiculous to believe. THe reader was also very good- after the first 5 minutes of getting used to his reading style. In the end, it was obvious he was the right choice for the job, narrating it easily and using excellent accents and voices in just the right places. All in all, a very enjoyable listen!

One of those rare examples of something that lives up to the hype , Im not going to spoil it but this book is a fantastic read from start to finish . I can imagine a T.V series in the offing eventually ( ironically the lead role the Narrator would be perfect for ) ......

Plenty of humour and sarcasm , but serious when it needs to be.

The `Villain` was also perfectly thought out .

I urge anyone to take a plunge and buy this ......

A fantasy thriller with bags of attitude, it?s very funny, imaginative and absorbing ? almost addictive. Totally refreshing in its detail, perspective and writing style. The story line of a believable supernatural underworld in London is based on a mixture of magic, police procedurals and human relationships. This looks like a start to a very promising series, I really am looking forward to the next book.

This is the first book that I felt compelled to share my thoughts on and I would like to thank all previous reviewers for encouraging me to listen to this book.
I will endeavour to post reviews in future as I now realise how much I use them once I have listened to the sample.
I agree with other reviewers who enjoyed this book. The story was cleverly written and humerous and the combination of the story and the brilliant narration makes it come to life, particularly with the narrators interpretation of the characters. The storyline has been well described by others so I have nothing to add to that but just wanted to say that if the storyline appeals to you give this a listen.

I note that there is another book by the same author and narrator so will not feel too down now that I have come to the end.

Please continue with this author if he writes more, in what I hope will be a series,and please ensure that Kobna Holdbrook-Smith narrates them, he is a great narrator and hopefully his skills will be used in other authors books, perhaps modern thrillers.

Having listened to the first few minutes of this book I was a bit put off by Kobna's reading style but stayed with it and boy, how glad I am that I did! His narration is absolutley perfect and he carries you along with this tale as if it's his own. The story is quirky, imaginative, very funny and visual. I loved the mix of police protocol with whimsical wizardry, brilliant.

I took a punt on this and the reviews made me believe it was going to be fantastic. The opening was and I thought I was in for a real treat. Sadly it started to fall a part a bit with some rather lame "magic" training and all seemed a little pointless.

The main story is actually rather good and clever so I am not sorry I read/listened to this. But I don't think I will read any more in the trilogy.

from the very beginning right to the end I was hooked. Its funny and engaging and I really care about the characters. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is perfect. Looking forward to getting all three.

Have to review this, never felt the need before, but this has to be one of the most enjoyable books I have listened to in eons! Was a little put off at first, always wary of the 'bandwagon jumpers' with latest fantasy novels, can be a bit boring, but this was just fantastic. Gritty, great thriller plot and superbly narrated. If you are fan of any of the genres, be it fantasy, sci-fi, mystery or thriller, I don't think you will be dissapointed. Please hurry up and put next book on audible!

I realize I'm in the minority here, but this book isn’t working for me. At first I thought it was the reader as, like others, I was at first put off by his reading style, but later I learned to accept it or at least ignore it. Then I came to a scene set inside a cinema and the sheer amount of inane details in the straight up banal description finally made me delete the book (incidentally, the cinema scene ends with “that’s three hours of my life I’ll never get back”). It’s not that the reader pauses frequently to catch his breath, sigh or have a drink of water off-mic, it’s the text. The text is awful. The British comedian Stewart Lee once mocked Dan Brown as a man who writes sentences such as “The famous man looked at the red cup”, had the author of Rivers of London written the same sentence, it would probably have been "applying my trained coppers eye behind my newly purchased wayfarer sunglasses, which I purchased online, from sunglasshut for 80 hard-earned British Pound Sterling, using a station-anchored personal computer terminal in the lobby of the Cromwell police station, I fixed my gaze upon the man, five-foot-seven in height and with a weight above the average Londoner, this man, known for his work of historical fiction of a fantastic or supernatural bent, and observed how he, wearing a brown leather coat one or two sizes too small for a man of his heft, suspiciously eyed the red goblet in an unusual manner only recognised by a copper."

My review may seem harsh in the light of the other reviews, proving that many people do enjoy the book, it’s just that I didn’t. The book seems completely unedited. Thank God for audible’s return policy.