Broken Homes: Book 4 in the #1 bestselling Rivers of London series

Ben Aaronovitch

Jul 2013 · Hachette UK

About this ebook

Book 4 in the Rivers of London series, from Sunday Times Number One bestselling author Ben Aaronovitch.

A mutilated body in Crawley. Another killer on the loose. The prime suspect is one Robert Weil - an associate of the twisted magician known as the Faceless Man? Or just a common garden serial killer?

Before PC Peter Grant can get his head round the case, a town planner going under a tube train and a stolen grimoire are adding to his case-load. So far so London.

But then Peter gets word of something very odd happening in Elephant and Castle, on an housing estate designed by a nutter, built by charlatans and inhabited by the truly desperate. Is there a connection? And if there is, why oh why did it have to be South of the River?

Praise for the Rivers of London novels:

'Ben Aaronovitch has created a wonderful world full of mystery, magic and fantastic characters. I love being there more than the real London'
NICK FROST

'As brilliant and funny as ever'
THE SUN

'Charming, witty, exciting'
THE INDEPENDENT

'An incredibly fast-moving magical joyride for grown-ups'
THE TIMES

Discover why this incredible series has sold over two million copies around the world. If you're a fan of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams - don't panic - you will love Ben Aaronovitch's imaginative, irreverent and all-round irresistible novels.

Ratings and reviews

Right now I hate myself, if hate isn't too strong a word to direct at yourself. The fourth book in a series and I am still lavishing praise and coming over all fangirl (seriously, the last time that happened was the Harry Potter books). Broken Homes brings us everything we have come to expect from Peter Grant - a tediously normal setting where exceptionally peculiar things happen. I did miss the MIT from previous books who regularly exhort Peter to keep the weird stuff away from them, but this book is set off their patch; unfortunately nobody at the Crawley Nick, or the Elephant & Castle one measure up. Nightingale is also fairly absent in this book with the majority of the action set around a fictitious London Sink Estate with Peter and Lesley undercover. As always Peter narrates the tale and it is the, by now well-loved, series of dollops of realism for procedure and sarcasm. I think this is why this series is giving me so much reading enjoyment - the narrator's voice is a strong thread throughout and one that urges you to keep reading, find out what happens next - even if it is only going out to walk Toby. There is a major twist at the end of this book that really did come out of the blue for me. So much so I sat with my mouth open like an idiot for a few seconds before continuing to read. Peter reacts in his usual semi-naive way to it all and I really hope his rationalisation of the events is borne out. When a fantasy world this strong is created you cannot help but fall a little in love. An exceptional series that I just know I will be re-reading over the years to come.

Another very good book in the on-going 'Rivers of London' series. Aaronovitch obviously has a formula that works - not only for himself but the reader as well - and he follows it to the letter. I'm not sure if reading the series from beginning to end is the way to go - I must confess I was feeling that it was all getting either a bit tedious or even repetitive there for a while - but the final ending and action scenes make 'Broken Homes' an instant classic. While I still think that the 2nd book has been the strongest of the series so far, this one will leave you guessing and if not on the edge of your seat then certainly looking for ways to get in a few pages more before the boss catches you! I am conflicted ever so slightly if I should dive into book 5 - we need to start wrapping up some of these plot lines! - but again, like an expertly delivered cliff-hanger, I have to know what happens next!

Fast paced as usual but more proof reading might have helped. Did NOT expect the twist, genuine jaw-drop!

About the author

Before becoming a bestselling author, Ben Aaronovitch was a screenwriter for Doctor Who and a bookseller at Waterstones. He now writes full time, and every book in his Rivers of London series has been a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller. He is published in 14 languages and has sold more than 2 million copies around the world. Aaronovitch is also a trustee on the board of Cityread London and is a long-time supporter of Nigeria's premiere arts and cultural festival, The Aké Festival. He still lives in London, the city he likes to refer to as 'the capital of the world'.