I have been a fan of Ben Aaronovitch from his ‘Dr Who’ days. This is the ninth book in the ‘Rivers of London’ series which commenced in 2011 and it is certainly up to the standard he set in the previous books, and possibly the best of the series. Even if you have not read the previous eight novels you can read this as a stand-alone. But why would you? My recommendation is read the first one, Rivers of London, and work your way through.
In this novel we find Peter Grant, who is married to Beverley Brook, and they are on the cusp of having their first child. This is an underlying theme throughout the novel as Peter contemplates fatherhood. He also has an assistant, Dani, who he is training in the ancient craft of magic, which reflects the growing confidence his superior DCI Thomas Nightingale has in him.
Amongst Our Weapons starts in the Silver Vaults in London (a place which really exists and well worth a visit next time you are in London) and involves a murder which, according to DI Miriam Stephanopoulos, ‘involves some weird shit’. From then on, we are faced with a flaming Angel of Vengeance who seems to want to BBQ people, a series of seven puzzle rings, the Spanish Inquisition, a trip to Manchester and the raising of dead airmen and Oliver Cromwell’s treatment of Jews.
The skill of Aaronovitch is that not only does he write a good story, with well-developed characters, but he also works in both local history (Manchester) and British history (Oliver Cromwell), so not only are you entertained, but you also learn something new.
Reviewed by Anthony Llewellyn-Evans
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