False Value

Written by Ben Aaronovitch

Review written by Jon Morgan

Jon Morgan is a retired police Superintendent and francophile who, it is said, has consequently seen almost everything awful that people can do to each other. He relishes quality writing in all genres but advises particularly on police procedure for authors including John Harvey and Jon McGregor. Haunts bookshops both new and secondhand and stands with Erasmus: “When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I may buy food and clothes.”


False Value
Gollancz
RRP: £18.99
Released: 20th February 2020
Hbk

False Value is the latest in the ‘Rivers of London’ series of novels featuring D.C. Peter Grant - a very unusual London Police Officer. The original strap line of these books was: ‘What happens when Harry Potter grows up and joins the Met!’ Not strictly accurate as the world Peter Grant polices is our world where magic, evil and practitioners of both are all too real and feasible.

 

Grant works and lives in the Folly, the specialist building housing the UK arm of the police unit which polices 'weird shit' as his colleagues would have, it or in police speak: 'Falcon incidents.' His boss is DI Nightingale, a man of indeterminate age but who was present at the battles at the end of WWII. Oh yes, and Peter is mixed race, in his own police parlance:  'between IC3 and IC6!' This is not irrelevant, his culture background and parentage are significant parts of his backstory. His origins are not the only up-dating of myth and legend as Mama Thames is of Nigerian descent in her original human manifestation. Throw in the Gods and Goddesses (Genus loci) of the various London Rivers, Ty Burn, Effra and Fleet and their  'sister' Beverley Brook a  'daughter' of Mama Thames, with whom Peter is now shacked up and about to be a father - the rest of the demi-monde, including the Fay folk, and some real humour and you have a potent mix.

 

Peter is going undercover at a global tech company – Serious Cybernetics – (there is more than one nod to Douglas Adams here) as someone is trying to replicate some of Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage’s early computer experiments – encoded in punch paper organ music - which touched on the magical world. Trouble is, these are powered by the sprits of the dead and this could cause mayhem and chaos in the real world if it gets out of control.

 

It takes all of Peter’s developing skills as a Wizard, some new spells and awareness of lethal demon traps to track down the real evil genius in this latest episode of Ben Aaronovitch’s imaginative, intelligent and challenging series. The plot tracks across the Atlantic and liaison with other jurisdiction’s Magical law enforcement units is necessary.

 

You don’t have to be a fan of alternate realities to like this series but it may help. If you like Christopher Fowler’s Bryant and May series, then this will definitely appeal. Suspend your disbelief, jump in head first and give it a go. You may be pleasantly surprised. Read this as a stand-alone or start at the beginning with Rivers of London. You have the option of the graphic novels too.

 

This book has the additional feature of a glow in the dark cover. How cool is that?

 

 

 

 



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