A friend in Wales told me to believe everything Ben Aaronovitch’s books say about London, and, even more so. That means underground London is even more interesting than Paris with its catacombs. Peter Grant, police constable and wizard-in-training, has the chance to spend more time than he would like in London’s tunnels in Aaronovitch’s entertaining Whispers Under Ground.

It all starts with a simple murder. An American student, James Gallagher, is found dead in an Underground tunnel. DCI Seawoll doesn’t want to hear anything about magic. Unfortunately, Peter finds traces of magic on the murder weapon, a piece of pottery. And, Gallagher is the son of a U.S. Senator, which means an FBI agent trails along when the Senator comes to retrieve his son’s body. Agent Reynolds doesn’t believe in magic, but she seems to pop up wherever the case takes Peter.

In this case, it takes him into the tunnels underneath London’s Underground. It’s a whole other world under there, and he needs the help of the British Transport Police. Sergeant Kumar is a little more inclined to pay attention to Grant when it comes to the magical aspects of the investigation. He’s seen too much underground to be surprised by much. But, the magical beings, the fairies, goblins, ghosts and Whisperers are all part of a world that Peter Grant is still trying to understand.

The third book in Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series is filled with tidbits of British history, including an unexpected journey back in that history. While Peter Grant’s first concern is the murder investigation, and the serious aspects of what they uncover, his wry outlook on life is fun and refreshing. Outside of a Terry Pratchett novel, where are you going to read about “the world’s first ever Anglo-American Olympic sewer luge team”?

If you’re up to exploring the tunnels, the Underground, the sewers of London with Peter Grant, you’ll want to venture into Whispers Under Ground.


Ben Aaronovitch’s blog is at http://temporarilysignificant.blogspot.com

Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch. Del Rey, 2012. ISBN 9780345524614 (paperback), 303p.

*****
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