It's a challenge to rate an installment in the Rivers of London series because I love them all so much. Lies Sleeping is no exception, It definitely does feel like a potential ending to the series, but expanded the world and left enough unresolved that I would not be surprised if a new series in the same universe spins out from here.

If you're a fan, I don't want to spoil this for you and if you haven't read any of the previous books, I REALLY don't want to spoil it. So, here's the gist. Peter is finally a detective constable, but Martin Chorley is still on the run. As Peter, Nightingale, Guleed, and Seawoll have been tracking suspected Little Crocodiles who may be working with or for Chorley. As they uncover Chorley's latest plot, more is revealed about several characters, including Molly, the Rivers, and Mr. Punch. Especially Mr. Punch.

I've found I quite like crime novels, particularly when I connect to the characters. The supernatural elements of the Rivers of London are interesting, but it's the characters I love. Pretty much everybody's back this time. I wouldn't have minded less time on Lesley May, to be honest, but that would have a been challenging as she's still Chorley's partner in crime. Still, we get a bunch of character development and get to a resolution of the Faceless Man storyline (I think).

This is a series I love reading, but particularly recommend the audiobooks. Even after getting my hands on the galley, I've been checking Audible almost daily, hoping to see Lies Sleeping available for pre-order. Finally, today it was! While I don't re-read most books, I've found myself re-listening to the audio versions of this series. I think that might be 51% because of the reader, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, and 49% because I love the stories and characters. So I'll be listening to this again on November 20 and recommend you do the same.

An excellent addition to the series. This book finished off a major storyline and answered some questions, while it opened up the way for new lines of inquiry. :)

[Disclaimer: I received a NetGalley advance copy for an honest review]

Peter Grant and the staff of the Folly, the division of the London Met that deals with the supernatural, are back! Although the Folly's staff is quite a bit larger this time, if only temporarily.

NOTE: If you have not read any of the Peter Grant novels, this is probably not a good place to jump in. This is the seventh book in the series that also includes a novella and several graphic novels, and not a lot of time is spent catching up the new reader. For those of us who have been following right along this is great news, as it means that the twisting plots of the last several novels finally come to an end.

Peter Grant is a detective constable, a still-learning magic-user, and a bit of a wiseass. His mentor, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, head of the Folly, is the last sanctioned British Wizard. They are battling against their most canny adversary, the Faceless Man, who has caused much grief, heartache and death in previous books. The Faceless Man is aided by some very powerful and deadly servants and an old friend/co-worker of Peter's, Leslie May, who knows Peter inside and out and is pretty powerful herself. Together they plot a major magic working that will threaten London and the UK as we know it, and they're outthinking the good guys at every turn.

But Peter and Nightingale have something just as powerful on their side: the data analysts of the Metropolitan Police.

The Peter Grant series is a wonderful mix of CSI and magic underworld. I love urban fantasies that actually think about how this stuff would really work, and the attention to detail in the police procedural parts are always fun. I did want to yell at Peter a few times, like usual, but he is more forthright in this book, largely because the stakes are so high.

I've read that Aaronivitch has some forthcoming novellas in mind that focus on other characters in the series and other times, and this book could easily serve as a series capper. I hope not, I've been enjoying them and "Lies Sleeping," although there were some slow bits, is very satisfying.

Peter Grant is a London Metropolitan policeman, and apprentice in magic. A fair number of their cases have some basis in magical chicanery, and Peter and the team are doing their best to find out who is responsible. This book has them still in pursuit of the Faceless Man, who has an evil plan to Make London Great Again, and his accomplice, Peter’s former friend. (They ceased to be friends after she tasered him and went over to the Dark Side.) This series is so enjoyable--it’s been described as “CSI meets Harry Potter.” I look forward to each new adventure (which, by the way, are best read in order) -- with Peter and the crew (except for annoying teen cousin Abigail, but maybe she will become the star of a new YA series).

Lies Sleeping is the conclusion of the first major act in the Rivers of London series, and neatly sets up for the beginning of another act.

Lies Sleeping is not as action packed as previous Rivers of London books and instead focuses more on character growth and connection. This isn’t to say that the stakes aren’t high and there are no magical battles or chases – it’s impossible to leave out those elements completely, but the story finds most of the development in conversations between Peter and other characters, especially those of the demi-monde. Just as Peter says, most of the work in solving a crime is talking to people, and that’s how he spends most of his time in Lies Sleeping.

Like most RoL novels, there’s a lot of history and architecture packed into the story, but for the first time it felt like too much. The story kind of dragged and meandered and I found myself skimming some of the esoterica rather than raptly absorbing it as context for the larger story.

All that being said, I really enjoyed Lies Sleeping and am already desperate for another installment. I’ll have to tide myself over with the comics in the meantime.

Lies Sleeping hits shelves in the US on November 13.

Thank you to DAW for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

London, rivers, magic, police procedural! Count me in.

Full disclosure, this is the first Rivers of London book I’ve read, because why not start with book 7! I own the first book. I hadn’t had the opportunity to read it when the chance popped up to read an advanced copy of this book. Granted coming in on the seventh book you miss a little context.

What I didn’t miss were the lovely pop culture nerd references throughout the book. I loved spotting them here and there. From Star Trek, Tolkien, Game of Thrones and more. I also enjoyed the story immensely once I got to the middle of the book.

The beginning was a lot of abbreviations and set up about the procedurals. I was wondering if anything was actually going to happen. The investigation continued though. Then the magic happened and things picked up. Peter certainly has a way of getting himself in trouble and you do wonder how far his luck will get him as he investigates Martin Chorley.

I’m intrigued and interested to go back and read book one through six now so I can learn more about Peter, the magic, and how he moves through the police force.

This was an enjoyable books and I see myself recommending this series.

I’ve made it no secret that I love Peter Grant/Rivers of London, and right now, it’s easily one of my favorite urban fantasy series. But for the last few books, our characters have been floundering in their hunt for the Faceless Man, the main baddie who has been a constant thorn in the Met’s side since the very beginning, and I was starting to worry that the lack of progress might soon be blowing up in all our faces. Luckily though, those wondering if we’ll ever get to see the end of this Faceless Man’s saga will be pleased to know, Lies Sleeping has the final showdown and answers you’re looking for. After seven books, this resolution was a long time coming, and it was awesome.

Needless to say, if you’re not caught up with the series yet, be aware this review may contain references to events from the previous books, so only read on if you’ve read finished The Hanging Tree to avoid any potential spoilers. Since the last time we saw him, Peter has received a promotion on the police force and is now playing a key role in the operation to take down the Faceless Man, now identified as Martin Chorley, as well as his associate Lesley May, a one-time friend of our protagonist. Chorley’s grand plan for London has also been revealed, involving a dastardly plot to lure out one of the city’s oldest and most deranged gods—a supernatural killer with whom series fans should be very familiar.

For this dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, Peter and his mentor Thomas Nightingale must shore up their resources and gather all the support they can get, calling in help from all corners including the regular police force, history and archeology experts, and even Arthurian scholars. But unfortunately for Peter, Lesley knows all his usual tricks, and worse, where to hit him where it hurts the most. Chorley is up to something big, and no matter how well the Folly plans, their target always seems to be a few steps ahead, constantly slipping through their fingers.

Peter’s resolve has been tested before, but never like this. Lies Sleeping is big shakeup this series needed, after all the breaks and build-up, and I think it succeeded in delivering both thrilling action and emotional impact. If the goal of the previous book was to bring us back into the thick of things and ramp up the momentum, then this one valiantly took up the baton and ran it to the finish line. I was also ecstatic that I got most of what I’d wished for, number one on that list being more Nightingale in action. While I’m not usually one for literary crushes, I’ve got it seriously bad for that guy. When all is said and done though, taking down the Faceless Man was very much a team effort, and I’m glad we also got the second item on my wishlist, which was seeing more involvement from the rest of the supporting cast. As I expected, Guleed has become a regular, and even more exciting is the fact she’s being brought onto the Falcon magical scene. Abigail becoming a fixture at the Folly was a nice surprise too, after getting know her well from The Furthest Station novella.

Once more, I also found the humor in Lies Sleeping to be on the more muted side, but in this case, I think it’s okay, and even appropriate. Peter still makes me smile occasionally with his dry, sardonic wit, but this was probably one of the more serious sequels, because of all that it had to deal with. Over the course of this series, Peter has matured as a person, taking matters more seriously in both his professional and personal life, becoming a better police officer and a wizard while also settling into a stable relationship with Bev. Still, there are also certain things that never change, and Peter’s mega blind spot with regards to Lesley was the cause of much teeth grinding on my part. There was a moment too where I felt the plot might be falling into a repetitive pattern, but fortunately, Aaronovitch was able to pull things back on track following a lull around the halfway point and save the situation in time for the big finale. Personally, I found the climax to be a bit confusing, in the way things related to the genius loci usually are when it comes to these books, so I suppose that’s nothing new. Regardless, those who have always appreciated this series’ attention to the history and mythology associated with London will find lots of like about this book, I expect.

And finally, Lies Sleeping has the unmistakable feel of a conclusion, though I do sincerely hope that this is just a wrap for the Faceless Man arc, and not for the series itself. It would be cruel to end things right as we’re seeing so much promise for our side characters, and not to mention the big news dropped on us in the final few pages, but if this is going to be it, I’m also happy with how things played out. There are a few loose threads I wouldn’t mind seeing addressed, but overall I was impressed with how many conflicts were resolved by strongly tying them back to the series’ roots, i.e. where it all began in Rivers of London. I have no idea where Ben Aaronovitch will take this world and his characters next, but I’ll be crossing my fingers for more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another strong installment in the Rivers of London series. The battles with the dark side are becoming more and more frequent, now that we know the Faceless Man and see more of his plans. But this one takes some even twistier twists and turnier turns and ends up in a place I didn't really expect.

I had grown tired of this series after book 4, and took a VERY long break. In fact, I hadn't entirely planned on ever picking it back up again. Berkley offered me an ARC of this book in their newsletter, which I one-clicked before I thought... and I'm glad I made that impulsive decision. It made me pick up books five and six (both of which were great installments and fixed some of the issues I had with book four that made me set the series down) to get to this one and be caught up.

It's not and never will be my favorite series, but I can now say again that I do very much enjoy it. I'll definitely pick up the next one to see what's happening in the world of Peter Grant and the Folly.

NOTE: This is a review of the seventh book in a series. It contains no spoilers for the book being reviewed, but may contain spoilers for the books that precede it. Please do not read this review before reading the other books in the series.

When reading a long, ongoing series, it can be difficult to keep track of plot events and story elements as they are laid down along the way - especially when reading a series that is more than four books long. In many cases, I have to go back and reread the previous books in a series before engaging with the latest one, just to refresh my memory on what has happened before. This is especially important when the author has a tendency to leave certain story elements - characters, seeming offhanded remarks, even little tidbits of lore - scattered in various books, only for those elements to lead up to something even bigger later in the series.

Personally, I find that sort of thing a lot of fun. Though it can be difficult keeping up sometimes, it’s still immensely pleasurable to pick out elements in previous books and figure out how they fit in the grander scheme of the series’ story arc. I don’t always guess right, of course, but when I do, I have the pleasure of experiencing the kind of “aha!” moment that comes with figuring out the solution to a puzzle.

Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series has given me plenty of those moments, and continues to do so with the latest instalment, Lies Sleeping. Set some time after the events of The Hanging Tree, Lies Sleeping opens with Peter Grant and his allies both supernatural and mundane attempting to finally arrest the Faceless Man, a.k.a. Martin Chorley, who is wanted for manifold crimes including fraud and murder. But as the noose around Chorley grows ever tighter, Peter learns that the no-longer-Faceless Man has one more grand plan set in store - one that could destroy the London he loves.

Given the above summary, I was expecting something momentous to happen in this novel. While Lies Sleeping focuses on trying to bring the Faceless Man to justice, there are plenty of elements here that hearken back to practically all the previous books: revenants (Rivers of London), vampires (Moon Over Soho), the Quiet People (Whispers Under Ground), magical geography and architecture (Broken Homes), the Fae (Foxglove Summer), the power of and connections between genii locorum across time/space (The Hanging Tree) - all of those come together in this novel to make a veritable arsenal of Chekhov’s Guns that are all picked up and used at various points in Lies Sleeping. I decided to reread the preceding books before starting on this one, just to refresh my memory, and I’m very glad I did. It was fun connecting all the dots and realising that certain things I’d taken for granted were actually a lot more important than I’d thought at the time I first encountered them.

Equally amazing is how the author has managed to take all those seemingly-disparate elements and actually make them work together in a way that makes sense. It is now clear that the author has been playing a long game, given how all of the above elements somehow figure into the events of Lies Sleeping, and I thoroughly appreciate that long view in terms of storytelling. It is not often that an author projects a plot arc so far and into so many books, and still manages to have everything come together the way they do in this novel. That is one of the things that makes Lies Sleeping such a delight to read - especially if one has been following the series from the very beginning.

Another thing that makes this series such a delight to read are the characters. It can be difficult to keep characterisation consistent across so many books, but the author has managed to keep the characters in this series remarkably consistent. They grow and change, sure - that is only right, since real people actually do change and grow over time - but their growth is consistent with the way they have been characterised thus far. This is especially true with Peter, who as the series’ protagonist has come a very long way since the first book. There have been moments in past books when I was not happy with his actions or his decisions, but that just makes me love him more, as a character. It also helps that, as a storyteller, he has a very compelling voice, and his humour and pop culture references are always spot-on.

The same can be said for Lesley May. The reasons behind her defection to the Faceless Man have been the subject of much speculation, but have never really been made clear - until this novel. I will not give details to avoid revealing spoilers, but suffice to say that her reasons are consistent with what has been revealed about her outlook on life and her career as a police officer, and that she remains incredibly sympathetic as a character (though it is best to remember that we the readers are seeing her through Peter’s eyes, and Peter is not exactly the most unbiased observer).

Speaking of character-related revelations, there are a lot of those to go around in this novel. Aside from Lesley and the Faceless Man, more information is revealed about Guleed, Abigail, Beverley (and the rest of the Rivers), and Molly. Readers who have their own special favourites are likely to find something new about said favourites in this novel, though some get more interesting revelations than others. Either way, many old faces put in an appearance, and a few new faces are along for the ride as well.

In terms of themes, this novel covers more or less the same ground that previous novels have. While no book should ever be expected to overtly tackle any of the important socio-economic-cultural-political concerns that are at the heart of many of today’s issues, I certainly think books should at least attempt to address them in some small way. Lies Sleeping does just that, usually through Peter’s jokes and commentary, though Guleed puts in her own opinions quite frequently (which I like very much, given her background). This is a very good thing in my opinion, since the most important part of this novel is the plot, and anything more than what was done in this novel would simply get in the way of the overall plot.

And speaking of plot, that is perhaps the most important part of this novel. Since Moon Over Soho the Faceless Man has been a malevolent presence who acts through various agents, attempting to further some mysterious plan that Peter needs to stop - rather like Sauron. Again I will not give specific details to avoid spoilers, but suffice to say that the Faceless Man’s goals are both entirely unexpected and also rather predictable given his background, and that the comparison to Sauron is a lot more apt than some readers might think (though I suspect the Faceless Man would be insulted by it). As for Mr. Punch, his role in this novel is a bit hard to describe without spoiling it, but suffice to say that it is important and unexpected. If the readers’ thoughts turn to Gollum, given the Sauron parallel I just drew, well… Said readers will just have to wait and see.

Overall, Lies Sleeping is an amazing wrap-up of the Faceless Man story arc, one that answers many questions while still leaving room for further development. Some reviewers think this is the end of the series as a whole, but I strongly suspect that is not the case, given certain plot developments that look like they can be expanded and explored further in other books down the line. While this is not an entirely bad note on which to end the series, I sincerely hope this is not the last we see of Peter Grant and his version of London. There is still so much left unknown, so many questions yet unanswered (hint: Ettersberg), and I am not ready to bid Peter and his friends (and frenemies) farewell just yet. Hopefully I - and other fans of the series - won’t have to just yet.

(This review is based on an ARC given to me for free by the publisher via Netgalley. This does not in any way affect my review.)

Detective Constable Peter Grant is an apprentice wizard he is also a police officer. When there are magical crimes afoot both his duties intersect. There are crimes going on that are magical in nature and it's up to Peter, his mentor Nightingale and the rest of his Special Investigation Department to stop the magical destruction of London. This is such an interesting series, I love the atmosphere of these books. London is an old city, the weight of its history lingers in these stories. Such an interesting urban magical series that is also a fantastic mystery.

Absolutely loved this latest installment in the excellent Rivers of London series. Lies Sleeping goes deeper into the history of London than any of the books have done so far, giving readers rewarding answers into some of the biggest mysteries plaguing Peter and company.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39665350-lies-sleeping" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Lies Sleeping" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1530193047m/39665350.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39665350-lies-sleeping">Lies Sleeping</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/363130.Ben_Aaronovitch">Ben Aaronovitch</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2554086504">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I just finished Lies Sleeping after reading the entire series straight through, so this review is about the series as much as about the ultimate entry in it.<br /><br />Wow! I've been immersed in the marvelous world Aaronovitch created for us, and it's a shock coming back. His world lives right next door to ours, changed just a bit so that magic is in use next to cell phones and deities walk and work amongst the "normal" folk. His descriptions of London and its surrounds are amazingly rich. The slang and British references are occasionally mysterious to this American reader, but I got enough from context to push right on.<br /><br />I think Lies Sleeping might be intended as the last book in the series because it wrapped up pretty much all of the plot threads that have been building from Rivers of London to Lies Sleeping. If that's the case, I'll miss Peter and the rest of the characters. I can hope that Aaronovitch will give us more in the future, though. I will certainly be watching to see what he does next!<br /><br />#LiesSleeping #NetGalley
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/792884-cyn-armistead">View all my reviews</a>

After a series of escalating schemes, Martin Chorley, AKA the Faceless Man, has earned the full attention of London's finest. The operation to catch him pulls in favorite characters from all the previous books, but the center of the maelstrom is always Peter Grant, newly minted Detective Constable and increasingly lethal apprentice wizard. Chorley has a legendary misdeed planned, and a seemingly infinite supply of backup plots. It takes all of Grant's investigative acumen and knack for lousing up the plans of evildoers to stop him, save London, and hopefully redeem his friend Lesley while he's at it. Another massively entertaining read.

This book is the showdown on the Faceless Man. The Met has geared up and given the Folly all it needs to bring him in. If you haven’t read any of the comics that go along with the series, there are several nods to the various stories but nothing that will completely leave you scratching your head. Everything that has gone on before in the series gets mentioned almost in passing as if to remind the reader what has happened before. There will be more books in the series, but I think this one shuts down the first story arc in this setting. I don’t want to really give anything away with the plot but everything is moving as fast as it can in the book and yet there are times of a bit of quiet that almost lets everyone catch their breath as they wait to see what the Faceless Man will do next.

A perfect blend of an urban fantasy with a police procedural plus a dash of London history. How could I not love the latest entry in this long running series?

I adore this series. The depictions of all the layers of London - modern and historical, real and mythological - are perfection. The intricate humor of the writing is on a level with P.G. Wodehouse and E.F. Benson, and regularly had me laughing aloud as I read. This volume wraps up a major arc in the series, but I can't wait to read more of Peter Grant's adventures!

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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I've got to say, I'd much rather be talking about this book in detail with someone else who had read the series than talking about it in spoiler-free form, so much of what I feel strongest about with this book cannot be discussed. Aaronovitch has outdone himself this time -- it's the best book of the series thus far, and that's no mean feat.

It's easy -- far too easy -- when thinking about this series to think of the lighter aspects -- the humor, the heart, Peter's growing pains, the snark, the pop culture references, and whatnot. That's typically where my mind goes, anyway. But time after time, when picking up the latest novel, or even rereading one, I'm struck by how carefully written, how detailed everything is, how layered the text is -- and I feel bad for underestimating Aaronovitch. Not that I have anything against breezy, jokey prose -- but there are differences. Nor am I saying these books are drudgery -- at all -- the stories are fun, the voice is strong, and the narration will make you grin (at the very least, probably laugh a few times, too). In Lies Sleeping part of that care, part of the thoroughness of this novel is how there is a tie -- character, event, call-back, allusion -- to every novel, novella, comic arc involved in the Rivers of London up to this point -- if you haven't read everything, it won't detract from your understanding of the novel -- but if you have read them all, if you catch the references -- it makes it just that much richer.

So what is this novel about? Well, after years of chasing The Faceless Man (and The Faceless Man II), Peter Grant (now a Detective Constable) and Nightengale have his identity, have several leads to follow to track him down -- or at least his supporters and accessories (willingly or not). Better yet -- the Metropolitan Police Force have given them the manpower they need to truly track him down and interfere with his funding and activities.

During this operation, Peter, Guleed and Nightengale become convinced that Martin Chorley (and, of course, former PC Lesley May) are preparing for something major. They're not sure what it is, but the kind of magic involved suggests that the results would be calamitous. How do you prepare for that? How do you counter the unexpected, but dangerous? There are two paths you follow: thorough, careful, borderline-tedious policework; and bold, creative, innovative thinking. The two of those employed together lead to some great results -- and if Peter Grant isn't the embodiment of both, he's . . . okay, he's not perfect at the former, but he can pretend frequently (and has colleagues who can pick up the slack).

Not only do we get time with all our old friends and foes -- we meet some new characters -- including a River unlike anyone that Father or Mama Thames as yet introduced to. Mr. Punch is more involved in this story than he has been since Midnight Riot, but in a way we haven't seen before. Most of the character things I want to talk about fit under the "spoiler" category, so I'll just say that I enjoyed and/or loved the character development and growth demonstrated in every returning character.

There's more action/combat kind of scenes in this book than we're used to. I couldn't be happier -- Peter's grown enough in his abilities and control to not need Nightengale to bail him out of everything. Nightengale and Peter working together in a fast-paced battle scene is something I've been waiting to read for 7 years. It was worth the wait.

As I said before, Lies Sleeping is the best and most ambitious of the series -- the richness of the writing, the audacity of the action, the widening scope of the novel, the Phineas and Ferb reference, the epic battle scenes, the growth in Peter, Bev, and Guleed (and maybe even Lesley), the ending rivals Broken Homes' -- all add up to a fantastic read. Yeah, I'm a fanboy when it comes to this series, and Lies Sleeping made me a happy fanboy. I have no idea how Aaronovitch moves on from this point with these books, but I cannot wait to find out.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both for this.

The latest in the Peter Grant series about a London detective who hunts London's more spectral wrong-doers. Peter and the rest of the gang at the Folly - the special branch of the Metropolitan Police tasked with tracking down the paranormal - may finally be able to nab Martin Chorley, the Faceless Man, wanted for multiple counts of murder. Chorley is also the one who lured Peter's former comrade Lesley May away from Met and into a life of crime.

If you're a fan of this series you'll enjoy this. It ties up multiple ongoing mysteries (Molly's origins!) brings back a familiar foe and sets up new plots. I wouldn't jump into this as a first one, but it's a great continuation.

This book nicely wrapped up Peter Grant's current adventures, though I'm hoping for more. I didn't realize that this book would wrap up the series. As always, the Rivers of London books are strange, but highly entertaining. I still love all of the rivers and the various adventures of Peter. This was a great addition to the series and I'll keep my fingers crossed that Ben Aaronovitch writes more about Peter and his supernatural cop friends in London.

To ensure the greatest reading experience you should start at the beginning. Though new readers could jump in and not be completely lost. Aaronovitch does a good job of combining the new parts of the story into the continuing story arc. It must be all the practice he got writing Doctor Who. io9 says it's a perfect blend of CSI and Harry Potter.