Not quite middle grade, not quite YA, not quite adult, this novel struggles to find where it fits but is throughly enjoyable nonetheless. It follows Abigail Kamara, a precocious thirteen year old minor characters from the Rivers of London series. While Peter is off on a case, Abigail is doing some investigating of her own regarding disappearing children and teens.

Abigail is a wonderful protagonist, bright and sharp-tongued and funny, though her vocabulary occasionally outpaces her age. It is clear that Aaronovich doesn’t have as much experience writing this age group, but Abigail still comes across a believable, with a distinctive personality and a strong voice buoyed by some entertaining footnotes explaining various English slang for us unknowing Americans. I really enjoyed getting to learn some background about her family, though I wished her relationship with them, particularly her brother Paul, had been explored further.

The plot moved at a smooth, even clip; Aaronovich excels at integrating story with interesting tidbits about local history, in this case the area of London known as Hampstead Heath. The supernatural elements were great fun, particularly the peacekeeping society of talking foxes and the mysterious entity known as the House, though the later was somewhat confusing at times. Overall, I had a good time with this, and look forward to learning more about Abigail.

"What Abigail Did That Summer" is the latest in the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. This outing doesn't star police detective Peter Grant. Instead, we spend time with Abigail, Peter's precocious cousin, some talking foxes, and some ghosts from the past.

When one of her schoolmates tries to get her to visit an abandoned house, Abigail is suspicious, and realizes that there could be a connection to some recent disappearances of local teens. With the help of the local river goddess, and some talking foxes, she investigates.

While Peter is not in this book, Nightingale is, but only as story editor and ultimately to help Abigail tie up some loose ends.

Abigail has a strong voice, and is a snarky, but endearing character. There are glimpses into her family life, and into some folk history for both humans and the foxes.

Highly recommended, as with almost every other book in the series.

I received an advance copy from Subterranean Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I've enjoyed all of the Rivers of London books, and when I saw the title, I thought the author was maybe starting a YA series highlighting Abigail, a young teen who is learning about magic. But any reader new to the series would receive no explanation of the back story of Abigail's history with the Folly and Peter Grant. The novel was really a hodgepodge, and while I liked the talking foxes, I found myself bored and confused with much of the plot, vaguely wondering what the author might have been smoking. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

Talking foxes, oh yes! This short novel would appear to be the first in a possible side-series to the Peter Grant books, but featuring his young cousin Abigail. Abigail's snarkiness and observations of her elders are great fun to read, and I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding the mother of Abigail's new found friend Simon. The book also does a decent job of standing alone on its own, without reading the other books that preceded it, as the author gives just enough background to make it work. Really looking forward to seeing how Abigail fares once she starts learning more about magic, and how Peter, Nightingale, and the Folly deal with it.

I am a huge fan of the Rivers of London series so anything set in that world becomes a must read for me. I am happy to say I was not disappointed either. Abigail is a great character and to see her deal with a Folly case on her own was a lot of fun! Also, I loved Indigo and the rest of the foxes. I hope we get more adventures with her.

Awesome addition to Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London urban fantasy series. I really enjoyed this one - stayed up much later than I should have in order to finish it (I just could not put it down!) - and highlight recommend it. You should read at least a few other books in Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series before reading this one, or else you might be a bit lost and not enjoy this as much. I'm looking forward to being able to buy a copy of this book for my library so that others can enjoy!!

Thanks to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for providing an early copy for me to review.