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Broken Homes (Rivers of London Book 4) by [Ben Aaronovitch]

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Ben Aaronovitch

Broken Homes (Rivers of London Book 4) Kindle Edition

by Ben Aaronovitch (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4,805 ratings

Book 4 of 9: Rivers of London

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Ben Aaronovitch's bestselling Rivers of London urban fantasy series • “The perfect blend of CSI and Harry Potter.” —io9

A mutilated body in Crawley. A killer on the loose. The prime suspect is one Robert Weil, possibly an associate of the twisted wizard known as the Faceless Man. Or maybe just a garden-variety serial killer.

Before apprentice wizard and Police Constable Peter Grant can even get his head 'round the case, two more are dropped in his lap: a town planner has gone under a tube train, and there's a stolen grimoire for Grant to track down.

So far, so London.

But then Peter gets word of something very odd happening on a housing estate designed by a nutter, built by charlatans, and inhabited by the truly desperate.

Is there a connection?

And if there is, why oh why did it have to be South of the River—in the jurisdiction of some pretty prickly local river spirits?

Print length

369 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

DAW
Publication date

February 4, 2014
Reading age

18 years and up
File size

2732 KB
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* It’s hard to understand why Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series, of which this is the fourth installment, is not more well known in the U.S. It’s quite popular in Britain, and rightly so because it has everything: a plucky hero, London Metropolitan Police constable Peter Grant; clever mysteries; entertaining villains; and, just for fun, wizardry. Yes, wizardry. It seems Peter Grant, an ordinary police officer, has been recruited into a special branch of the police department, known as the Folly, which deals with matters of witchcraft, sorcery, and the supernatural. He’s an apprentice wizard, too, which comes in handy when dealing with cases that are decidedly weird. Take the murdered man who might be the latest victim of the Faceless Man, a powerful rogue magician; or take the old German textbook of magic—well, you can’t take that because someone already did, took it from its rightful home in Germany to England, where it turned up in the London police department’s recovered-goods repository (but was never reported stolen in the first place). Oh, and let’s not forget the weird goings-on at a housing estate with an odd past and, apparently, an even odder present. Honestly, this series is so much fun it really deserves an enormous audience on both sides of the pond. It’s a natural for grown-up Harry Potter devotees but also for urban-fantasy fans in general. --David Pitt --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

"It's witty, fun, and full of vivid characters, and the plot twists will keep even seasoned mystery fans guessing." —Publishers Weekly

"The most satisfying fantasy thriller to hit bookshelves in quite some time." —SFX Magazine

“The perfect blend of CSI and Harry Potter.” —io9

"The most entertaining book that I have read in such a long time.... It's very funny, it's very clever, it's very nicely written.... It's such a treat." —Nancy Pearl

"Aaronovitch makes the story sing, building momentum until the ending is literally breathless.” —SF Revu
"The prose is witty, the plot clever, and the characters incredibly likeable." —Time Out
"This book is, at its heart, a police procedural with an overlay of urban fantasy elements. The voice is persuasive and funny as all get-out, and the reader is engaged with the narrative from the very first page. Aaronovitch has written a diverse cast of characters who all feel like real people with their own specific motivations. This book is simply wonderful." —Romantic Times (top pick)

"This fast, engrossing novel is enjoyable, cheerful, and accessible to new readers." —Publisher's Weekly (for Whispers Under Ground)

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DYX9OPC
Publisher ‏ : ‎ DAW; Reissue edition (February 4, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 4, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2732 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 369 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #67,020 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #400 in Occult Horror
- #643 in Witch & Wizard Mysteries
- #1,981 in Police Procedurals (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4,805 ratings

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Ben Aaronovitch

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Ben Aaronovitch was born in 1964. Discovering in his early twenties that he had precisely one talent, he took up screenwriting at which he was an overnight success. He wrote for Doctor Who, Casualty and the world’s cheapest ever SF soap opera Jupiter Moon. He then wrote for Virgin’s New Adventures until they pulped all his books.

Then Ben entered a dark time illuminated only by an episode of Dark Knight, a book for Big Finish and the highly acclaimed but not-very-well-paying Blake’s 7 Audio dramas.

Trapped in a cycle of disappointment and despair Ben was eventually forced to support his expensive book habit by working for Waterstones as a bookseller. Ironically it was while shelving the works of others that Ben finally saw the light. He would write his own books, he would let prose into his heart and rejoice in the word. Henceforth, subsisting on nothing more than instant coffee and Japanese takeaway, Ben embarked on the epic personal journey that was to lead to Rivers of London (or Midnight Riot as it is known in the Americas).

Ben Aaronovitch currently resides in London and says that he will leave when they pry his city from his cold dead fingers.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

4,805 global ratings

5 star		63%
4 star		29%
3 star		6%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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LA in Dallas

Architecture, magic, and London police

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 26, 2022

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Broken Homes is book 4 in Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London/Peter Grant series. This one pretty much follows the formula: Peter, Leslie, and Nightingale, along with other previously introduced magical beings, investigate strange goings-on, including several murders, in and around London. The publisher's blurb suggests that The Faceless Man, who is more-or-less the Folly's nemesis, might be involved. I'm not gonna tell you whether that turns out to be true. As usual the story is told in the first person by Peter, whose snarky voice is one of the best things about the series. Peter and Leslie are much more like cops who happen to be magical than magicians who do police work.

Unlike the previous novel, Moon Over Soho, which was mainly world-building, Broken Homes is mostly storytelling. Although there are murders and mysteries, it feels more like a thriller than a murder mystery in the classical Agatha Christie/Dorothy Sayers/Sherlock Holmes mold.

The plot is intricate -- a little too much so, I think. I had trouble following at times. For instance, as the publisher's blurb tells us, a guy commits suicide by throwing himself in front of a tube train. I'm still not sure why that happened or why Aaronovitch introduced that little plot twist in the book. It plays so little role that, when the suicide's name turns up late in the book, we haven't heard about him for chapters and I no longer remembered who this name belonged to.

Peter Grant's architectural snobbery, which had just begun to become unpleasant in Moon Over Soho, has been dialed up to eight in Broken Homes. By eight I mean it has become intense enough to be obnoxious, but not so bad yet that I can't imagine it getting worse. My complaint is not that Peter drones on about architecture. I like to learn new things, and if those new things happen to concern architecture, that's fine by me. It is that Peter is very judgmental about architecture, architects, and builders. He knows who is good and who's getting a lump of coal in their Christmas stocking. He is also a bit of a snob about other things. It is an unattractive trait in an otherwise engaging and funny character. If this gets worse in subsequent books, it is possible that I will Nope out.

But in the end Aaronovitch spins an interesting and often funny story. (There's a running joke about Peter's grammar that I find quite funny, although I notice some other reviewers don't realize they're being played.) And he manages to wrap up in way that ties off most but not all of the loose ends. So, four stars, despite the complaints.

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Ten 0f Swords

A great book, but very different to the first three books in the series

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 29, 2013

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Aaronovitch takes a different approach to this book compared to the first three books in the series. Instead of the story being based around a single major criminal case, it instead covers a series of investigations associated with the Faceless Man by the main characters. The result is that the plot has a less clear direction than the previous books, almost meandering at times, and even at the end seems to leave you at a loss as where and why. A number of the popular subsidiary characters from the previous books are either absent entirely or relegated to very minor roles. The book also has far less of the feel of an architectural travelogue of London, an element that I really enjoyed in the first three books.

I was troubled by all of this early on in the book and wondered if Aaronvitch had lost focus, perhaps worn out his inspiration for this particular series and just churned the book out to meet a publisher's deadline. However, with the book's end and its unexpected denouement, I think that instead Aaronovitch deliberately constructed this book so that the end has (and certainly did for me at least) significant emotional impact: at the end you are meant to feel for Peter Grant, to feel the loss and pain that goes with being a policeman. The end would not have had the impact it did if Aaaronovitch had written this book the way he had the first three.

This book, I believe, deliberately immerses us in the often humdrum and boring world of day to day police work (abet with a magical edge); it shows us our heroes groping for information about a villain they know little about and who has always seemed one step ahead of them; it deliberately avoids the clear certainties of the first three books' plots and the meandering and everyday nature of the plot is meant to be a direct reflection of the meandering and humdrum nature of the heroes investigation: then Aaronovitch twists all these threads together in the last third of the book, delivering a series of heavy hits as all the pieces come together.

Aaronovitch is actually trying something fairly difficult with his writing and execution in this book, and it does always work; some sections taken standalone are, frankly, somewhat frustrating because you can't see their point; and it is certainly not a book that can be read except as the fourth book in a series and I am glad I only recently reread the first three novels. However, the end result, with the work taken as whole, is as good as the other books, if very different in tone and feel. Broken Homes' impact on me was undeniable: it left me feeling drained, empty and emotionally exhausted. It is, I suspect, a book that will be better on the second read through because you will be reading the early, seemingly unfocused chapters, with an awareness of how they actually impact on the plot, making them both more immediately interesting and, given Aaronovitch's style, causing all sorts of small asides to be noticed.

In many ways this books seems like Aaronovitch stepping up the series to something more serious. There was less humour (though I still laughed out loud on numerous occasions) and more serious and gritty crime and police work, and as I have repeatedly mentioned I found the end a real kicker. Kudos for Aaronovitch for trying something different rather than churning out a cookie cutter sequel and if the end result wasn't as much fun as the first three books, it was still a great extension to the series that left me staring at my screen out of breath, and desperately wanting more.

36 people found this helpful

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mwinlv

Outstanding fiction

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 13, 2022

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Peter is a wonderful protagonist and Ben an awesome author. It is seldom indeed a book makes one laugh out loud several of not many times and cry over the unexpected loss of characters. This one does just that.

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Fintan15

excessive swearing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 17, 2019

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This is undeniably a readable novel, with fascinating twists of a magical London very different from the real safely non-magical city. However I take exception to the constant over-the-top use of the f*** word which is awful. I have London family, my grandfather was a true Cockney born within the sound of Bow Bells, but neither he nor any of my family, friends nor people in the streets of London EVER used that word! If any of we children had been caught swearing like that at school we would have been expelled. There are so many other words and expressions, including expletives, that could be used instead that are not so offensive, and the constant use of the same word over and over gets really tedious and boring. I also got sick of him saying expressions like 'me and Lesley', because although I know it is meant to be amusing, when I was young and even now, I believe, no-one over the age of 5 would use that expression as it is childish and they wouldn't want to be laughed at as childish, ignorant and stupid. I found it impossible, every time he used that awful grammatically incorrect expression, to see anything in my mind's eye other than a small scruffy boy with his front teeth missing, looking up at his parents while playing dress-up and looking tiny in his Dad's huge jumper and jacket, the hem and sleeves of which are pooling on the floor. It is so infantile that it is impossible to take him seriously after that. The book is at least a reasonable length, though I was really confused at the descriptions of the SkyGarden tower. My other cause for disgruntlement is the escalating cost of these books. I am dubious about continuing to purchase them for my Kindle as they are now beyond my personally agreed ceiling of £5, which I think is quite high enough for something that I can neither donate to a charity shop nor sell on after I have finished with it. There is a lot of knowledge shown in the books, though how much of it is actually true I don't know, but the books are brought down by the flaws mentioned above.

8 people found this helpful

M. Dowden

Somewhat Disappointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 13, 2022

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This is the fourth novel in the series, and it does have to be admitted, somewhat disappointing. It starts off with a road accident in Surrey, that takes us into the finding of a dead body, and thus the story opens up. It probably does help if you have some experience with the preceding stories in this series, because otherwise you could find yourself somewhat lost, especially as this involves the Faceless Man, which followers will already be fully aware of.

As we follow our narrator, DC Peter Grant, his boss and other recurring characters so we are taken to certain familiar haunts, as well as new ones, as a number of incidents all seem to point to the nefarious activities of the Faceless Man, and a certain council estate in the borough of Southwark. There should thus in theory be enough here then to keep us entertained, and to a certain extent this story does, and for those familiar with all the characters, there is that certain feel of snuggling down with them for another piece of fun escapism. In those respects, then this is perfectly okay, but things start to go awry with the story in other ways.

Where this starts to flounder is with at times too much description of things that are not really that germane to the plot, and thus feel like filler, because if you were to condense this tale down to the necessary parts, then there would not be enough here for a full novel. The author tries to limit this in some ways by bringing in a Night Witch, and also making a bit more than is required of a tree nymph, amongst other items, but this to most people are surely quite transparent as what they are there for, to fill out the story. This then leads to a problem, as so much time has been spent on other elements, so the finish has to be wrapped up quite quickly, which means that although there is certainly a bang here, it more or less just fizzles out, but of course leaving the story open for another instalment.

As the author point out after the main story, the Skygarden Estate is not real, but is placed where Heygate Estate was, and bears certain similarities. Those familiar with the Elephant and Castle area will know all about this estate and the Aylesbury Estate, and what has happened to both over the years, especially as there have been changes in the area since this book was first published.

One person found this helpful

BookWorm

Another fun and readable instalment in the occult crime series

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 29, 2022

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By book 4 in a series, readers know what to expect - if you're a fan, you're likely to keep reading, if you aren't, you've probably given up by this point. And if you haven't read the predecessors, you're better off going back to book one and starting there. Whilst Aaronovitch recaps a little bit, he doesn't go over all the basic concepts and who the characters are - I think he gets the level right for a returning reader to have their memory jogged, but it's not going to do much for someone reading out of order.

Once again, Aaronovitch has produced a highly readable and entertaining novel with likeable characters. Every time I read one of this series, I go back to the author biography to double check he isn't a police officer himself - if he is, he's not admitting to it. The reason being that these books seem to capture the reality (or at least what I perceive to be the likely reality) of what it's like in the police force. Apart from all the supernatural bits of course. It's funny that a book about the Met police's secret wizard team feels more 'real' than any number of gritty 'realistic' police procedurals. Maybe it's the dark humour.

In this latest instalment Peter and team continue their work to track down the 'faceless man' - a rogue, unlicensed wizard responsible for some pretty nasty crimes. Is an unidentified corpse found by a roadside anything to do with him, or just a run-of-the-mill nutter's work? What about the apparent suicide of a town planner? Their investigations lead to an inner city tower block with some very strange architecture - maybe even strange in an occult way.

I really enjoyed reading and just find Aaronovitch's writing so easy to get on with - his books never feel long because they are fast paced and well written. Plot wise, because there isn't a single specific crime it's maybe less focussed than some of the predecessors, and the ending felt rushed. It's not the best in the series. But it's still better than a lot books I've read this year and was a pleasure to read. The ending also sets things up nicely ready for the next instalment with some interesting developments.

Midgebear

Skygarden

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 4, 2019

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Right now I hate myself, if hate isn't too strong a word to direct at yourself. The fourth book in a series and I am still lavishing praise and coming over all fangirl (seriously, the last time that happened was the Harry Potter books).

Broken Homes brings us everything we have come to expect from Peter Grant - a tediously normal setting where exceptionally peculiar things happen. I did miss the MIT from previous books who regularly exhort Peter to keep the weird stuff away from them, but this book is set off their patch; unfortunately nobody at the Crawley Nick, or the Elephant & Castle one measure up. Nightingale is also fairly absent in this book with the majority of the action set around a fictitious London Sink Estate with Peter and Lesley undercover.

As always Peter narrates the tale and it is the, by now well-loved, series of dollops of realism for procedure and sarcasm. I think this is why this series is giving me so much reading enjoyment - the narrator's voice is a strong thread throughout and one that urges you to keep reading, find out what happens next - even if it is only going out to walk Toby.

There is a major twist at the end of this book that really did come out of the blue for me. So much so I sat with my mouth open like an idiot for a few seconds before continuing to read. Peter reacts in his usual semi-naive way to it all and I really hope his rationalisation of the events is borne out.

When a fantasy world this strong is created you cannot help but fall a little in love. An exceptional series that I just know I will be re-reading over the years to come.

5 people found this helpful

Leigh

4th book in the series

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 28, 2020

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A mutilated body in Crawley. Another killer on the loose. The prime suspect is one Robert Weil - an associate of the twisted magician known as the Faceless Man? Or just a common garden serial killer?

Before PC Peter Grant can get his head round the case, a town planner going under a tube train and a stolen grimoire are adding to his case-load.

So far so London.

But then Peter gets word of something very odd happening in Elephant and Castle, on an housing estate designed by a nutter, built by charlatans and inhabited by the truly desperate.

Is there a connection?

And if there is, why oh why did it have to be South of the River?

This is the 4th installment of the rivers of london series. It's written in the same way as the other books- 1st person point of view, with Peter as our narrator. Again, there are descriptions of death and violence in this book as week as swearing. But I don't think the author goes into as much detail as he could do, in my opinion it's quite restrained. However, there is reference to animal abuse in this book. We don't see anything, but there is a mention. The chapters again are quite short averaging about 10 minutes per chapter.

I enjoyed this book, I enjoy Peter's character and I like the way that the Folly works alongside the police force. I also enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot in this book.

However, I don't think I liked this book as much as I did other books in this series. I found the plot a bit slow moving and I wasn't 100% sure all the time what was going on or the significance of some things that happened. The book felt more of a filler book to me than a standalone read that furthered the overall plot of the book.

That being said, I did enjoy this book and the twist it took really saved it in my opinion. I will read the next one, as I already have it, hopefully I enjoy it more than I did this one.

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