Complete Rivers of London / Peter Grant Books By Ben Aaronovitch
Daw / Photo: © Sabrina Aaronovitch
This bestselling urban fantasy series comes from author and screenwriter Ben Aaronovitch. The Rivers of London books follow Peter Grant, an ordinary constable turned magician’s apprentice, as he solves crimes across London in a sensational blend of inventive urban fantasy, gripping mystery thriller, and hilarious fantasy caper. The Peter Grant series (alternatively, the Rivers of London series or the PC Grant series) also includes comics/graphic novels written by Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel, and illustrated by Lee Sullivan. Here’s a complete list to date of the novels and comics. In addition to the Rivers of London books, Aaronovitch also wrote several Doctor Who stories, plus spin-off novels from Doctor Who and Blake’s 7.
Midnight Riot (Peter Grant #1) AKA Rivers of London
Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll face is a paper cut. But Peter’s prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter’s ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic.
“A crime novel as funny as it is exciting, with loads of history and incredibly detailed police procedure packed in. One of my most recommended novels!”—The Crime Review
Moon over Soho (Peter Grant #2)
The song. That’s what London constable and sorcerer’s apprentice Peter Grant first notices when he examines the corpse of Cyrus Wilkins, part-time jazz drummer and full-time accountant, who dropped dead of a heart attack while playing a gig at Soho’s 606 Club. The notes of the old jazz standard are rising from the body—a sure sign that something about the man’s death was not at all natural but instead supernatural. Body and soul—they’re also what Peter will risk as he investigates a pattern of similar deaths in and around Soho. With the help of his superior officer, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, the last registered wizard in England, and the assistance of beautiful jazz aficionado Simone Fitzwilliam, Peter will uncover a deadly magical menace—one that leads right to his own doorstep and to the squandered promise of a young jazz musician: a talented trumpet player named Richard “Lord” Grant—otherwise known as Peter’s dear old dad.
“Exhilarating and emotionally affecting, a sign again that Aaronovitch’s skills with character will be what bring people back to this series.”—SF Reviews
Whispers Under Ground (Peter Grant #3)
It begins with a dead body at the far end of Baker Street tube station, all that remains of American exchange student James Gallagher—and the victim’s wealthy, politically powerful family is understandably eager to get to the bottom of the gruesome murder. The trouble is, the bottom—if it exists at all—is deeper and more unnatural than anyone suspects . . . except, that is, for London constable and sorcerer’s apprentice Peter Grant. With Inspector Nightingale, the last registered wizard in England, tied up in the hunt for the rogue magician known as “the Faceless Man,” it’s up to Peter to plumb the haunted depths of the oldest, largest, and—as of now—deadliest subway system in the world. At least he won’t be alone. No, the FBI has sent over a crack agent to help. She’s young, ambitious, beautiful . . . and a born-again Christian apt to view any magic as the work of the devil. Oh yeah—that’s going to go well.
“I loved spending time with Peter Grant again, and the world he is only just beginning to understand. Definitely a great read.”—Fantasy Book Review
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?
“The main problem that I have with fantasy is that I struggle to suspend disbelief, but Aaronovitch keeps his story securely grounded in the real world. Aaronovitch clearly has no plans to give up on Peter and co’s adventures and provided that the quality remains as high as it is presently, the reader can only rejoice.”
—Girl With Her Head in a Book
Foxglove Summer (Peter Grant #5)
When two young girls go missing in rural Herefordshire, police constable and wizard-in-training Peter Grant is sent out of London to check that nothing supernatural is involved. It’s purely routine—Nightingale, Peter’s superior, thinks he’ll be done in less than a day. But Peter’s never been one to walk away from someone in trouble, so when nothing overtly magical turns up he volunteers his services to the local police, who need all the help they can get. But because the universe likes a joke as much as the next sadistic megalomaniac, Peter soon comes to realize that dark secrets underlie the picturesque fields and villages of the countryside and there might just be work for Britain’s most junior wizard after all. Soon Peter’s in a vicious race against time, in a world where the boundaries between reality and fairy have never been less clear….
“I do adore Peter’s sense of humor. It’s so snarky as he starts off so prim and proper and then throws in the kicker, ROFL.”—KD Did It Edits
The Hanging Tree (Peter Grant #6)
Suspicious deaths are not usually the concern of Police Constable Peter Grant or the Folly—London’s police department for supernatural cases—even when they happen at an exclusive party in one of the flats of the most expensive apartment blocks in London. But the daughter of Lady Ty, influential goddess of the Tyburn river, was there, and Peter owes Lady Ty a favor. Plunged into the alien world of the super-rich, where the basements are bigger than the houses, where the law is something bought and sold on the open market, a sensible young copper would keep his head down and his nose clean. But this is Peter Grant we’re talking about. He’s been given an unparalleled opportunity to alienate old friends and create new enemies at the point where the world of magic and that of privilege intersect. Assuming he survives the week…
“A real game-changer…and the next book should be very interesting indeed. Now if I can only survive the wait…”
—Speculative Herald
Lies Sleeping (Peter Grant #7)
The Faceless Man, wanted for multiple counts of murder, fraud, and crimes against humanity, has been unmasked and is on the run. Peter Grant, Detective Constable and apprentice wizard, now plays a key role in an unprecedented joint operation to bring him to justice. But even as the unwieldy might of the Metropolitan Police bears down on its foe, Peter uncovers clues that the Faceless Man, far from being finished, is executing the final stages of a long term plan. A plan that has its roots in London’s two thousand bloody years of history, and could literally bring the city to its knees. To save his beloved city Peter’s going to need help from his former best friend and colleague–Lesley May–who brutally betrayed him and everything he thought she believed in. And, far worse, he might even have to come to terms with the malevolent supernatural killer and agent of chaos known as Mr Punch….
“I sincerely hope this is not the last we see of Peter Grant and his version of London. I am not ready to bid Peter and his friends (and frenemies) farewell just yet.”—Occasionally Random Book Reviews
Peter Grant is facing fatherhood, and an uncertain future, with equal amounts of panic and enthusiasm. Rather than sit around, he takes a job with émigré Silicon Valley tech genius Terrence Skinner’s brand new London start up—the Serious Cybernetics Company. Drawn into the orbit of Old Street’s famous ‘silicon roundabout’, Peter must learn how to blend in with people who are both civilians and geekier than he is. Compared to his last job, Peter thinks it should be a doddle. But magic is not finished with Mama Grant’s favorite son. Because Terrence Skinner has a secret hidden in the bowels of the SCC. A technology that stretches back to Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage, and forward to the future of artificial intelligence. A secret that is just as magical as it technological—and just as dangerous.
“I love this series. It’s been great to observe Peter’s growth from book to book.”—Dear Author
Comic Book / Graphic Novels
Peter Grant looks look your average London police officer, but he is actually a part-time wizard in a very elite branch of the Metropolitan Police. It's his job to investigate those crimes that regular cops don't like to talk about because they often involve vampires or strange things in Underground tunnels. Peter's latest case features a self-driving killer automobile, a Serbian refugee, the Most Haunted Car in England, a handsome drug dealer with a nice paisley scarf and a seemingly harmless wooden bench with a dark past! Collecting the sell-out smash mini-series, Rivers of London: Body Work!
“The familiar witty style of Aaronovitch’s writing shines through in the comics. The plot was fantastic and I came away feeling like I had read an entire, complete tale.”—Swords & Spectres
Press-ganged into helping a Russian oligarch hunt his missing daughter, PC Peter Grant and his boss, Thomas Nightingale, London’s only wizarding cops, find themselves caught up in a battle between Russian gunmen, a monstrous forest creature—and their nemesis: The Faceless Man. But as Grant and Nightingale close in on the missing girl, they discover that nothing about this case is what it seems! An original story that takes place before the Rivers of London novel The Hanging Tree! Collects Rivers of London: Night Witch #1-5.
“The way the story flows through the pages and panels is greatly done. This has the whole package, as the level of writing and illustration demonstrate.”—Reading With a Flight Ring
From the million-selling River of London novel and graphic novel series by cult writer Ben Aaronovitch comes an all-new tale of supernatural suspense and good-old-fashioned London policing! Peter Grant is a cop and part-time wizard investigating London’s “Falcon” crimes—those that are outside the realms of normal criminal investigations—and more into the realms of trolls under bridges, cursed crime scenes, and the ghosts of monsters past. Peter never saw himself in pest control--but that's exactly where he finds himself when a killer, sentient, living fungus goes on a rampage of vengeance using its victims' worst fears against them!
“The graphic novel format works really well. Having read five books before getting to the graphic novels…the characters are drawn/painted the way my imagination did from Ben Aaronovitch’s descriptions. Definitely worth getting.”—Themself
From the million-selling Rivers of London novel and graphic novel series by writer Ben Aaronovitch comes this unmissable next chapter in the saga, as PC Peter Grant faces his grueling Detective exam, forcing him to relive the strangest cases of his career. From foiling an aspiring god, to confronting a Virtual Flasher, Peter’s police history has been anything but conventional; whether that's chasing down “Falcon” crimes with the aid of modern technology, or confronting timeless villainy with his magical skill-set. Does Peter have what it takes... or will DI Chopra judge him unsuitable for a badge? An all-new series of Rivers of London short stories by Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel. Set between The Hanging Tree and Black Mould.
Vengeful Russian mobsters are looking to hire members of London's own more-than-natural underworld to bring bloody retribution down on the witch Varvara. However, the ex-Soviet sorcerer is under the protective wing of London’s own wizarding cop, Peter Grant (now a proper detective and everything), and to get the attention of Grant and his colleagues, the the daughter of a prominent Russian oligarch is kidnapped by parties unknown but possibly fox-like. What makes it worse is that Peter is going to have to leave his beloved London and GASP go out into the countryside! And when there's trees and fields and wildlife involved, things never end well.
Spring Breakers meets Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels on the banks of the Thames in this new graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch! When two of the less well-behaved River goddesses, Chelsea and Olympia, decide to earn a few quid on the side, Peter and Bev find themselves drawn into a sordid cannabis-smuggling operation, controlled by London’s new queenpin of crime—the brutal and beautiful Hoodette! Collects Rivers of London: Water Weed #1-4.
Uncover the secret World War II history of Peter Grant’s mentor, the mysterious Nightingale. October, 1957: A serial killer terrorizing the women of Cumbria has moved to the streets of London, with Constable Angus Strallen hot on his heels. But this murderer has special abilities, and Strallen soon realizes he needs the help of an old friend from the front lines who can match this madman's power—London’s own wizarding police officer, Thomas Nightingale. As the pair move in closer, it quickly becomes clear that murder is not this man’s only intent. Tying directly into the continuity of the Rivers of London novels and revealing secrets about Nightingale’s past that readers have long hoped to find out! Collects Rivers of London: Action At A Distance #1-4
The Fey and the Furious (2020)
Trouble never lies far from the race track. When a flash car belonging to a young boy racer from England washes up in the Netherlands with a bag-load of unusual cargo, it's evident there is more than meets the eye happening at street races held in an Essex car park. Enter Detective Inspector Peter Grant. Fresh from suspension, he takes to the track to try and infiltrate the big leagues. But Peter soon finds himself sucked back into an Otherworld—a real-life fairyland!
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