ARC Review: Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch

Lies Sleeping
Author: Ben Aaronovitch
Series: Rivers of London (Book 7)
Publication: DAW (November 20, 2018)

Description: The seventh book of the bestselling Rivers of London urban fantasy series returns to the adventures of Peter Grant, detective and apprentice wizard, as he solves magical crimes in the city of London.

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....

My Thoughts: This seventh book in the Rivers of London series feels like an episode that brings a number of plot threads to a conclusion. Having read only the first of the series before this one, it took a little while to catch on to what was happening as the Faceless Man, sometimes known as Martin Chorley, is bringing his long term plan for something to come to fruition.

Peter has risen in rank to Detective Constable and has also greatly increased his skill at magic. He hasn't lost his irreverent viewpoint and his ability to make snarky comments. The fellow officer he was crushing on in book 1 has turned to evil and a character he met there - one of London's rivers - has become his girlfriend.

This plot is filled with the police investigating to try to find out what Chorley's long-term plot is and to thwart it if at all possible. Peter seems to have a knack for causing confusion among his enemies and gets his chance to do so more than once in this story.

I liked all the magical characters. I liked Peter's personality. I do plan to catch up on the books I missed because this world is engaging and imaginative. I'm even getting better at all the British slang which almost required a trip to Google to find out what some of it meant.

People who have been following along with this series won't want to miss this exciting episode. New readers, in my experience, will also enjoy the story.

Favorite Quote:

The police don't like to be policed any more than your average member of the public does. But I've had more experience being investigated than most officers my age and have learned to sit still, be polite and give short, precise answers to any questions. Do not get clever, do not volunteer information and do not offer a helpful critique of your questioner's interview technique - no matter how justified it might be.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. You can buy your copy here.