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Rivers of London

By: Ben Aaronovitch
Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
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Editorial reviews

An enthralling and at times hilarious crime thriller audiobook, book 1 of the unabridged Rivers of London: PC Peter Grant written by Ben Aaronovitch is brilliantly narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. Listeners are taken into the depths of London’s hidden world of vampires, spirits, gods and goddesses of the mighty Thames. Join the impossibly funny PC Peter Grant as he leaves his policing life behind to become an apprentice to the last wizard of England, and listen intently as they embark on a battle against London’s sinister vampire underworld. Available from Audible now.

Publisher's Summary

My name is Peter Grant, and until January, I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit - we do paperwork so real coppers don't have to - and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluble, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.

Now I'm a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in 50 years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden...and there's something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious, vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.

The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it's falling to me to bring order out of chaos - or die trying.

Read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.

©2011 Ben Aaronovitch (P)2011 Orion Publishing Group Limited

What listeners say about Rivers of London

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

What a voice! (Book wasn't too bad either.)

I was looking for a new series to get stuck into and stumbled upon this.. And I will fully admit to choosing this purely based on the narrators voice of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.

It's the kind of voice that felt like I should be listening to the story in a perpetual bubble bath with a glass of red wine and a chocolate.. TREAT yo self!!

The story was good to, very light easy listen .. Not high brow or Man Booker prize winner material though. Like adult youth fiction.

I think I read a review that described it as if "Harry potter joined the fuzz" but let's face it , love him as so many do Harry potter was never a cool dude. This is more like Harry Potter being a cool urban London dude that joined the coppers. Worth a go for the voice alone!

Just to let you know, I work for Audible, but the views expressed in this review are 100% my own.

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22 people found this helpful

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Wow! A fantastic book

This is the first of the Peter Grant books. British policemen with magic. A really well written book that plausibly brings magic into the modern world. Beautifully read by Kobna Holbrook-Smith who makes the English accents sound great (at least to Australian ears). Really worth reading, and I'd recommend the rest of the series once you have finished this one.

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18 people found this helpful

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Addictive!

Where does Rivers of London rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book got me hooked on the entire series. I love the fun approach to writing and story. The candid language and writing comes alive as an audio book. The performance is the best I have come across. LOVE IT.

What does Kobna Holdbrook-Smith bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The way Kobna Holbrook-Smith reads, interprets and adds to the experience of this story means that these books come alive as an audio book. I read a hard copy of one of the series but had to go back to the audio as I missed the characterisation and richness of the audio. I have to now admit I have somewhat of a crush on this voice!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Inspector Morse meets Harry Potter...

Somewhere between Inspector Morse and Harry Potter for grownups. intriguing and highly entertaining! Try it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

first book whets appetite

it was a great preformance, enjoyed the story. it's a book for modern fantasy and detective story lovers.
This is book one in the series ( which the disruption doesn't note) and I'd be keen. to hear more

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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brilliant

brilliant. engaging. narrated so well. I couldn't put it down - cant wait to devour book 2 now!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant and Original

Loved the first book - fresh perspective on the supernatural. Expertly read. Very much a pleasure all round!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Entertaining story read by a fantastic narrator

The narrative itself is very good and makes you want to swallow the book in one go. This is amplified by the fantastic skill of the narrator who is purely magical with accents and roleplay.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Rivers of London is fabulous

I truly enjoyed “Rivers of London “ . I found it to be a refreshing take on familiar ( or so you think ) territory. The narrator gave a sterling performance, not just a reading. You felt the different characters immediately. I wholeheartedly recommend this book and I am looking forward to listening to the rest of the series.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not to Bad

First time I have listen to this author. Different to what I imagined, storyline ok a little quirky. The narration was easy to listen to.

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