"Jazz vampire" killer, little magic and sarcastic humour in this second book of Peter Grant series.
Can't go wrong with that! =)
BODY AND SOUL
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.
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Rivers of London
Full series details →The series
At first glance, it’s a murder on a rainy London night. A rookie cop on patrol. A crime scene like any other. But then the witness turns out to be a ghost—and suddenly, everything ordinary fractures.
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This is the entry point into Rivers of London, a genre-defying urban fantasy series where the fog-choked streets of London hum with hidden currents of magic, myth, and mystery. Beneath the scaffolding and CCTV, gods dwell in riverbanks, ancient spells linger in dusty basements, and the supernatural isn't just real—it’s part of the paperwork.
What begins with Peter Grant, a probationary constable with a knack for noticing things he shouldn’t, quickly unravels into something stranger and much deeper: a secret unit within the Metropolitan Police devoted to investigating crimes that don’t quite obey the laws of physics. As Peter is reluctantly inducted into the world of magic under the tutelage of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale—a man who remembers World War II a little too clearly—he finds himself juggling crime scenes with ley lines, rogue spirits, and arcane bureaucracy.
The brilliance of this series lies not in flashy spellcraft or epic battles, but in the fusion of crisp procedural logic with the eerie, often chaotic energy of urban folklore. The city isn’t just a setting—it’s a living, breathing entity, brimming with personality, grime, and ghosts. Every corner holds a secret; every case unearths a new layer of the strange architecture that holds London together.
With its dry humor, sharp dialogue, and a protagonist who’s equal parts sarcastic and sincere, the series strikes a tone that’s wry, grounded, and delightfully unpredictable. It’s a world where jazz music can animate the dead, a Victorian townhouse might eat your cat, and river spirits squabble like extended family at a pub.
Over the years, the Rivers of London books have earned a cult following, spawning novellas, graphic novels, and even a tabletop RPG—not just for their imaginative scope, but for their clever pacing, richly diverse cast, and the way they balance the magical with the maddeningly mundane.
This isn’t just another magical London. This is the London—bizarre, bureaucratic, and steeped in secrets you’ll wish you never uncovered.
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#4 · 2013Broken Homes 
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#5.5 · 2017The Furthest Station 
#6 · 2016The Hanging Tree 
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#8 · 2020False Value 
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#10 · 2025Stone and Sky 
#11 · TBARivers of London Book 11 
2020Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection Risingshadow
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