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 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 realise that dark secrets underlay the picturesque fields and villages of the countryside and there might just be work for Britain's most junior wizard after all.
Soon he's in a vicious race against time in a world where the boundaries between reality and fairy have never been less clear...

Love, love, love this book! Is it possible that they get better and better?
Apart from the nail-biting story I especially like the ironic wit and the surprising quotes from so varied sources as e. g. Macbeth, Game of Thrones, Kelis and The Lone Ranger.
And never again I will believe what we are told about unicorns!

I thought linguistkris also needs an update on her knowledge about unicorns so I laid the book gently into her hands during the official opening of the new OBCZ Bücherzaun in Wuppertal. Actually she more or less ripped it out of my hands...

In my review I forgot to say that there is a tiny thing in the book that I didn't like. It's the sex-scenes. I felt they were off-topic somehow. But on the other hand, if they lead to such delightful scenes as nude hiking along a well travelled road including a roundabout, I guess I'm ok with it.

Please bring the book back to me as there are some people who also need to know what's really going on in the English country side.

Unicorns? *gasp*

Yes, I do agree that these might just be getting better and better! Contrary to some reviews I read, I didn't miss London in this installment. It's true that the setting is always the secret star in the series, but Leominster, the Mortimer Trail and rural environs quite happily fill the role and provide an admittedly different, but no less atmospheric backdrop.
I must admit I didn't even find the time to miss Nightingale or Lesley much, just because there were so many other things going on.

It was great meeting the new characters (as well as finding out more about a few of the old ones), and the description of the kidnapping investigation reminded me of some more "conventional" police novels I enjoyed; also, I was happy for the background information on Ettersberg, Molly(!) and the rivers. With other elements of the story, I'm left a little dissatisfied -- what a big tease Aaronovitch is to introduce [spoilers hidden; mark to read] the Fae castle and have Peter rescued before he even reaches it! Also, not nearly enough unicorns (even if they are sheep-goring monsters now), and what is with the bees?
So, 9 stars mainly because I'm cross I'll have to wait for ever for the next installment, and who knows if any of the questions will be answered then...

Edit 3/15: Evil fae unicorns and mysterious beekeepers? I knew I felt vaguely reminded of something when I read Terry Pratchett's Lords and Ladies last week. I wonder if Aaronovitch is a fan?

Yet more edit: Notes on the books mentioned; looks like ukufoindex isn't a thing (yet), but somebody does own the domain, so maybe there is something coming up.

I have a feeling somebody is looking forward to seeing Peter again very much.

and so it is - thank you very much :-))

Peter is back "home".

Before I can tackle Peter's sixth adventure, I feel I'd better recapitulate how he got there. :)

<3<3<3<3
This was just as much fun the second time around as it was the first, and I think I might have enjoyed it even more because I was on a binge and the previous books were still fresh in my mind, so I had little trouble catching the allusions. Peter is a fresh and fun hero, but the secret star must be the genii loci and the way magic works in Aaronovitch's world. To be honest, I'm probably more looking forward to finding out more about that (oh, the bees, the rivers, the fae!) than I am about The Folly's next murder investigation.
Mr Aaronovitch, will you please write more, and quickly?

Thank you, luv!