Whispers Under Ground (Peter Grant #3)

Whispers Under Ground - Ben Aaronovitch

I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the previous two. Peter’s getting on my nerves with his constant weird reactions to Lesley’s facial injuries. The only thing he’s said about it is that he feels guilty for not feeling guilty about his best friend being hurt so badly, and since he refuses to dwell on it further and find the reason for his reaction, I am running out of patience with him. It’s all told from Peter’s POV, and being stuck in the head of a character who occasionally seems allergic to introspection can be frustrating. I’m just waiting for Lesley to start dabbling in forbidden magic to find a way to heal herself (the main implied reason she wanted to learn magic in the first place), and if she goes off the deep end and becomes a villain I’m going to blame Peter for generally being a pillock about the whole thing. (While also blaming the author for going in such an unoriginal direction, of course.)

 

I thought the book fell down a little on the murder mystery end as well, meandering for chapter after chapter before Peter pulled the solution out of his ass. It was entertaining, but it didn’t feel earned. Also, whoever wrote the cover copy should have their nose booped with a smelly pool noodle. The whole possibly-entertaining-and-interesting religion vs magic conflict alluded to is non-existent.

 

(Read for Halloween Bingo Supernatural Square)