I was my dad's vinyl-wallah: I changed his records while he lounged around, and that's how I know my Argo from my Tempo. And it's why, when Dr Walid called me to the morgue to listen to a corpse, I recognized the tune it was playing. Something violently supernatural had happened to the victim, strong enough to leave its imprint like a wax cylinder recording. Cyrus Wilkinson, part-time jazz saxophonist and full-time accountant, had apparently dropped dead of a heart attack just after finishing a gig in Soho.
He wasn't the first. No one was going to let me exhume corpses to see if they were playing my tune, so it was back to old-fashioned legwork, starting in Soho, the heart of the scene. I didn't trust the lovely Simone, Cyrus' ex-lover, professional jazz kitten and as inviting as a Rubens' portrait, but I needed her help. There were monsters stalking Soho, creatures feeding off that special gift that separates the great musician from someone who can raise a decent tune, taking beauty and leaving behind sickness, failure and broken lives. And as I hunted them, my investigation got tangled up in another story: a brilliant trumpet player, Richard 'Lord' Grant - my father - who managed to destroy his own career, twice. That's the thing about policing: most of the time you're doing it to maintain public order. Occasionally you're doing it for justice. And maybe once in a career, you're doing it for revenge.
My Thoughts :
Rivers of London was a surprisingly good read and so I couldn't wait to listen to this second part of the Peter Grant series, Moon Over Soho. Actually I had already downloaded this sequel while I was halfway through listening to he first book. It was just that good. Usually I take a break between books in a series but this style, energy and concept was just what I wanted and needed. It was fresh, British and fun.
Moon Over Soho had the same feel to it as Rivers of London. A few weeks or months have passed and things are not back to normal but as Peter knows, things are never going to be normal for him again. So it isn't a surprise when everything goes to pot. Literally. Soon Peter is caught up with a Jazz musician killer and a woman who has teeth where she shouldn't. It is hilarious, mysterious and sometimes a little over the top but it makes for super reading and I loved it.
This time around we get to see another side of Peter and despite me wanting to shout at him for getting involved with a suspect, it was nice to see things unravel and evolve. How Peter has adapted to his job is far better than I expected but I suppose there will be more trials and tribulations that will test his, till now, high tolerance for the unusual and unexplained.
I can't wait for book three which comes out in Spring and I am sure to be listening to the audio book version. The narrator does an amazing job of capturing the characters and his voices fit the bill each time. I couldn't imagine reading the books and feeling such a love for them. The voice really sells this one.
Definitely worth trying! I can only highly recommend this series. Although beware - There are a lot of British references that people may not understand. However I do believe the US versions have been 'translated' as the first book, Rivers of London, even has another title, Midnight Riot.
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