The latest in the Rivers of London series without buying a giant hardback, Foxglove Summer sees the story follow an ever improving police detective and warlock in training Peter Grant, as this time he moves away from London and into the rural wilds of Herefordshire, where he begins to investigate the mysterious disappearance of 2 young girls. As expected, it soon becomes apparent that something in the realms of the magical has had some influence in the disappearance, hence Grant's involvement as the investigations resident wizard.
In an effort to remain spoiler free, I won't delve into the plot. I really enjoyed the shift in location into the countryside, and find the descriptions of the hot summer days and the sprawling countryside and forests to completely absorb me into the environment. I felt this book was similar to that of The Prisoner Of Azkaban in the Harry Potter Series, as in the plot is an exceptionally well written story in it's own right, and rather than constantly weaving a sub plot throughout, just helps build upon an already convincing alternate reality. Old characters return, and more is learned of their histories but the focus here is very much on the mythical beings involved in some way, shape or form with the missing girls.
Incidentally, the creatures that are used in the story are again excellently described, really helping you to see them in your mind's eye. There's nothing incredibly original, but the way they're imagined is not necessarily how you would expect and helped keep things interesting.
The story also explores relationships well - the copper Grant liaises with in Herefordshire is one half of a gay couple, and Grant starts a semi-serious relationship with Beverly, who we know to be a River Goddess from previous books.
It's also clear Aaronvitch has done his research into the history of the area, often citing dates and known locations and often referring to the National Trust (despite some artistic license to assist with story development) and it feels like a lot of love has gone into the penmanship of Foxglove Summer.
I've really enjoyed all of the Rivers of London series, and I'm tempted to say this is my favourite since the first, but all are different enough in their own right to be just as enjoyable as the last. I thoroughly recommend this to all fans of good story telling, detective or fantasy fiction as well as the whole series.
Book 1 of 2017 finished! Thanks for reading!
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