Rivers of London

Friends recommended this to me some time after book 5 came out, and kindly lent me all the book that were available up to that point. I binged them in one go, got all of them myself, and I've been keeping up with the series ever since.

But what's it about?

A short overview

Urban Fantasy meets (mostly) murder mystery. Peter Grant is a young police officer with the Metropolitan Police in London, who, after interviewing a ghost as a murder witness, is recruited by the one person who's left of the secret department of the police that deals with magic. He goes on to learn magic, deals with magical crime, gets to know the so-called demi-monde: magical and otherwise unusual people, if you know where to look; for example the titulary Rivers of London: physical manifestations of the Thames and its tributaries.

Over the course of the books, this magical world gets explored, as the magical police department (called The Folly) is integrated more and more into to modern world of policing.

What I love about it

I haven't met a protagonist I like as much as Peter in a long time. His narration is funny, with lots of pointed social commentary. The whole series is a commentary on changing a system from within, and it's a joy to see Peter, who starts out in a rather isolated position, building a community.

What's my fannish interest

This world is so full of interesting characters, and I want to explore them. The characters are in such an interesting world, and I want to explore that too.