This book has it all: wizards, London history, police procedurals, magical history, ghosts, and it's compulsively readable, too. The plot follows Peter Grant, a London police constable who is drawn into the unseen world of magic that exists behind our reality and becomes an apprentice wizard. It has been called "a cross between Harry Potter and CSI" but I think that's reductive because the tone and feel are so much different. It's also a lot funnier. Aaronovitch, who used to write for Doctor Who, is very, very witty and sharp. It has now become the first book in the Rivers of London series (there are nine in all, so far), with novellas, graphic novels, and short stories as well. Even if you're not a big Fantasy/Sci-Fi fan, this is a perfect place to dip your toe in the water.Publisher's description:
Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll face is a paper cut. But Peter’s prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter’s ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic.