Amongst Our Weapons is the ninth outing for Peter Grant and the residents of The Folly by Ben Aaronovitch. Released 12th April 2022 by DAW, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback is due out in second quarter 2023. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This series is a permanent feature on my must read list. The books are very very well written,
taut, engaging, brilliantly plotted, and satisfying. This time Peter & co are looking into peculiar magical deaths which leave the victims with missing viscera (hearts, specifically), and no signs of vestigia/magic use on the part of those responsible. As always, readers get a look into his unusual life (he and his partner who happens to be a sort of demi-demi-goddess and who is currently expecting twins).
Aaronovitch is a gifted author with a razor wit and a prodigious talent
for descriptive narrative. The dialogue is never clunky, the world
building and magic systems are virtuoso, and the story is varied and engaging.
Since there are so many interwoven multi-book plot threads in this
series, it wouldn't work very well as a standalone. I strongly recommend
reading the series start to finish, they're wonderful. This one is very much in the same pattern as the other books in the series and for me, that was a definite benefit. Pure escapist fantasy mystery police procedurals are the bees' knees and this one is a great example.
Five stars for the series as a whole, four stars for this installment.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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