Whispers Under Ground

Written by Ben Aaronovitch

Narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Doctor Who Screenwriter Ben Aaronovitch's superbly entertaining supernatural crime series has, with its witty one-liners and wonderfully erudite take on London, won a legion of fans in double quick time.

Peter Grant is learning magic fast. And its just as well - he's already had run ins with the deadly supernatural children of the Thames and a terrifying killer in Soho. Progression in the Police Force is less easy. Especially when you work in a department of two. A department that doesn't even officially exist. A department that if you did describe it to most people would get you laughed at. And then there's his love life. The last person he fell for ended up seriously dead. It wasn't his fault, but still.

Now something horrible is happening in the labyrinth of tunnels that make up the tube system that honeycombs the ancient foundations of London. And delays on the Northern line is the very least of it. Time to call in the Met's Economic and Specialist Crime Unit 9, aka 'The Folly'. Time to call in PC Peter Grant, Britains Last Wizard.

Read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette UK Audio
• Release date: Jun 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781409142904

Ben Aaronovitch

Born and raised in London, Ben Aaronovitch worked as a scriptwriter for Doctor Who and Casualty before the inspiration for his own series of books struck him whilst working as a bookseller in Waterstones Covent Garden. Ben Aaronovitch’s unique novels are the culmination of his experience of writing about the emergency services and the supernatural.

Reviews for Whispers Under Ground

[liscarey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When Peter Grant's young cousin, Abigail Kamara, drags him and his colleague and fellow magical apprentice, Leslie May, to a railroad track running under a school playground, they do find the ghost. But the ghost is no threat, and doesn't seem to be pointing to anything of concern now. So when the first case that lands on his desk on Monday is a man stabbed to death on the track at Baker Street Station, he puts the ghost aside, and sets about finding out why the British Transport Police officer, Sgt. Kumar, thinks there's something odd about the case in a way that makes it the Folly's business.The young man on the tracks, James Gallagher, was indeed killed by a magic-imbued weapon, and he is, inconveniently, the son of a US Senator. The weapon was a broken portion of plate, of an unfamiliar make called Empire Pottery. When they go to the young man's home in London, they meet his housemate, a rather flighty and odd young man named Zachary Palmer, and see a figurine that matches the broken shard James was killed with, and which is also imbued with magic. Zach can show them where James got the figurine--but not immediately. The market is closed.In the meantime, there's the question of how James got to where he was found, since none of the monitor cameras caught him going into either Baker Street Station, or any plausible nearby stations. Sgt. Kumar concedes there are secret entrances to the system, but not, he says, secret from the BTP, he says. That would be a terrible idea.Peter finds himself assigned to the murder team investigating James Gallagher's murder, to roughly equal distress on his side, and the murder cops who have never worked with the Folly before. He's also soon working with FBI Special Agent Kimberly Reynolds, a conservative Evangelical who does not regard magic positively. (Fortunately, Aaronovitch is far too good a writer to make her stupid or comical.)Soon Peter's problems include the pottery company which is a small part of a construction company, a dealer in goods of sometimes questionable origin, who are Zach's unloving family because he's the product of an affair with, apparently, one of the Fae, some of Mother Thames's daughters, a visiting Taiwanese magic practitioner, and a whole town, possibly a city, living in the secondary and unused tunnels of the London underground.The diplomacy needed to interact successfully with the river goddesses; the underground fae city; an Evangelical FBI Special Agent who is following US law enforcement rules on carrying, pulling, and using her gun--none of this is what Peter thought he was signing up for when he let himself be recruited into magic and the policing thereof on the strength of his ability to see ghosts. Working with a murder investigation team that has never worked with the Folly before and is understandably both skeptical, and averse to the Folly's negative effect on case clear-up rates is also a challenge, if a more mundane one.It's a challenging case, in which Peter learns more about the magical population of London, magic itself, and his own mind. We also see Leslie May, the other apprentice wizard, who is still adjusting to living with her damaged face, and starting to learning that the people of the magical world look at her maskless face, and don't care. This might have repercussions in later stories.All in all, a very good story, with characters who continue to grow.Recommended.I bought this audiobook.

[bragan_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Book three in the Rivers of London series, starring Peter Grant: London cop, apprentice wizard, and not-so-secret nerd. I read the first two of these a number of years ago, and then stalled out on it for no particularly good reason. At least I'm finally getting back to it now!This installment features Peter investigating someone who was stabbed to death on a railroad track with a shard of magical pottery, a case that ends up taking him through lots of tunnels, secret passages, and (unfortunately) sewers. The mystery plot was okay, but not exactly compelling, and it did feel like it was maybe wrapped up a bit too suddenly at the end. But Peter is an appealing character, and there's a lot of humor, some interesting fantasy elements, and an entertainingly earthy depiction of police work, so it's mostly a fun read, anyway.

[jennybeast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read it again, this time as a splendidly narrated audio book. Love the police procedural aspects, love the sarcastic humor, and it's a good review of Peter Grant's adventures -- how could I forget Abigail, precocious paranormal girl guide? And The quiet people? And how Zach came to be introduced to our heroes? Also, very interesting trying to get a handle on Leslie from the ground up, and how unique to have a book where the murderous jealousy is over artistic ability? Great stuff.

[tsmom1219 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoy this series. The worldbuilding is outstanding.

[switchknitter · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm so in love with this series. I can't wait for the next book to come out.

[bardbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Full-on fabulous. Adored the two subtle Doctor Who references. Might be the best last line I've ever read.
Might've written more, but must plunge into No. 4!

[andorion-259107 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is quite good, but I really have a problem with the blurb. The entire part about the beautiful, ambitious, religious FBI agent - it just doesn't happen that way. Religion is barely mentioned in the book. It simply isn't a factor. This is one of the most misleading blurbs I have read.

[charlotteburt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Devoured it in three days, probably my favourite of the three so far

[sdramsey-298717 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I adore this series. That is all. :)

[elenaj-147457 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Less gruesome and terrifying than the other two books, which is a plus for me. (Caveat: may not apply if you're claustrophobic.) The ending feels strangely unresolved, though.

[mirihawk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Each book is better than the last in this series, and should be read in order. I'm doing the audible versions, and they are FABULOUS. Magical Mystery books with great descriptions, interesting plots, and sudden twists that leave you happy and wanting to hear more.

[pdcread · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Back again with Peter Grant, the apprentice wizard who lives at the folly with his mentor, Nightingale. There has been a murder, and something is not quite right, The investigating offices have their suspicions so they call on on the Met's supernatural investigators.

The victim is a young male and he has been killed by a sherd of pottery. But this is the son of a US senator and he wants the FBI involved to find the murderer as soon as possible.

And so Peter begins to delve beneath the surface of the London streets. What he finds is not particularly pleasant, and is a whole lot more dangerous than he anticipated. As the investigation gathers pace so the rivers of London, characters from the previous books, surface again.

Aaronovitch has made this new story a bit darker, with greater tension, but with the same bone dry wit and humour. The luge scene is very amusing, and with the FBI character, Kimberly Reynolds, adds a frisson of competitiveness as Peter seeks the perpetrator of the murder.

On to the next now.

[skybalon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'd call this the best of the series so far. LIghtweight but quality entertainment. Worth the read.

[macha_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

third entry in the Rivers of London series. mostly, this is as entertaining and hilarious as usual, but the big discovery was somehow the least compelling. i'm still hooked, though, and i love the personalities Peter Grant is still drawing into his Folly. onward...

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This episode begins with a dead body in the London Undergroud. James Gallagher is an American, a son of US Senator, and an artist. When he is found dead, and no one can figure out how he got into the Underground, Peter is called in to see if there is any trace of magic. He is also drafted to be part of the Murder Team investigating the death in case anything of a magical nature turns up.Leslie May is on sick leave from the London Police as a result of her encounter with serious magic in the first book of this series. She has discovered a magical talent of her own and has been, so far unofficially, added to the Folly to be taught to use her new magic. She and Peter begin doing an investigation of James Gallagher and meet Zachary Palmer who is Gallagher's roommate - at least until his Senator father arrives.Peter and Leslie's investigation takes them into the London Underground, into a variety of secret tunnels the London Transit Police don't know about, to the sewers that run under London, and to the discovery of a whole new group of people who have been living under London for more than 100 years. Along the way are generous doses of London's history and architecture all discussed in Peter's quirky and irreverent style.This is a police procedural as the investigation into the murder of James Gallagher frames the story. It is also entertaining urban fantasy as Peter learns more about magic. And he learns more about London's odder residents including the gods and goddesses of London's rivers. Fans of the series won't want to miss this episode. Fans of urban fantasy will also enjoy this quirky and very humorous series.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Peter Grant is exploring the Underground of London, following the vestigia found in a murder weapon. He has an FBI agent with him, as well as his partner Lesley. Oh yes, Nightingale is in the wings as well.I enjoyed the world building in this story. Not just the world of the Whisperers, but Peter Grant's world as well. Lesley is coming into her own, he has potentially found another team member or two? Many possibilities, and they made me want to pick up the next in the series right away. Always enjoy Grant's sarcastic humor, and his view on the world he lives in.

[ladyoflorien_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another great read in the Peter Grant series. I love the wit and humour infused in the urban fantasy novel. There are always some new characters to learn about and growth of favourites like Lesley.

[ma_washigeri · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Get's 4 stars because I really enjoyed it, laughed out loud, and I have been mean with the stars of parts #1 and #2. The plot was a bit chaotic but the characters are a pleasure. An easy read but the underlying social politics are faced head on with humour and no polemics. Shows the reader instead of telling them what to think. A shame this quality is so rare.
And the strategems of young magical practitioners dealing with life in the magic and non-magic worlds are as compelling as they always are.

[macthekat82 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is some of the best urban fantasy I have read in a long time. The series is just brilliant. Now book 4 come outalready!

[isabelx_21 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was wearing a brand-new stab vest but with a high-visibility jacket over it. I planned to avoid getting shot, through the deployment of peaceful diplomacy and, if that failed, by making sure I stayed back behind the guys with guns. Zach said we'd be better off without the guns, but that's the thing about armed police. When you need them, you generally don't want to be hanging around waiting for them to arrive. It was a good plan, and like all plans since the dawn of time, this would fail to survive contact with real life.With Nightingale still recuperating, Peter has to make an arrangement between the Folly and the British Transport Police, when the weapon used to kill an American art student found dead on an Underground platform turns out to have magical properties. He spends a lot of the book in the sewers and tunnels under Baker Street Station with Sergeant Kumar of the BTP and an FBI agent who has been sent to keep an eye on the case, tracking down a group that neither Nightingale nor Lady Ty was aware of.There was a bit of progress with the search for the other magicians, but it's easy to forget about it when the 'murder of the week' is so interesting.

[5eva5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A dead body at the Baker Street tube station brings constable and sorcerer’s apprentice Peter Grant literally underground to find what oddity has caused the young man's murder. This is an amazingly entertaining series - the heroes are clever and funny, the baddies are unpredictable and dangerous, and the storylines are as fantastical as they are fantastic. After reading the first book, I immediately bought the rest of the series and this installment too shows I made the right decision. More, please.

[seschend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed this one a lot more that its predecessor as it focused more on a case and less on building up the cast of characters (which allowed for better story and mystery).

The only odd thing was I kept waiting for more with an inserted FBI agent character who seemed of more importance based on the back cover copy. I was kept waiting for any payoff from those hints, as it never really went anywhere.

Still, this series is loads of fun if you like British mysteries with a touch of urban magic. Here's hoping the next book gives us more of D.I. Nightengale, as he was very lacking in this episode.

[ajbraithwaite_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story was easier to follow than that in the previous book, and there were no cringe-making sex scenes, which was a bonus. I like the historical sidelines - the 'fake' houses built above tube lines and Notting Hill's potteries and piggeries past.

Editing still a bit slipshod and I was surprised to find Abigail reading Jackie, which stopped being published in 1993.

[gretchening · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's rare for me to like a mystery series, but wow the characters in this one are so delightful, diverse, complicated, smart, snarky, and great. I laughed, I gasped, I enjoyed every minute listening while doing otherwise tedious tasks like commuting, traveling, chores. I have rarely liked a dude as much as I like Peter Grant. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith's audiobook narrations continue to be amazing (the accents are all lovely with the exception of the Americans, which are hilariously bad and I find that so endearing).

[passion4reading_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An American art student is found stabbed to death on the London Underground tracks – the murder weapon: a shard of a fruit bowl that DC Grant, Metropolitan police officer and trainee wizard, quickly establishes bears traces of magic. This is the beginning of a murder investigation that takes Peter Grant and his colleague Lesley May into the tunnels and sewers of London while also pursuing clues that could lead them to the Faceless Man, and causing delays on the Tube in the last few days before Christmas is going to be the least of their problems.This is the third case for Peter Grant in the Rivers of London series, and it definitely helps if one has read the two previous novels as repeated references are made to characters and events in Rivers of London and Moon Over Soho. Once again Peter himself provides the narrative in his trademark chatty and wryly humorous style. The events take place over the course of approximately ten days and while the pace is never fast except in a few places, mirroring a real murder investigation to some extent I imagine, the plot moves along nicely and there are definite surprises in store – the beauty of writing fantasy is that you can let your imagination give free rein so that the reader won't have any idea of what's coming next; the novel is also surprisingly knowledgeable about the history of London generally and industrial London and anything transport related in particular, as well as anything involving police procedural. I can't say that all the questions have been answered as I believe Ben Aaronovitch takes the long view with regard to the series, but of course I'm hooked and want to know what else is in store for Peter Grant, Lesley May and DI Nightingale plus the other well-drawn and intriguing characters on the fringes of the narration in the upcoming books in the series, and the last sentence leads the reader neatly into the next instalment, Broken Homes. I thought the editing could have been better, especially the dialogue: considering Peter Grant has a fairly extensive vocabulary and is intelligent and articulate, to read fairly long sections of dialogue where the only verbs used are 'said' and 'asked' was almost painful.

[iambookish-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Unlike some series that become boring and repetitive, this supernatural police series just improves with age. Normally this type of fantasy fiction is so out of my wheel house that I wouldn't even pick it up, but a recommendation from a friend helped me discover this talented author.
This magical branch of the London Metropolitan Police, fights unusual acts of crime, with a very small force of special police officers. I love the humor interjected throughout and maybe that's why I enjoy them so much, or it could be the great writing.

[dlmorrese · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another fine comic fantasy, the third in the Peter Grant series. I'll admit that some of the British words and phrases baffled me at first. I know what a Ford Focus is, for example. I used to own one. But why does Peter refer to his as an 'Asbo'? I looked it up. Now I know (sort of). There were others, most of which I knew, probably because I lived in England for a while as a kid, my favorite novelists and Brits, and I watch Doctor Who... but I know a lot of my fellow countrymen (USA) will probably be asking WTF a lot when they read this. But read it they should. The stories about a young detective assigned to the 'magic' branch of the London constabulary are a hoot. The characters are engaging, the plots are not overly absurd (for fantasy), and the pacing is quite good. If you liked the other Peter Grant stories, you'll like this one too.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Despite not being a big fan of fantasy, I love this series which combines magic with a police procedural. It looks like there are still four more books in this series so I should be good for a while.Peter Grant, the London police constable who discovered he could sense magic in the first book of the series, is being trained by Inspector Nightingale to perform magic. Nightingale is a wizard who is much older than he looks. He is one of the few wizards left after World War II. Nightingale and Grant and now Lesley May (another police constable who was badly hurt in one of the previous books) all live in the Folly where Molly looks after them and the house. Molly is some kind of magical creature who is also a great cook. Peter is still an active member of the constabulary so he is called in on cases which seem "different". When an American is found dead in Baker Street station in the middle of the night having bled to death from an attack further down the subway line, there is just enough of an off flavour for Inspector Stephanopoulos to call Peter in. Sure enough Peter senses magic on the murder weapon which was a broken piece of pottery. Thus Peter, Lesley and Nightingale are called in to assist with the murder inquiry. Because the victim was an American the FBI sent an agent to observe how the Metropolitan Police Force handle the investigation. Agent Kimberley Reynolds has some difficulty remaining as an observer and turns up in the most unexpected places. Of course this means she sees magic and other things she probably shouldn't see. Is this going to blow the cover off the subtle British handling of magical occurences? Read the book and find out.

[jmkemp-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

These are good light reading, and as well as enjoying that they are set in places I know I also appreciate the geeky roleplaying gamer references that have crept into this volume.

[floratina · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

READ IN ENGLISH

In Peter Grant's third adventure, the ethically challenged wizard apprentice detective constable is quite literally driven to the dark depths of London as he is trying to solve the murder on the son of an American senator which may involve some weird shit (e.g. Magic)...

I'm not too familiar with Urban Fantasy, but from what I've heard this is a nice example, as it really blends the fantasy-bits in with the more believable London. I enjoyed it for sure! It is written in such a witty style, making you laugh out loud on the train - and thus being looked at as if there was something wrong with me. It also involves quite some references! (You can never put to many in a book!). And now, all that's left is to wait till the new book is published...