Moon Over Soho

By Ben Aaronovitch

BODY AND SOUL
 
The song. That’s what London constable and sorcerer’s apprentice Peter Grant first notices when he examines the corpse of Cyrus Wilkins, part-time jazz drummer and full-time accountant, who dropped dead of a heart attack while playing a gig at Soho’s 606 Club. The notes of the old jazz standard are rising from the body—a sure sign that something about the man’s death was not at all natural but instead supernatural.

Body and soul—they’re also what Peter will risk as he investigates a pattern of similar deaths in and around Soho. With the help of his superior officer, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, the last registered wizard in England, and the assistance of beautiful jazz aficionado Simone Fitzwilliam, Peter will uncover a deadly magical menace—one that leads right to his own doorstep and to the squandered promise of a young jazz musician: a talented trumpet player named Richard “Lord” Grant—otherwise known as Peter’s dear old dad.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9780345524607

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 Moon Over Soho

[taliesien · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pretty much the same review as the first book. Really liking the story but at around 75% the writing becomes garrulous with excruciatingly detailed descriptions that are completely unnecessary. It was almost as if the author was padding, trying to make the book a certain word count or page number. Completely annoying and gets in the way of a good story with entertaining characters. I've grown attached enough to the MC's to want to keep reading so I will suck it up and read the third book, but if the same pattern follows with that one I'm going to have to give up on this series and hope the author finds a good editor some day. Shame really, with some ruthless editing this series could be in the same class as the Dresden Files.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The second Peter Grant mystery has him investigating the jazz scene in Soho when a drummer dies of a heart attack but has a famous jazz tune as part of his vestigia. That's a clear sign that his death had something supernatural about it. However despite investigation, nothing is found linking him to magic. Another death of a jazz musician does lead to a magical link that takes them to Oxbridge and a club that has been under the radar since the 1960s.Peter is learning from his mentor Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale who is the only registered wizard in London and who happens to be aging backwards. However, Nightingale is still recovering from an injury experienced in their first adventure and Peter is more on his own than perhaps he should be. Peter comes to believe that there are some jazz vampires feeding on and killing jazz musicians which concerns him particularly because his own father is a rather famous one. Peter is busy looking into the unexplained deaths of jazz musicians that has been going on since World War II. Of course, he is also looking into the possibility of other magic users - what his mentor calls black magic users, too. On the personal side, he is dealing with his former colleague Leslie who is still dealing with the grave consequences of the events of MIDNIGHT RIOT and starting a new relationship of his own with Simone Fitzwilliam who was the live-in girlfriend of one the victims of the jazz vampires. This was a fast-paced and very snarky story. Peter has quite a cynical viewpoint but he also has a lot of idealism about his role as a police officer. The world he inhabits with jazz vampires, evil magicians, chimeras and animate rivers along with the day-to-day bustle of modern London and a modern police force is well-drawn and feels very real. I can't wait to see where this series goes as Peter learns more about magic and the supernatural creatures who inhabit his world.

[sensitivemuse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

***Spoilers ahead you’ve been warned***It is advisable to read the first one before you get into Moon Over Soho. You’re pretty much carrying on right after the events in the first book so it’s always better to get the background information before carrying on :)I was pleased with this one, complete with rather macabre scenes that will stick with me for a while. I still enjoy the way it’s being narrated by Peter Grant. He tells it pretty bluntly and explains well for some of us who don’t live in London which helps understand the setting more. The setting is dark and gritty, just right to complement the mystery that is prevalent to the case. The mix with the supernatural blends quite well with real life London, I believe it’s probably even more enjoyable to read for those that are quite familiar to the city. Supporting characters and some new ones are featured in the book. It’s nice to see Leslie again despite what happened to her (ahh but the ending though!). Peter takes a lot of beating (both verbal and physical) during the book which is to be expected. He does have a thing with Simone that covers a good latter part of the book which is ok, although I thought it provided a lot of filler and it slowed the pace down considerably. You almost wanted to ask; “Peter, don’t you have a case to work on?”It proved to be a quick read with a good open cliffhanger ending with the mystery of The ‘Faceless One’ which makes the series even more intriguing at this point. I’ll be definitely be picking up the third one. A great series to read so far!

[ladyoflorien_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The second in the Peter Grant series is even better than the first. I really liked how Leslie was kept in the story after the unfortunate ending for her in the first book. Jazz, vampires, and magic, all with a dose of humour.

[ma_washigeri · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Wish I'd jotted down the character list as I went along as I lost the plot a bit in the middle. If I read another one I'll do that to save a lot of flicking back and forward.

[clarerhoden · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gotta love a maguc detective in a recognisable London - plus a dog called Toby. A great second adventure with Peter Grant.

[kmajort · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Paranormal in the sense that Harry Dresden is.... so I'm saying "magic". Good fun, solidly fills a niche I'd been missing.

[isabelx_21 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

'How did you spot this?' I asked. 'I check all the sudden deaths,' said Dr. Walid. 'Just on the off chance. I thought it sounded like jazz.' 'Did you recognize the tune?' 'Not me. I'm strictly prog rock and the nineteenth-century romantics,' said Dr. Walid. 'Did you?' 'It's "Body and Soul,"' I said. 'It's from the 1930s.' 'Who played it?' 'Just about everybody,' I said. 'It's one of the great jazz classics.' 'You can't die of jazz,' said Dr. Walid. 'Can you?' I thought of Fats Navarro, Billie Holiday, and Charlie Parker who, when he died, was mistaken by a coroner for a man twice his real age. 'You know,' I said, 'I think you'll find you can.'Jazz had certainly done its best to do for my father.As it's about a year since I re-read Rivers of London, I thought I had better get on to book 2 before I forgot what happened. Unfortunately I wasn't as keen on Moon Over Soho, as the various plot lines felt rather disjointed. Although some of the Rivers made an appearance (with Ash and the ambulance trip probably being my favourite part of the book), the plotline about the other magician(s) never really grabbed me, and nor did the mysterious deaths of jazz musicians.But I still went straight on to book 3, and that was a definite improvement.

[ajbraithwaite_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first. I found I was getting confused between the various cases that Peter Grant was working on - couldn't keep them straight in my head - and I found the descriptions of his sexual prowess a bit OTT (yes, I'm probably turning into a prude in my old age).

There were lots of fun parts - the ambulance hijacking and the disembodied fortune-telling head, for example - and I appreciated the use of the London Metropolitan Archives in a supporting role. But overall, not quite as gripping and easy to follow as the first in the series. And there were similar editing issues in this one, too.

[5eva5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When Constable (and sorcerer apprentice) Peter Grant examines the body of a musician, he hears notes of old jazz, notes that aren't actually being played in the here and now, so Grant knows it's time for him and DCI Nightingale to go on the hunt for a supernatural killer. Aaronovitch has really built a wonderful world, firmly based in real life London, but with the supernatural added in such a way that it all seems possible, even probable; when Grant hijacks an ambulance to save one of the river gods, he gets a run-of-the-mill bollocking from his boss, as if he had broken any regular copper's rule. Also, when the people get hurt in this series, they stay hurt - there are no instant fixes for magical damage, which really adds tons to the story's verisimilitude. It's all very good, but what really brings it home for me are the characters who are just so witty and real that I need to root for them - this is another of the few books (authors, really) where I find myself going back in the text just to read some passages out loud. Very entertaining installment in a series I hope to follow for a very long time.

[passion4reading_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Peter Grant, police constable in the Metropolitan Police and apprentice wizard, investigates a series of seemingly natural deaths among jazz musicians, while also trying to hunt down a dangerous ethically challenged (that's black, to you and me) magician and trying to avoid upsetting the offspring of the local river gods, paramedics and various other inhabitants of London.The second volume in the Rivers of London series of urban fantasy novels, this book shows a little more what it means to be a wizard, apprentice or fully qualified, employed by the Metropolitan Police, and it's a wonder that Peter Grant actually manages to get in some practice and training, he's so busy chasing after suspects (or otherwise engaged). While the engaging writing and easy deprecating humour are still very much in evidence, I would have preferred not to get to know Peter quite so intimately (if you catch my meaning); apart from that, after a fairly slow start the plot heated up very nicely and became rather tense, though certain passages are not for the squeamish. It is clear that certain developments will play a significant part in subsequent novels, and I will definitely continue with the series.

[dmmjlllt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good entry in the series. No significant drop off from Rivers of London (at least in my opinion) and actually takes some surprising turns here and there. Sets up a satisfactorily scary big villain for the next few books? (rest of the series, maybe?).Not the place to start with the series (obviously).

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There are many reviews of this book, so I'm only typing my thoughts here so I remember for the future. Peter Grant, up and coming wizard apprentice/police detective, has two cases. One has to do with jazz musicians dying untimely "natural" deaths, the other is getting to the bottom of the "pale lady" mystery and the possibility that there are magicians left in London unknown to authorities who are not using their abilities for the public good.I loved that some considerate person has put together a station on YouTube to go with this book which has many variations of the song, "Body and Soul" by different artists. It made great background music while reading. I enjoy the relationship Peter has with his parents and Nightingale. Peter has some of the smart-assery I like, some of the compassion and the thirst for justice even if he pretends not to. I didn't care for the many wild sex scenes, but they were integral to a certain character's nature.

[gretchening · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So far this is the weakest of the series (I just finished listening to #2) but I still really enjoyed it.

[fhudnell-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book in the series, but it's the fourth one that I have read. While I do love this series, this was my least favorite book so far. The good news is that the narrator of the audio books, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, was even better in this book than he was in the first book, where there were some distracting sounds. He really is a wonderful narrator for these books. The bad news is that I didn't care for the plot which I thought was scattered and I particularly disliked some aspects of the plot. I could easily have done without the lengthy sex scenes and the side plot about the fiend who bites off penises. Also the river gods were mostly absent from this book and I generally didn't find it as witty and amusing as books 1, 3 and 4 of the series. Overall, I was a little disappointed by this one.

[seschend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great second act/novel from Aaronovitch and it was nice to see gradual/organic change in Peter Grant & his supporting cast. Too often, there's an overcorrection and huge jump/change between an intro book and a followup, and that didn't happen here. Good plot, interesting new characters and fleshing out returning characters. Recommended if you want a decently paced magical procedural.

[tpausilver · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Moon over Soho is a fun and interesting read. I have the distinct disadvantage in reading this that I didn't read the first book first but jumped right in here, but I sitll found this interesting. There was enough back story to fill you in without swamping the book. The world-building is interesting, I loved the idea of the gods of the london rivers and about the intersection between a magical urban fantasy world and the mundane police force. The plot was a little trite, I had it worked out long before the cop did while is never a good thing, and I had no real sense of suspense at the end. This is very much a middle book, there's never any feeling that something big is at stake. That said, for a middle book it's very good. I love how London and London life is woven in to the plot so centraly, you couldn't set this book anywhere else and have it be the same book. The characters are all complex, if a little slow on the uptake, and I love how the main character's entire life is would up in the story, his home, his family, his job etc. Give it depth. So, yeah, it's a fun middle book, has a plot of it's own, even if it's a little obvious, builds on the characters I presume are from the first book and sets up a villain for later books.

[estellechauvelin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This series is the best thing in urban fantasy since The Dresden Files. I can't wait to see more of it.

[g33kgrrl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mostly good but a huge instance of transphobia there.

[pdcread · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Slight incompetent PC and struggling apprentice wizard Peter Grant has been asked to investigate the brutal murder of a journalist in a toilet in the Groucho Club. And there are more deaths too, jazz musicians are collapsing and dying after gigs, supposedly of natural causes, the Peter detects the thaumaturgical signature of magic, meaning that these are not as natural as first thought.

The detective in charge really does't want Peter on the case, but reluctantly accepts that he needs to be, Peter starts to track the creatures that haunt these Soho clubs, and he realises that a proficient wizard, unknown even to Nightingale may be behind the deaths. As Peter finds the limits of his magic and starts to push the envelope with his abilities, even though his efforts are not always successful.

As the rush to find the perpetrator builds, he involves his dad in one of the bands, has a steamy liaison with the girlfriends of one of the murder victims and we find out more about Nightingale. It all ends as a bit of a blast, with a nice subtle twist.

The characters are growing in stature, Grant in particular. The plot was not quite as strong as the first book, but this is a series, so you are getting lines from the first, swirling through this book, and I can see others still being carried forward to the next. One of the great things about the book is the characterisation of the city, it does feel alive and real. Good solid urban fantasy.

[skybalon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think this series gets better as it goes on. It isn't deep nor does it ask any big questions but it is fun and well worth the read.

[lydia1879 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So Moon Over Soho wasn't my favourite in the series so far but it's still a perfectly reliable source of entertainment.

I didn't like some of the characters and I guessed a little bit of the plot but there's still plenty of wry, witty, dry British humour and banter.

One of the characters I adore wasn't in it a lot, so obviously that dampened my reading experience a little bit but I'm hopeful that the next one is a little bit stronger and more enjoyable.

One thing I do really like about Aaronovitch is I think he writes about London vividly, so much so that it's almost sensory.

I also really like a lot of his female characters and how diverse the cast of this series is. c:

[piemouth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I liked it better than the first one even though through most of it Peter was pretty much letting his dick guide him around, and ignoring the most obvious suspect. Still, great London and jazz history.

[devilish2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

light but funny and entertaining

[macha_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

second in the series. i like these quite a lot, all the great detail on the real history of the architecture and social life of the City of London coalescing in a convincing picture of London as a nexus of supernatural activity under the umbrella of modern-day policing (albeit armed with an admirable amount of compartmentalization to accommodate this special squad). also kinda love the whole notion of jazz vampires in this one. already i can't imagine not continuing to read this series as long as the author wants to write it. there are many mysteries i hope he will address eventually. the characters are very strong, and keep getting fleshed out over time, and the central figure especially keeps learning both his trades, and therefore growing.

[sarielle-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read the first book in this series few years ago and enjoyed it enough to read the second book. I quite liked it, though it wasn't spectacular.

Jazz musicians are found dead shortly after giving concerts. It turns out that the practice lasts few decades. In the meantime someone is biting off male penises. Since Nightingale is still recovering from the injures from the previous book, Peter has to deal with these cases, mostly alone or with a help of the 'regular' police.

I think the best thing about this book are the secondary characters, and I don't mean Simone and her sisters or Nightingale. I really liked Stephanopoulos, the lesbian policewoman and Peter's parents. The whole story is quite interesting but it could be better.

It's hard not to compare this book with the Dresden files and I'm afraid I prefer Harry. Still I will probably read another book in this series one day. I'm rating this one 3.5

[aug3zimm-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A bit mixed on this one: I still enjoyed the humor but there seemed to be less of it in this book. I also felt a bit more lost plot-wise (but less so pop-culture-wise, which was my problem in the first book). I'm sure that confusion wasn't helped when I stopped reading this book to read a whole other book before going back to this one again, but I think a fair part of it was also that there were two mysteries going on and not only did I have a tendency to mix up the victims of the two cases, I have no idea what happened in the second mystery. I think that second one is more of a series-arching mystery since there was a tiny tease of it mentioned in the first book but still. It threw me off.

Perhaps I am just not smart enough right now to read things with plot. Eh, I'll still read the next book in the series but I'll read something else in the mean time.

[mkunruh-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this one more than the first, and enjoyed the first quite a bit. Aaronovitch gets an extra star for how he handles Leslie's disfigurement. I listened to this rather than read and the narrator is good, and that always contributes.

[bell7_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Constable Peter Grant is a fairly normal copper in London, except for one thing - he's learning to practice magic under one Thomas Nightingale, and the two of them are called in on any, well, unusual case. When jazz musicians begin dying for no particular reason, leaving a faint sense of magic used behind in the tune of the jazz classic "Body and Soul," Grant is on the case.The second book in the series starts soon after the first left off, with Leslie, for example, still dealing with the physical aftermath of Peter's first case, and the rivers of London still present as secondary characters. There are these threads that continue, but the story and mystery also finish and leave this a story wholly its own. I enjoyed the setting and genre-bendedness of the story, and I like Grant's narration and humor. The sex read like, well, a hetero guy wrote it and though it did end up having a point in the story I'd figured out part of it way before Peter himself had. A fun, light read and while I'll probably read the next one eventually I won't knock myself out to get a copy soon.

[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 the Irregulars? And The Jazz Vampires? And the heartbreaking sorrow of Simone.