REVIEW: The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
Dear Mr. Aaronovich,
The sixth book in your Rivers of London series, The Hanging Tree, begins with a phone call. Peter Grant, police constable and wizard’s apprentice, is asleep in his river goddess girlfriend Beverley’s bed when his cell phone rings. On the other end is Beverley’s sister and fellow river Cecelia Tyburn, a sometime nemesis of Peter’s. And she wants a favor.
“One of my daughter’s friends has had an accident,” said Lady Ty, “I want you to ensure my daughter is not implicated in the subsequent investigation.”
Oh shit, I thought. That kind of favor.
She gave me the address and what she knew of the circumstances.
“You want me to prove your daughter wasn’t involved?” I said.
“You misunderstand,” said Lady Ty, “I don’t care what her involvement is—I want her kept out of the case.”
She really had no idea what she was asking for, but I knew better than to try and explain.
“Understood,” I said.
“And Peter,” said Lady Ty, “Nightingale is not to know about this—is that clear?”
“Crystal,” I said.
As soon as she hung up, I called the Folly.
Nightingale, Peter’s supervisor and trainer in all things magical, agrees to play ignorant until Peter needs his aid, and after a quick, sweet pause to take his leave of Beverley’s river, Peter hightails it to the crime scene, One Hyde Park, a luxury apartment building attached to a posh hotel.
There Peter meets up with fellow police constable Sahra Guleed and his boss Seawoll, neither of whom wants him or what he symbolizes—the supernatural activities police division known as the Folly’s involvement in their investigation.
Initially, the case appears to be a simple drug overdose by a seventeen-year-old girl, at a party held by a group of teens who broke into an unoccupied apartment. But forensic investigation of the girl’s brain by Dr. Walid and his trainee Dr. Jennifer Vaughan (a new addition to the Folly) shows that the dead girl, Christina Chorley, was a practitioner of magic. This puts the case squarely on Peter and company’s turf, especially since Tyburn’s teenage daughter Olivia must be arrested by Guleed and Peter once she confesses to having bought the drugs that killed Christina.
Christina’s grieving dad, Martin Chorley, doesn’t seem to know much about his daughter’s activities, but he does mention her sleepovers at her friend Albertina Pryce’s. The jazz band Peter’s dad belongs to has a gig that night, and there Peter is approached by a supernatural being named Reynard Fossman who offers to sell him Jonathan Wild’s final ledger—Wild having been an eighteenth century thief taker.
Questioning Albertina Pryce yields mention of Reynard; apparently Christina was involved with him, despite the age difference. After explaining that “Reynard the Fox” may be the embodiment of a French fairy tale trickster, Nightingale adds that Jonathan Wild’s final ledger is thought to reveal the whereabouts of Isaac Newton’s Third Principia, which in turn contains a much-coveted spell.
“Don’t tell me,” said Seawoll. “Lead into fucking gold?”
The Third Principia belonged to the Folly in an earlier era, and Nightingale wants to recover it. Seawoll and Stephanopoulos, Peter’s other boss, want Reynard Fossman as a potential material witness. So Peter sets up a meeting with Fossman for purchasing the ledger and (hopefully) then arresting Reynard. Unfortunately, said meeting is crashed by some unexpected guests, one of whom is none other than Peter’s former partner Leslie May, who betrayed him to the Faceless Man, and all hell breaks loose.
Reynard escapes, but a certain Lady Caroline Linder-Limmer, adopted daughter of Lady Helena Linder-Limmer, is captured by the police in his stead. Both ladies practice magic, and they work out a deal with Peter and Nightingale. All four will work together to obtain the ledger, and then share the knowledge in it once they have it.
But can Caroline and Helena be trusted, or are they secretly collaborating with the Faceless Man? Is Leslie and the Faceless Man’s interest merely in the ledger, or are they somehow connected to the Christina Chorley case? And what exactly is Tyburn’s daughter Olivia’s involvement, or that of FBI agent Kimberley Reynolds, from whom Peter receives an unexpected phone call?
These questions and more are answered in The Hanging Tree, and as usual for this series, it’s an entertaining outing. There’s a lot to praise in this book, from the witty humor in Peter’s narration, to the appealingly competent female characters (and there were more of them than ever in this book) to the diversity of the cast of characters—Beverely, Tyburn, Olivia, Lady Caroline, and Peter’s mum are all black, Sahra Guleed and Dr. Walid are Muslim (Guleed wears a hijab), and Stephanopoulos has a spouse who shares her gender. I appreciate too, that Peter is shown encountering bigotry from others because he is biracial. For example, in this book, he is stopped by police while driving for no reason.
As a narrator and central character, Peter is absolutely lovely – snarky but honorable, curious and just the right amount of suspicious, capable but still human enough to make mistakes or find himself outgunned on occasion. The secondary characters are also terrific. I especially enjoyed Guleed and Lady Caroline on this outing, as both are smart and good at their jobs / roles while neither one plays the role of a damsel in distress. There is even this great this great little exchange on who, between the male and female characters in the series, comes to whose rescue:
“Does this happen a lot?” asked Caroline.
“Nope,” I said. “Sometimes Beverley rescues me, sometimes Lady Ty, occasionally Molly—I think there’s a rota.”
“Shit,” said Caroline. “You’re not joking, are you?”
“Don’t be daft,” I said. “There isn’t really a rota. We’re not that well organized.”
If there’s one thing to be desired in these books that isn’t always there, it’s the plotting. The series follows a pattern where the odd numbered books revolve around self-contained police cases that are resolved in a satisfying way, while the even number books suffer from the involvement of the series arch-villain, the Faceless Man.
Such is the case with this, book six, for a few reasons. (1) The Faceless Man is so powerful relative to Peter and Nightingale that he tends to dominate the books he appears in, and this is true here too, (2) I’m still smarting from Lesley’s defection, and (3) the resolution of this novel felt particularly dissatisfying in a way that came across as contrived.
I also have a couple of more minor peeves, the first of which is that though I have no interest in keeping up with the related Rivers of London graphic novels, there were some references to previous cases that have their roots in those, and that was distracting. I wasn’t always sure whether a reference came from something I’d read in one of the novels, or not, and trying to puzzle it out stopped me in my tracks.
The second peeve is that at one point it is stated that practicing magic doesn’t require any special abilities but is something that anyone can learn. That is not consistent with what was said about it in the first two or three books. In most ways though, the books are consistent.
Fortunately, The Hanging Tree also has a big development in the overarching series plot that comes at around the three-quarter mark of this book, and it was extremely satisfying and made up for most of the book’s weaknesses.
Additionally, there is talk of expanding the Folly which gives me hope that Guleed might be trained in magic and we might see more of her and of Caroline in the future.
I also hope you continue to include Beverley in future books as I loved seeing her with Peter in this one, even though it was a small thread. I agree with a certain character who states that Peter and Beverley “are so suited,” so please, Mr. Aaronovich, don’t mess up this good thing.
In summary, though the plot structure of this novel didn’t feel all there, the ride was still quite entertaining, enough that I’m giving it a B.
Sincerely,
Janine
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I’ve been waiting for this book for years! Reading it this weekend, thanks for the review.
I want to add a caveat about my grade: it’s contingent on the book being relatively clean of copyediting errors. With the previous book in the series, I read a published copy and it had a lot of copy errors. Since I didn’t read a published copy with this one, I don’t know whether that will also be the case here.
@mel burns: You’re welcome! Please come back and comment on the book after you finish–I would love to discuss it with someone.
Oh wow, this is out today. And I was about to get a different book with the last of my book budget, oh wow oh wow.
Oh! I still can. Because I usually get these first in audiobook and I do have audible credits.
These books are like the Potter books to me in that I am sure I could compare and mark some lower and some higher, but truly I just love the worlds, the characters, the creativity and magical system and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith can read into my ear any damn time he wants. So for me it’s just lovely to have a new one.
@Patricia Burroughs aka Pooks: I have heard so many great things about Kobna Holbrook-Smith’s narration of the audiobooks! My favorite things about the series (which I read in print) are the characters, the wit and snark in the writing, and the historical and architectural details.
@Janine:
He really nails it all–and the accents? Well I’m certainly no authority but they resonate and sound perfect to this Texan, from Nightingale’s upper class diction to Peter’s inflections.
I read this a while ago, so I’m fuzzy on the details, but I agree with you that the graphic novel tie-in was a surprise. I absolutely wouldn’t mind the Sherlockian references to cases that took place outside of the books, but Guleed (for example) had suddenly moved from a minor character to a more central one, so the graphic books aren’t extra content, they’re part of the series. (Which is Aaronovitch’s call, but I’m not going to read them, and there’s perhaps a smaller readership who are open to following the series across both formats.)
I think I also found the Lady Ty thing improbable – both that she went over at the knees (normal mums would fret, absolutely, but would a goddess?) – and that she would ask Peter to intervene, when she has important contacts in other books. Also, and this is a hazy memory, but did that ever go anywhere? I’ve a vague feeling I was dissatisfied by the way that part worked out.
While I still love Peter, and will read the next one if & when – I’m more ambivalent about the series now. I feel messed around, really, in that neither the author or the publisher ever communicated with the readership about the many changes regarding the publication date, and because there was so much… is ‘infill bait’ a thing?
@Marianne mcA: Guleed moving to a more central role didn’t bother me both because I liked her and because (at least here in the US, maybe not in England?) police officers often work in pairs. Peter’s previous partner was Leslie May, and this was his first London case since Leslie went over to the dark side. So I figured he would need a new partner, but perhaps this should have been articulated better?
But I agree with you that it reads like the graphic novels are part of the series, and I find that frustrating too since I’m not into that format enough to bother to read them.
Re. Lady Ty, I bought that she would fret, especially once Olivia took the blame. Ty seems controlling, and this situation was out of her complete control. Her calling Peter threw me a little too, even though I reminded myself that Peter both owed her a favor and had been dating her sister for a year when this book opens. So I agree with you there and think it could have been set up better. Maybe it was, in the graphic novels? Sigh.
Re. your question about whether the Olivia drug thing ever went anywhere. SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER! In terms of justice, the major bad guy bit the dust, but as a case, it was dropped in favor of catching bigger fish. That was frustrating and so was (ANOTHER SPOILER) Reynard getting away at the end. It had been heavily implied that Reynard had a thing for teenage girls and while it wasn’t clear whether they were below the legal age or technically just above it, nor how much proof the police had of it, they let him go so that they could use him in the future and that was frustrating and dissatisfying. But then, so was almost everything about the ending. The reason my grade is as high as a B is that I loved the earlier big confrontation with the Faceless Man. END OF SPOILERS
By “infill bait” do you mean the graphic novel references? I didn’t realize there had been little communication about the changes in the publication date; that is also frustrating.
So, the MMP is listed at $6.15 and the ebook at $7.99 (Amazon US). Penguin doesn’t even try, do they? In addition, reviews mention formatting issues/problems with the ebook. I know I’m being a grump, but I’ll wait for a sale or try to check it out when/if my local library ever reopens.
@Susan: That sucks about the pricing. What kind of formatting issues and problems?
These are audible credit worthy, imo. I haven’t read them in print since the first book. Once I got the second book in audio, I need to hear these read to me by Kobna Holbrook-Smith. He *is* Peter to me.
Count me as another reader irritated by the references to things that occurred in the graphic novels/comics. (I read the first, didn’t like it enough to read more.) And extremely exasperated about the multiple pushbacks of the publication date…that Amazon informed me of, not the author or publisher. Possibly because the author was busy with the graphic novels?
The copyediting seemed marginally better in this book than the last one, but that’s a pretty low bar. I’ve taken to recommending the audio books rather than paper books or ebooks because the editing has been so terrible in the last two books at least.
@Janine: I read that there are problems with the page order and display issues. (Can’t verify directly, of course.)
I already own the Midnight Riot audiobook, but have never gotten around to it. Since everyone here thinks so highly of that format, maybe I need to move it to the top of the queue while I wait for books 5 & 6 to go on sale.
@Tina: Does Kobna Holbrook-Smith narrate other audiobooks besides this series? I am interested in checking out his work but for some reason, don’t have the urge to reread (even by listening to them on audio) these Aaronovich books — maybe because Peter and company often end up suffering big setbacks near the end?
@jmc: That’s super annoying about the copyediting. Sometimes I really the dislike the restriction on reviewers from mentioning them if we read ARCs. In theory, published books should be a lot cleaner, but in practice it doesn’t always work out that way.
@Susan: Page order issues! That’s just the capper. I wouldn’t get them in digital format either, if that’s the case. FWIW, the e-ARC I read didn’t have those, or display issues either, but it was a PDF.
ooh, I’d assumed the graphic novels were just retellings of the novels, so i hadn’t bothered with them. If they’re new stories, count me in. I’ve been wanting to get the OH into these, but I’ve been buying them as ebooks and I don’t want to switch midseries.
@Janine How does that restriction work? They won’t give you more ARCs if you mention it, or you’re just not supposed to consider it as part of your score or review?
I’d think a statement like would be fair: “The reviewer did not consider the numerous copyediting errors in this ARC when formulating this review,” or “The ARC had numerous copyedits which as a matter of general publishing practice will be gone before publication.”
@MinaKelly: Yeah, they’re new stories, not retellings. What does OH stand for?
@Patricia Burroughs aka Pooks: As I understand it, we’re given the ARCs on the understanding that we won’t say anything about whether there are copy errors in them. It’s considered unfair to do so since the idea is that they’ll be gone by the time the book is published. As for consequences for violating this agreement, I don’t know if there are any. But I don’t like to break a promise.
I once had it happen (with another author’s book) that readers reported a lot of copy errors in the published book after I reviewed an ARC that was rife with them. I had given that book an A-, so I felt really bad. But if I had mentioned the copy errors and there hadn’t been any in the published book, I would have felt bad then, too. The only fair solution to this dilemma is to wait for the publication and buy the published book, and then review that. But if I did that, my review would post a week or two later. Many readers would have already bought the book by then, anyhow. So there’s really no perfect answer.
@Janine: He does narrate a few other books, but nothing I’d be interested in reading. Which is a shame because once I find a narrator I like they lead me to books I might not have otherwise read. But from the reviews of the non-Peter books, his narration is about the only good thing about them.
I didn’t notice significant formatting or copy edit issues with this one – I read on kindle.
It does feel a little choppy, both with the references to/incorporation of the graphic novel storylines (and I have issues with breaking up the continuity between formats and never telling readers about that – it feels skeevy) and with what are clearly setups for future story lines.
I have the impression, based on I don’t know what, that this is coming as TV (first in England, obvs), which is where the author started (and wrote dr who books as well as scripts) and I’m kind of worried that the delays and format (?) mixing up and the many potential stories being foreshadowed here have to do with that and presage a very confusing time for folks who have come to this series primarily as readers.
Also Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is fantastic and I think very underused.
@Tina: That’s really too bad, but I appreciate your telling me.
@Anne V: Great points. I liked some of what I think were future storyline set ups, such as the introduction of Lady Helena and Lady Caroline, the greater focus on Guleed, and the future expansion of the Folly. But I was less keen on the warning Tyburn gives Peter at the end, and especially on Peter’s supposition about Mr. Punch at the end of the book.
Is the TV show definitely happening? I recall hearing about it a few years back but I haven’t heard or seen more since then.
Aaronovitch did an AMA on reddit a couple of months back and said TV had initial script, but no clear timeline; intends to keep on with graphic novels 8-10 issues/year; Guleed will continue to be developed as character; does not foresee “end” for series; the waterstones exclusive short stories (about which I am mad for the same reason as the comic books) will be compiled into an anthology when there are enough of them.
@Anne V: Hmm, “does not foresee an end for the series” makes me fear the Faceless Man plot will just drag on and on without a satsfying conclusion.
I had not even heard about the Waterstones short stories. He does seem to have a lot of spinoff projects.