From the outside, there's nothing especially unusual about one particular building nestled amongst a neat row of tall Georgian terraced houses in Russell Square, London. An unsuspecting passer-by certainly wouldn't know that it's home to a Special Operations Unit working for London's Metropolitan Police, specializing in all things magic. Nor would they know that tucked safely inside the building is a library chock-full of filing cabinets, each one packed with casefiles documenting the magical division's history.In charge of this building (known as The Folly) is Thomas Nightingale, the ranking officer of the SOU and one of the most powerful magicians in Europe, whose work for the Met dates back as far as the British Colonial Empire. A private man, his wizarding-trainee, Detective Constable Peter Grant, has long prodded him for stories from his career. Now, Peter is about to uncover some of his mentor's elusive past...

Rivers of London copyright Ben Aaronovitch 2018.