Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

This is the first in a series. Be warned this is not a book of safe magic.

Rivers of London is set in modern times, when magic has all but died out or at least is well hidden. Peter Grant is a probationary PC who witnesses a murder and in the midst of chasing who he believes the killer to be ends up talking to a ghost. Because of this Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale takes him into his section, it is just him and Peter against the practitioners of magic. It is not only magic Peter has to come to terms with but also the Gods and Goddesses of London and other fantastical people.

The scenes of London are detailed and have been written by someone knowledgeable of London, its sights, sounds and smells which ooze from the page.

If you are expecting a traditional book of magic, forget it This is one of a kind, where magic and the real world collide, mobile phones, well anything technological within the range of magic have their circuits frazzled. 

The language is littered with British humour, which makes the characters full and alive.

The spectical of killing by magic is all too real as skin slides from the face and bones are crushed. 

The characters each have their own personalities and have no reliance on the others to uphold them. Peter's shock and disbelief when he meets Nightingale is well written and I feel reflects how many of us would feel if our whole world was turned upside down. For me this is why Peter seems so real, especially as we see his struggle to come to terms with everything and to learn the art of magic - no wand waving in this book.

The feuding between the Gods and Goddesses of the Rivers is jumpy and explosive, as you are reading you are waiting for someone to throw the first punch. Peter's unenviable position of peace negotiator really sees the characters struggle with this new world.

The crime is solved not just by tracing the essence of magic which is left behind when magic has been carried out, but by good old fashioned police leg work and databases.

If you want a read of wit and dry humour, along with a ride through London with a heavy dose of magic and intrigue then this is a book I recommend. 

The Murder at Sissingham Hall by Clara Benson

This is the first in a series of sleuth Angela Marchmont.

Charles has lived the past few years in South Africa, and is now back in England. He is invited to stay with friends at Sissingham Hall, the home of his ex fiance Rosamund and her husband Sir Neville. 

Sir Neville is murdered and Angela along with Charles searches for his murderer, suspicion falls on each one of the characters.

The book is written in the style of a 1920's mystery. It is not quiet a locked room, but the murder in the manor house is evoked well in the writing. 

The staff are hovering in the background but pay little role in the murder and its consequences. 

The tension between the characters can be seen, especially between Rosamund and Charles, who have seen nothing of each other since the engagement was ended. 

The writing is easy to read and flows seamlessly from one stage to the next and from one setting to another.

The characters are interesting and each is a person in their own right, with no need to lean on another to be brought out in the open.

This is a curl up before the fire, with tea and chocolate cosy murder mystery style of the 1920's era, written in modern times.

A Quiet Life in the Country by T.E. Kinsey

This is first in a series. 

Lady Emily Hardcastle and her lady's maid Flo move into a new Edwardian built house down a small country lane on the way to the large Manor House which is a mishmash of styles the Gloucestershire village of Littleton Cotterell. They have come for a quiet life after a life of intrigue and espionage that is hinted at with half mentioned stories of the past. Yet not long after they have moved, they go for a brazing walk across the fields through the woods and to the horror find a man hanging from a tree branch.To them the death was not due to suicide and with non subtle but effective questioning they discover the truth. 

Flo is a small Welsh woman, who is more then capable in a brawl to come as the best of the crowd. She is from a circus family and many of the skills she learnt come in handy in the new quite life in the country - usually for saving Lady Hardcastle.

The Manor House belongs to Sir Hector and Lady Farley-Stroud who were friends of Lady Hardcastle's parents. They are fun loving and deeply love each other which is evident in their reactions to each other. They at first find it hard to accept Flo as anything other then a servant, but thanks to Lady Hardcastle Flo is soon accepted and welcomed as a friend.

Dora a Maid of the Stroud's is the only person who takes against them. She is especially spite filled towards Flo, who she deems has set herself above the station in which she was born. Dora causes Flo as much trouble as she can, which Flo handles with dignity.

Both characters, are well rounded and the full force of Lady Hardcastle's personalty jumps from the page. Flo is a witty women whose indifferent speech to Lady Hardcastle would and does provoke disgust among some of the upper class. Although Lady Hardcastle is quite up to the challenge and gives as good as she gets to Flo and those of her detractors.

The Chief Inspector soon learns that they are more then a pair of bumbling amateur lady sleuths and accepts the friendship offered.

The characters are relatable and interact well with each other, and the village is described in a way which brings village life off the page. The social norms of the time are evident as are the breaking of them, it is refreshing to read a novel which shows strong women of this time. 

The story is gripping and easy to read with many laughs along the way. To many it may be a distorted view of life in Edwardian times, where servants knew their place, and a Lady would never be so friendly with people of other classes but I like the way the relationships bloom and grow to become solid in later books. 

The clues are all there but are well hidden, so the ending is - or was for me - a surprise.

The village policeman however are shown to be bumbling, who were only able to see even the most obvious clue without help is grating, but is the only real objection I can find with the book.