The Hanging TreeAudiobook review by Paul Fiander
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Written by: Ben Aaronovitch
Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins Series: Peter Grant, Book 6 Publisher: Orion Publishing Group |
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Why Should I Listen to The Hanging Tree?
Ben Aaronovitch hit some sort of Alchemy when he decided to give the Metropolitan Police a Magical Branch. His mix of police procedural and magical shenanigans have created a hugely rich playground in which he can cast his spells on the unsuspecting reader as well as those desperate to for more tales of The Folly. His accomplice in the Audiobooks is Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and together they have contrived a way to steal hours of your life with a mix of delight and amazement at what the Rivers of London have in store. Despite a rather eventful Sojourn for Peter and his “special liaison” to the demimonde in Hertfordshire, London is a city that can not be left alone to its devices for too long. However the case that lands on Peter’s lap this time is not seemingly the usual Folly fodder. Instead it’s the repayment of a debt owed to one of the most powerful and we'll connected “Rivers” connected to the Thames. What follows is a 10 hour trip through some of the most exclusive parts of the fair city, magical duels and more than one old friend showing up to throw a spanner in Peter’s quest to uncover the truth behind a Sheep related pharmaceutical. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith continues to be the voice of London in all its forms as Aaronovitch once again delights it's with his own brand of magical crime investigation. |
Review
One of the joys of reading a series is the chance to get to know the characters involved. The exposure to their lives and adventures gives us an insight that most of us will never experience in the lives of another. It is one of the beauties of books but for us the reader to be really drawn in we need to believe in the characters created on the page. In this regard Ben Aaronovitch has created one of the best and well rounded leads in recent fiction. PC Peter Grant is not your normal copper, he is easily distracted and in way over his head but these minor flaws is the glue that holds the more remarkable parts of his personality together. His wit, passion and thirst for knowledge are the icing on the top of this rather remarkable leading man.
For the last five books we have seen Peter grow from a very junior officer to one half of the most clandestine departments (I have always wondered if there is more than just the Folly) in the Metropolitan Police. Through this time we have seen him have issues with his parents, fellow officers as well and the top brass, various members of the demimonde but most of all the Faceless Man and his new partner in crime Lesley-May. All of these encounters have given not only Peter depth but also filled the world that Aaronovitch has built with a wonderful menagerie of people and fantastical creatures.
One of the most important relationships is with the Rivers of London and that is how this sixth book kicks off. Peter has fallen for Beverley in seemingly a big way, this shows its head by the fact he staying with her at the start of the book as well as through the events in Foxglove Summer and the Titan comics Body Work, The Night Witch and Black Mould (though the series is not quite done yet). After all together they have spawned new Genius Loci (I think) in a river in the back of beyond. However Bev is only a bit part player in The Hanging Tree as Lady Ty takes the lead for the daughters of the Thames. The Ty/Peter relationship is a complex one that began with an ill fated summer visit a few years ago and has twisted and turned until our PC owes the Lady of the Tyburn a favour and she comes to collect. Well comes is a little rich instead she calls at a rather ungodly hour to get Peter to get involved in a fresh case with a very personal factor, her daughter.
Obviously as it’s related to Lady Ty we are dealing with the higher echelons of London society, complete with one of the most desirable pieces real estate in the world Hyde Park. As we have come to know Peter is a bit of an architecture snob, his descriptions of buildings is a fun section in every book so far and here we get the full force of his disdain for modern builder that fail to inject heart and soul into their projects. The building itself is not the key to this story so do not worry it’s not a copy of Broken Homes instead it’s a traditional murder mystery with small quotation marks around the word traditional.
Peter is again paired with our resident Muslim Ninja girl aka DC Sahra Guleed as he tries to unravel the mystery involving a group of private school kids. Guleed has become the down to earth partner in this relationship and so taken over from Lesley. She acts as a compass for Peter and tries her hardest to stop him destroying everything around him including herself. She is a wonderful foil and easily stands toe to toe with our Folly officer and one cannot help but suspect that a change in department is in her future. Then there is of course the Nightingale, Peter’s boss has seemed withdrawn from many of the interactions in the previous books and those his work in this is one is not very “proactive” he still represents a kind of Mr Miyagi figure for Peter to follow.
The story twists and turns as the adventure grows and we get a few run ins with characters from past titles all of whom add to the spice of the book. The Hanging Tree represents Peter coming back to London as well as Aaronovitch staying at the top of pile with a wonderfully crafted and paced story.
Now in our house we have two versions of the book, my wife consumes The Peter Grant series in print form whereas I obviously devour the Audiobook Version. The main reason for this is the work of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith aka the voice of Peter Grant. Some narrators do a wonderful job with story but can sometimes feel absent from the central characters they portray. Aaronvitch’s writing does not allow this as Peter’s voice is so central to the narrative. From his descriptions of impenetrable Latin to pop references everything needs to feel authentic something that Holdbrook-Smith does immensely well. I can honestly say that between them they really have become a truly great storytelling team and one that you really should listen to from the very beginning.
For the last five books we have seen Peter grow from a very junior officer to one half of the most clandestine departments (I have always wondered if there is more than just the Folly) in the Metropolitan Police. Through this time we have seen him have issues with his parents, fellow officers as well and the top brass, various members of the demimonde but most of all the Faceless Man and his new partner in crime Lesley-May. All of these encounters have given not only Peter depth but also filled the world that Aaronovitch has built with a wonderful menagerie of people and fantastical creatures.
One of the most important relationships is with the Rivers of London and that is how this sixth book kicks off. Peter has fallen for Beverley in seemingly a big way, this shows its head by the fact he staying with her at the start of the book as well as through the events in Foxglove Summer and the Titan comics Body Work, The Night Witch and Black Mould (though the series is not quite done yet). After all together they have spawned new Genius Loci (I think) in a river in the back of beyond. However Bev is only a bit part player in The Hanging Tree as Lady Ty takes the lead for the daughters of the Thames. The Ty/Peter relationship is a complex one that began with an ill fated summer visit a few years ago and has twisted and turned until our PC owes the Lady of the Tyburn a favour and she comes to collect. Well comes is a little rich instead she calls at a rather ungodly hour to get Peter to get involved in a fresh case with a very personal factor, her daughter.
Obviously as it’s related to Lady Ty we are dealing with the higher echelons of London society, complete with one of the most desirable pieces real estate in the world Hyde Park. As we have come to know Peter is a bit of an architecture snob, his descriptions of buildings is a fun section in every book so far and here we get the full force of his disdain for modern builder that fail to inject heart and soul into their projects. The building itself is not the key to this story so do not worry it’s not a copy of Broken Homes instead it’s a traditional murder mystery with small quotation marks around the word traditional.
Peter is again paired with our resident Muslim Ninja girl aka DC Sahra Guleed as he tries to unravel the mystery involving a group of private school kids. Guleed has become the down to earth partner in this relationship and so taken over from Lesley. She acts as a compass for Peter and tries her hardest to stop him destroying everything around him including herself. She is a wonderful foil and easily stands toe to toe with our Folly officer and one cannot help but suspect that a change in department is in her future. Then there is of course the Nightingale, Peter’s boss has seemed withdrawn from many of the interactions in the previous books and those his work in this is one is not very “proactive” he still represents a kind of Mr Miyagi figure for Peter to follow.
The story twists and turns as the adventure grows and we get a few run ins with characters from past titles all of whom add to the spice of the book. The Hanging Tree represents Peter coming back to London as well as Aaronovitch staying at the top of pile with a wonderfully crafted and paced story.
Now in our house we have two versions of the book, my wife consumes The Peter Grant series in print form whereas I obviously devour the Audiobook Version. The main reason for this is the work of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith aka the voice of Peter Grant. Some narrators do a wonderful job with story but can sometimes feel absent from the central characters they portray. Aaronvitch’s writing does not allow this as Peter’s voice is so central to the narrative. From his descriptions of impenetrable Latin to pop references everything needs to feel authentic something that Holdbrook-Smith does immensely well. I can honestly say that between them they really have become a truly great storytelling team and one that you really should listen to from the very beginning.
Reviewers own copy, Cover Image courtesy of Publisher
