The Hanging Tree

It’s wise not to take a river for granted – trust me on this. It pays to be cautious when favours are called in. Suspicious deaths are not usually the concern of PC Peter Grant or the Folly, even when they happen at an exclusive party in one of the most expensive apartment blocks in London. But Lady Ty's daughter was there, and Peter owes Lady Ty a favour. Plunged into the alien world of the super-rich, where the basements are bigger than the house and dangerous, arcane items are bought and sold on the open market, a sensible young copper would keep his head down and his nose clean. But this is Peter Grant we're talking about. He's been given an unparalleled opportunity to alienate old friends and create new enemies at the point where the world of magic and that of privilege intersect. Assuming he survives the week ... The Hanging Tree is the sixth instalment of Ben Aaronovitch’s exceptional urban fantasy series combining inner-city police procedural and a unique fantasy landscape in novels that are bitingly witty, acerbic and never less than thoroughly entertaining. A former Waterstones’ bookseller, Ben Aaronovitch cut his teeth writing for television including Doctor Who before turning to the inspiration of crime fiction to fashion Rivers of London. Storming the bestseller lists the novel and it’s subsequent sequels delve into the murky underbelly of London as seen through the eyes of magician-detective Peter Grant, throwing in just a dash of magic for good measure. ‘The books deliver a charming, witty and exciting romp through a magical world not all that far from our own, offering a delightfully escapist sidetrack.’ - Independent