Broken Homes (Unabridged) (Audio Download): Amazon.co.uk: Ben Aaronovitch, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith: Books

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Audio Download
Listening Length: 10 hours and 1 minute
Program Type: Audiobook
Version: Unabridged
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
Audible.co.uk Release Date: 25 July 2013
Language: English
ASIN: B00E1M73M6

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (121 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Ben Aaronovitch has stormed the bestseller list with his superb London crime series. A unique blend of police procedural, loving detail about the greatest character of all, London, and a dash of the supernatural.

A mutilated body in Crawley. Another killer on the loose. The prime suspect is one Robert Weil; an associate of the twisted magician known as the Faceless Man? Or just a common or garden serial killer? Before PC Peter Grant can get his head round the case a town planner going under a tube train and a stolen grimoire are adding to his case-load. So far so London. But then Peter gets word of something very odd happening in Elephant and Castle, on an housing estate designed by a nutter, built by charlatans and inhabited by the truly desperate. Is there a connection? And if there is, why oh why did it have to be South of the River?

Full of warmth, sly humour and a rich cornucopia of things you never knew about London, Aaronovitch's series has swiftly added Grant's magical London to Rebus' Edinburgh and Morse's Oxford as a destination of choice for those who love their crime with something a little extra.

Read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. Kobna is a Film, Theatre, Television and Radio actor. His television credits include Little Britain, Saxondale, Pulling, Taking the Flak, Star Stories and Sirens; his theatre credits include lead roles at the National, Tricycle, Young Vic, Manchester Royal Exchange, Bush and Shakespeare's Globe theatres and he has also been in numerous BBC radio plays. He has voiced audiobooks by Alastair Reynolds and Ben Aaronovitch for Orion.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Love all of PC Grant novels 7 Aug 2013

By AMM

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Loved this book, as with the others. I did find the first third of the book a bit disjointed in a couple of places - lots of minor characters brought in really early on, and I lost track of who was who and had to keep flicking back to remember. However, love Grant and Nightingale and the Zach is growing on me too. Great storyline, and boy - didn't see that twist coming. Can't wait for the next instalment.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars weak addition to series 6 Aug 2013

By N. Brett TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE VOICE

Format:Hardcover

The author has a love and interest in London and it shines through in this series, about a branch of the Met Police that deals with the....weird stuff. In Rivers of London he introduced us to the hero of the series, PC Peter Grant, and some of the more interesting characters such as the river Gods. A fun blend of myth, clever writing and good characters. A series I have very much enjoyed and recommended to many people.

Having said all that, Broken Homes is the weakest of the four books to date. It feels like a filler with an abrupt ending and far too many plot threads left open or even unexplored. Of course they might all be destined to come together in the next book but if that is true, then it leaving far too much unanswered in this one.

Here Peter is investigating a murder which leads him to a council estate in the Elephant and Castle that might have been built with a darker purpose in mind, and could his old foe, the Faceless Man be involved too?

So not a bad book but certainly not up to the standards of the first four, I sincerely hope the author is not running out of steam or ideas.

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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost... 26 July 2013

By Kitty

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Why almost? Because Arranovitch seems to have dropped one ball of the many he is juggling in this book. The first half was disconnected and didn't seem to flow like the previous 3 novels. It wasn't until the second half when we get to briefly see Nightingale in full flow that the pace picks up, the links start to be connected and we get more information.
We meet a new individual who could be help or hindrance, and maybe, just maybe, of interest to one of our characters. And the ending wasn't one i saw coming, though thinking back on it i really should have. But as others have said this didn't fully tie up all the plot lines in this novel as others have done, but left a wide gaping maw of a follow on for the next story.
So why the 4 stars instead of 5? EDITING!!!! Seriously, get a couple of decent proof readers to deal with the continuity errors and all the flipping typos!!!!
Other than that this is still an amazing book as all the Rivers novels are. For me they are up there with the Discworld series and that of the Emporers Edge.

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars So Is Nightingale Single ... 31 July 2013

By L K Jay

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm a real fan of these books and have just finished the fourth one - I wanted to make it last for a few days at least. Broken Homes is a real return to form, I liked Whispers Underground but this was even better. The second half of the novel rocked and I really liked the fact that we saw more of Nightingale in action. Now he is becoming more and more interesting ...

The faceless man in on the prowl again and our heroes are working undercover in a tower block in the Elephant and Castle. I love that London is the main character in this story and the little policing details that are dropped in. Aaronovitch has done his research and it shows in the acronyms and details about procedure and equipment. The humour is spot on, there are so many one-liners and little references, which make Peter Grant more and more like able.

I hope the Russian night witch becomes a regular character - she's interesting, and there is so much more to be explored in this world. I don't want to give too much away but there's Nightgale's past, the Folly - a lot to be developed and I hope that this series continues for a good while yet. Oh, and there's quite an ending, which I honestly did not see coming. More Please!

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Thriller with Magic Intwined 8 Aug 2013

By T. Couper

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is the latest book in the series that definitely needs to be read in order. It is a fantasy novel set in present day London. I love that it is also a thriller with a series of crimes that must be solved. The author blends both reality and magic seamlessly in to his book.

His characters and description of London are Good and he intwines some history of London and unusual places; like Colin Dexter describes, Oxford in Inspector Morse.

Yet through it all you have this magical underground that is riveting. Can't wait for the next one! I give them all 5 stars and found each one hard to put down.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Just can't get enough 6 Aug 2013

By Gareth Wilson - Falcata Times Blog TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition

There is always an interesting element within the supernatural community but who's going to Police it? Well it comes down to the "Isaac's", a special branch consisting of one wizard, two trainee's and of course the brave as well as hardy Toby the Dog. Its fun, it has some moments of levity and when added to some darker elements, cracking twists alongside high octane action all round makes this a wonderful read.

Yet whilst most would think that these elements alone enough to read the book, the author has also worked in to it a set of characters that not only work well together but created a community that the reader just cannot wait to return to in future outings. All round, for me, this is one of my top UK Urban Fantasy series and will continue to be so for quite some time. I really can't wait to see what awaits around the corner for PC Grant and friends.

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4.3 out of 5 stars

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