Moon Over Soho (Rivers of London 2)

Moon Over Soho  - Ben Aaronovitch

Moon Over Soho

I thought that I had already reviewed this months ago, but it seems that I hadn’t, probably because I was so disgruntled about things that have nothing to do with the author’s writing and I wanted to give my annoyance a chance to simmer down and not get in the way of a fair rating. Thing is, the copy editing in the edition I read was quite negligent – scratch that - atrocious to non-existent and it really throws a monkey wrench into my reading pleasure when I have to read a sentence several times for fear that I’m missing something important only to realize that no one bothered to correct the typos, repeated and omitted words and wrong prepositions and such. Yes, I have a mean and petty cast of mind. I know.

What I enjoyed most in the novel were Peter Grant’s fun observations and remarks about London, his fellow Londoners, the MET, Nightingale, etc. I love the continuous banter between the characters. Plot development and solving the mystery took second place to the joyful dynamic between Peter and everyone he encounters.

I have to admit to having had a bit of a problem with the narrative from a very honest male point of view. In Rivers of London, Peter repeatedly made reference to the massive crush he had on Lesley. Being a man, he took the chance to get laid by someone else whenever it presented itself, but I had somehow expected Lesley to remain his number one (if unattainable) fantasy. Sure, I’ve heard before that a man can profess to be deeply in love with one woman yet sleep with every other woman who shows an interest and even have a relationship with a woman other than the one he proclaimed his love for. Well, I guess so can women. :) If a friend talked to me about similar love related issues I wouldn’t hesitate to call them out on such double standards whether they likes it or not. Since I cannot talk to Peter (I could try but I’m not sure he can hear me) and tell him what I think of his behaviour I was always slightly annoyed when his narrative turned to his sexual exploits while Lesley might be in great need of a friend. Granted, Peter tried to reconnect with Lesley and she was the one who tried to shut him out. And peter will never abandon Lesley, even if his former love for her might turn into a deep friendship. Also, since there always seems to be magic involved in his sexual endeavours, I should probably cut him some slack. And he is a man and can’t help himself. So, yes he’s forgiven.

I really hope that Lesley will get to play a bigger role again in future instalments in the series and that she and Peter will get to work as a team again. The ending of Moon Over Soho certainly seems to indicate a development in that direction.