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Stone & Sky by Ben Aaronovitch review – weird happenings in the Granite City

The 10th book in the hugely popular Rivers of London takes some of the characters to Aberdeen

Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London books have been massively successful, blending police procedural elements with urban fantasy to great effect. While the books have obviously focused on London, this latest missive, Stone & Sky, takes many of the series’ recurring characters to Aberdeen for some typically funny and weird adventures.

The story is told through the eyes of copper Peter Grant and his cousin and ghost hunter Abigail Kamara, and focuses on some weird happenings in the Granite City. 

First there’s a mutilated sheep, then the murder of a man who seemingly has gills, a supernatural seagull and talking foxes. Saying much more would flirt with those spoilers again, but the great appeal of Aaronovitch’s series is the sense of fun he writes with, and the perceptive way he deals with his large cast of characters.

This book can definitely be seen as widening the appeal and deepening the stories of the series as a whole, but it’s also a fun romp around the Scottish north-east in its own right.

Stone & Sky by Ben Aaronavitch is out now (Orion, £20). You can buy it from the Big Issue shop on bookshop.org, which helps to support Big Issue and independent bookshops.

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