Book Review: The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 6 of Peter Grant/Rivers of London
Publisher: DAW (January 31, 2017)
Length: 336 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
After two years of watching the release date hover in flux and getting pushed back time and time again, I must confess waiting for this book was its own special kind of agony. That was also when I realized I was irrevocably addicted to Peter Grant.
The Hanging Tree is book six of the series which returns to London and places the main story arc back on track, following the short respite we took to the countryside with our protagonist in Foxglove Summer. The story begins with a drug-related death at a house party in one of the most exclusive residential areas in the city. Normally, the case wouldn’t have been within the purview of the Folly, which the Met’s investigative unit for all things magical and paranormal, except for the fact that one of the party goers turned out to be the daughter of Lady Ty, goddess of the river Tyburn. Suddenly, Peter is in a bind since he owes Lady Ty a favor, and as such he has reluctantly agreed to do all he can to keep her teenage daughter Olivia out of investigation. But as it turns out, his promise might be a moot point. After all, what do you do when the young lady in question is actually brazenly admitting to be the one who gave the victim the drugs which might have led to the fatal overdose?
Meanwhile, Peter and his boss Nightingale are also back on the trail of the Faceless Man, the main baddie of the series. Word on the street is that a rare book on magical properties has gotten everyone in the practitioner community in a tizzy trying to get their hands on it, including covert groups from abroad. Peter has reason to suspect that the Faceless Man has his fingers all over this one, but then there’s a lot going on here, including the fatal house party, Lady Tyburn’s daughter and the person she’s protecting, the mysterious book, a foxy thief, and the American agents who have suddenly shown up in town. Now Peter’s job is to find out how all of this is connected.
The Hanging Tree might not be my favorite in the series, but it was still very much worth the wait. For one thing, we come closer than ever before to finding out all the answers and discovering the whole truth behind the Folly’s greatest nemesis. In addition, a complicated figure from Peter’s past also makes a return bearing surprises for our protagonist. If you’ve been following along all this time, then this book is definitely not to be missed, especially in light of the significant revelations dropped on us in the latter half of the story.
That said, I also thought it fell short of being one of the best Peter Grant books because it had a lot less of the dry, sardonic humor which has always been one of the key hallmarks of this series. While still very enjoyable, this might be the first one that didn’t make me literally laugh out loud. There also wasn’t enough of Nightingale. What I wouldn’t give to see him kick some ass again in another epic wizarding duel, instead of just hearing everyone around him talk about it. He is like the Met’s secret weapon that gets waved in front of our faces a lot, but we hardly ever get to see him in action.
In terms of criticisms though, that was probably the extent of it, which made me very happy since I had such high expectations for this book. It wasn’t always fast-paced, but as far as police procedurals go, it had just the right amount of mystery, suspense, and action. The story had so many moving parts that Aaronovitch was constantly juggling and keeping aloft, I can’t say there was really much time for anything else. Still, we got to see a little more of Peter’s relationship with Beverly, and I’m also enjoying the larger role of Sahra Guleed, another police officer who is shaping up to be the perfect partner for Peter while the two of them are on the beat. They have a great working dynamic, almost like they are of one mind when they tackle everything from suspect interviews to Falcon raids, and I’m really hoping this is the first step to Guleed becoming a series regular.
The more urban fantasy I read, the easier it gets to spot if a sequel is “filler” or an actual book where “very important things” happen. The Hanging Tree, I’m happy to report, definitely belongs in the latter category. Don’t get me wrong because I loved the previous book which was a nice break from the hunt for the Faceless Man, but I’m also pleased that this one brings us right back into thick of things and resolves some of the questions left by the shocking events at the end of Broken Homes. This book is what I would call a real game-changer. While it did end rather abruptly, it’s clear that Peter and the gang will have to tread even more carefully going forward, and the next book should be very interesting indeed. Now if I can only survive the wait…
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Whispers Underground (Book 3)
Review of Broken Homes (Book 4)
Review of Foxglove Summer (Book 5)
The BiblioSanctum 
Wait…yup I did read book 1 ages ago, not for me
I can not remember why
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The first book can be polarizing, people seem to either love it or hate it 🙂
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I’ve got this whole series queued up at the library. I’m hoping to dive in sometime this coming summer.
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I wish you luck with it! The only caveat I can give is that the series can be “very British” – the style, humor, etc. might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I would recommend it to fans of Doctor Who, etc
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Good to know. Thanks…
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wow already book 6? I remember seeing great things about the series I really want to try one day!
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Yeah, book 6 already! Time flies doesn’t it?
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“Rivers of London” has been on my list of books to try since forever, and now I discover the series has reached book 6! How time flies (and books are born) while I don’t pay attention! 🙂 Jokes aside, my attention was caught in particular by your mention of “dry, sardonic humor”, which sounds quite enticing…
Thanks for sharing!
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Yep! And he actually didn’t put out a new one last year, so this is already a “slow down” 🙂
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I loved Midnight Riot–although I wish the publisher wouldn’t have changed the name. I’m not sure why “Rivers of London” wouldn’t work for Americans, I like the original title better. One day I’ll jump into the rest of the series!
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I don’t understand the reasoning behind the name change either. If they think Americans need a more “geographically neutral” title to encourage them to pick it up, I really don’t buy that…
I have to agree, the original title and all the original covers are better. They have such personality to them!
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I still need to try this series. One of these days….
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It’s great, I hear it’s excellent in audio too 🙂
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I’ve been wondering about this series for a while but was never sure if the police procedural part would work for me. I’m leaning towards trying it though and your review certainly helps! I love the idea of it, and sounds like there’s a rich background of supporting characters and story. You’ve definitely got me interested in this one!
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Yeah, it’s heavy on the police procedural aspect, so you have to enjoy the genre to enjoy the series. I’ll say one thing though, these books are quite different from any other kind of UF I’ve ever read and they are HILARIOUS which is why I love them!
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Ah, darn, I really wanted more of Nightingale’s badassery!
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ME TOOOOO. I have such a crush on Nightingale, it’s crazy.
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Absolutely love that cover. And I’ve had this series on my radar for a while, but I think it’s time I finally take the plunge! Glad this wasn’t a let down.
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The “map” covers for this series are gorgeous! They are so unique, and like I said in a previous comment, they have so much personality.
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I’m glad this one delves back into the events of Broken Homes because those almost broke me. I’ve been dragging my feet on reading Foxglove Summer because a) I want to drag this series out as long as possible and b) it goes off on a tangent which is fine BUT, BUT…. I think now that this one is out it’s time to move forward especially since you liked it. A little worried about the lack of humor though…. That is one of my favorite thing about the series! Also there is never enough Nightingale!
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I’ve only just skimmed this because I’m still determined to catch up with this series. Nice to hear this wasn’t just filler and that you’re still loving the series. The author is such a lovely chap – I went to one of his book readings and he’s just good fun. You can tell with the tone of his books really.
Lynn 😀
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