The Book Report Episode #29

Episode #28

Winter Gifts By Ben Aaronovitch

The Book

I think there is a mistake. Google insists that this book was published on the 8th of June 2023. But my book says 2022. So I don’t know if it’s a misprint or not.

Anyway, this is a side story from The River of London series. Book number 9.5 according to people in the know. This book has 214 pages.

The cover is like tracing paper. It overlaps the image underneath. I like it.

What Did I Think

A retired ex-FBI agent calls in for some help in the small town of Eloise. Some weird happenings of the maybe supernatural kind are occurring. The neighbours have been complaining about weird sightings and unusual weather which ends up closing the town off from the rest of the world. At just the right convenient time. Go figure!

The freaky weather and odd sightings seem to be linked to a group of people, that went missing in 1845.

Mr Aaronovitch knows what he is doing and cannot escape the connection with the X-files. So he doesn’t, he joins in. Having the X-files shut down in the nineties with something similar replacing it. But in this world, it is concentrated on the supernatural and magic instead of just aliens or close encounters.

FBI Special Agent Kimberley Reynolds is sent to investigate and meet up with the ex-agent only to find him gone. Taken maybe. A neighbour tries to help but believes she dreamt it all.

She works with the local meteorologist to work out what is going on and fix the crazy, weird happenings in the small town. Of course, the usual things occur over time.

TV?

This book reads like how an episode of a TV series would go and could easily be adapted for that purpose. There is enough detail to keep you going and enough for you to want to know a bit more. But you are left with your imagination to make up the rest. And maybe, just maybe, you would want to read the rest of the series.

I have to admit I am a little tempted.

This is a semi-light read without a large amount of technobabble. Also not a lot of explanation. The attempts were made but it’s washed over. An example of this is near the end. They meet someone. They realise who he is. But don’t go into the detail of what, why, where, or how. It’s just accepted and move on.

Would I Recommend

I did enjoy this book. So, yes I would recommend it. Don’t expect the greatest book in the world. But do expect to have a fun mystery read. If you enjoy crime stories but would like some actual supernatural and magic thrown in, you may like this book. Although, there isn’t a lot of it. It is still a good light read. A good, not over the top, mystery tangled with some crime and magic.

Please give it a go.

Would you like to purchase your very own copy?

You could try these online stores: Amazon UK/USA. Waterstones. AbeBooks UK/ USA, Barnes and Noble and eBay UK/ USA.

Alternatively, you could try your local bookshop or even your local library.