320 pages
English language
Published Dec. 31, 2012 by Gollancz.
A mutilated body in Crawley. A killer on the loose. The prime suspect is one Robert Weil, possibly an associate of the twisted wizard known as the Faceless Man. Or maybe just a garden-variety serial killer. Before apprentice wizard and Police Constable Peter Grant can even get his head 'round the case, two more are dropped in his lap: a town planner has gone under a tube train, and there's a stolen grimoire for Grant to track down. So far, so London. But then Peter gets word of something very odd happening on a 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—in the jurisdiction of some pretty prickly local river spirits?
Still not as good as #1 and #2 but on a par with #3 and I'll keep reading.
The investigation dragged a bit so the resolution didn't seem very well tied to the opening. The new characters weren't as interesting as in previous books, though Varvara has great potential. The action was well handled and the ending twist was good.
