The song. That's what London constable and sorcerer's apprentice Peter Grant first notices when he examines the corpse of Cyrus Wilkins, part-time jazz drummer and full-time accountant, who dropped dead of a heart attack while playing a gig at Soho's 606 Club. The notes of the old jazz standard are rising from the body-a sure sign that something about the man's death was not at all natural but instead supernatural.
Body and soul. They're also what Peter will risk as he investigates a pattern of similar deaths in and around Soho. With the help of his superior officer, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, the last registered wizard in England, and the assistance of beautiful jazz aficionado Simone Fitzwilliam, Peter will uncover a deadly magical menace-one that leads right to his own doorstep and to the squandered promise of a young jazz musician: a talented trumpet player named Richard "Lord" Grant-otherwise known as Peter's dear old dad.
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[It's a sad fact of modern life that if you drive along enough, sooner or later you must leave London behind]***
(Virago, 26 June 2012, first published 1999, paperback, 368 pages, bought from @TheBHF)
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I picked this up in a charity shop several years ago and I'm sorry it took me so long to get round to reading. I did a blog tour recently for Breaking the Lore by Andy Redsmith and now understand why both books have been compared. I had a great time with this book. It's like a combination of Luther and Harry Potter. Who could resist such a concept? The book is hilarious at times but very dark as well especially as events move towards a climax. I will definitely check out other books in the series.
