Reviews

Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch

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timinbc's review

3.0

Meh. Slow and meandering most of the way.

I happen to have read #5 and #6 before this, so I know that some of the meandering is setup for later, but it was still tedious. Beverley matters later, but added nothing to this book. Various plot threads appeared and ended without having had any noticeable effect.

If an editor took out every occurrence of the words "me and Lesley" this would be a novella. The author even feels the need to acknowledge that he's doing it on purpose; Nightingale notices it each time he hears it. Odd, because Peter's English is otherwise flawless. Never a "for she and I" or an "I seen it coming" or "would of."

We finally get to see what Nightingale can do. Not bad. But once again ~~Moriarty~~ Faceless Man leaves us with the feeling that he can do everything Nightingale can do while juggling flaming torches on a unicycle. This can't last.

Most of all, much as I enjoy this series, it feels as if Aaronovitch is turning into Janet Evanovich, with an endless series of stories that promise an end to the overarching story arc but never quite deliver it.

Still worth it for the snarky observations and the respect he shows for police procedure.

tregina's review against another edition

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4.0

I've criticized the other books in this series for being a little bit style over substance (despite enjoying them a great deal), but something about this one just clicked for me. I'm not sure the writing or the plotting were any different, just my disposition towards them, which suggests it really is a question of YMMV. Whichever it was, I quite liked this and wow do I ever want to know what happens next.

chlcrc617's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

georgemay's review

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adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

hirvimaki's review

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4.0

Much more action. Much more magic. Thoroughly enjoyable. Peter is coming into his own and the stakes are getting higher. This was a well plotted and executed story that kept me reading.