The Hanging Tree - BOOKS.HCCP.ORG

387 pages

English language

Published Nov. 3, 2016

ISBN:: 9780575132559

(1 review)

Suspicious deaths are not usually the concern of PC Peter Grant or the Folly, even when they happen at an exclusive party in one of the most expensive apartment blocks in London. But Lady Ty's daughter was there, and Peter owes Lady Ty a favour. Plunged into the alien world of the super-rich, where the basements are bigger than the house and dangerous, arcane items are bought and sold on the open market, a sensible young copper would keep his head down and his nose clean. But this is Peter Grant we're talking about.

He's been given an unparalleled opportunity to alienate old friends and create new enemies at the point where the world of magic and that of privilege intersect. Assuming he survives the week . . .

3 editions

Jules reviewed The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch

Review of 'The Hanging Tree' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Is anyone else getting rather frustrated by the amount of superfluous detail in these books? If the author cut out all the architectural details of every single building Peter Grant goes into and the precise description including exact shade of every item everyone he meets is wearing the book would probably be about two thirds of the length, and this seems to be getting worse as the series progresses not better. It almost feels like he's trying to make up a word count, and particularly in this book I found it made it harder to follow the story, as well as occasionally disrupting the pacing - a dramatic scene where someone is shot is interrupted by a detailed discussion of the consequences of gunshot wounds for example. This is a shame because I've generally enjoyed the series and this book introduces some interesting new ideas and characters and ties up …

Is anyone else getting rather frustrated by the amount of superfluous detail in these books? If the author cut out all the architectural details of every single building Peter Grant goes into and the precise description including exact shade of every item everyone he meets is wearing the book would probably be about two thirds of the length, and this seems to be getting worse as the series progresses not better. It almost feels like he's trying to make up a word count, and particularly in this book I found it made it harder to follow the story, as well as occasionally disrupting the pacing - a dramatic scene where someone is shot is interrupted by a detailed discussion of the consequences of gunshot wounds for example. This is a shame because I've generally enjoyed the series and this book introduces some interesting new ideas and characters and ties up some loose threads, but I found it very difficult to stay focussed on the story.