Can ordinary policemen cope with the occult if they accidentally get the ability to see the strange and unusual? Yes they can, by using their police skills and procedures and by rushing in without thinking. This is a lot darker than Ben Aaronovitch’s “Rivers of London”, but you gradually begin to admire these flawed people as they try to cope, but never back down. A fantastic addition to the London Gothic genre.

Right, so this is book one in what promises to be a great series. It is also part of a number of Urban Fantasy titles to be based in London (Rivers of London, 61 Nails...). It would be lazy to draw comparisons, yet at the same time we would like to group them together because they all belong to the heart of London and each seems to be centred around one of the many faces of London. London falling is much darker than Rivers of London, so beware. From the word go we find ourselves in the middle of an undercover operation involving London's equivalent of the Godfather. He get's nicked and one of our main protagonists is very closed from throwing his warrant card away and opting for a life on the run with their gang leader. A lot of the story links up to and involves West Ham United due to the villain being linked historically to the club. Slowly we unravel a troubled and haunted London and our 4 leading characters develop as they get accustomed to this new city they are now able to see and confront their own demons. This book in itself, I would give a 3 to 3.5, but it merits the 4 stars simply on being a great introduction to what I hopes will become a very strong and interesting series. Looking forward to the next installments and I would recommend anyone interested in London and in Urban Fantasy to give this a read.

This is a brilliant romp through a dark supernatural London and the powers that inhabit it, the first of a trilogy and I’m so looking forward to reading the other two (which I do actually have on my shelf). Quill, Costain, Sefton, and Ross make up a small police team after acquiring ‘The Sight’ which lets them see and sense the supernatural and mystical side of the world when the main suspect in their first investigation is slaughtered in front of Quill in the interview room. Each one takes this differently and becomes part of the new supernatural world on their own terms, though as we get to the end of the book there is an extra tension added which raised the stakes personally for the team. I love this style of Urban Fantasy, especially the darker ones like this. There is a good bit of procedural action in this whilst weaving a really believable mythology that drags the story forward at such a pace that it becomes breakneck. Looking forward to rest of the series.