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Monday 5 March 2018

The Home Crowd Advantage by Ben Aaronovitch Review


The Home Crowd Advantage is a Peter Grant short story that apparently takes place between Book 1: Rivers of London and Book 2: Moon Over Soho, though, having just read the first book, I’m not sure if it has any bearing on the second; it reads like a standalone for anyone who’s familiar with this world. 

It’s set during the 2012 London Olympics where an elderly French magician has decided to go out swinging by challenging Nightingale to a duel - except the Detective Inspector isn’t around and all he gets is his apprentice, Peter! 

For a series so deeply tied to the city, I suppose it made sense for Ben Aaronovitch to write something for a momentous event like the 2012 London Olympics. Aaronovitch uses the story to further build the lore of his world, alluding to Nightingale’s past at the 1948 London Olympics and referencing the disaster at Ettersburg, which was mentioned in Rivers of London, again - I’m very curious to see what that’s all about. And the finale is amusingly anticlimactic. 

The Home Crowd Advantage is a well-written and cute short story albeit not that special or memorable and fairly disposable. I’m not sure if you need to read this before diving into Book 2 but it’s a quick read and available for free over at Ben Aaronovitch’s blog here.

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