Not only is the a clever bit of writing but both rivers are integral to the identity of Manhattan itself (their disagreement could easily be seen as an embodiment of the city’s fractious nature). One of my favorite scenes in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is a quiet moment when Percy mediates and speaks to the spirits of the East River and the Hudson River (they don’t get along). Saved from his new assignment with the Case Progression Unit Peter is drawn into the strange and unseen world of magical London. Nightingale, Britain’s sole remaining magician is the head (and entirety) of the Constabulary’s division tasked with investigating the bizarre and magical crimes of London. Peter’s ghostly experience casts him into the path of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale. Of course the threat of Peter’s dull new assignment comes after a strange murder and his odd interrogation of a spectral witness. Midnight Riot is the tale of policeman (probationary constable) Peter Grant whose tendancy towards daydreaming and distraction has earned him a place on the Case Progression Unit the part of the police force dedicated almost entirely to paperwork. Thankfully this is something that Ben Aaronovitch does exceedingly well. The characters of urban fantasy novels are as often a place as they are an actual person. The one I’m most certain of is the sense of place. It is an inclination I fight more often then not and I’ve yet to hit upon all of the particular elements of urban fantasy that really get me excited. Midnight Riot, more properly titled Rivers of London across the pond, is the first non-shared world novel of British author Ben Aaronovitch his previous work was on original novels in both the Doctor Who and Blake’s 7 universes. Midnight Riot (US)/ Rivers of London (UK)

Midnight riot series