This is really a 4.8 star book. Not quite perfection, but much better than "really liked it." Firstly, I must say that Aaronovitch checked off my "do not rehash for those too lazy to read the earlier books" box. I loathe spending important book time with awkward monologues re-telling the plots of earlier books. Although, I didn't re-read them right before picking this one up and I kind of wish I had.

Anyways, on with the review...

Peter is back in all his humorous, charming, magical cop-ness. Leslie gets lots of plot and is a more important character then in the last book- I'm hoping that will continue. There is a great deal of lore about the underground, British policing, pottery and architecture. The author never hits you over the head with this information, but it goes a very long way to creating an adult level of realism to a pretty fantastical novel.

An American is found dead in the Underground, stabbed in the back with a pottery shard. Peter and Leslie are called in to investigate. A seemingly innocuous plot beginning, but we discover a great deal more about those things that bump along in the night in London. Peter also continues investigating the identity of the Faceless Man, and the other Little Crocodiles. I can't really say more without giving away some very interesting, and exciting, character introductions. One thing I will say, though, is the purported religious FBI agent that Peter must deal with, is practically non-existent in the story. I'm not sure why that got highlighted in a lot of synopsis, but she's really not a plot-point.

To sum up: fans will be very satisfied with the third book in this series, and I highly recommend starting it on the weekend, or calling in sick to work. Once you start, you won't want to put it down.