Rivers of London: Detective Stories #2

From the Case Files of Peter Grant…

Police Constable Peter Grant’s performance review to become a detective continues. His next case placed under the microscope involves a stolen work of art. Only, this thief wasn’t trying to remove the sketch from a museum or gallery. He was trying to add it to the collection of the Duke of Wellington.

A Lack of Cohesion

I was quite disappointed with this issue. When it comes to plotting out a well structured mystery, the author can get bogged down in the details. I think Rivers of London creator and writer Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel made the plot to this story just too darn complex. Immortal soldiers, a rough draft by painter Francisco Goya, and a confession to the crime that the reader is never fully allowed to see makes for a centuries old puzzle that really didn’t need to be solved.

This issue wasn’t all bad. Segments of the story were quite good. The art as a whole was amazing. Artist Lee Sullivan illustrates the story in the style of different artists and art movements.

Sullivan’s use of styles was so good, I think Aaronovitch was trying to repeat this process, telling each suspect’s story in a different way. For example, when Grant is scouting the crime scene, clues are plastered all over the museum as he’d see it. Jump ahead a few pages to Peter interrogating the perp and the scenes inter-cut with Peter’s partner Lesley, at a private art session. Both conversations really only tell us one side of the story. Interesting techniques, but they don’t tell a cohesive enough of a story when put together.

Casting Judgments

Since I last reviewed issue #1, I have been on the hunt for the first Rivers of London novel. Being originally published in England, let me tell you, that’s no easy feat. I’ve only found it on Amazon and not for a price I’m very excited to pay. After reading this issue, I was a little relieved that I didn’t get it.

I’m willing to give this series one more try; like a best 2-out-of-3. Thankfully, each issue recounts only a single case with no real cliffhanger. If issue #3 winds up being my last, at least I will not feel like I would be missing out on anything. But Ben Aaronovitch and the staff at Titan Comics are going to have to pull out all the stops if they are going to win me over as a fan of Rivers of London for good.

Tune in next month to uncover how that mystery is solved…

Worth Consuming

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Review was originally published July 13, 2017 on Outrightgeekery.com