Hmmm...this was...just okay. Let's say a 3.5, but that is really scraping the bottom of the barrel for me on these books. Seriously, this type of “I don’t need to know about winter to tell you all about winter” hubris is the reason the Franklin expedition failed. So, let me get one thing out of the way. Die schlafenden Geister des Lake Superior is a German translation of the novella Winter's Gifts, originally written in English by London author Ben Aaronovitch. It is the first book-length work in the Rivers of London series to be set in the USA. I am a US citizen and a native English speaker. So why did I read this book in German, and why am I writing my review in English? Things soon go from weird to worse, as neighbours report unsettling sightings, key evidence goes missing, and the snow keeps rising - cutting off the town, with no way in or out… Meh. Part of my dissatisfaction might be with the audiobook itself, but it was only like five hours long and it took me three weeks to finish it. First, Kimberly has never been my favorite character, though she grew on me a bit here chasing paranormal activity in a snowed-in Wisconsin lake town. Second, she kept meeting people once and that was it, though a few made a brief second appearance. The story was a lot of disconnected events that only began to come together at the very end, and it was hard to latch on to.

Although FBI Agent Kimberley Reynolds has worked with Peter Grant from time to time since she helped him investigate the fatal stabbing of a US Senator's son in 'Whispers Under Ground', 'Winter's Gifts' is the first book with her as the main character.She'll also love the Persian Rug Yoga Mat. Hot yoga is the perfect winter sport, and this mat will inject some more style into her yoga session. What are the best winter gifts for husbands?

I was looking forward to this 'Spin Off' story but I was disappointed at how thin the story felt. The book had that Series 1 Episode 1 feel to it, where you can see the potential but you can also see that the series hasn't hit its stride yet. I LOVE the Rivers of London series, so was excited about the latest installment. But I don't know if it's that there was not enough of my lovely Peter Grant, or that I don't really care about Kimberley's character, or that it was set in the US and had a rather weird mash-up of Native American lore. It could have been a smidgen of all of these things contributing. If it (understandably) doesn’t quite have the full familiar joy of the main range novels – Peter is such a strong character that it’s always tempting to just want more of him – Winter’s Gifts nevertheless manages to ably demonstrate (much like The October Man) that there’s more to this series than just British wizardry. Indeed there’s plenty of scope for exploring magic in different places and different forms, and this sort of supernatural horror(ish) story fits in perfectly with the series as a whole and works well in the shorter novella format. With her gentle humour, sharp observation skills and amusing intolerance for bad language, agent Reynolds joins the ranks of Tobias and Abigail as thoroughly entertaining viewpoint characters who offer an interesting new perspective on this world, adding depth and variety to a series which continues to entertain and satisfy.

Warm your friends and family up with Gifts Australia's winter gifts

Things soon go from weird to worse, as neighbours report unsettling sightings, key evidence goes missing, and the snow keeps rising – cutting off the town, with no way in or out…

Accents aside, the narration was fine, but... it could have been better. (I just read a review saying that all the male characters sounded like Barney Rubble for some reason. Ha.) I guess Kimberly is supposed to be from the midwest (wait, or Oklahoma? Does Aaronovitch think that Oklahoma is the Midwest? And wouldn't someone from the state with such a large Native population maybe, you know, know more about the stories of Native Peoples in this country? It kind of helps with the use of "momma" though.) And the British narrator apparently grew up in the US? It's funny how much these details matter, and yes I think there SHOULD have been a beta reader. We are happy to announce that Ben Aaronovitch will be joining us to sign copies of Rivers Of London: Winter's Gifts at Forbidden Planet Megastore London on Thursday 8th June 2023 from 5:30pm - 6:30pm.

Cosy winter gifts

So, in summary, it's a fine story. There's nothing wrong with it, really. But nothing in it makes me really jump with joy.

If you’re going to write about living in winter, learn about living in winter first. Literally millions of people do this every year, so it shouldn’t be hard to find someone with first-hand experience. I have been spoiled by the likes of Kobna Holdbrook Smith and Nigel Planer. They virtually disappear behind their voices, so I didn't expect much out of this reader. I have yet to hear a woman doing a decent male voice. But I can enjoy the books anyway. I'm just totally in love with Nigel and Kobna. But I have one word for this reader. "Parker." She slipped up once and said "parka." Maybe I listen to too much BBC and American accents have started to sound weird to me. But "parker"? In a book where it's cold and snowy, everyone is going to be putting one of these on and off all the time. It was jarring. All the men sounding like adolescents was a bit weird too. But the "parkers" were grating on me. This is supposed to be an Oklahoma accent? I know of only one place where the "r" is added where it doesn't belong and that's Massachusetts. We had a neighbor from "Maather's Vinyaad." But she also removed Rs. She called me "Maather" all my young life. Being a novella it was mercifully short. Damit ist sie in ihrem Büro in New Orleans nun eine der anerkannten Spezialist*innen und als ein Ex-Agent einen Fall mit möglichen magischen Komponenten meldet, begibt sie sich zur Sondierung nach Eloise, wo sie mitten in den Nachwehen eines unerwarteten Tornados landet, der unter anderem die Polizeistation vernichtet hat. Und der fragliche Ex-Kollege scheint von seltsam verkleideten Unbekannten entführt worden zu sein. Something spooky is going down in Wisconsin of all places. As seemingly the only X-Files-y operative, Reynolds has to parka up and straighten it out. And it seems architectural mayhem follows her the same way it does for Peter Grant. And is romance inevitable? That person is FBI Special Agent Kimberley Reynolds. Leaving Quantico for snowbound Northern Wisconsin, she finds that a tornado has flattened half the town - and there’s no sign of Henderson.There was a huge (missed) opportunity here to not only expand the series but explore new territory (literally and figuratively) through the eyes of an existing side character and delve into culture, religion and society beyond what’s included in the previous novels. Beyond being cringe AF, Karen has zero personality; my toaster is more personable. She can’t even think for herself, it would seem, as she constantly asks herself what Peter Grant would do in her place (and then answers herself in a bad English accent if you have the audiobook).