The Masquerades of Spring

June 24, 2024
Aaronovitch goes full P.G. Wodehouse in his sixth Rivers of London fantasy (after Winter’s Gifts), cleverly integrating comedic elements into a supernatural plot. Augustus “Gussie” Berrycloth-Young is a member of the Folly, the covert British organization who were entrusted by Isaac Newton with safeguarding the knowledge of magic “back in the age of enormous wigs.” But after Gussie uses the mystic arts for a prank, ticking off his superiors, he exiles himself to Manhattan, where he finds a Jeeves-like valet, Maximillian Beauregard, and the love of his life: copywriter Lucien Gibbs. Gussie’s new day-to-day is disrupted when Thomas Nightingale, the man whom the Folly “send forth into the world to solve problems and shoot trouble,” arrives at his Manhattan apartment on a quest for the provenance of an enchanted saxophone believed to have been touched by the devil himself. Gussie’s love for and expertise on the New York City jazz world proves an asset to this caper, which is heavier on laughs than chills. It’s an absolute joy. Agent: John Berlyne, Zeno Agency.