The Minority Council by Kate GriffinMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jacket Blurb: Matthew Swift, sorcerer, Midnight Mayor, is in charge. Or so he'd like to think. London, being London, is having its issues. Drug use is rampant. Teenage vandalism is driving away business. Violent crimes are on the rise. Once upon a time, Matthew Swift wouldn't have cared. Now it's his mess to clean up.
Especially when the new drug on the market is fairy dust and the production process involves turning humans into walking drug labs. And when the teenage vandals are being hunted by a mystical creature. And when the petty criminals of London start dying by magical means.
It becomes clear that not only is this Swift's mess to clean up, but someone is trying to tell him how to do his job. Now he has to sort out who's behind the crime wave and who's interfering in his business. Swift has a lot of old enemies and few friends. If he's going to save London from a rising tide of blood -- he's going to have to learn his lessons and fast.
I love the Matthew Swift books. I find them consistently solid, peppered with fascinating insights into the human psyche, and interwoven with that British sense of humor I've always enjoyed.
Our hero, Matthew, is flawed and reluctant to assume the mantle of his job responsibilities. His apprentice, Penny, is one kick ass sorceress with a heart of tarnished gold who is the perfect counter to Matthews often dark outlook. The supporting cast of characters are varied and multifaceted, the monsters we meet are fascinating, an the setting of a city rife with modern magic of electricity/garbage/graffiti is a nice change from the usual pointy eared elves and woodland magic. I love the urban grittiness.
I also appreciated how Matthew's character develops in this book. He has to begin to take ownership of his responsibilities. He is forced to step up to the plate and BE the Midnight Mayor. He has to accept a little help from his friends. He steps up his mentoring Penny. And, along the way, he makes new friends. Can I just add here that Kelly was wonderful? I love Kelly as much as I love Penny.
And through everything that is thrown, hurled, sicc'd , injected, or fired at Matthew, he still remains true to himself despite what the Electric Blue Angels want.
Highly recommend this whole series.
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