Les disparues de Rushpool

This is my favorite of this series so far. Now that any romantic possibilities with Leslie are out of the way, I fully support Peter’s romantic explorations with Beverly Brook, and in the end, she’s my favorite character in this story.

I like some of the terminology introduced in this book. No one wants to appear insane or really believe magic drives real events, so a major part of Peter’s job requires him to create two narratives around events, a “real” official report and a true one for the Folly. to that end, he is asked to complete “A Falcon Assessment” of the events surrounding this case in rural England. People are left to interpret “Falcon Assessment” any way they deem appropriate, but no one actually asks him what it means. Some know, and some don’t want to know.

I like that the supernatural element of this story takes a while to develop. Peter stays on the case to stay out of London after determining no Falcon involvement. He’s still reeling from the betrayal at the end of the last case. Then a couple of cell phones change his conclusion, and Nightingale sends Beverley as backup.

Peter’s use of technology to trace the appearance of magic is brilliant, and his sacrifice at the end show the depths of his character. As another reviewer mentioned, the Fae in the Rivers Universe aren’t like Tinkerbell, but they definitely like to play with humans.

Finally, I love the portrayal of unicorns. While I’m certain it isn’t the first time in fiction, it is the first time I’ve seen unicorns as the malevolent enforcers of the Fae.