What Abigail Did That Summer : A Rivers Of London Novella
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- Create Date：2021-03-06 03:19:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ben Aaronovitch
- ISBN：1473224349
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Summary
Ghost hunter， fox whisperer， troublemaker。
It is the summer of 2013 and Abigail Kamara has been left to her own devices。 This might， by those who know her， be considered a mistake。 While her cousin， police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant， is off in the sticks， chasing unicorns， Abigail is chasing her own mystery。 Teenagers around Hampstead Heath have been going missing but before the police can get fully engaged， the teens return home - unharmed but vague about where they've been。
Aided only by her new friend Simon， her knowledge that magic is real， and a posse of talking foxes that think they're spies， Abigail must venture into the wilds of Hampstead to discover who is luring the teenagers and more importantly - why？
It is the summer of 2013 and Abigail Kamara has been left to her own devices。 This might， by those who know her， be considered a mistake。 While her cousin， police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant， is off in the sticks， chasing unicorns， Abigail is chasing her own mystery。 Teenagers around Hampstead Heath have been going missing but before the police can get fully engaged， the teens return home - unharmed but vague about where they've been。
Aided only by her new friend Simon， her knowledge that magic is real， and a posse of talking foxes that think they're spies， Abigail must venture into the wilds of Hampstead to discover who is luring the teenagers and more importantly - why？
Reviews
Hobart
，
★ ★ ★ 1/2 （rounded up）This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader。---THRE ARE A FEW， UH， PROVISOS， A， A COUPLE OF QUID PRO QUOS I almost feel like I need to go back and do a lot of re-reading before writing much about this book。 I'd have thought that Abigail's involvement with the Folly and Peter wasn't this developed until later in the series。Also， I know there's a connection between Abigail and the talking foxes， but I don't remember exactly when it comes about and how much of this bo ★ ★ ★ 1/2 （rounded up）This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader。---THRE ARE A FEW， UH， PROVISOS， A， A COUPLE OF QUID PRO QUOS I almost feel like I need to go back and do a lot of re-reading before writing much about this book。 I'd have thought that Abigail's involvement with the Folly and Peter wasn't this developed until later in the series。Also， I know there's a connection between Abigail and the talking foxes， but I don't remember exactly when it comes about and how much of this book is Aaronovich filling in the backstory that he just breezes past in one of the novels。I didn't feel at a loss for context while reading the book， but I tell you what， I'm feeling it as I try to talk about the novella。 So， I guess I'm saying， be nice and forgive any lapses in what's to come:WHAT'S WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER ABOUT？ This novella is set during the events of Foxglove Summer and Peter's not in London。 But never fear， Abigail does talk to Nightingale a couple of times。Abigail has a strange interaction with someone she used to know and sees someone else acting slightly strangely。 She starts， not really investigating， but taking a close look around at everything。 Then when the police start asking questions of kids in the park， showing pictures of those same people， she knows something's up。Not that she tells the police that， because they're not going to believe her。 She's told that these children （and others） have gone missing， but then reappear at home， with fuzzy memories of the last couple of days。 If Abigail， she thinks， with the help of some of the local talking foxes， can figure out what's going on， she can point Nightingale in the right direction—which might help convince him that she's ready for training。But mostly， Abigail's curious about what's happening and has to figure it out。POSTMARTIN'S CONTRIBUTION Abigail's first-person account is littered with footnotes by the Folly's archivist， Harold Postmartin。 Largely， these footnotes are to explain some of the more slang-y terms Abigail uses （although sometimes it's a more technical note）。 He seems to go to great lengths to make sure that American readers can get what she's saying。 I halfway wonder if in UK editions those notes have differences。I think I could've worked out the terms I wasn't already familiar with， but the footnotes were entertaining enough that it doesn't matter if I could've。 This was a better way to deal with it。SO， WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER？ This is absolutely a Folly-story， one that belongs in this series， but there's no way that Peter Grant was the right character to use for this story， Aaronovich needed to use someone like Abigail to tell this， conveniently enough， there she was。 She has a different way of thinking than Peter—and while there's humor to her narration， it's not the same as Peter's （even if it's occasionally similar）。 Seeing things from her perspective， it's a great way to see how she's similar to her cousin， while very much being her own person。Frequently， with novellas， I walk away wondering why couldn't we get a full novel out of it？ This isn't one of those times—the story is as long as it needs to be—it's complex and satisfying。 Also， we get a lot of development out of Abigail and get a better degree of understanding of her than we've had before。That said， there are just so many things I want to know more about， but just making this novel-length wouldn't take care of it。 For example， we learn right off the bat that there's something。。。different。。。about Simon's mom—and Aaronovich teases us with a couple of more things。 I want more of this。 I want to know just what it is that Abigail's doing for her。 I want more adventures with Abigail and the foxes。I've always wanted to see more Abigail in the novels—this underscores that for me。In short， this was a fun story—a strange one at times， but fun—that makes me more curious about a character I already enjoyed， but now I want more of her—both on her own （like this） or in the main novels。 I had a similar reaction to the novella The October Man， too。 Although that probably is my reaction to anything in this universe （at least so far）—"I enjoyed that， can I have more like it？"This would be an interesting jumping-on point for the whole series—I'm not sure I'd recommend it， but it might be enough to convince you to dive into the rest。Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Subterranean Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this。 。。。more
Montzalee Wittmann
，
What Abigail Did That Summer（Rivers of London）by Ben AaronovitchSubterranean Press @SubPressMarch 18， 2021 publishing dateAbigail is the cousin to constable and wizard Peter Grant。 This is really about all the background we find out about Abigail， that and her parents are often gone。 So the beginning is slightly confusing。 Most of the story is told by Abigail giving an account of what happened to the missing teens and her new friend by explaining to a Fed officer and to the friend's mom。 The sto What Abigail Did That Summer（Rivers of London）by Ben AaronovitchSubterranean Press @SubPressMarch 18， 2021 publishing dateAbigail is the cousin to constable and wizard Peter Grant。 This is really about all the background we find out about Abigail， that and her parents are often gone。 So the beginning is slightly confusing。 Most of the story is told by Abigail giving an account of what happened to the missing teens and her new friend by explaining to a Fed officer and to the friend's mom。 The story is wild and crazy！ The world is strange！ I have read a few of Peter Grant's books but this was different。 There are gods， talking military foxes， a hidden dimension！ Very exciting but not as easy to follow as others。 I can't wait to read more of this series！I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book！ 。。。more
Jill Elizabeth
，
I love love love this series - whether it's being narrated by Peter or Abigail or a seemingly random German dude， it's absolutely fabulous！ Aaronovitch's ability to shift point of view like he's taking a hat on and off is astonishing to me。 He writes each character's voice in such a distinctive and clear manner - there must be 75 people living inside that man's head， and each one is captivating and compelling and has tales to tell。。。 This time 'round， we focus on Abigail - and she's a delight。 S I love love love this series - whether it's being narrated by Peter or Abigail or a seemingly random German dude， it's absolutely fabulous！ Aaronovitch's ability to shift point of view like he's taking a hat on and off is astonishing to me。 He writes each character's voice in such a distinctive and clear manner - there must be 75 people living inside that man's head， and each one is captivating and compelling and has tales to tell。。。 This time 'round， we focus on Abigail - and she's a delight。 She's spunky and sassy and not afraid of anything。 And when you pair her with her talking foxes， the result is brilliant。 I really loved the story here。 It started a little slow for me， taking me a minute to fall into Abigail's cadences。 Once I did， we were off to the races。。。 There are missing kids - who aren't always missing; brief glimpses of the Rivers; and Nightingale， although no Peter （he's off on a mysterious unexplained mission， which tells me we'll see a book about him this year too， hooray！）。 The mystery was， as always， a wonderful blend of magic， myth， surprise， and history。 The storytelling and pacing were spot on （again， as always）。 I enjoyed the footnotes in the first half/two-thirds of the book - Abigail's argot is not my own， and it helped to get a simultaneous translation。 Frankly， I wish Aaronovitch did this for Peter sometimes also， as I don't always catch the references to hipster lingo or London trends/food。 It seemed like these stopped though， and there were a few spots in the last bits where I really wish I'd had that sneak-peek behind the language。I really hope this indicates a new parallel track for the series， with novels in both Abigail AND Peter's voices， as both are unique and exquisitely presented。 With the ending on this one， and Abigail's new "job" （can't say more， spoiler）， it certainly seems that way - which is wonderful！ I'd be tickled pink to see twice as many Rivers books！！Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy。 。。。more
Lorena
，
Book 9 in the Rivers of London series is only the second told from the perspective of a character other than Peter Grant （although I supposed The October Man was technically book 7。5。。。I'm not sure if this will end up officially 9， or as 8。5）。 In this case， our narrator/main character is Abigail， Peter's teenaged cousin with a not terribly happy home life， sometime sort-of apprentice at The Folly， and beloved of London's Talking Foxes。 While Peter is out of town on a not-yet known case， Abigail Book 9 in the Rivers of London series is only the second told from the perspective of a character other than Peter Grant （although I supposed The October Man was technically book 7。5。。。I'm not sure if this will end up officially 9， or as 8。5）。 In this case， our narrator/main character is Abigail， Peter's teenaged cousin with a not terribly happy home life， sometime sort-of apprentice at The Folly， and beloved of London's Talking Foxes。 While Peter is out of town on a not-yet known case， Abigail takes on the mysterious disappearances of some local teenagers on her own （or， at least， without much human help - the Foxes are on the case）。 The result is a bit of a different feel than the books narrated in Peter's voice， for obvious reasons。 I do enjoy the Peter books the most so far， but this was an interesting look at the world through another set of eyes， and the Foxes really are the best， I would really like to see a crossover between these Foxes and Seanan McGuire's Aeslin Mice， but I fear it could go poorly for the mice， and we can't have that。。。 。。。more
Lael Walters
，
An enjoyable spinoff from RIvers of London series， this book follows Abigail one summer。 Abigail is a great character and I really liked seeing some of Abigail's takes on police procedures from a more 'outside' POV。 The little 'notes' on some of Abigail's slang words were well done （so as to make them seem part of the stoy）。 And that's not even mentioning the talking foxes！ The only downside IMO is that there was not quite enough back story on Abigail。 Although some of the things 'left out' coul An enjoyable spinoff from RIvers of London series， this book follows Abigail one summer。 Abigail is a great character and I really liked seeing some of Abigail's takes on police procedures from a more 'outside' POV。 The little 'notes' on some of Abigail's slang words were well done （so as to make them seem part of the stoy）。 And that's not even mentioning the talking foxes！ The only downside IMO is that there was not quite enough back story on Abigail。 Although some of the things 'left out' could also be taken as due to Abigail's very private nature about certain subjects， still it made certain parts of the story a little confusing。 。。。more
Lou Jacobs
，
A rousing journey into the world of Abigail Kamara， the younger cousin of police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant。 Abigail hopes one day to be allowed entry into the hallowed world of magic。 Which she certainly knows is real。 She is perceived as a ghost hunter， fox whisperer and a veritable troublemaker。 This long novella concerns Abigail's investigation into a rash of "temporary" missing schoolmates。 They turn up soon after the police become involved， however unaware where they've be A rousing journey into the world of Abigail Kamara， the younger cousin of police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant。 Abigail hopes one day to be allowed entry into the hallowed world of magic。 Which she certainly knows is real。 She is perceived as a ghost hunter， fox whisperer and a veritable troublemaker。 This long novella concerns Abigail's investigation into a rash of "temporary" missing schoolmates。 They turn up soon after the police become involved， however unaware where they've been。 Abigail handles herself with aplomb， while maintaining a somewhat snarky attitude and demeanor ， but yet， remains endearing。 The supernatural element and magic abounds， with talking foxes and an abandoned "House" who only responds to children and not adults。 Abigail enlists the aid of a cadre of talking foxes to act as a surveillance force around the perimeter of the "House"， which proves to be the nexus of the mystery。 Abigail also summons the Summer Court of the River Fleet to seek guidance。 Aaronovich continues his usual excellent world building skills and characterizations to propel the narrative to a satisfying denouement。 His voice consistently acknowledges that magic is real！。 Enough backstory is supplied to allow anyone to thoroughly enjoy this tale as a standalone。 Thanks to NetGaley and Subterranean Press for supplying an Uncorrected Proof of this delightful excursion in exchange for an honest Review。（at readersremains。com） 。。。more
Jeannine Jones
，
Ben Aarronovitch has finally dedicated a book to the fabulous Abigail！ Tensions are heightened when children start disappearing in London。 Abigail's investigations into the disappearances soon entangles her in a haunted house， with a twist。 Aaronovitch positions Abigail as a spunky， intelligent heroine。 It's nice to learn about her outside the confines of the Folly， and her intelligent fox friends provide their own brand of bizarre comic relief。 This is an excellent addition to the Rivers o Ben Aarronovitch has finally dedicated a book to the fabulous Abigail！ Tensions are heightened when children start disappearing in London。 Abigail's investigations into the disappearances soon entangles her in a haunted house， with a twist。 Aaronovitch positions Abigail as a spunky， intelligent heroine。 It's nice to learn about her outside the confines of the Folly， and her intelligent fox friends provide their own brand of bizarre comic relief。 This is an excellent addition to the Rivers of London series。 。。。more
Kendra
，
This is an utterly wonderful new addition to the Rivers of London series， featuring Abigail， Peter Grant's talented and determined cousin。 Armed with enough knowledge of magic to be dangerous， she takes on a haunted house trapping teens inside--all with a little help from talking foxes and her friend Simon。 I loved every minute， and can't wait to learn more about the foxes and their intelligence network in future books in the series。 Abigail is a great narrator: smart and knowing and likable。 I This is an utterly wonderful new addition to the Rivers of London series， featuring Abigail， Peter Grant's talented and determined cousin。 Armed with enough knowledge of magic to be dangerous， she takes on a haunted house trapping teens inside--all with a little help from talking foxes and her friend Simon。 I loved every minute， and can't wait to learn more about the foxes and their intelligence network in future books in the series。 Abigail is a great narrator: smart and knowing and likable。 I want more of her， too。 。。。more
Karyn Silverman
，
Loved it， and I think this sets up a way to have an Abigail series parallel to but distinct from Peter’s already established timeline。 The voice falters sometimes （that’s the missing star） but I didn’t mind much and I buy Abigail overall， even if I quibble with the consistency of her voice。
Sam
，
This novella about Peter's precocious， caring， frustrated young cousin Abigail and large talking foxes is exactly as engaging as you'd wish。 Add in that she solves the problem and saves the people without any particular magic beyond a willingness to listen and look （and take great personal risks）。 Love the myth/origin story that Indigo tells ⅔ of the way through: "dreadful intelligence unencumbered by wisdom。" [*looks around， gestures at。。。everything* yep， that sounds about right。]Thanks to NetG This novella about Peter's precocious， caring， frustrated young cousin Abigail and large talking foxes is exactly as engaging as you'd wish。 Add in that she solves the problem and saves the people without any particular magic beyond a willingness to listen and look （and take great personal risks）。 Love the myth/origin story that Indigo tells ⅔ of the way through: "dreadful intelligence unencumbered by wisdom。" [*looks around， gestures at。。。everything* yep， that sounds about right。]Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC。 。。。more
Soup
，
Really fun new entry into the Rivers of London series， this time focusing on Abigail Kamara （the cousin of the usual protagonist， Peter Grant）。 This work deals with a lot of time shifts which can be somewhat confusing （particularly on the eARC， which also included a number of strange fonts and color depths that appeared to be randomly applied） but ultimately pays off in the end。 It appears that this may be the start of a new series in its own right， which is exciting。 Abigail is a compelling pro Really fun new entry into the Rivers of London series， this time focusing on Abigail Kamara （the cousin of the usual protagonist， Peter Grant）。 This work deals with a lot of time shifts which can be somewhat confusing （particularly on the eARC， which also included a number of strange fonts and color depths that appeared to be randomly applied） but ultimately pays off in the end。 It appears that this may be the start of a new series in its own right， which is exciting。 Abigail is a compelling protagonist and her relationships with both the talking foxes of London and the very intriguing Summer Court of the River Fleet left me eager to read the next in the series。 We even get a few insights into Nightingale while left me curious to learn more。 Note: While less bloody then some of the previous Rivers of London text and despite featuring a child protagonist， I don't think I would classify this as YA。 It would also be somewhat confusing to read if one was wholly unfamiliar with the Rivers of London series even despite efforts to explain core world building concepts。 Mild to moderate familiarity， however， would suffice。 。。。more
Emma Cathryne
，
Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Not quite middle grade， not quite YA， not quite adult， this novel struggles to find where it fits but is throughly enjoyable nonetheless。 It follows Abigail Kamara， a precocious thirteen year old minor characters from the Rivers of London series。 While Peter is off on a case， Abigail is doing some investigating of her own regarding disappearing children and teens。 Abigail is a wonderful p Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Not quite middle grade， not quite YA， not quite adult， this novel struggles to find where it fits but is throughly enjoyable nonetheless。 It follows Abigail Kamara， a precocious thirteen year old minor characters from the Rivers of London series。 While Peter is off on a case， Abigail is doing some investigating of her own regarding disappearing children and teens。 Abigail is a wonderful protagonist， bright and sharp-tongued and funny， though her vocabulary occasionally outpaces her age。 It is clear that Aaronovich doesn’t have as much experience writing this age group， but Abigail still comes across as believable， with a distinctive personality and a strong voice buoyed by some entertaining footnotes explaining various English slang for us unknowing Americans。 I really enjoyed getting to learn some background about her family， though I wished her relationship with them， particularly her brother Paul， had been explored further。 The plot moved at a smooth， even clip; Aaronovich excels at integrating story with interesting tidbits about local history， in this case the area of London known as Hampstead Heath。 The supernatural elements were great fun， particularly the peacekeeping society of talking foxes and the mysterious entity known as the House， though the later was somewhat confusing at times。 Overall， I had a good time with this， and look forward to learning more about Abigail。 。。。more
Gina
，
"What Abigail Did That Summer" is the latest in the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch。 This outing doesn't star police detective Peter Grant。 Instead， we spend time with Abigail， Peter's precocious cousin， some talking foxes， and some ghosts from the past。When one of her schoolmates tries to get her to visit an abandoned house， Abigail is suspicious， and realizes that there could be a connection to some recent disappearances of local teens。 With the help of the local river goddess， and "What Abigail Did That Summer" is the latest in the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch。 This outing doesn't star police detective Peter Grant。 Instead， we spend time with Abigail， Peter's precocious cousin， some talking foxes， and some ghosts from the past。When one of her schoolmates tries to get her to visit an abandoned house， Abigail is suspicious， and realizes that there could be a connection to some recent disappearances of local teens。 With the help of the local river goddess， and some talking foxes， she investigates。 While Peter is not in this book， Nightingale is， but only as story editor and ultimately to help Abigail tie up some loose ends。Abigail has a strong voice， and is a snarky， but endearing character。 There are glimpses into her family life， and into some folk history for both humans and the foxes。Highly recommended， as with almost every other book in the series。I received an advance copy from Subterranean Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Linden
，
I've enjoyed all of the Rivers of London books， and when I saw the title， I thought the author was maybe starting a YA series highlighting Abigail， a young teen who is learning about magic。 But any reader new to the series would receive no explanation of the back story of Abigail's history with the Folly and Peter Grant。 The novel was really a hodgepodge， and while I liked the talking foxes， I found myself bored and confused with much of the plot， vaguely wondering what the author might have bee I've enjoyed all of the Rivers of London books， and when I saw the title， I thought the author was maybe starting a YA series highlighting Abigail， a young teen who is learning about magic。 But any reader new to the series would receive no explanation of the back story of Abigail's history with the Folly and Peter Grant。 The novel was really a hodgepodge， and while I liked the talking foxes， I found myself bored and confused with much of the plot， vaguely wondering what the author might have been smoking。 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Ken
，