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Inspector Paris Mystery #2
Know Your Rites
Inspector Nick Paris is back in this magical crime mystery perfect for fans of Douglas Adams and Ben Aaronovitch.
Inspector Nick Paris, now also known as 'the one who stopped the demons', has become an unlikely celebrity in the magical world. He is desperate to return to tackling more ordinary crimes on his home turf of Manchester.
However, the fates aren't in his favour when he is called upon again by his more unusual police colleagues to solve a gruesome killing. The only suspect is a dwarf trying to make it in the rap business. But are there more mysterious matters afoot?
Paris is thrust back into the world of magic and murder but who will face the music?
Inspector Nick Paris, now also known as 'the one who stopped the demons', has become an unlikely celebrity in the magical world. He is desperate to return to tackling more ordinary crimes on his home turf of Manchester.
However, the fates aren't in his favour when he is called upon again by his more unusual police colleagues to solve a gruesome killing. The only suspect is a dwarf trying to make it in the rap business. But are there more mysterious matters afoot?
Paris is thrust back into the world of magic and murder but who will face the music?
346 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 22, 2019
7 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Andy Redsmith
2 books15 followersA long time ago in a galaxy not that far away, Andy Redsmith was born. He grew up in Liverpool and Runcorn, went to university in Salford, and has lived in Manchester ever since. He says the people there are great, but we don’t talk about football.
He worked in the computing industry for long enough to remember ALGOL (a language that’s not quite as dead as Latin, but well on the way.) Over the years in IT he has worked with some very clever people and some complete weirdos; none of whom bear any resemblance to the characters in his writing. Honest.
He has a wonderful wife, one grown-up son, and a loft full of old Marvel comics. He says he’ll get round to selling them eventually. That’s the comics, not the family.
He worked in the computing industry for long enough to remember ALGOL (a language that’s not quite as dead as Latin, but well on the way.) Over the years in IT he has worked with some very clever people and some complete weirdos; none of whom bear any resemblance to the characters in his writing. Honest.
He has a wonderful wife, one grown-up son, and a loft full of old Marvel comics. He says he’ll get round to selling them eventually. That’s the comics, not the family.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 6, 2019
This is the second in the Inspector Paris (aka Mr Parrots and Nipparis) series of murder, mayhem and magic by Andy Redsmith. Although I could see this was a good book, I was struggling to really get into it until at almost a third of the way in wham, I was totally immersed and loving it. Paris has become an unexpected hero and celebrity after previously seeing off a demon invasion with a team of normal and magical beings. The portal into the magical world is in the well heeled Didsbury district in Manchester, although it has now become a heavily militarised zone overseen by Captain Montrose. Paris is desperately hoping his next case will be a normal human one, but he is doomed to be disappointed when 28 year old Jay Ramirez, a music producer is found murdered, stabbed in his home, and the only suspect is an aspiring rapper, a dwarf named Dirk.
This is a highly politically sensitive case, the British government are looking for a post Brexit trade deal with the magical world. In what at first appears to be a slam dunk of a case, it soon transpires that nothing is as seems as evidence emerges that Dirk could not have killed Ramirez. Dirk is the oddest dwarf with his designer clobber and goatee beard, who raps his way through every situation, had been living with Ramirez, the producer supposedly grooming him for musical stardom, even though Dirk is not good, and the two had argued over the imminent arrival of Olga, Dirk's sister, a ninja warrior. Paris, aided by Sergeant Bonetti, and a police hierarchy happy to supply him with copious amounts of whisky, essential to oil the wheels of his brain for those break through moments, works a complex case that has him returning to the magical world with his lover, Cassandra, a purple haired witch and goth. The magical police consists of Malbus, a smoking crow, foxes, and a not to messed with golden eagle, who unearth felonious felines as they work closely with Paris.
This is a well written and hilarious series, and whilst it was my first taste, I have become a fan after reading this, keenly anticipating the next addition. There is a huge cast of characters and fantastical beings of a magical world that is nominally medieval in structure, with many aspects that replicate the normal human universe. I loved Nigel, the elephant who drinks to forget, Nola, the vengeful cat and so many others, whilst Paris is a charismatic protagonist. I found this to be a hugely entertaining, fun and comic read. I think readers who loved the Artemis Fowl series or the author Terry Pratchett will be likely to find Andy Redsmith's series an immensely enjoyable experience. Many thanks to Canelo for an ARC.
This is a highly politically sensitive case, the British government are looking for a post Brexit trade deal with the magical world. In what at first appears to be a slam dunk of a case, it soon transpires that nothing is as seems as evidence emerges that Dirk could not have killed Ramirez. Dirk is the oddest dwarf with his designer clobber and goatee beard, who raps his way through every situation, had been living with Ramirez, the producer supposedly grooming him for musical stardom, even though Dirk is not good, and the two had argued over the imminent arrival of Olga, Dirk's sister, a ninja warrior. Paris, aided by Sergeant Bonetti, and a police hierarchy happy to supply him with copious amounts of whisky, essential to oil the wheels of his brain for those break through moments, works a complex case that has him returning to the magical world with his lover, Cassandra, a purple haired witch and goth. The magical police consists of Malbus, a smoking crow, foxes, and a not to messed with golden eagle, who unearth felonious felines as they work closely with Paris.
This is a well written and hilarious series, and whilst it was my first taste, I have become a fan after reading this, keenly anticipating the next addition. There is a huge cast of characters and fantastical beings of a magical world that is nominally medieval in structure, with many aspects that replicate the normal human universe. I loved Nigel, the elephant who drinks to forget, Nola, the vengeful cat and so many others, whilst Paris is a charismatic protagonist. I found this to be a hugely entertaining, fun and comic read. I think readers who loved the Artemis Fowl series or the author Terry Pratchett will be likely to find Andy Redsmith's series an immensely enjoyable experience. Many thanks to Canelo for an ARC.
September 3, 2019
In this fun mystery series, a portal between the world of magic creatures and the human world has been discovered in a wealthy area of Manchester. A secret long known by the magical creatures, humans discovered it when an army of demons tried to invade in the previous episode. Eventually thwarted by DI Nick Paris, aided by the British army and a band of magical creatures, the demons have returned home and the residential area is now a heavily guarded military zone. After being feted in the magical kingdom, DI Paris had hoped he could go back to dealing with human crimes but when a musical agent is murdered and the only suspect is a dwarf would be rap singer, he finds himself once again investigating a devious plot involving magical creatures.
This was a light, entertaining read peppered with a lot of silly jokes and puns as DI Paris practices his own style of policing (whisky is essential for his thought processes), aided by his girlfriend witch Cassandra, Malbus, a cigarette smoking crow, Tergil an elf noble, Dirk the appalling rapping dwarf and his sister Olga, a sword wielding warrior as well as Grarf, a large but friendly demon. Trolls, flying bulls, ogres, demon hordes, an elephant who drinks to forget and a trio of feline spies all make an appearance as Paris and company head back into the magical kingdom. Not high fantasy, but enjoyable if you're in the mood for a humorous cosy mystery set in a magical world. 3.5★
This was a light, entertaining read peppered with a lot of silly jokes and puns as DI Paris practices his own style of policing (whisky is essential for his thought processes), aided by his girlfriend witch Cassandra, Malbus, a cigarette smoking crow, Tergil an elf noble, Dirk the appalling rapping dwarf and his sister Olga, a sword wielding warrior as well as Grarf, a large but friendly demon. Trolls, flying bulls, ogres, demon hordes, an elephant who drinks to forget and a trio of feline spies all make an appearance as Paris and company head back into the magical kingdom. Not high fantasy, but enjoyable if you're in the mood for a humorous cosy mystery set in a magical world. 3.5★
September 2, 2019
I found this second book in this series about magical creatures to be not quite as engaging as the first. There seemed to be a lot more page filler and a lot less happening. The characters from the first book were still there and the weak jokes and puns were just the same, but the story lacked action.
It was still interesting to see Inspector Paris's brain in action, especially when fuelled with whisky. I liked the involvement of witches, demons, elves and dwarves as well, but did not need the talking animals. They seemed to reduce the story to a childish level.
So mixed feelings about this one. If there is an Inspector Paris Mystery#3 in the future I will probably give it a try but I won't be rushing out to get it.
It was still interesting to see Inspector Paris's brain in action, especially when fuelled with whisky. I liked the involvement of witches, demons, elves and dwarves as well, but did not need the talking animals. They seemed to reduce the story to a childish level.
So mixed feelings about this one. If there is an Inspector Paris Mystery#3 in the future I will probably give it a try but I won't be rushing out to get it.
March 27, 2020
Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me.
To ensure I had a full grasp of the characters and the plot I read the first of the series, 'Breaking the Lore' as well. For me, I found the setting, characters and general story of 'Know Your Rites' to be two dimensional. The authors presence is obvious and there is a lot of telling rather than showing.
The humour at times worked really well (hence 1 star) but most of the time it was again too obvious or forced for my liking. The characters are explored but on a very top level, we get to know their habits and something of their personalities but nothing deep enough to make me want to care about them.
There was a lot of repetition of internal thoughts being spoken out loud, mundane thoughts being discussed for pages and random generic conversations that really jarred with the magical elements.
As far as urban fantasy goes, this has a few funny moments but all in all it didn't capture my imagination.
To ensure I had a full grasp of the characters and the plot I read the first of the series, 'Breaking the Lore' as well. For me, I found the setting, characters and general story of 'Know Your Rites' to be two dimensional. The authors presence is obvious and there is a lot of telling rather than showing.
The humour at times worked really well (hence 1 star) but most of the time it was again too obvious or forced for my liking. The characters are explored but on a very top level, we get to know their habits and something of their personalities but nothing deep enough to make me want to care about them.
There was a lot of repetition of internal thoughts being spoken out loud, mundane thoughts being discussed for pages and random generic conversations that really jarred with the magical elements.
As far as urban fantasy goes, this has a few funny moments but all in all it didn't capture my imagination.
January 20, 2023
A fantastic 2nd book and hopefully there will be more to follow!
August 24, 2019
More fantasy fun from Paris & Co
My thanks to Canelo for an eARC via NetGalley of Andy Redsmith’s ‘Know YourRites’ in exchange for an honest review. Since publication I purchased my own copies in ebook format.
This is the second in his Inspector Nick Paris (aka Mr Parrots/Nipparis depending on who is addressing him) series of comic fantasy mysteries. It follows on from ‘Breaking the Lore’ as Manchester and the human world adjusts to the revelation of the existence of magical creatures and a parallel world linked by a mystic portal. I would recommend reading them in order.
Paris has hardly drawn breath from the last case before there is another crime involving a magical being. A dwarf named Dirk with aspirations to become a rapper (!) is accused of murdering a human music producer.
The case involves a number of the quirky characters from the first book as well as introducing new ones. I enjoyed the addition of the lamasu, winged bulls from Assyrian myth, and Nigel, the elephant bartender. I cannot recall encountering lamasu in other fantasy literature and these were very expressive.
Paris and company (including the lovely human witch Cassandra) spend a portion of the novel in the magical realm and we learn more about its society.
This was a great deal of fun though with so many characters it felt as times as though they were all jostling for attention. While not all the jokes were hits for the most part I was amused from start to finish. I did rather want more of the espionage cats!
Hopefully, there will be further adventures for Paris and company in the near future.
On a side note for some reason having the dwarfs constantly address Nick as Mr. Parrots just cracked me up.
My thanks to Canelo for an eARC via NetGalley of Andy Redsmith’s ‘Know YourRites’ in exchange for an honest review. Since publication I purchased my own copies in ebook format.
This is the second in his Inspector Nick Paris (aka Mr Parrots/Nipparis depending on who is addressing him) series of comic fantasy mysteries. It follows on from ‘Breaking the Lore’ as Manchester and the human world adjusts to the revelation of the existence of magical creatures and a parallel world linked by a mystic portal. I would recommend reading them in order.
Paris has hardly drawn breath from the last case before there is another crime involving a magical being. A dwarf named Dirk with aspirations to become a rapper (!) is accused of murdering a human music producer.
The case involves a number of the quirky characters from the first book as well as introducing new ones. I enjoyed the addition of the lamasu, winged bulls from Assyrian myth, and Nigel, the elephant bartender. I cannot recall encountering lamasu in other fantasy literature and these were very expressive.
Paris and company (including the lovely human witch Cassandra) spend a portion of the novel in the magical realm and we learn more about its society.
This was a great deal of fun though with so many characters it felt as times as though they were all jostling for attention. While not all the jokes were hits for the most part I was amused from start to finish. I did rather want more of the espionage cats!
Hopefully, there will be further adventures for Paris and company in the near future.
On a side note for some reason having the dwarfs constantly address Nick as Mr. Parrots just cracked me up.
August 24, 2019
I remembered the first book clearly so it was a pleasure to be reunited with Nick Paris, his magical girlfriend Cassandra, Bonetti his rather thick sergeant, and the team who helped him in the last desperate adventure. Once again, I found the contrast between Nick’s worldweary, rather cynical outlook and the world of elves, dwarves and talking crows an enjoyable one. The storyline carries on from the adventures in the previous book, so my firm advice would be to read Breaking the Lore first, otherwise you will be missing too much of the backstory to make sense of what is going on.
Humour is highly subjective. What has one person roaring with laughter will leave someone else blank-faced and yawning, so do be aware of that with regard to my following comments. While I initially enjoyed the humorous aspect of the story, I quickly decided that Redsmith is trying too hard to make me laugh, rather than immerse me in an engrossing portal fantasy whodunit. There are too many times when scenes are included or extended for the sole purpose of yet another pun or wordplay, rather than for the sake of deepening the characterisation or advancing the storyline. Consequently I felt that the jokes got in the way of the story, rather than embellishing it.
That said, I still had no trouble turning the pages and finishing this murder mystery and will be very happy to read another slice in Nick Paris’s adventures. Recommended for those who enjoy paranormal murder mysteries – but please be aware that this series is nothing like Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant mysteries. The ebook arc copy of Know Your Rites was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest opinion of the book.
7/10
Humour is highly subjective. What has one person roaring with laughter will leave someone else blank-faced and yawning, so do be aware of that with regard to my following comments. While I initially enjoyed the humorous aspect of the story, I quickly decided that Redsmith is trying too hard to make me laugh, rather than immerse me in an engrossing portal fantasy whodunit. There are too many times when scenes are included or extended for the sole purpose of yet another pun or wordplay, rather than for the sake of deepening the characterisation or advancing the storyline. Consequently I felt that the jokes got in the way of the story, rather than embellishing it.
That said, I still had no trouble turning the pages and finishing this murder mystery and will be very happy to read another slice in Nick Paris’s adventures. Recommended for those who enjoy paranormal murder mysteries – but please be aware that this series is nothing like Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant mysteries. The ebook arc copy of Know Your Rites was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest opinion of the book.
7/10
July 22, 2019
I just love this series. Canelo had been kind to give me the first book and they were kind to give me this book as well. And I have to say I just loved this book. In my opinion this is even better than the first one. And all of my favourite characters are all there in the book again. The characters of Nick Paris (Mr Parrots, Nipparis), Bonetti, Cassandra, Eric, Tergil, Grarf, Malbus (my favourite, Gizza fag) and a few new additions with Dirk the dwarf who's aspiring to be a rapper and who's quite bad at it and Olga, his sister who's quite overprotective and mercurial Knight. I loved this book and dare I say, I loved it even more than The Rivers of London series. Which brings me to the same point I made in the review of my last book. To any reader who picks this book up thinking that this is like Ben Aaronovitch's creation, it is not. It is completely different, yes, it's about a policeman and magical creatures, but unlike Peter Grant from Rivers of London, DI Nick Paris has no magical powers and no acumen for it. His only superpower is he can drink a lot of whisky (which apparently helps him think better). But this is a wonderful book and a wonderful series, one which anyone will enjoy as long as it's not compared to any other creation. Finally, a big thank you to NetGalley and an even bigger thank you to Canelo for giving me this wonderful book in exchange of my honest review. Really looking forward now to the next book and here's hoping that this series carries on for a long time.
July 21, 2019
I fell in love with the first instalment in this series and I was looking forward to reading this one.
I had high expectations because the first one was sort of "I didn't know I needed this series in my life" surprise and I can say they were all met.
It was great to meet again the quirky cast of characters and follow them in this new adventure.
It was a lot of fun, engrossing and entertaining.
It's a sort of follow up to the previous book and I think and hope it leaves enough open points for a further adventure of its hilarious heroes.
I was to know if Olga and Eric will become an item, read again about Malbus, Paris and Cassandra.
I think that Mr Redsmith has a gift for writing great characters: last time I discovered Malbus, this time it was the terrifying chicken.
The book is well written, the plot flows without problems and keeps you hooked till the last page.
This series became one of my favourite and hope there will be a lot more to come.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I had high expectations because the first one was sort of "I didn't know I needed this series in my life" surprise and I can say they were all met.
It was great to meet again the quirky cast of characters and follow them in this new adventure.
It was a lot of fun, engrossing and entertaining.
It's a sort of follow up to the previous book and I think and hope it leaves enough open points for a further adventure of its hilarious heroes.
I was to know if Olga and Eric will become an item, read again about Malbus, Paris and Cassandra.
I think that Mr Redsmith has a gift for writing great characters: last time I discovered Malbus, this time it was the terrifying chicken.
The book is well written, the plot flows without problems and keeps you hooked till the last page.
This series became one of my favourite and hope there will be a lot more to come.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
September 10, 2021
This was a fantastic follow up to ‘Breaking the Lore’, returning to Inspector Paris’s (or Inspector Parrots if you’re a dwarf) crazy world of the supernatural. Where mythical creatures like elves, demons and giant rock trolls aren’t just a figment of your imagination…
I can’t emphasise enough how funny and entertaining this book was. I loved the first one and I loved this one just as much! It’s laugh out loud funny and really enjoyable; a great way to spend the evening winding down with a good book.
The plot was intriguing and compelling, with a mystical murder mystery feel and a quest to find out whodunnit from the beginning of the pages. Confronted with a dead body and a seemingly guilty dwarf, Inspector Paris has to navigate this world of the supernatural whilst trying to do his job and find a killer, and stop a revolution.
There’s plenty of funny moments and Nick Paris is such a lovable character. It’s a very easy book to get into and I loved it!
I can’t emphasise enough how funny and entertaining this book was. I loved the first one and I loved this one just as much! It’s laugh out loud funny and really enjoyable; a great way to spend the evening winding down with a good book.
The plot was intriguing and compelling, with a mystical murder mystery feel and a quest to find out whodunnit from the beginning of the pages. Confronted with a dead body and a seemingly guilty dwarf, Inspector Paris has to navigate this world of the supernatural whilst trying to do his job and find a killer, and stop a revolution.
There’s plenty of funny moments and Nick Paris is such a lovable character. It’s a very easy book to get into and I loved it!
July 16, 2021
★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S KNOW YOUR RITESIt's been a couple of weeks since DI Nick Paris led the efforts to stop the demon invasion from the magical world—something celebrated on both sides of the portal, with parties, accolades from officials, TV interviews, etc. Now he just wants to get back home to Manchester and investigate some crimes involving humans--no elves, dwarves, talking animals, just people. It won't be easy, but he really wants to put the whole magical world in his rearview mirror.
He's called to the scene of a murder—a music producer has been killed in his home, and there's a suspect in custody. There's a catch—the suspect is a dwarf who's in the non-magical world so he can pursue his dream of being a major rap star.
Dirk's a pretty ridiculous character, but it's hard not to root for him. You have a hard time believing he committed the crime and how do you not root for a guy who had to leave his own world to follow his passion? (the fact that he doesn't appear to have a lot of talent, makes him more tragic).
There's a lot of pressure on Paris to wrap this up quickly—the non-magical authorities are not wanting to publicize the fact that a human was killed by someone from the other side. Those on the magical side are wanting to negotiate trade pacts with the humans, and don't want anything derailing that. Still, there's something wrong with the case against Dirk, and Paris learns it quickly. But it's clear that a "magical being" was the culprit. So the team from last time gets back together and crosses over to find their murderer.
We spend the bulk of this novel on the other side of the portal, getting a better understanding of the world and how it operates—including how the police department, postal service, and tourist travel work. We also get to meet several other magical creatures, and Redsmith's take on them continues to be a winner.
FOR EXAMPLE...
Paris and the rest need to cover a lot of ground quickly, so Tergil hires some Lamassu to handle the transportation. What's a lamassu? I'm glad you asked:
And, for reasons that make a certain kind of sense, they have Australian accents.
I'm telling you, reading the passages about them justifies the purchase price. The rest of the book is icing on the bull-shaped cake.
THE HUMOR: THE CRUX OF THE MATTER
In Breaking the Lore Redsmith really swung for the fences to establish the series, but it felt like he dialed things back a touch. Which is not to say it's bad, it's just not as funny. I think the puns have really dropped off. I also think that Redsmith tries to squeeze more out of the "dwarf who can't rap with ambitions to be the next Eminem" than is there. But it's a ludicrous notion, so it's hard to blame him for going back to it as much as possible.
In the first book, he established a strange, fantastic and ridiculous world (two of them, technically). Now he gets to play in it—he doesn't have to try as hard, he can just play it straight and let the settings and characters bring the funny to the story just by being the way they are. I'm actually glad that he toned it down a bit. (just a bit—it was frequently chuckle-inducing, I'm not saying the humor is gone)
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT KNOW YOUR RITES?
I was a little worried about returning to this so long after I read the first book in the series, and I shouldn't have been, it took no time at all to remember the characters and situation. It's just as enjoyable this time as it was last time.
There's a straightforward crime story at the core of this, wrapped in Fantasy garb, enclosed in comedy. I like these characters, I want to spend more time with them, and I hope that there are more books to come. In the meantime, take some time to dive into this series.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
With his “street” clothes and silly trimmed beard, Dirk remained the most bizarre magical dwarf the inspector had ever seen. Although he was acutely aware of how stupid that sounded.
WHAT'S KNOW YOUR RITESIt's been a couple of weeks since DI Nick Paris led the efforts to stop the demon invasion from the magical world—something celebrated on both sides of the portal, with parties, accolades from officials, TV interviews, etc. Now he just wants to get back home to Manchester and investigate some crimes involving humans--no elves, dwarves, talking animals, just people. It won't be easy, but he really wants to put the whole magical world in his rearview mirror.
He's called to the scene of a murder—a music producer has been killed in his home, and there's a suspect in custody. There's a catch—the suspect is a dwarf who's in the non-magical world so he can pursue his dream of being a major rap star.
Dirk's a pretty ridiculous character, but it's hard not to root for him. You have a hard time believing he committed the crime and how do you not root for a guy who had to leave his own world to follow his passion? (the fact that he doesn't appear to have a lot of talent, makes him more tragic).
There's a lot of pressure on Paris to wrap this up quickly—the non-magical authorities are not wanting to publicize the fact that a human was killed by someone from the other side. Those on the magical side are wanting to negotiate trade pacts with the humans, and don't want anything derailing that. Still, there's something wrong with the case against Dirk, and Paris learns it quickly. But it's clear that a "magical being" was the culprit. So the team from last time gets back together and crosses over to find their murderer.
We spend the bulk of this novel on the other side of the portal, getting a better understanding of the world and how it operates—including how the police department, postal service, and tourist travel work. We also get to meet several other magical creatures, and Redsmith's take on them continues to be a winner.
FOR EXAMPLE...
Paris and the rest need to cover a lot of ground quickly, so Tergil hires some Lamassu to handle the transportation. What's a lamassu? I'm glad you asked:
They were flying cows. Or, more precisely, flying bulls. Each had a bull’s body, with lion’s legs, huge wings attached to their shoulders, and a human head. A man’s head with striking noble features, a long yet neatly cut beard, and wearing a silver helmet. A silver jockey’s helmet.
And, for reasons that make a certain kind of sense, they have Australian accents.
I'm telling you, reading the passages about them justifies the purchase price. The rest of the book is icing on the bull-shaped cake.
THE HUMOR: THE CRUX OF THE MATTER
Paris frowned at her. ‘What?’ he said. ‘How did somebody called Ug Og end up with the middle name Serendipity?’
‘I don’t know,’ said the ogress. ‘It just sort of happened.’
She turned towards the inspector, baring her misshapen teeth in an attempt at a grin.
In Breaking the Lore Redsmith really swung for the fences to establish the series, but it felt like he dialed things back a touch. Which is not to say it's bad, it's just not as funny. I think the puns have really dropped off. I also think that Redsmith tries to squeeze more out of the "dwarf who can't rap with ambitions to be the next Eminem" than is there. But it's a ludicrous notion, so it's hard to blame him for going back to it as much as possible.
In the first book, he established a strange, fantastic and ridiculous world (two of them, technically). Now he gets to play in it—he doesn't have to try as hard, he can just play it straight and let the settings and characters bring the funny to the story just by being the way they are. I'm actually glad that he toned it down a bit. (just a bit—it was frequently chuckle-inducing, I'm not saying the humor is gone)
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT KNOW YOUR RITES?
I was a little worried about returning to this so long after I read the first book in the series, and I shouldn't have been, it took no time at all to remember the characters and situation. It's just as enjoyable this time as it was last time.
There's a straightforward crime story at the core of this, wrapped in Fantasy garb, enclosed in comedy. I like these characters, I want to spend more time with them, and I hope that there are more books to come. In the meantime, take some time to dive into this series.
May 30, 2020
After book #1 I immediately purchased book #2 - and that was quite a disappointment. More of the same farcical humor, but much less surprising and with less plot twists.
Maybe in a third book the funny ideas will start flowing again?
(that said, I would like third book! Even though I didn't think the second one was as funny as the first, I do like the characters and want them to experience more comical adventures!)
Maybe in a third book the funny ideas will start flowing again?
(that said, I would like third book! Even though I didn't think the second one was as funny as the first, I do like the characters and want them to experience more comical adventures!)
December 1, 2020
Having read and loved the first Nick Paris book, I was really excited to read Know Your Rites.
While it doesn't quite have the charm of the first book, and the word play gets a little grating after a while, it's still a fun read which takes Paris to the magical world on his investigations. Still reliant on a diet of mainly cigarettes and whiskey, Paris is on form as he investigates a murder where the only suspect is a rapping dwarf.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.
While it doesn't quite have the charm of the first book, and the word play gets a little grating after a while, it's still a fun read which takes Paris to the magical world on his investigations. Still reliant on a diet of mainly cigarettes and whiskey, Paris is on form as he investigates a murder where the only suspect is a rapping dwarf.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.
October 11, 2025
I listened to it, and it is so very well read, I recommend this to everyone.
John Last is thereader and he manages to give everyone, each creature and gender their own voice which made it very enjoyable.
The book itself is nice entertainment, and it has a very well thought through society development background. What if magical creatures from a somewhat medieval society get exposed to rap music?
John Last is thereader and he manages to give everyone, each creature and gender their own voice which made it very enjoyable.
The book itself is nice entertainment, and it has a very well thought through society development background. What if magical creatures from a somewhat medieval society get exposed to rap music?
January 24, 2021
Not as novel or as engaging as the first book in the series
September 3, 2023
I may have found my new favorite series in this hilarious, enjoyable, suspenseful and clever book.
May 22, 2024
I found this a little slow and uninteresting. Considering how much I liked the first book in the series, I was a little disappointed in the plot.
February 19, 2021
Genre - fantasy, mystery, humour
Location - Manchester G.B., and through a portal to the magical world
Time - contemporary
Rating - 3.7 rounded up
A few weeks after the events of the first book, Inspector Nick Paris is anxious to deal with an ordinary human murder. He is now hailed as a hero in the human and magical world, after thwarting a demon invasion. He had the help of a mixed group of humans, a dwarf, an elf, and talking crow, to name a few.
Unfortunately, he is confronted with the murder of a human music producer with a rapping dwarf as the only suspect. Now he has to deal with politics and diplomacy between the human and the magical world as well as more threats from the demons! So he rounds up his previous team and gets to work, trying to use logic and reason in a totally illogical world.
In this book we get to understand the magical realm a lot more and meet more creatures. The humour still makes me smile my way through the story.
Location - Manchester G.B., and through a portal to the magical world
Time - contemporary
Rating - 3.7 rounded up
A few weeks after the events of the first book, Inspector Nick Paris is anxious to deal with an ordinary human murder. He is now hailed as a hero in the human and magical world, after thwarting a demon invasion. He had the help of a mixed group of humans, a dwarf, an elf, and talking crow, to name a few.
Unfortunately, he is confronted with the murder of a human music producer with a rapping dwarf as the only suspect. Now he has to deal with politics and diplomacy between the human and the magical world as well as more threats from the demons! So he rounds up his previous team and gets to work, trying to use logic and reason in a totally illogical world.
In this book we get to understand the magical realm a lot more and meet more creatures. The humour still makes me smile my way through the story.
August 20, 2019
Inspector Paris is back with the strange collection of friends and foes in this second of the great series set in Manchester.
We have ogres, warlocks, fairies, dwarves, elves, and the small stone child (read and see who I mean).
I thought that this book was not quite as original as book 1 as we had met all the characters before, but there were some excellent lines of text. eg 'What makes sense depends on how you look at it'; 'Persuasion, ..that's one way of describing Ug the Ogre dangling Orin upside down above the station cesspit'; 'Bonetti's heart was in the right place. even if his brain was nowhere to be found'.
I also liked the espionage cats and the rapping dwarf. Great ideas.
So overall a fun read with giggles.
We have ogres, warlocks, fairies, dwarves, elves, and the small stone child (read and see who I mean).
I thought that this book was not quite as original as book 1 as we had met all the characters before, but there were some excellent lines of text. eg 'What makes sense depends on how you look at it'; 'Persuasion, ..that's one way of describing Ug the Ogre dangling Orin upside down above the station cesspit'; 'Bonetti's heart was in the right place. even if his brain was nowhere to be found'.
I also liked the espionage cats and the rapping dwarf. Great ideas.
So overall a fun read with giggles.
August 10, 2019
This is the second instalment in this series and although I haven’t read the first one, I still got hooked on it! A great combination of the real world and the magical one with its peculiar characters (elves, dwarves, ogres, crows, wizards, witches, etc). You will be amazed by how nowadays political views are treated in this book (post Brexit trade deal).
It is well written and as I said before… you can’t put it down, I strongly recommend it. Hope there will be more books to come!
Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for a copy of this book to read and review.
It is well written and as I said before… you can’t put it down, I strongly recommend it. Hope there will be more books to come!
Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for a copy of this book to read and review.
November 3, 2020
In a second book about Nick Paris he is still in his forties, he is a police inspector, heavy smoker and he is best in investigation when he’s hammered, so his boss supplies him with whiskey. Only this time his investigation and action so not happen in Manchester but in the magical world, from where all his magical side-kicks are from.
This funny story is filled with word plays, paranormal criminal mysteries, brilliant characters and hints to a pop-culture. It’s not as funny as the first book was, but it has much more magic in it.
Good read!
This funny story is filled with word plays, paranormal criminal mysteries, brilliant characters and hints to a pop-culture. It’s not as funny as the first book was, but it has much more magic in it.
Good read!
December 4, 2019
The continuing adventures of the cantankerous Inspector Paris, Tergis the Elf, Eric the Dwarf, Garf the Demon and Malbous the Crow as they solve supernatural crimes.
A bit light on the plot but still just as madcap and zany as the initial introduction. This time around we get a few new cast members and drip-fed a bit more world building. Forget drones being the future of mail delivery. Bring on the Raptor Relay System. Plus Redsmith provides us with the BEST post-brexit trade deal alternatives.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
A bit light on the plot but still just as madcap and zany as the initial introduction. This time around we get a few new cast members and drip-fed a bit more world building. Forget drones being the future of mail delivery. Bring on the Raptor Relay System. Plus Redsmith provides us with the BEST post-brexit trade deal alternatives.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
October 27, 2019
To come.
April 16, 2020
I really, really wanted to see what the chicken would have done to the prisoner. Maybe next time!
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