Home > Work > Rivers of London (Rivers of London, #1)
21 " A major investigation, once it gets underway, is as exciting as watching reruns of Big Brother, although possibly involving less sex and violence. "
― Ben Aaronovitch , Rivers of London (Rivers of London, #1)
22 " She had the startled-rabbit look that civilians get after five minutes of helping the police with their inquiries. If they stay calm for too long it’s a sign that they’re professional villains or foreign or just plain stupid. All of which can get you locked up if you’re not careful. If you find yourself talking to the police, my advice is to stay calm but look guilty; it’s your safest bet. "
23 " The principal advantages of living in your station’s section house is that it is cheap, close to work and it’s not your parents’ flat. The disadvantages are that you’re sharing your accommodation with people too weakly socialised to live with normal human beings, and who habitually wear heavy boots. The weak socialisation makes opening the fridge an exciting adventure in microbiology, and the boots mean that every shift change sounds like an avalanche. "
24 " For a certain generation of African immigrants cleaning offices became part of the culture like male circumcision and supporting Arsenal. "
25 " [...] I find it helpful to quote the wisdom of my father, who once told me, "Who knows why the fuck anything happens? "
26 " THE TROUBLE with the old boy network is you can never be really sure whether it’s switched on or not and whether it’s operating in your interest or some other old boy’s. "
27 " He was transparent, the way holograms in films are transparent.Three dimensional, definitely really there and fucking...transparent. "
28 " As a typical Londoner, Gurcan had a high tolerance for random thoughtlessness; after all, if you live in the big city there's no point complaining that it's a big city, but even that tolerance has its limit and the name of that limit is 'taking the piss'. "
29 " She was slender and dressed like an Edwardian maid, complete with a starched white bib apron over a full black skirt and white cotton blouse. Her face didn’t fit her outfit, being too long and sharp-boned, with black almond-shaped eyes. Despite her mob cap she wore her hair loose, a black curtain that fell to her waist. She instantly gave me the creeps and not just because I’ve seen too many Japanese horror films. "
30 " I offered her the flowers, which she took with a delightful laugh. She pulled my head down and kissed me on the cheek. She smelled of cigars and new car seats, horses and furniture polish, Stilton, Belgian chocolate and, behind it all, the hemp and the crowd and the last drop into oblivion.” (Tyburn) "
31 " I don’t mind getting drunk, but there always comes a moment in the evening when I find myself watching myself bumping into things and thinking—I’m bored of this, can I have full control of my brain back, please? "
32 " So magic is real,” I said. “Which makes you a … what?” “A wizard.” “Like Harry Potter?” Nightingale sighed. “No,” he said. “Not like Harry Potter.” “In what way?” “I’m not a fictional character,” said Nightingale. "
33 " It's important for a man to know his limitations, and my limitations started at moving to Peckham and hanging around with yardies, postcode wannabes and those weird, skinny white kids who don't get the irony in Eminem. "
34 " A London copper doesn't like to intrude upon a traveller camp with anything less than a van full of bodies in riot gear - it's considered disrespectful otherwise. "
35 " When I’m considering this I find it helpful to quote the wisdom of my father, who once told me, “Who knows why the fuck anything happens? "
36 " Like a lot of London, Richmond town centre had been laid out back when town planning was something that happened to other people. "
37 " Seen something?” asked Nightingale, making me jump. “Jesus Christ,” I said. “Not on this river,” said Nightingale. “Not even Blake thought that was possible.” We "
38 " Could it have been anyone, or was it destiny? When I’m considering this I find it helpful to quote the wisdom of my father, who once told me, “Who knows why the fuck anything happens? "
39 " I’d found a seventeenth-century map of the rivers of London. "
40 " People are conditioned by the media to think that black women are all shouting, and head shaking and girlfriending and “oh no you didn’t” and if they’re not sassy, then they’re dignified and downtrodden and soldiering on and “I don’t understand why folks just can’t get along.” But if you see a black woman go quiet the way Tyburn did, the eyes bright, the lips straight and the face still as a death mask, you have made an enemy for life, do not pass Go, do not collect two hundred. Do "