When two young girls go missing in rural Herefordshire, police constable and wizard-in-training Peter Grant is sent out of London to check that nothing supernatural is involved.

It’s purely routine—Nightingale, Peter’s superior, thinks he’ll be done in less than a day. But Peter’s never been one to walk away from someone in trouble, so when nothing overtly magical turns up he volunteers his services to the local police, who need all the help they can get.

But because the universe likes a joke as much as the next sadistic megalomaniac, Peter soon comes to realize that dark secrets underlie the picturesque fields and villages of the countryside and there might just be work for Britain’s most junior wizard after all.

Soon Peter’s in a vicious race against time, in a world where the boundaries between reality and fairy have never been less clear...

Peter Grant, police constable and trainee wizard, leaves London for the countryside to check that a local retired wizard is not involved in the disappearance of two young girls. Having cleared the retiree, Peter stays on to help in the search and it is a good thing he does as it looks more and more like something supernatural is involved after all. When the two girls mysteriously show up with no real explanation of where they have been, things get more complicated and more in the realm of the Specialist Assessment Unit. Of course, there is still the search to find Lesley after she betrayed everyone and went off with the Faceless Man and Beverly has decided to tag along with Peter to help.

Fairies, unicorns, magic and goddesses... the characters do not disappoint. Peter and Beverly progress their relationship and Peter is becoming more proficient at his magical craft. The action moves along quickly, the plot contains a few surprises and overall this was a quick, enjoyable read. The whole series so far has provided a deft mixture of humor, magic and mystery. Highly recommended ~~ Stephanie L Bannon

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