Been reading; Simon R Green - A Hard Days Knight

  The Nightside books - about a secret part of London that's full of magic and wonders and absolutely bloody lethal to the unwary - have been a reliable source of entertainment for some years now.As with Matthew Reilly, Green is not exactly a polished wordsmith but he has a knack of writing lively stories populated with unique characters and there are few writers around who can switch between broad humour and heaped up corpses and still make it work. He also has the underrated skill of fitting a story with a beginning, middle and end into the space some writers need just to warm up.
 This latest slim volume begins with John Taylor, investigator and champion of London's heart of darkness, receiving Excalibur in the post.
 Yes. That Excalibur.
   Somewhat shaken, Taylor and his girlfriend, the frankly terrifying Suzie Shooter, set out to discover why the legendary blade of King Arthur has come to somebody who knows damn well that he's not worthy of the honour. In the process they will meet the descendants of Camelot, visit a world of blood and horror and stand before the ancient rulers of the Elves.
 Green doesn't really deviate too much from the Nightside formula here. Our trenchcoated hero moves from place to place meeting assorted Powers That Be and  local eccentrics - and occasionally killing them  - before moving into the grand finale. In the process, the usual trademarks make their appearance: descriptions of bloody horrors, snarky one-liners and the traditional "And that was when..." There's also the nods to his other series that have been more common of late. A certain couple from Haven make a cameo at one point, for instance.
 There is a sense that Taylor is playing for bigger stakes than usual but if I have a major quibble it is that major plot elements that could have been given more room to breathe are wrapped up somewhat hurriedly. The long-brewing Elven Civil War could have easily stretched out over another book, maybe two,  but is at least concluded in a manner that makes sense.
Still, A Hard Days Knight delivers an entertaining read and sets up the next adventure in...interesting fashion.