If you find yourself talking to the police, my advice is to stay calm but look guilty; it's your safest bet. — Ben Aaronovitch Copy Share Image
“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… — Ben Aaronovitch Copy Share Image
“He was from Yorkshire, or somewhere like that, and like many Northerners with issues, he'd moved to London as a cheap alternative to psychotherapy.” — Ben Aaronovitch Copy Share Image
“I left in a hurry before he could change his mind, but I want to make it clear that at no point did I… — Ben Aaronovitch Copy Share Image
The general public have a warped view of the speed at which an investigation proceeds. They like to imagine tense conversations going on behind… — Ben Aaronovitch Copy Share Image
“Something round and dirty and white was resting near my foot. It was a skull. I picked it up. ‘Is that you, Nicholas?’ I… — Ben Aaronovitch Copy Share Image
Coffee arrived and the espresso was excellent, like an aromatic electric fence. — Ben Aaronovitch Copy Share Image
“Peter Grant,’ I said. ‘Recent arrival, slacker and man of very little fame.” — Ben Aaronovitch Copy Share Image
“My mum translated this in her head to "witchfinder," which was good because like most West Africans, she considered witchfinding a more respectable profession… — Ben Aaronovitch Copy Share Image
“Right from the start Abigail used to moan and fidget as her hair was relaxed or braided or thermally reconditioned, but her dad was… — Ben Aaronovitch Copy Share Image
“The mark was from the glue that once held a folder into which a library card would have fitted back in the day when… — Ben Aaronovitch Copy Share Image
It's a sad fact of modern life that if you drive long enough, sooner or later you must leave London behind. — Ben Aaronovitch Copy Share Image
