Ben Aaronovitch’s series of PC Grant novels are urban fantasies that somehow manage to combine the jaunty ‘ello, ‘ello, ‘ello of a traditional British police procedural with the rich mythology and history of the city of London. The newest instalment in the series, The Furthest Station, sees our favourite constable-cum-wizard-in-training Peter Grant on the hunt for a supernatural entity that’s been causing a nuisance on the well-travelled Metropolitan tube line.

A former writer for Dr Who (you can blame him for the levitating Daleks), Aaronovitch has created a wonderfully witty story that pays cheeky homage to its source material with lines like ‘we don’t want to talk to them, per se. It’s just that we’d like to ask them a few questions’, while simultaneously indulging in the kind of very English ghost-hunting that involves packing a thermos of hot tea before setting out.

For fans of the series, this novella is a delightful little nugget that sees the return of well-loved characters (including my favourite: the mute, almost certainly vampiric housekeeper, Molly, whose culinary expertise has only improved off the back of her obsession with The Great British Bakeoff). For newcomers, The Furthest Station is a bite-sized treat that will leave you wanting more.

Lian Hingee is the digital marketing manager for Readings.