325 Quotes by Ben Aaronovitch

She had a narrow face which could fall into an expression of belligerent suspicion of such power that her teachers said they could feel it even when they were hiding in the staff room. It was her stubbornness, coupled with this expression – and routine everyday low grade racism – that kept her constantly on the verge of a school suspension.

He was calling it an atonic seizure because, even if he didn’t know why it had happened, it was important to give it a cool name.

You have to call me Master.” “Master?” “That’s the tradition,” said Nightingale. I said the word in my head and it kept on coming out massa.

Leslie said that the capacity not to notice a traditional Dutch folk-dancing band walk up behind you was not a survival characteristic in the complex fast-paced world of the modern policing environment. I’d like to point out that I was trying to give directions to a slightly deaf tourist at the time and anyway it was a Swedish dance troupe.

I didn’t think that Herefordshire Social Services would be best pleased about me dumping a poorly socialised pre-teen with mind control powers on them.

In the 1960s the planning department of the London County Council, whose unofficial motto was Finishing What the Luftwaffe Started, decided that what London really needed was a series of orbital motorways driven through its heart.

Pictures of Cheam adorn the walls of planning offices of every Home County to serve as an awful warning.

I gave them most of the options, but left out Bitcoin mining. Because not only would the explanation of why that uses huge amount of power have taken about three hours, but also because I was a bit hazy on the details myself.

Relax,” I said. “This is just first contact – we’re only going to exchange names and check he’s the right orientation.” “And what do you think the right orientation is?” asked Victor. “The one that’s facing in your direction,” I said.