Bob is a civil servant, working in IT support. He has a horrible boss who's a stickler for timesheets, rules, protocols. Because this is London, Bob has three housemates: a pair he calls Pinky and the Brain and a horrible woman who sometimes sleeps with him out of spite. But the government agency Bob works for is a secret one. The Laundry deals in – not magic, exactly, but not not magic either. Like super high-tech magic. Then Bob gets sucked into (not literally, but with the Laundry that could happen) field work.

I read this years ago and I didn't really enjoy it the first time through. Which is ridiculous, because this is very, very good. Engaging, funny, interesting.