The Yard: Scotland Yard Murder Squad Book 1 - Hardcover

Grecian, Alex

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0718159160 ISBN 13: 9780718159160

Publisher: Michael Joseph, 2012

Synopsis

Fans of The Interpretation of Murder and The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher will loveThe Yard, a gripping crime fiction novel from debut author Alex Grecian, set in atmospheric Victorian London. During the aftermath of the Jack the Ripper case, Scotland Yard's brand new Murder Squad are faced with their most gruesome crime scene yet. The Yard will take you into the dark side of Victorian London and offers a fascinating insight into the birth of CSI.

A new era of fear is just beginning . . .

1889, London. The legacy of Jack the Ripper has cast a shadow over the city.

Victorian London is in the grip of a wave of crime and murder, with its citizens no longer able to trust the police to protect them. The newly formed Murder Squad of Scotland Yard, made up of just twelve detectives, battles in vain against the tide of violence and cruelty.

When the body of a Yard detective is found in a suitcase, his lips sewn together and his eyes sewn shut, it becomes clear that not even the police are safe from attack. Has the Ripper returned - or is a new killer at large?

Walter Day, the squad's newest recruit, is assigned the case and finds a strange ally in the Yard's first forensic pathologist, Dr Bernard Kingsley. Can they find the murderer before it's too late? Or is London at the mercy of a serial killer even deadlier than Jack the Ripper?

Alex Grecian has worked for an ad agency on accounts for Harley-Davidson, Cub Foods, and The Great American Smokeout, before returning to writing fiction full time and raising his son. Alex is the author of the long-running and critically acclaimed comic book series Proof, and he lives in Topeka, Kansas, with his wife and son. The Yard is his first novel.

About this title

Review:

Praise for The Yard

"Grecian has a talent for capturing gory details...extremely vivid (and strangely moving)...Bounding from the workhouse to the lunatic asylum to the stinking streets, [Grecian] does outstanding descriptive work on the mad and the maimed, the diseased and the demented. If Charles Dickens isn't somewhere clapping his hands for this one, Wilkie Collins surely is."--The New York Times Book Review

"An absorbing launch pad for a new series built around the detectives who are finding their way in the new business of criminology. Fingerprinting, saving evidence, comparing notes from different crimes to see if there's a pattern, even something as simple as working in pairs are all novel, untested ideas tried out for the first time...[a] mix of historical facts and vivid fictional creations. It's great fun...Grecian's debut is the promising start of a new series and should be one of the most acclaimed and popular mysteries of the year."--The Huffington Post

"Alex Grecian's exuberantly grisly serial killer tale set in 1889 London picks up where the Ripper left off."--The Guardian (UK)

"Lusciously rich with detail, atmosphere, and history, and yet as fast paced as a locomotive, The Yard will keep you riveted from page one. It's truly a one--or two--sitting read."--Jeffery Deaver, author of Carte Blanche and The Bone Collector

"A brilliantly crafted debut novel with unforgettable characters. An utterly gripping tale perfectly evokes Victorian London and brings you right back to the depraved and traumatic days of Jack the Ripper."--Lisa Lutz, author of The Spellman Files

"Grecian successfully re-creates the dark atmosphere of late Victorian London."--Kirkus Reviews

"A winner, filled with Victorian arcane and eccentric characters and more humor than one expects from such a work."--The Rap Sheet

"Grecian powerfully evokes both the physical, smog-ridden atmosphere of London in 1889 and its emotional analogs of anxiety and depression. His infusion of actual history adds to this thriller's credibility and punch. A deeply satisfying reconstruction of post-Ripper London."--Booklist

"This excellent murder mystery debut introduces a fascinating cast of characters. Grecian displays a flair for language as well as creating vivid (and occasionally gruesome) depictions of places and events."--Library Journal

"All the gruesome sights, sounds, and smells of a depraved Victorian London are vividly depicted...not for the squeamish. The characterization is particularly adept, and there's even the occasional thought-provoking comment on industrialization and metropolitan Victorian society...Add to it all a few genuinely funny moments courtesy of absurdity and human nature, and you have The Yard a gripping police procedural mystery and cracking good read. Recommended."--Historical Novel Society

"I enjoyed every minute of The Yard. If you like gritty crime stories with a psychological thriller edge then you're in for a treat."--Popcorn Reads

From the Back Cover:

1889. One year on from Jack the Ripper,
a new killer stalks London's streets . . .

But he has not reckoned on Scotland Yard's newly formed Murder Squad and the team of new-recruit Walter Day and the world's first forensic pathologist, Dr Kingsley . . .

'Written with shocking clarity, shiver-inducingly creepy. A racy read . . . an exciting, juicy debut' Daily Express

'Luciously rich' Jeffrey Deaver

'Throw in deranged prostitutes, poisonings and throat slittings galore, amidst lashings of London fog. Gory, lurid and tons of guilty fun' Guardian

'A compelling whodunit and a cracking debut' Short List

'If Charles Dickens isn't somewhere clapping his hands for this one, Wilkie Collins surely is' New York Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Michael Joseph
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0718159160
• ISBN 13: 9780718159160
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 544