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Published May 2012
432 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
Victorian London is a cesspool of crime, and Scotland Yard has only twelve detectives- known as "The Murder Squad" - to investigate countless murders every month. Created after the Metropolitan Police's spectacular failure to capture Jack the Ripper, The Murder Squad suffers rampant public contempt. They have failed their citizens. But no one can anticipate the brutal murder of one of their own...one of the twelve...
When Walter Day, the squad's newest hire, is assigned the case of the murdered detective, he finds a strange ally in the Yard's first forensic pathologist, Dr. Bernard Kingsley. Together they track the killer, who clearly is not finished with The Murder Squad ... but why?
Filled with fascinating period detail, and real historical figures, this spectacular debut in a new series showcases the depravity of late Victorian London, the advent of criminology, and introduces a stunning new cast of characters sure to appeal to fans of The Sherlockian and The Alienist.
"Grecian lends great realism to his secondary characters; he may just be too fond of his primary ones to permit them their true context." - Publishers Weekly
"Grecian's infusion of actual history adds to this thriller's credibility and punch. A deeply satisfying reconstruction of post-Ripper London." - Booklist
"This excellent historical murder mystery series opener and debut introduces a fascinating cast of characters and will appeal to fans of Sherlock Holmes or Jack the Ripper tales." - Library Journal
"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
"Alex Grecian's The Yard is 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. And I mean that in the best possible way." - Lisa Lutz, author of The Spellman Files
This information about The Yard was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Alex Grecian was born August 6, 1969. He is the national bestselling author of the "Scotland Yard Murder Squad" novels, including The Yard, The Black Country, and the forthcoming The Devil's Workshop. After leaving a career in advertising, working on accounts that included Harley-Davidson and The Great American Smokeout, Alex returned to his first love: writing fiction. He co-created the long-running and critically acclaimed graphic novel series Proof, which NPR named one of the best books of 2009. One of the Proof storylines is set in the 1800's and inspired Alex's debut novel The Yard.
Grecian has also written an original "Murder Squad" e-book, The Blue Girl, and an original graphic novel, Seven Sons, as well as a multitude of short stories, both comics and prose, for...
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