The Yard / Alex Grecian

The Yard: A Novel
Alex Grecian
Putnam Adult, May 2012
ISBN: 978-0399149542

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.

In 1889 London, Scotland Yard is viewed with some skepticism by much of the public for their failure to capture Jack the Ripper. But Jack has changed the way that murderers are viewed by the Yard’s twelve member Murder Squad. When one of their own becomes the victim of a brutal murder, the case is assigned to the newest member of the squad, Walter Day.

Day finds that much of his best investigative information comes via Dr. Bernard Kingsley who is able to identify leads due to his study of the emerging field of forensics. He is also assisted by a young constable by the name of Hammersmith who becomes involved in the murder case while conducting his own unauthorized investigation into the death of a young boy.

Day, Kingsley and Hammersmith are only part of an extensive cast of characters which includes the killer himself. Interspersed in the story of the investigation are scenes from the viewpoint of the initially unidentified killer. Because the reader learns the killer’s identity before the detectives it becomes more of a suspense story than a mystery.

The Yard draws on true historical situations as the backdrop for the story of the murdered detective. Grecian is best known for Proof, a comic book series about a Sasquatch who works for a secret government agency. His skill in the visual medium transfers to prose--all the gruesome sights, sounds, and smells of a depraved Victorian London are vividly depicted. Suspense is competently handled, as are the multiple points of view which make up the narrative. The cast of characters Grecian has assembled have a lot of potential for additional stories, and the setting is ripe for further exploration.

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.

ISBN: 978-0399149542; ISBN10: 0399149546; Imprint: Putnam Adult; On Sale: 5/29/2012; Format: Hardcover; Pages: 432; $26.95