The Yard

By: Alex Grecian

Narrated by: Toby Leonard Moore

Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Victorian London is a cesspool of crime, and Scotland Yard has only 12 detectives - known as “The Murder Squad” - to investigate thousands of 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 12....

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.

©2012 Alex Grecian (P)2012 Penguin Audio

Loved it!

Great story telling and historical detail. I love the narrator as well. Would definitely recommend.

A bit tedious.

Struggled to get through it. I was hoping for more suspense and thrills, but the delivery was a bit tedious. I enjoyed the characters, and I will say that I'm not put off enough to not give the 2nd book in the series a spin. Fingers crossed!

Enjoyable Victorian-period tale from a new author

The Yard gave me a different perspective on the atmosphere at Scotland Yard during 1888-1889. The camaraderie (or not) between the men working there and the building of a relationship with a new Commissioner was an excellent way to build a group of characters and added flavor to the scenes.

The narrator did a great job of distinguishing the myriad character voices, using different London and local accents as well as voices of different classes to distinguish them.

There is something that I haven't quite figured out that kept me from giving this 5 stars. I don't know whether it was the way in which the author went about telling the reader historical information that just didn't quite "fit" the storytelling. Or it is possible that there was a little too much gore for me (I generally avoid gory descriptions, which is not possible with an audio book!). But it was not gratuitous -- definitely a part of the story, since one of the major characters is what today would be called a medical examiner.

The way in which the story was laid out: Day One, Two and Three, plus "Interludes" (which were usually flashbacks or memories), was odd, and I think was one of the elements that kept me from being totally entranced with the story. I kept thinking that there must have been a less obvious or intrusive way to give the reader this information without "labelling" it as a major part of the book.

However, I did enjoy the characters and can see reading a second installment with Day, Kingsley and Hammersmith as the Murder Squad at Scotland Yard develops. It does feel like the beginning of a series.

Such a great book!

It was one of the most fast paced and interesting stories I’ve ever read. Many characters to care about and a satisfying conclusion. Perhaps a bit too satisfying but all in all one of the most interesting books I’ve read in a long time.

Very enjoyable

If you could sum up The Yard in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, Intriguing, Enjoyable

What other book might you compare The Yard to and why?

Any Sherlock Holmes book, even if it differs in a positive way. There's no one uberhuman, but several characters who all bring their own thing to the story.

What does Toby Leonard Moore bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr Moore brings the characters to life. Plain and simple.

Very well written with interesting characters

Would you listen to The Yard again? Why?

I found the characters very lively and I almost regretted that some were only in the book.

What did you like best about this story?

It depicted the 19th-century London with accuracy, as far as I can tell, as well as the social difficulties of that time.

What does Toby Leonard Moore bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr. Moore imitated the different accents and prosody attached to them and to the lower and middle class. This made the different characters even more unique and almost real--if you decide that you want to believe this, of course. I liked his voice and it gave me the feeling to share the reading with a friend as if we were having a conversation.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely! But as the reading lasts about 14 hours, it took me two days to listen to it.

Any additional comments?

I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series!

loved every bit of it

engaging and kept me hooked. the narrator is perfect for the Story and I can't wait to experience the rest of the series

Great period mystery.

A bit slow to start. Once past the first several chapters it pickuped fast.

Delightful

Drew me in completely and kept me engrossed the whole time.
The story was well developed and well narrated.
Definitely recommended.

LOVED IT!!!

This book is brilliant!! If I could've given it a higher rating I would have. I loved it!!! I cant wait for the sequel to come out in May :-)