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

Listen at 1.25x speed and this is a winner

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, the author did a great job of handling several narratives at once and pacing them well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

At first, the narration made me crazy. The narrator pauses a little too long between paragraphs and it was enough to be noticeable and irritating. But listening at 1.25x speed solves the problem completely.

Any additional comments?

Great listen. I will be downloading more from this author.

One of the finest stories I've ever listened to

Would you listen to The Yard again? Why?

Absolutely! It was a wonderful story filled with so many intriguing characters, great action and adventure and poignant human interactions.

What did you like best about this story?

The humanity of the characters as they interact with each other. Even the villains were forgivable in their flaws.

Which character – as performed by Toby Leonard Moore – was your favorite?

There were so many wonderful characters that it is hard to pinpoint just one. I liked all of the detectives and their helpers who came out from the underworld of London to assist them. The "Dancing Man", the Doctor, and the boy, Fen, were especially interesting. You see, it is hard to choose!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was very touched by the kindness shown by the detectives and the doctor and their respect for humanity and their dedication to the populace who depended on them.

Any additional comments?

This book took me several days to listen to and I could hardly wait in between to listen to the next part. I had recently seen a documentary on the history of Scotland Yard and the Metropolitan Police and this stayed very close to the historical background. The author did his research well. The characters are wonderful and diverse and the back stories for each are great and help the listener to understand their motivations for their behavior. The poignancy of the interactions made it very heart-warming, even though it is essentially a story about solving crimes and apprehending criminals. I can't wait to listen to the next book in the series. Alex Grecian is a truly gifted and lyrical writer.

Interesting First Encounter with This Author

I found "The Yard" to be an interesting first encounter with Alex Grecian. I really had no idea what to expect but enjoyed being taken back to the days when crime solving did not have all of the advantages of today's wonderful forensic medicine capabilities.

As I listened, I could clearly envision the misty streets of London and the gray stone walls of Scotland Yard. At times it was a little difficult for me to follow the British accent, but, all in all, I was able to follow the story quite well.

One can easily imagine the thoughts and concerns of detectives at the new process of fingerprints was beginning to be discussed and not at all thoroughly trusted.

I would suggest that the crime solving presented in this book is quite realistic as it often times just happens upon a matter of blind luck more than any super detective work.

Being as London was rocking under the time frame of "Jack the Ripper", some aspects of the book may be a little bit grisly for some readers, but all in all a good listen.

Absolutely fantastic

Alex Grecian created an unbelievably gripping world that I had no chance of walking away from until the end. Toby Leonard Moore did a remarkable job bringing the story to life. I would recommend this tale of murder and mystery in Victorian London to anyone that likes a good thriller.

Great

Great murder mystery, great plot & character development, great accent & still easy to understand. I look forward to the next. Bravo!

Interesting little detective story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I found in interesting if not exceptional.

Would you recommend The Yard to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, to my mystery book friends.

What aspect of Toby Leonard Moore’s performance would you have changed?

none

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

no

Any additional comments?

Maybe too much was going on in this debut novel.

Suspenseful, but gruesome.

This was a gripping book (occasionally predictable), but be warned that it is not for anyone with a weak stomach. I read a lot of mysteries and this is the first time I've seriously considered putting down an interesting story because of the gore. It's too the author's credit his descriptions are so powerful, but I don't think I can move forward with this series.

Loved it

I loved it, and can't wait for the next! An atmospheric and interesting crime story with many interesting and likable characters. Not the least interesting character - London in the victorian era.

I did enjoy the story but what a pity!

When an American author decides to write a book with an English setting he would be wise to remember certain, I think, quite important factors. The use of words such as sidewalk, block and several others are not used in England and were quite out of place, particularly within the period of the book.
Also, the narrator needs to learn to pronounce certain words properly!
Apart from these points I did enjoy the story.

Twist and Turns

This book has been in my library for a very long time. So glad I finally downloaded to listen. It was really good. Great, twisty mystery. I will definitely be reading more of Grecian's work. Narrator was spot on.