The Black Country

Scotland Yard's Murder Squad

De: Alex Grecian

Narrado por: Toby Leonard Moore

Scotland Yard's Murder Squad returns, in the stunning new historical thriller from the author of the acclaimed national best seller The Yard.

The British Midlands. It's called the "Black Country" for a reason. Bad things happen there.

When members of a prominent family disappear from a coal-mining village - and a human eyeball is discovered in a bird's nest - the local constable sends for help from Scotland Yard's new Murder Squad. Fresh off the grisly 1889 murders of The Yard, Inspector Walter Day and Sergeant Nevil Hammersmith respond, but they have no idea what they're about to get into. The villagers have intense, intertwined histories. Everybody bears a secret. Superstitions abound. And the village itself is slowly sinking into the mines beneath it.

Not even the arrival of forensics pioneer Dr. Bernard Kingsley seems to help. In fact, the more the three of them investigate, the more they realize they may never be allowed to leave....

©2013 Alex Grecian (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Not as entertaining as the first

I found myself wanting to jump ahead. At one point, while listening, I nodded off and never backed up to hear what I missed…boring.

Abrupt and Unsatisfying Ending

I enjoy these characters (read the first book), and find the narrator to be exceptional. The story was moving along nicely, building suspense and atmosphere, then suddenly it was over. I honestly thought I'd drifted off and missed it, so I rewound and listened again. But no, I hadn't missed anything. The book (IMHO), has an abrupt and unsatisfactory ending. So disappointing.

Gripping and surprising

Narration was excellent. Great story. One of best books I have "read" this year. Highly recommend. Am getting the next one.

Not as good as the original

Where does The Black Country rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is a middle of the pack read, maybe between the top 25 and 50%.

What did you like best about this story?

It is atmospheric and there is a good amount of suspense but somehow I found The Yard much more gripping. The narrator is terrific as my ratings suggest, each character speaks in a different voice and accent all of which struck me as well done.

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved the description of the houses sinking due to all the mining activity going on underneath. I think the arrival of the men from the yard was probably my favorite, I seem to like the beginning of the book better than the end.

A very messy book compared to the first

A messy set of plots that never get going and certainly never add up to anything close to the first installment. Our two champions of justice are removed from London and placed in a small coal town with more problems than will ever be solved. The other characters and even the town for its part resists even help in moving the plot. End the end the whole world falls a part and the answers basically handed over to the main characters. The 'victims' are far from if not out right unqualified for any sort of redemption. The second plot is just ridiculous and helps nothing but to fill space.i do hope the 3rd is a better mate for the first installment.

Entertaining book, slight problem with the recording

I enjoyed the book. It moved along and was entertaining with a compelling central mystery. There was a problem with the recording that it spent some time in the middle of the book shutting itself off every twenty minutes or so. Not a huge problem, just a bit annoying to have to keep turning it back on. But then the problem just stopped, so there must have just been a glitch in the coding.

Supernatural Aura overlays the Mystery

II had mixed feelings about this book. First I did not like the setting - a mining community. I would have preferred a London Setting. The author uses weather to help provide the atmosphere of the story. Day and Hammersmith have been sent to this village to solve the mystery of the disappearance of a family.

There is aura of the supernatural which to me diminished the mystery part of it. The story itself takes places over a 2 day period. The village itself is sinking into the ground due to all the mining tunnels which extend under all the houses. The people in the village are very superstitious and this superstition plays a major role in the book. Most of the villagers are sick and dying from a mysterious disease. Day and Hammersmith arrive and a spring blizzard sets in which hampers their ability to investigate and on day 2 they can hardly find their way around the village. Also present are two survivors of the US Civil War and their back-story plays a major role in the mystery of disappearing family.

I had several problems with the author's development of the plot. I found some of the plots a little implausible. It seems bizarre in the middle of this spring snowstorm in an out of the way village that day's wife stops over for a few hours. I found it odd that Day and Hammersmith had arranged for Dr. Kingsley to join them - no real reason for his coming except the author needed his presence for the plot. In parts the plot seemed forced and the failure of the locals to find the missing family is odd, considering where they were found, although Hammersmith easily figures out where they are.

Most of the murders have already taken place by the time Day and Hammersmith arrive and in one case the body is never found and the person is hardly missed. The other deaths which occur when the detectives are in the village can not be classified as murder but more violent deaths in the presence of the detectives.

The end of the book of course has a fast moving Hollywood style disaster ending. The weight of the Snow from the blizzard causes cataclysmic sinking of the village which helps provide the resolution of the mystery as trees fall on buildings, the Railway Station is upended -- but the train is still able to arrive and take the detectives back to London.

This is a fairly fast paced mystery which will provide the reader with plenty of thrills. But I found some of the plot contrivances way too artificial and overall I did not think this was your typical mystery in the way the first book in the series was. Too much of this story is overlaid with an aura of the supernatural, which I do not like. Also the various plot contrivances made the whole books seem more like the script of one of those Hollywood Mega Disaster movies than a real mystery.

Enthralling

IGreat opportunity to become further acquainted with Detective Day & Sargent Hammersmith. Will thought out story and interesting characters. Appreciate view into detecting business in 1800's.

Great Story & Character Development

Interesting story, plausible, good story & character development. Some gore, no sex scenes. A good read that moves along - no dragging.

Tragic

Two tragic stories wind through this mystery. Inspector Day and Sergeant Hammersmith go to the country to help find three members of one family who are missing. Superstitious villagers inhibit more than they help and a visitor has brought his own problem with him. If you like historical mysteries with intricate plots and interesting characters you should read this book.