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    The Harvest Man
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    The Harvest Man
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    The Harvest Man
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Harvest Man

    Written by Alex Grecian

    Narrated by John Curless

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Scotland Yard's Murder Squad--and Jack the Ripper--return, in the extraordinary new historical thriller from the author of the acclaimed national bestseller The Yard.

    In The Devil's Workshop, London discovered that Jack the Ripper was back, sending the city-and Scotland Yard's Murder Squad-into chaos. But now it is even worse. Not only is the Ripper still at large, but so is another killer just as bad.

    For Inspector Walter Day, it has been a difficult time. His wife has given birth to twins, his hostile in-laws have come to stay, and a leg injury has kept him at his desk. But when the Harvest Man begins killing, carving people's faces off their skulls, the Yard knows they need Day in the field.

    Not so Sergeant Nevil Hammersmith. Rash actions have cost him his job, but that doesn't stop his obsessive hunt for the Ripper. When the mutilated bodies of prostitutes start turning up again, Hammersmith enlists the help of a criminal network to stop Saucy Jack, his methods carrying him further and further from the ideals of the Yard, so far in fact that he may never be able to find his way back.

    Of course, the Ripper's been playing a game with him-with Walter Day, as well. He is pushing both of them to their limits, and what happens when they get there . . . no one can say.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 19, 2015
    ISBN9780698402133
    Unavailable
    The Harvest Man
    Author

    Alex Grecian

    ALEX GRECIAN is the national bestselling author of Red Rabbit, The Yard, The Black Country, The Devil’s Workshop, The Harvest Man, Lost and Gone Forever, and The Saint of Wolves and Butchers, as well as the critically acclaimed graphic novels Proof and Rasputin, and the novellas The Blue Girl and One Eye Open. He lives in the Midwest with his wife, his son, their dog, and a tarantula named Rosie.

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    Reviews for The Harvest Man

    4/5

    52 ratings11 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This has become one of my favorite historical fiction murder mystery series. In this book there isn't just one killer on the loose, there are three and one of them is cutting people's faces off. Also, Jack the Ripper is still out there and he wants Inspector Walter Day. Jack feels he has a connection with Walter. Alex Grecian does a great job of pulling the reader into the lives of the characters living in 1885. You wish they could pick up a cell phone and call for help instead of looking for a young boy to give a penny to so they can run a message to someone. Can't wait for the next installment to find out what happens with Jack and Walter.
    • 5/5
      Grecian's Scotland Yard Murder Squad series have an extreme goriness to them, as they traverse the dark foggy streets and the labyrinth of tunnels and catacombs under the streets of London. Jack the Ripper is the "name" criminal that is the focus of Scotland Yard's search, but the many surrogates, imitators, and other murderers who go about their "business" in these page-turners, make it harder and harder for me to continue to say I don't read mysteries. This whole period of London crime stories have always pulled me in, ever since I read my first Sherlock Holmes stories, while puffing on my meerschaum pipe, those many years ago, in a small Vermont apartment that was painted bright red.
    • 4/5
      I have not read the other books in this series, however "The Harvest Man" seems to do a pretty good job of explaining enough important events in the immediately preceding book to allow this new book to work as a standalone. However, there is not much character development here for the two chief protagonists, one current and one former member of the Murder Squad of Scotland Yard. They may have been fleshed out more in the earlier books.Jack the Ripper has been used as a character in way too many books and he is still alive and well in this book. Here he has been joined by two more serial killers. I sort of wish the whole serial killer plot line would be done away with, but I can see its appeal for authors. The lack of credible motivation or coherent plot can all be explained away by saying the suspect is just "crazy". That being said, the book held my interest and I enjoyed it and will probably read others in the series. I liked the hints of rudimentary crime scene investigation procedures. One thing I definitely did not like is that the book ends with a huge cliffhanger. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
    • 5/5
      I really like the Murder Squad books. The characters are likeable, the story is compelling, and the late Victorian setting is always one that I enjoy reading about. I feel as though the characters could be developed in more detail, and could be a little bit more complex . I love them all the same, and their diverse personalities and backgrounds certainly make for interesting reading and personal engagement with them I find it curious that the Saga is supposed to be complete, when the primary antagonist remains alive, and the primary protagonist appears to be in dire jeopardy. I presume that a fourth book will be be forthcoming.
    • 3/5
      Not the best in the series, but creepy and atmospheric as usual. Reviewed for Booklist.
    • 4/5
      I have not read anything by this author. Now that I have read this book I will be adding this author to my list of authors to watch. Everything was right about this book... from the storyline, to the characters, tone of the story, and the beginning and ending of the book. The Harvest Man is one creepy, sinister man. I would never want to meet him as his victims do not fare well. They end up with new facial makeovers. Inspector Day is a complex character. I like this about him. He was human and not perfect yet he is committed to his job and does a really good job of figuring out all of the pieces of the puzzle to get the whole picture. The Harvest Man will either keep you up with lack of sleep or give you nightmares!
    • 5/5
      Any day with a new Murder Squad novel from Alex Grecian is a good day, and The Harvest Man is no exception. Scotland Yard is moving to a new building, and as the old one empties, there's a real sense of one era ending and a new one beginning. We're introduced to new characters, like Claire Day's parents, and we're able to observe how all of them are dealing with the brutal events of the previous book. Many things happened that are not easy to come to terms with.As usual, Grecian shows his skill in telling a well-paced, engrossing story. Jack the Ripper seems to have spawned a new breed of killer, and it's interesting to watch the characters speculate about the reasons why this is so. For anyone new to the series, I have three caveats. One, Grecian immediately immerses you in the story. There is little background given at first, so it may take you a bit of time to get your bearings. Two, if you are the slightest bit squeamish, the gore level in his books may be too much for you. Three, if you're looking for a perfect rendition of Victorian London, you may be disappointed. Grecian's London of the 1890s isn't necessarily a visual one; it's an emotional, a visceral, one. There are many other writers who can depict this London in all its grimy glory. From them you'll know by sight and feel and smell the second you step in horse dung as you cross the street. When you read Alex Grecian, you won't care about the horse dung because you're too busy mentally running for your life.There are many times when I was mentally running for my life-- or wishing that one of the characters would. Grecian knows how to tell that kind of story, and he's filled it with characters-- Day and his wife Claire, Hammersmith, Dr. Kingsley and his daughter Fiona-- that you care about. He raises the bar on suspense because, in his books, bad things can happen to good people. I'm not always in the mood for something like this, but when I am, I definitely know which author to read.But in the midst of all the running and lives being in danger, there are flashes of humor and of grace. These characters are people who know how precious life is. When Dr. Kingsley jokingly introduces his rudimentary crime scene kit to Inspector Tiffany, we laugh, but we also know how much these men care about stopping killers. When Hammersmith asks the names of women city fathers would cross the street to avoid, we're shown true humanity.When The Harvest Man ended, I found myself wanting to know what's going to happen to Walter Day. I look forward to Grecian's next Murder Squad book with a great deal of anticipation.
    • 5/5
      [The Harvest Man] by Alex GrecianScotland Yard’s Murder Squad series Book #44.5★’sFrom The Book:When London discovered that Jack the Ripper was back, it sent Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad into chaos. But now it is even worse. There are two of them. When the Harvest Man begins killing, carving people’s faces off their skulls, the men of the Yard know they need Inspector Walter Day to find him before more families are murdered. Meanwhile, Saucy Jack is playing his own games—and when the two killers come together, the men of the Yard may never be the same.My Thoughts:This was the most suspenseful and the most enjoyable of all the books thus far…even with… or maybe I should say especially with… the rather grotesque murder gains a much deeper insight into the lives of Walter Day and Nevil Hammersmith. Grecian has provided a deeply atmospheric book that is rich in historical detail as well as filled with intense plotlines, deplorable murders, intriguing characters and family situations of the era…interspersed throughout the book. The level of tension and excitement will keep the reader turning the pages. I would recommend The Harvest Man to anyone who enjoys historical thrillers and have been fans of Grecian’s previous books.
    • 4/5
      The Harvest Man by Alex Grecian is the fourth in his Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad series and the fourth I have read, each one improves upon the last, and yet I do feel the books can be read independent from each other, however I recommend reading them in order for the maximum effect. The Harvest Man takes place in 1890s London and picks up where The Devil’s Workshop left off, for the most part, Ripper is back, but a second murder is on the loose who is worse than Jack the Ripper, known as the Harvest Man. Inspector Day and his ex-partner Sergeant Hammersmith are currently living very different lives. Inspector Day has new twin babies, in-laws that will not leave, and has been assigned desk duty while his leg injury heals. As for Day’s ex-partner, Hammersmith, he was let go from the Yard, but has not given up his pursuit of Ripper and free from the Yard’s restrictions he strays further outside of the law to find Ripper. As for Inspector Day, he is finally allowed into the field when couples are found dead with their faces carved off by a murderer, dubbed the Harvest Man, he becomes the Yard’s central focus, meanwhile Ripper is playing a cat and mouse game with both Day and Hammersmith and the stakes have never been higher. Of the four books in the series, The Harvest Man is by far my favorite, it is the most suspenseful and the most enjoyable, even with rather grotesque murder scenes, the reader is given a deeper insight into the lives of Day and Hammersmith. Grecian’s writing is in top form, the deeply atmospheric book is rich in historical detail as well as filled with intense plotlines, deplorable murders, intriguing characters, family situations interspersed throughout the book, and the thrill level will keep the reader turning the pages. I would recommend The Harvest Man to anyone who enjoys historical thrillers and especially fans of Grecian’s previous books.
    • 4/5
      This is the fourth installment in the “Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad” series and while there have been a few minor bumps along the way I’ve enjoyed each of the books. “The Harvest Man” is no exception.

      The transition from the ending of the last book to the start of this one is seamless. Mr. Grecian does not miss a beat. The “Harvest Man” (named after a reclusive attic dwelling spider) is still on the loose but this time he has left some witnesses behind. The bodies of dead prostitutes are once more turning up so suspicions are that Saucy Jack is up to his old ways again. Walter Day is recovering from his wounds while his in-laws are still making his home life miserable. Nevil Hammersmith has been relieved of his official duties but does not let that slow him down on his unrelenting determination to apprehend The Ripper.

      Where this book differs slightly from the previous three is that Walter and Nevil are tracking separate killers. Nevil is on his personal quest to find Jack while Walter, still being part of “The Yard”, concentrates on the official case involving the Harvest Man. Despite the seemingly diverging plot line the book works. There is enough overlap that neither they nor the reader loses track of each of them.

      Set in the late 1800’s this book, as were the others, is filled with colorful references to London and both its high and lower society. True to form Mr. Grecian once again caused a few grimaces with his blood, guts and gore descriptions of the victims of both the killers at large. If you are a reader that prefers “cozy mysteries” you might want to give this series a pass – although you would be missing out on some wonderful historical thrillers.

      One aspect of these books that I particularly enjoy is the fact that Mr. Grecian does not use the female characters as window dressing. Do they play a major role in the meat of the story? No. However both Claire Day and Fiona Kingsley are pretty tough ladies with minds of their own considering it’s the 19th century. Dr. Kingsley is also becoming a favorite character of mine because of his antiquated CSI techniques, which are of course quite revolutionary for his time. He draws a fun contrast between “that was then” when the reader is aware of the “this is now”. It adds the much-appreciated lightness to an otherwise pretty gruesome tale.

      This series shows no signs of slowing down and since this one ends on very much of a cliff hanger I hope I don’t have to wait too long for the next book to be released. I also just noticed that there is a prequel to the “Murder Squad” books called “The Blue Girl” – how did that one slip by me? – so I’ll definitely be having a look at that soon.

      I have been listening to this series on audio book and would be remiss not give kudos to the narrator, John Curless. I am certain he adds greatly to my enjoyment of these books in the way he brings the characters to life. His accents are excellent and even the minor background players have major personalities of their own thanks to Mr. Curless. Great reading!

    • 4/5
      Multiple serial killers means multiple murders to solve for Scotland Yard and DI Day. Jack the Ripper is still out there taunting him but there are some new kids on the block to keep things jumping. Much is revealed about Day's home life with new twin babies and interfering in-laws who hire a "staff" for the household. His recent injury plagues him and the new DI who is taking over the bulk of the investigations is less than his equal. Ms.Grecian's prose brings things alive for me. I am right there in that time period, on the street, watching as events unfold. A thoroughly enjoyable read for me. My thanks to the author and Penguin's First to Read program for a complimentary copyComment Comment | Permalink