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A review by smellbelle
The Harvest Man: Scotland Yard Murder Squad Book 4 by Alex Grecian
4.0
Each time I read one of Grecian's Murder Squad books I devour it so quickly I'm sad it's over. With this one, and the Devil's Workshop, the third in the series, I was sad to see them end because they were so grotesque, and not at all full of happy endings.
I desperately want to know what happens next because our beloved hero Walter Day has been taken by the Ripper himself. I felt sick when I finished this, not knowing what has happened to him and thinking of his twin girls at home. I'll be waiting with baited breath for the next instalment, Grecian has well made sure of that.
However, I miss the tone that this series first had. My favourite of the series remains The Black Country. Everything was right with that book, and unfortunately, for me, Grecian hasn't been able to keep that same tone and feeling with the next two. Involving the Ripper was I think, both a masterstroke and a disaster. Grecian's desire to make the Ripper truly frightening and deranged has seen it take over the series, he was the subject of The Devil's Workshop, The Harvest Man and now the next instalment. I fear that when this issue is resolved, so much of what we love about these books will no longer be present.
To give credit where it is due, Grecian's Ripper is horrifying. Every time he appears in a scene my stomach twists in knots. Grecian's writing is magnificent, truly awesome in its descriptions and the scenes he creates are so vivid and fantastic. This is the reason it gets 4 stars from me, even though I have to admit that reading it wasn't a pleasant experience.
I will mourn for the characters I thought Day and Hammersmith were and I will wait, worried and anxious for Walter. Do hurry up Mr. Grecian, do hurry up indeed.
I desperately want to know what happens next because our beloved hero Walter Day has been taken by the Ripper himself. I felt sick when I finished this, not knowing what has happened to him and thinking of his twin girls at home. I'll be waiting with baited breath for the next instalment, Grecian has well made sure of that.
However, I miss the tone that this series first had. My favourite of the series remains The Black Country. Everything was right with that book, and unfortunately, for me, Grecian hasn't been able to keep that same tone and feeling with the next two. Involving the Ripper was I think, both a masterstroke and a disaster. Grecian's desire to make the Ripper truly frightening and deranged has seen it take over the series, he was the subject of The Devil's Workshop, The Harvest Man and now the next instalment. I fear that when this issue is resolved, so much of what we love about these books will no longer be present.
To give credit where it is due, Grecian's Ripper is horrifying. Every time he appears in a scene my stomach twists in knots. Grecian's writing is magnificent, truly awesome in its descriptions and the scenes he creates are so vivid and fantastic. This is the reason it gets 4 stars from me, even though I have to admit that reading it wasn't a pleasant experience.
I will mourn for the characters I thought Day and Hammersmith were and I will wait, worried and anxious for Walter. Do hurry up Mr. Grecian, do hurry up indeed.