The sequel to Alex Grecian’s bestselling historical thriller The Yard is a dark mystery set in Victorian England that follows Scotland Yard’s newly established “Murder Squad.” In The Black Country, Inspector Walter Day and his assistant Sergeant Hammersmith head out of the city to a remote coal-mining village in the British Midlands to help locate three missing and presumed-dead members of the local community. The duo quickly realizes that here in the mines, everyone has a secret. With only two days to investigate these disappearances, Day and Hammersmith come up against entrenched prejudices, an emerging epidemic and a monster that snatches people from their homes. On top of that, the village itself is slowly sinking into the land. Even the appearance of forensic pathologist Dr. Kingsley, a pioneer in scientific investigation, does little to hinder the superstitions that run rife throughout the town.
Suspenseful throughout, The Black Country is rich in period detail and filled with meticulous research. A gripping plotline and unforgettable characters help to keep this novel a shocking and entertaining page-turner.
Author Alex Grecian created the lauded graphic novel series Proof, which National Public Radio named one of the best books of 2009. Grecian’s debut novel The Yard was an international bestseller, and he is currently at work on the third installment of the Inspector Day series. Grecian lives in the Midwest with his wife and son. He will speak at Mystery One Bookstore on Wednesday, May 29 at 5 p.m., and at Boswell Book Co. later that evening at 7 p.m.
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