Simply a good read.

For a crime novel reader this is a good read, entertaining and not too far fetched portraying characters well and reflecting on medical conditions as a compassionate person would at the time. I was a little worried that it would dwell on Jack the Ripper and various theories about who he was but it doesn't. The book pitches it just right in the main only mentioning him where it relevant and reflecting on the mood of the general population of London following a time of Jack. So story line good, characters good and pace good too. It's all good really.

7 people found this helpful

Have I Got The Right Book?

I was really looking forward to this book. It is a Victorian dedective novel. The reviews were all great bar one. I particularly liked the reviews which mentioned detailed description of Victorian daily life mixed with a whodunnit.

But sadly no. There is crime in the first chapter. Then we have chapters on why the main character comes to his job. which he is not at all cut for ir have any experience. Another whole chapter on a child which has died in very sad circumstances is a crime or not. Again nothing to do with the story. Finally (well for me) a whole chapter in a bar with our man being amost mugged. It was at that point I hit my PC and sent it back.

I would not waste a credit on this one.

2 people found this helpful

Incredibly dreary and slow moving

This isn't narrated by Christopher Saul, but by Nigel Carrington! I don't suppose that makes much difference to my review. I find that the biggest mystery is 'How did this turgid novel manage to get 4.2 stars'?
This is so ridiculous - The Commissioner seems to spend a lot of time putting his one good arm up, turning his face and sneezing! OK - the man has a cold - but do we need to be burdened with each sneeze? The characters are as flat as cardboard and dear God the prose is clunky and so slow I am getting to screaming pitch. I will not be able to finish this, my time is far more valuable to me than to be stuck with such rubbish. I just don't care about anything or anyone in this apology for a novel, I think this must be my number 1 'Worst novel of the year!'.

2 people found this helpful

Thoroughly enjoyable

What made the experience of listening to The Yard the most enjoyable?

The narration was fantastic. The writing was very good. The story was paced well.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of them really. Good characterisations within this period setting

Have you listened to any of Christopher Saul’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No, but will listen again. He controls the story well. Does not vocally exaggerate his characters. Very easy to my ear.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Suspenseful period detective story at its best.

Any additional comments?

Loved the fact that the story was not littered with useless observations. It remained factual and was wrapped up well. No loose ends.

2 people found this helpful

Disney London

What would have made The Yard better?

Knowledge of London, would have improved this book - or even some careful plotting.

Has The Yard put you off other books in this genre?

Will never bother with another book by this author.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I did not enjoy much of this, the plot was ragged and the constant Americanisms made some parts bizarre.

What character would you cut from The Yard?

Generally, the characters are one-dimensional, unrealistic and certainly not English.

Any additional comments?

A great disappointment, London as envisaged by Disney, with many odd phrases (all the working class said 'is all' regularly) and descriptions did not ring true. All tension came well signposted and was entirely inevitable. Why did the writer not stick to somewhere in the States? Thank goodness the reader was genuine, although I skipped a lot out of irritation.

2 people found this helpful

Loved, loved, loved this

What did you like most about The Yard?

Great story, interesting historical detail, brilliantly interwoven multiple plots.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Yard?

The discovery of the boy's body in the chimney - heartbreaking and horrific to think children were treated like this only a century ago.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Blackleg's flirtation with Hammersmith's gullible landlady

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A grisly post-Ripper thriller?

Any additional comments?

Can't wait for the next book by this author. Great narration too.

1 person found this helpful

Excellent novel but no surprises

Would you listen to The Yard again? Why?

I did enjoy the story immensely, it was not unnecessarily complicated as some authors like to only pull the various threads together at the very end of the book. Here one always knew what what one getting which was fine, however, some twist at the end of would have been appreciated.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Yard?

The Narrator is brilliant, however, I can only find one other book for him...Give this man a job someone !!!

Have you listened to any of Christopher Saul’s other performances? How does this one compare?

See above....

1 person found this helpful

Okay but frustrating, not going to finish it

I'm one of those oddities who enjoys playing the audiobook while simultaneously reading along with the hard copy. In this instance, it was a very frustrating experience, because the narrator appears to be reading from a very different version of the novel. Possibly, copy went to the audio producers prior to the publication of the fully edited hardback edition (which I have)? But whatever the reason, before the end of the second chapter, I'd already had to stumble over no less than 10 "errors" -- different terms used in the book vs audio, entire sentences and segments elided, some sentences switched around, and several moments of the sound dipping out entirely.

I found it hard to care about the characters or to form any attachment to the narrative and storyline. Possibly this is all due to the poor audio experience, so I will give the novel a second chance by just reading the book in the old fashioned way.

I will not be finishing w/ the audio, though. It is being returned.

Good, Not Great.

Its a rich world, well drawn world with likeable characters and a solid enough crime story if your just looking for something undemanding to read on the bus or the beach or if Victorian set crime stories are really your jam then you'll like this. but it's nothing special at least IMO. Maybe the series gets better as it goes on but based on this first instalment I wont be spending anymore of my credits to find out.

Spellbinding from beginning to end.

I thought it was going to be a "Ripper" lookalike but it was (I think) better.