Steph Reviews The Harvest Man by Alex Grecian

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Son
Series: The Murder Squad #4
Format Read: Hardcover
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 19, 2015
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

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.

Steph's Thoughts:


I find the Jack the Ripper mystery fascinating because they never figured out “who done it”. So when this book came up for review, I was more than happy to read it.

I didn’t realize that it was part of a series, so I have not read the first three books. However, this was ok. I might have missed some of the back story with the two inspectors but it honestly did not make too much of a difference. I still understood the relationship of the two inspectors with each other and with Jack. Jack has been toying with both inspectors for quite some time. While Jack was a part of this story, he was not the “star” of the book. He was more of a sub-plot.

The real star of this book, though, is The Harvest Man. He is another serial killer that is even scarier than Jack the Ripper. The parts of the book that are shown from his point of view are really creepy. This guy stalks families and the details of how he kills make you want to lock your doors and nail the door to the attic closed forever. Every time the Harvest Man appeared, I would get that itchy weird feeling in the center of my back you get when you are freaked out.

I loved this book. Nothing is more fun than a book that can scare the hell out of you and this one fits that bill. I am looking forward to getting my hands on the first three books in this series and the next book when it comes out.