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addy1991's review against another edition
4.0
This book continues the story started in The Devil's Workshop. Of the 4+1 murderers the were set free, all but two have been taken care of. The one known as The Harvest Man and Saucy Jack/Jack the Ripper are still out there, somewhere, playing games that only makes sense to them. It is up to Inspector Day and the other members of Scotland Yard's Murder Squad to figure out the game and win. Hammersmith has been relieved of duty but that doesn't stop him from continuing the hunt on his end. Another fast-paced read that had me turning page after page as I made sure beloved characters were okay.
rebeccadupont's review against another edition
4.0
I quite enjoyed this recent installment of the Scotland Yard series. All of our favorite characters are back and our timeline is very near to the end of our last book. I enjoyed how all of the characters we given moments of reaction and lingering effects of the previous book. It was great to have real human emotions and actual effects of traumatic events included.
The Harvest Man was an interesting killer though I would have liked to learn more about him. he is searching for his family but so many questions are left open. Why is a child in his head? What about his ear? Why had he been in prison before? It did not need to be wrapped up in a bow but I wanted just a bit more. At times it felt a bit like filler in between the Jack story.
I was glad to see more with our women, Claire and Fiona. They are given time that is not just 'mother' or 'love sick' that still fits within the world; Claire and her rhymes and Fiona with her own detecting with Hammersmith.
And then, of course, the wonderful set up ending. Not how I expected it to go but it does leave me excited about the next installment! I love how Jack is written.
The Harvest Man was an interesting killer though I would have liked to learn more about him. he is searching for his family but so many questions are left open. Why is a child in his head? What about his ear? Why had he been in prison before? It did not need to be wrapped up in a bow but I wanted just a bit more. At times it felt a bit like filler in between the Jack story.
I was glad to see more with our women, Claire and Fiona. They are given time that is not just 'mother' or 'love sick' that still fits within the world; Claire and her rhymes and Fiona with her own detecting with Hammersmith.
And then, of course, the wonderful set up ending. Not how I expected it to go but it does leave me excited about the next installment! I love how Jack is written.
avey_sienna's review against another edition
5.0
Bought this book at my local charity shop, never heard of this series or author before,however, I am now obsessed and can’t wait to read the full series. The Harvest Man is full of suspense, gore, and such unique and developed characters. Parts had me so tense and I could not put it down.
gawronma's review against another edition
4.0
Another very good entry in Murder Squad stories. Can't wait until the next book in the series.
bookbitereviews's review
4.0
I doubt I would have ever picked this up on my own, but I'm glad I was asked to. While this isn't my new favorite book it was definitely an enjoyable experience. Glad I stepped outside of my norm for this.
jaclynder's review
3.0
After the explosive Devil’s Workshop I was quite excited to return to the adventures of Inspector Walter Day and his sidekick, Nevil Hammersmith. While I did enjoy The Harvest Man, it did not have the same suspenseful momentum as the previous book. That said, The Harvest Man ends on a high note, setting the stage perfectly for the next book in the series. I can only imagine that there will be many developments in this mystery series; it has gone in a direction I did not expect.
The Harvest Man picks up shortly after the events in The Devil’s Workshop. Day has returned to the job, but he’s on desk duty. Due to his reckless behaviour Nevil has been let go from the Yard, but he is determined to prove that Jack the Ripper is still at large and catch the man at any cost.
While Day is riding a desk, there’s another serial murderer at large: the Harvest Man. The Harvest Man enters a couple’s home, lies in wait, and then sets to work trying to unveil the “true” identity of his mother and father, only to be disappointed each time.
The murderer’s attempts to find his family are grotesque, graphic and creepy and because readers are given the Harvest Man’s perspective, you understand his motivations for murder. While understanding the motivations does not work to garner sympathy for the murderer, it does serve to make for the crimes to be understandable and all the more disturbing.
What is done very well in The Harvest Man, as well as the previous books in the series, is the human element to the murder. Not only do readers encounter rich primary characters with Day and Hammersmith, but they also get to see into the minds of the murderers and their victims. At times, it’s disturbing to be in the mind of the victim, yet it adds a layer of suspense and drama that makes for a strong mystery read.
While the villains are drawn very well in The Harvest Man, Grecian does not neglect his primary characters. Readers are taken into the struggles of both Day and Hammersmith. Day is a new father and he’s also the survivor of a brutal attack from the Ripper; it’s certainly playing havoc with his behaviour. Likewise, Hammersmith is struggling with the fact that he’s no longer a copper and trying to figure out what’s next for him as he’ll eventually have to find some sort of income. It’s these characters of Day and Hammersmith that keep me coming back. Both Day and Hammersmith are so ordinary. They’re not really super sleuths, and the practicality of their skills just makes them both very strong main characters to read about. Personally, I continue to feel compelled to learn more about their lives and to see their interactions with other characters.
While I still enjoyed The Harvest Man, I do have to admit that I wasn’t as invested in this installment as I was the previous one. The Devil’s Workshop was so suspenseful, I couldn’t put it down; with The Harvest Man, I wasn’t nearly as engrossed. Yet, The Harvest Man does serve an important purpose in the series: it sets the stage. Day and Hammersmith are at a crossroads in their careers and that does subdue the plot in The Harvest Man. But by the end of the novel, readers are thrown for a loop and taken in a direction that I wasn’t expecting. Both Day and Hammersmith are propelled forward and I can’t wait to see how that unravels in the next book in the series.
The Harvest Man is a solid addition to Grecian’s The Murder Squad Series. Grecian continues to build on his very human characters of Day and Hammersmith, while offering readers a spine tingling mystery. While not as suspenseful as the previous book, The Harvest Man sets the stage for future books in the series in an effective and compelling manner.
Originally reviewed at The Book Adventures.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss.
The Harvest Man picks up shortly after the events in The Devil’s Workshop. Day has returned to the job, but he’s on desk duty. Due to his reckless behaviour Nevil has been let go from the Yard, but he is determined to prove that Jack the Ripper is still at large and catch the man at any cost.
While Day is riding a desk, there’s another serial murderer at large: the Harvest Man. The Harvest Man enters a couple’s home, lies in wait, and then sets to work trying to unveil the “true” identity of his mother and father, only to be disappointed each time.
A killer had escaped from prison with three other men and had used the ensuing confusion to evade police. He was still at large. He had no known name, and his records had been lost, but he had been called the Harvest Man by other inmates. The Harvest Man broke into people's homes while they were out during the day and hid in their attics, waiting until the household was asleep before emerging. He somehow made them groggy and unable to react while he methodically cut away their faces, a piece at a time (p. 39).
The murderer’s attempts to find his family are grotesque, graphic and creepy and because readers are given the Harvest Man’s perspective, you understand his motivations for murder. While understanding the motivations does not work to garner sympathy for the murderer, it does serve to make for the crimes to be understandable and all the more disturbing.
What is done very well in The Harvest Man, as well as the previous books in the series, is the human element to the murder. Not only do readers encounter rich primary characters with Day and Hammersmith, but they also get to see into the minds of the murderers and their victims. At times, it’s disturbing to be in the mind of the victim, yet it adds a layer of suspense and drama that makes for a strong mystery read.
While the villains are drawn very well in The Harvest Man, Grecian does not neglect his primary characters. Readers are taken into the struggles of both Day and Hammersmith. Day is a new father and he’s also the survivor of a brutal attack from the Ripper; it’s certainly playing havoc with his behaviour. Likewise, Hammersmith is struggling with the fact that he’s no longer a copper and trying to figure out what’s next for him as he’ll eventually have to find some sort of income. It’s these characters of Day and Hammersmith that keep me coming back. Both Day and Hammersmith are so ordinary. They’re not really super sleuths, and the practicality of their skills just makes them both very strong main characters to read about. Personally, I continue to feel compelled to learn more about their lives and to see their interactions with other characters.
While I still enjoyed The Harvest Man, I do have to admit that I wasn’t as invested in this installment as I was the previous one. The Devil’s Workshop was so suspenseful, I couldn’t put it down; with The Harvest Man, I wasn’t nearly as engrossed. Yet, The Harvest Man does serve an important purpose in the series: it sets the stage. Day and Hammersmith are at a crossroads in their careers and that does subdue the plot in The Harvest Man. But by the end of the novel, readers are thrown for a loop and taken in a direction that I wasn’t expecting. Both Day and Hammersmith are propelled forward and I can’t wait to see how that unravels in the next book in the series.
The Harvest Man is a solid addition to Grecian’s The Murder Squad Series. Grecian continues to build on his very human characters of Day and Hammersmith, while offering readers a spine tingling mystery. While not as suspenseful as the previous book, The Harvest Man sets the stage for future books in the series in an effective and compelling manner.
Originally reviewed at The Book Adventures.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss.
aditurbo's review
5.0
Wonderful tension throughout the series, great characters and a few storylines that hold your interest from one book to another. This one ends with such a cliffhanger that I moved on immediately to the next one in the series. Simply a fantastic read.
smellbelle's review against another edition
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.
booksuperpower's review
4.0
This story is not, I repeat, is not, for the faint of heart. There is very graphic violence and super intense situations that could cause sweating of the palms or cause you to have a few restless nights.
I do have one complaint, and I hate to bring it up, but…. There is not a tidy, all wrapped up neatly with a bow on top, ending. In fact, some may view it as borderline cliffhanger territory. Ordinarily, this would annoy me to the nth degree, and I was slightly irritated , but the author handles this very well, even though I know there will be a wait period before I can see how everything gets worked out, I was able to close the book with a definite sigh of relief.
Overall, this a solid historical crime thriller, well written, featuring finely drawn, complex characters, and a riveting plot. I recommend this book to those who enjoy dark, atmospheric thrillers, historical mysteries, or serial killer tropes.
This review is the copyrighted property of Night Owl Reviews. To read the review in full go to: https://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Reviews/Gpangel-reviews-The-Harvest-Man-by-Alex-Grecian
I do have one complaint, and I hate to bring it up, but…. There is not a tidy, all wrapped up neatly with a bow on top, ending. In fact, some may view it as borderline cliffhanger territory. Ordinarily, this would annoy me to the nth degree, and I was slightly irritated , but the author handles this very well, even though I know there will be a wait period before I can see how everything gets worked out, I was able to close the book with a definite sigh of relief.
Overall, this a solid historical crime thriller, well written, featuring finely drawn, complex characters, and a riveting plot. I recommend this book to those who enjoy dark, atmospheric thrillers, historical mysteries, or serial killer tropes.
This review is the copyrighted property of Night Owl Reviews. To read the review in full go to: https://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Reviews/Gpangel-reviews-The-Harvest-Man-by-Alex-Grecian