This Week I am Reading ... Ms Rachel Loughran

Ms Rachel Loughran is an LSA at Elmfield working, predominantly, with Class 6. Rachel shares her review of The Yard by Alex Grecian below.

I was raised by parents who loved Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie in equal measure, so it is probably no surprise that I am drawn to historical crime novels.

I was mooching in the local charity shop when I stumbled across this book. The second I saw the cover, I was intrigued: The sepia background, tall gothic gates, the shadowy gentleman dressed in a top hat and coat. I was drawn, destined to turn the pages and see what lurked within.

The story is set in Victorian London in 1889, when Scotland Yard is reeling from a series of unsolved murders. From the depths of that despair and failure comes the newly formed Murder Squad and its newest policeman, Walter Day. Emerging from the shadow of despondency is the new science of pathology, and its pioneering advocate, Dr. Kingsley. Both men have to prove themselves and their new theories, not just to their peers and families but, most importantly, to themselves. They must battle and silence self doubt in order to succeed.

In the swirling mists and the dark, twisting streets of London's underbelly lurks a serial killer. As the story of his deeds unfolds, it intertwines with the story of London's poor, the hidden, forgotten depths of the city. The children forced to choose between the cruelty of sweeping chimneys or the cruelty of the workhouse. Women suffering at the hands of a society that treats them as second class citizens. A class-based society where being poor is a crime in itself.

Through this, protagonists play a cat and mouse game. The plot twists like the streets themselves, the fog clouds potential clues.

The book had me gripped from the start. I couldn't wait to turn the pages to see what happened next. The story was so well written, the characters so real, I was engrossed. It was a truly riveting read.

As I neared the end of the battle of wits, police against killer, good against evil, I, too, experienced a dilemma: desperate to see how the tale unfolded, but desperate not to finish, to leave that gripping and captivating adventure.

The book was a guilty pleasure. The sort of story that I could get lost in, escapism of the purest kind. A book to curl up with over a half term holiday. A highly recommendable read to anyone who loves a compelling whodunit!

I look forward to Easter and the sequel. The game's afoot.....