The Black Country

Starred review from April 8, 2013
Set in 1890, Grecian’s startling and spooky sequel to The Yard (2012) charts the efforts of Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad to locate a missing married couple and their toddler in Britain’s industrial Midlands. In the village of Blackhampton, Insp. Walter Day and his team discover more than one mystery: a girl finds an eyeball under a tree, scores of townspeople are stricken with an unexplained plague, and a hideous figure is lurking in the woods with a gun. Battling local terror and superstition, the squad must also contend with the town’s physical collapse into the mines beneath it. Grecian’s bold melding of horror with historical elements more than compensates for the dramatic overkill at the end. The novel’s varied relationships balance pathos with humor and point up lessons on human responsibility—on what we owe to those with whom we’re connected. The nascent bond between Day and Sgt. Nevil Hammersmith is especially appealing, hinting at many rich developments to come. Agent: Seth Fishman, the Gernert Company.

June 24, 2013
The small mining town of Blackhampton is a far cry from the bustling streets of Victorian London, but when three members of a prominent family go missing and a human eyeball is found in a bird’s nest, Inspector Walter Day and Sergeant Nevil Hammersmith of Scotland Yard’s murder squad are brought in to help the local police in their search for the missing family. When they arrive they find a town drenched in secrets, steeped in old superstitions, and haunted by the past and death. What happened to the family? Whose eye was in the nest? And what is the mysterious illness that is striking down the town’s populace? These are only a few of the many questions that Day and Hammersmith must find answers to during their time in the Black Country. Toby Leonard Moore is in fine form as he expertly brings Grecian’s historical mystery to life. With his even, pleasantly accented voice and calm, methodical pacing, Moore skillfully pulls listener sin and guides them through the twists and turns of this dark and captivating tale. At the same time he convincingly creates a wide range of diverse characterizations. A Putnam hardcover.