Alex Grecian has written many excellent best-selling books. I’ll highlight a couple of them here. “The Yard” was published in 2012. When I first picked this book up, I thought how can a guy who lives in Kansas know about Scotland Yard. How could this be any good? It was excellent! Grecian picks up the story right after the Jack the Ripper murder where Scotland Yard looked like an ineffective police force. Jack the Ripper embarrassed them because they weren’t able to catch him.
I enjoyed how Grecian uses the story to show how modern detective work and forensics evolved. Scotland Yard found ways to communicate among their department a lot better. Meetings were held, and teamwork was encouraged. The new head of The Yard said, “So I would like all of you to work in pairs for the foreseeable future. Not only is it safer for you men, but it’s possible that each of you brings a different perspective to the same situation.”
I enjoyed this book so much and looked forward to the second book. The comradery between the individual detectives and police officers was my favorite part. Grecian uses a lot of characters in his books. I love how even minor characters are woven into his stories. It seems like they all played a significant part.
I picked up “The Black Country” almost immediately after reading the first book. I expected a continuation of the teamwork built from the first book. However, that didn’t happen. I quickly realized Grecian is the kind of author who doesn’t like to reinvent the same thing. He took readers on a trip to coal country with only two of The Yard members. The environment and writing just felt darker. As a horror fan, I loved it.
Grecian added four more stories to the Yard series. I enjoyed each one. While you get a great story out of each individual book in the series, I prefer to read them in order to see the continuity and character growth. My only complaint is I wish there were more.
His other books are also excellent. One of my favorites is his 2020 standalone book “The Saint of Wolves and Butchers.” It takes place in modern day Kansas. The story features a guy who is a Nazi hunter, and a state trooper he meets along the way. The Nazi in the book was a doctor at a concentration camp and fled Germany after World War II. He moved to Kansas in the fifties, and now has his own congregation. In some ways, the doctor reminded me of a certain controversial minister who used to live in Westboro.
After reading the book, I had to look into Grecian’s work history to see if he was ever in law-enforcement. I also asked him if he had experience in the field. No, he’s just that good of a researcher!
Grecian’s most popular book “Red Rabbit” came out in 2023. As a hobby, I visit bookstores across the US and often meet fans of his. In one of my latest online bookstore video tours, the owner and I gave him a shout out.
“Red Rabbit” is folk horror at its best! Another horror reader said it reminded her of Stephen King’s gunslinger series. Picture the old west with witchcraft, ghost, demons, and shapeshifters. This book is very unique! If you’re looking for something different, this is the book for you. It’s a little bit True Grit as an interesting posse with strange characters hunts down a witch in a supernatural Wild West. Incidentally, Ward-Meade Park in Topeka has the red Wells Fargo wagon Grecian used for his research.
“Rose of Jericho” is a sequel to “Red Rabbit.” Some of the same characters appear in both books, but you don’t have to read them in order to enjoy them. It’s set in a creepy small town and somehow the character Death is killed and people stopped dying.
To find out more about this latest book, you can see Alex Grecian with Chase Dearinger at a panel discussing creepy small towns moderated by Clay Wirestone at 10am during the 2026 Kansas Book Festival, held at Washburn University’s Plass Center and Library this Saturday, September 26.
I highly recommend Grecian to those who read thrillers or horror and are looking for something different. Another way to sample him are his novellas. I recently enjoyed “The Boatman,” which is an oceanic horror with thrills and chills. It’s a slow burn but the dread slowly rows towards you!
Topeka has a lot of excellent writers. You’ll get to see some of them at the Kansas Book Festival. My favorite ones are those whose books I have reviewed or interviewed.
