The Yard
by Alex Grecian
(Penguin, 2012)
Nobody in London trusted the police to do their job. Jack had escaped and the detectives of The Yard had never even come close to finding him. The unsolved case was a harsh reminder of their fallibility and it hung over their heads every morning when they walked through the door of the back hall.
Page 4.
Murderers, thieves, whores and swindlers were all pressed together alongside that rarest of species, the honest citizen.
Page 14.
The hierarchy of The Yard was unusual in that nobody outranked anyone else. The detective inspectors specialized in certain types of crime, the cases that required the most time to solve. The constables - he never called them ‘bobbies’, despite the popularity of that nickname among the general public - dealt with London’s day-to-day offences and walked their beats, familiarizing themselves with whole neighbourhoods and their people, always with the goal of nipping problems in the bud before they escalated far enough to warrant the attention of the detectives. And the sergeants, Kett among them, facilitated both constable and inspector, working to ensure that everybody on the fore communicated smoothly with everybody else, that everyone was at the top of his game.
Page 15.
One shouldn’t have children if one wants to own fine furniture.
Page 82.
“Crime doesn’t stop and the more I know, the getter prepared I am. Evidence never lies, but it’s up to us to interpret correctly what it says.”
Pages 89-90.
“It is not our job to take up lost causes.”
“With all due respect, sir, I believe that is exactly our job.”
Page 99.
The dead outnumber us and we have no power over them. Our duty isn’t to these bodies, our duty is to the Queen and to the law. To the idea of the law. And to the living. Them’s the real victims because they have hope and they look to us.”
Page 101.
“Your duty is to society and the dead have always been a part of society. How we treat the dead says much about us.”
Page 102.
Day felt suddenly tired. Only a week into the job and the amount of craziness was already swamping him.
Page 108.
There was too much crime for any one man to care about it all.
Page 114.
The idea of someone who killed from habit and need was a relatively new one.
Page 120.
The Ripper had been something new. He had killed in secret and for no apparent reason. He had done it again and again with impunity.
Page 120.
It was the custom when visiting for a short while, to leave one’s coat and hat on unless the visit was expected to last more than fifteen minutes. Often, neighbours would take a stroll after dinner and call on their nearby friends and acquaintances. If they left their coasts on, it meant that their host shouldn’t worry about serving tea or dessert. To take one’s coat off signalled a prolonged obligation and was avoided unless there was a clear invitation to stay.
Page 140.
Knowing that there was something hidden was the first step towards finding it.
Page 146.
“When people die their minds no longer work. They can’t dram.”
“What about their souls?”
“I have never seen a soul nor found a repository for such a thing in any body I’ve examined. There is no soul.”
Page 157.
Walter Day woke up early and rolled out of bed with the cobwebs of a bad dream clinging to him.
Page 170.
The man on the street had no great love for the police. There was too much crime that went unstopped and no one felt safe.
Page 171.
“It is more important to use your gifts well than to settle for being content.”
Page 224.
“Crime’s changing and people are changing. This is just the start, mark my words. I think there’s too many of us people and we’re too close together and we’re turning on each other like rats in the gutter. We’re in the biggest city in the world, Day, and I think it’s trying to get rid of us.”
Page 242.
“No one is too kind, Mr. Hammersmith. Everyone wants something. When we get it, we’re kind, when we don’t … well, when we don’t, we’re simply surviving.”
Page 256.
He was not a patient man, but he was resolute.
Page 257.
The dead were so very vulnerable and Kingsley felt they deserved privacy and respect.
Page 258.
The Dark Angel would come upon him without warning and he would feel an instant of shame, a loss of control. It was that loss and no other that he feared.
Page 260.
“If you’re a good student, the teacher hardly matters.”
Page 263.
“I’ve found that the more friends I have, the easier my life seems to be.”
Page 415.
“I became a policeman because I care about people.”
Page 415.
“Not too interestin’ to watch a man bleed after the first few minutes.”
Page 513.
The most beautiful women were often the most dangerous.
Page 528.
“I don’t think being a child is ever particularly easy.”
“It’s not particularly easy being an adult either.”
Page 531.