Alex Grecian (; born Alexander Douglas Grecian on August 6, 1969) is an American author of short fiction,

novels A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of '' ...

comic books A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

, and

graphic novels A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics scholars and ...

. His notable works include the comic book series ''

Proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a co ...

'' and the novels in the Scotland Yard's Murder Squad series: ''The Yard'', ''The Black Country'', ''The Devil's Workshop'', ''The Harvest Man'', ''Lost and Gone Forever'', and ''The Blue Girl''. He has been nominated for th
Strand Award
for Best Debut Novel for ''The Yard''
The Dilys Award
for ''The Black Country'', and th

for Best First Novel for ''The Yard''. He was also the recipient of an

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at Comic-Con Internati ...

in 2018 and of the

Kansas Notable Book Awards The State of Kansas Notable Book Awards are presented annually for fifteen notable books created by writers, illustrators or book design, book artists who are Kansans or have written about Kansas. The award, originally established in 2006, is or ...

from the State Library of Kansas for ''The Yard'', ''The Black Country'', ''The Devil's Workshop, Lost and Gone Forever,'' and ''Red Rabbit''.

Career

Literary influences

As a child and a teenager, Grecian read the works of

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

, and

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

. He later became a fan of crime fiction, reading the works of authors as diverse as

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

Donald E. Westlake Donald Edwin Westlake (July 12, 1933 – December 31, 2008) was an American writer with more than one hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers, with an occasional foray int ...

Ross Macdonald Ross Macdonald was the main pseudonym used by the American-Canadian writer of crime fiction Kenneth Millar (; December 13, 1915 – July 11, 1983). He is best known for his series of hardboiled novels set in Southern California and featur ...

, and John D. MacDonald. Other influences include

John Irving John Winslow Irving (born John Wallace Blunt Jr.; March 2, 1942) is an American and Canadian novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. Irving achieved critical and popular acclaim after the international success of his fourth novel '' Th ...

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...

Michael Chabon Michael Chabon ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, D.C., he spent a year studying at Carnegie Mellon University before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, ...

, and

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

Comics and graphic novels

Grecian's first comic book work, released in 2006, was a collaboration with Canadian comic book artist and illustrator

Riley Rossmo Riley Rossmo is a Canadians, Canadian comic book artist and illustrator, known for his work on various Image Comics titles, as well as Marvel Comics' ''Daken: Dark Wolverine''. Rossmo is an instructor at the Alberta College of Art and Design. Per ...

on ''Seven Sons'', a graphic novel based on the anonymously written Chinese folktale

Ten Brothers ''Ten Brothers'' () is a Chinese legend known to be written around the time of the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644). It has been told and spun off in various adaptations and remains popular since it is one of the oldest Chinese legends to feature chara ...

known to be written around the time of the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644). In 2007, he started work on ''

'', also with Riley Rossmo. NPR named this series one of the best books of 2009. Grecian and Rossmo started on their third project together, ''Rasputin'', in the fall of 2014. This series is a work of fiction based on the life of

Grigori Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian Mysticism, mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II of Russia, Nicholas II, the last Emperor of all the Russias, Emperor of Russia, th ...

. Rasputin was a mystical adviser in the court of Czar Nicholas II of Russia in the early nineteen hundreds. In 2013, with fellow creators

B. Clay Moore B. Clay Moore is an American comic book author, best known for the series ''Hawaiian Dick''. Career Moore first achieved notoriety as the writer and co-creator of ''Hawaiian Dick'', first published in 2002 in comics, 2002 by Image Comics. Since t ...

Jeremy Haun Jeremy Haun is a freelance comic book artist. Beginning in 2002, Haun worked for Image Comics, IDW Publishing, Oni Press, Devil's Due Publishing, Top Cow, and Marvel Comics. Since 2008, he has worked for DC Comics. He is known for his work on ''Be ...

, and Seth Peck, Grecian developed the anthology Bad KarmaBad Karma
at Comixology.com using a

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

campaign. Bad Karma is a hardcover comics, prose and art collection featuring five separate, inter-related creator-owned concepts.

Novels

In May 2012 Grecian's debut novel ''The Yard'' was released by

G. P. Putnam's Sons G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group. History The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 partnership between George Palmer Putnam an ...

. This novel is the first in the Murder Squad Series. The second novel in the series, ''The Black Country'', was released in May 2013, then the third, ''The Devil's Workshop'' in May 2014, the fourth, ''The Harvest Man'' in May 2015, and the fifth, ''Lost and Gone Forever'' in May 2016. The e-book ''The Blue Girl'' is also a story of the Murder Squad and was released in June 2013. In April 2018 Grecian released the stand-alone book ''The Saint of Wolves and Butchers'' also published by

. In September 2023, Grecian released the novel ''Red Rabbit'', published by

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles. History Tor was founded by Tom Doherty, ...

. The stand-alone sequel, ''Rose of Jericho'', will be released in March 2025 also by

Bibliography

AiT/Planet Lar AiT/Planet Lar is an American comic book publishing company based in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1999 by Larry Young and Mimi Rosenheim. The company focuses on releasing original graphic novels into the mass market, although th ...

* ''Seven Sons'' (

AiT/Planet Lar AiT/Planet Lar is an American comic book publishing company based in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1999 by Larry Young and Mimi Rosenheim. The company focuses on releasing original graphic novels into the mass market, although th ...

, 88 pages, 2006, )

Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...

*''

Book 1: Goatsucker'' (collects Proof #1-5,

Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...

, 128 pages, June 2008, ) *''

Book 2: The Company Of Men'' (collects Proof #6-9,

, 128 pages, December 2008, ) *''

Book 3: Thunderbirds Are Go!'' (collects Proof #10-16,

, 144 pages, July 2009, ) *''

Book 4: Julia'' (collects Proof #18-23,

, 128 pages, July 2010, ) *''

Book 5: Blue Fairies'' (collects "Proof" #24-28,

, 128 pages, December 2010, ) *''

Book 6: Endangered'' (collects "Proof Endangered" #1-5,

, 128 pages, December 28, 2011, ) *''Fractured Fables'' (

, 160 pages, July 2010, ) *''Dia de Los Muertos'' (collects #1-3,

, tpb, 128 pages, November 2013, ) *''Rasputin Volume 1'' (collects Rasputin #1-5,

, 184 pages, May 2015, ) *''Rasputin Volume 2'' (collects Rasputin #6-10,

, 136 pages, February 2016, )

Vertigo (DC Comics) DC Vertigo, also known as Vertigo Comics or simply Vertigo, is an imprint of the American comic book publisher DC Comics. Vertigo publishes comics with adult content, such as nudity, drug use, profanity, and graphic violence, that do not fit ...

*''The Unexpected'' (

Vertigo (DC Comics) DC Vertigo, also known as Vertigo Comics or simply Vertigo, is an imprint of the American comic book publisher DC Comics. Vertigo publishes comics with adult content, such as nudity, drug use, profanity, and graphic violence, that do not fit ...

, tpb, 160 pages, 2013, )

G. P. Putnam's Sons G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group. History The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 partnership between George Palmer Putnam an ...

* ''The Yard'' (

, May 2012, ) * ''The Black Country'' (

, May 2013, ) * ''The Blue Girl'' (

, June 2013, ASIN B00B1FG9DA) * ''The Devil's Workshop'' (

, May 2014, ) * ''The Harvest Man'' (

, May 2015, ) * ''Lost and Gone Forever'' (

, May 2016, ) * ''The Saint of Wolves and Butchers'' (

, April 2018, )

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fic ...

* "Unknown Caller" (

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fic ...

, July 2014) * "The Scarlet Box" (

, January/February 2022)

TKO Studios

* ''One Eye Open'' ( TKO Studios, March 2022, )

Reactor

* "The Price of Rye"
Reactor
September 2023)

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles. History Tor was founded by Tom Doherty, ...

* ''Red Rabbit'' (

, September 2023, ) * ''Rose of Jericho'' (

, March 2025, )

Bad Hand Books

* "Item G2V" in Long Division
Bad Hand Books
December 2024, ) * "The Boatman"
Bad Hand Books
2026)

Selected awards and honors

*2012 The New York Times Best Seller list for ''The Yard'' *2013

Barry Award (for crime novels) The Barry Award is a crime literary prize awarded annually since 1997 by the editors of ''Deadly Pleasures'', an American quarterly publication for crime fiction readers. From 2007 to 2009 the award was jointly presented with the publication ''My ...

nomination for Best First Novel for ''The Yard'' *2013

Strand Magazine ''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...

's Critic's Award nomination for Best Debut Novel for ''The Yard'' *2013 The

List for ''The Yard'' *2014

Dilys Award The Dilys Award was presented every year from 1992 to 2014 by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. It was given to the mystery title of the year which the member booksellers have most enjoyed selling. The Independent Mystery Booksell ...

nomination for Mystery Title of the Year for ''The Black Country''The Dilys Award
''Independent Mystery Booksellers Association''. *2014 The

List for ''The Black Country'' *2015 The

List for ''The Devil's Workshop'' *2017 The

List for ''Lost and Gone Forever'' *2018

for'' The Saint of Wolves and Butchers'' *2024 The

List for ''Red Rabbit'' *2024 Th
MPLA Literary Contribution Award
for significance to the library community

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grecian, Alex Living people American comics writers American fiction writers 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American mystery writers 1969 births 21st-century American male writers Inkpot Award winners American horror writers American short story writers