Stalking Jack the Ripper (Untitled Trilogy #1)
by Kerri Maniscalco
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Release Date: September 20th 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery
Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.
Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.
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Stalking Jack the Ripper takes a true crime story and gives it a Sherlock and Holmes twist. I loved the way Kerri Maniscalco retells the story one of the most famous serial killers by providing fascinating characters.
We have some really great characters. Audrey Rose is a high society lady with a fascination with forensic science. Losing her mother five years prior she is overly sheltered by her father. Which makes her more determined to break free. I love how she is strong and intelligent but also enjoys things like fine fabrics and dressing up. I love the priceless moments when she takes Thomas off guard by adding a little make-up. She often takes on the Watson role in the story to Thomas and carries more compassion for the victims. She looks at them from both sides, as the mystery to figure out and someone who she has to honor by solving the mystery of their murders.
Thomas has the personality of Sherlock. He is able to remove emotion from things so he is able to analyze a litte more easily than Audrey Rose. Which can both be a strength and weakness. I love how he quickly figures out ways to frustrate her but also enjoys challenging her mind. He can quickly turn on the charm and you can’t help but fall in love with him. He never hides his feelings for her but she often thinks he is just messing with her.
We have the side characters of Audrey Rose’s family. Her father, Uncle, Aunt, Cousin and brother Nathanael make frequent appearances in the story. I really liked that aspect of it. It’s not like she is running around solving crimes without any consequences. She lives in a society where women are undervalued and thought to have a certain place. She can’t do what she is doing without some resistance. There is also Blackburn the Police Superintendent, who seems to have some ulterior motives.
I really enjoyed Stalking Jack the Ripper. There was never a moment I wasn’t intrigued by the plot and I loved the subtleness of the romance. I love a historical fiction that I can research while reading and then have fantastic author notes at the end where Kerri explains what facts she used, didn’t use and what things she changed. Well written and engaging, I would definitely recommend delving into this story. With October just around the corner there couldn’t be more perfect timing.
Kerri Maniscalco grew up in a semi-haunted house outside NYC where her fascination with gothic settings began. In her spare time she reads everything she can get her hands on, cooks all kinds of food with her family and friends, and drinks entirely too much tea while discussing life’s finer points with her cats. Stalking Jack the Ripper is her debut novel. It incorporates her love of forensic science and unsolved history, and is the first in a new series of gothic thrillers.
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