Stalking Jack the Ripper

3.5 Enjoyable semi-compelling mystery with some true goriness in the mix. Not a lot of character development or motive outside of pretty and Victorian (for both Audrey Rose and Thomas, they were equally written in broad strokes) and some parts dragged a bit but overall pretty fun to listen to. Not the fault of this book, but very similar to Madman's Daughter, which is also on BOB list - I guess making for really hard-to-distinguish questions!

Re-read. Still loved it as much as the first time. Not really predictable and I love love love the main characters!

It's been so long that I've read a proper murder mystery or even a historical book that this one came as a breath of fresh air and I think it was exactly what I needed at this time. Jack the Ripper is such a fascinating and popular true crime story and I was really excited to read a fiction based on it. It was dark and thrilling but also so much fun with a cast of very intriguing characters and I can't wait to read the next installment.

Audrey Rose is a wonderful protagonist and someone who I wanted to root for right from the get go. She is intelligent, strong willed, sassy, compassionate and will do whatever it takes to follow the path that she has chosen for herself. She is questioned or looked down upon every step of the way because she would rather spend her time dissecting corpses and investigating crimes than gossipping or organizing tea parties, but she never lets others' opinions change her mind - she just smartly figures out ways to get around all the rules. Her utmost dedication to science and belief in equal opportunities for women are definitely revolutionary for her times and it was heartening to read about a character with such strong convictions. There were times when she judged other girls her age for giving importance only to beauty and scoring husbands and it wasn't cool, but I could understand her because she was also being judged all the time.

Thomas is her Uncle's student from his forensics class and is equally smart and knows it. He is so confident in his abilities and comes across as arrogant, is very good at detaching himself while investigating the murders which makes him seem unemotional or apathetic but he is actually very sweet, charming and swoon worthy. He loves showing off his deduction skills and it gave so much Sherlock vibes, it was lots of fun to read. He is just as much non conforming to society's expectations as Audrey is, so he is quite supportive of her endeavor to investigate and catch Jack the Ripper. He is also very sarcastic and the flirty banter between them is just too cute. They both may be attracted to the other's looks but their friendship and later romance slowly develops on a foundation of mutual respect for each other's intelligence and personalities, and I loved that especially due to the historical setting.   

The writing in the book is excellent for a debut novel and I really didn't want to put it down. The setting of London is eery and creepy and the dull rainy foggy days are described so well, it makes for the perfect atmosphere. The mutilated bodies and the theories of how the murders may have been committed are described in all the gory details; it was really nauseating sometimes and gave me chills. Even the science of performing the autopsies and all the methods of forensic investigations utilized during the 1800s are articulated in detail which shows how diligent the author was in her research. I especially enjoyed the original pictures from the time period and Jack the Ripper's letters because they made the book seem more creepy and real. As I'm not very good at predicting, I really didn't figure out who the killer was until just a few minutes before Audrey did and I did not see that coming. The ending was devastating but with a tad bit of hope and sets up the next book very neatly.

If you read a lot of murder mysteries, this book might seem predictable but for me, it was just the perfect blend of macabre and entertaining. The characters are absolutely delightful and it was so interesting to go on this thrilling journey with them to discover the truth. If you are fascinated by Jack the Ripper or love murder mysteries or if fierce Victorian heroines are your thing, then this book is perfect for you. Give it a chance and you won't regret it 🙂🙂🙂

... I was right.

I mean, not to pick at the mystery, but the first guy I pointed at - like easily in the first half - and said ‘I think you're the Ripper' turned out to be right. Of course, if you don't suspect each named guy at least once, you're not as suspicious as I am. But, yeah. I was right.

Anyways, I've been interested in this story since I first saw the cover (because it's gorgeous!) but gave it a pass for the longest time because... Hmm. Maybe because it was popular and I don't have the best track record with popular and/or hyped books. But this book is wonderful.

I love Audrey. She is brilliant and independent and courageous and feminine and absolutely lovely. And her and Thomas together reawakens my hope for YA romances. He's charismatic and charming and admires her for her strength and wit and they make a perfectly unbeatable pair. Also, special mention must be made of Liza, Audrey's cousin, who could wrap society around her pinky if she wanted to. I love seeing the interaction between Audrey and Liza because they are both so different, but they truly like and admire each other. (There weren't enough girl friends for Audrey in the book, but it was also explained aptly by the story.)

I am now super looking forward to the sequel and wish that I hadn't instituted a bit of a buying ban because I would love to jump right into it.

That was a really awesome book. It had just the right amount of comedy and gore. Well, not gore exactly, but some scenes were pretty gruesome. However, that intrigue!

“The dead speak to those who listen. Be quieter than even them.”

“If only life's problems could be solved with a frilly dress and a pair of slippers. To hell with the world around us as long as we looked our best.”

Just read the rusting book!

Update: Idk why Goodreads keeps putting this back in my Want to Read shelf... it's is the second time this happened. A glitch, maybe? Idk.

- - -

This was pretty good! (Besides the fact that it was kinda predictable, Thomas has the same last name as my old Math Teacher From Hell™, and Audrey Rose is a bit of an airhead... love her though.)

A Few Things You Should Know:
- I am not the biggest fan of historical novels. (But this was set in Victorian era England so it gets a pass.)
- I originally did not want to read this book at all.
- I am very glad that I did end up reading this.
- This cover is fucking gorgeous.

(Also, Thomas has been added to my top ten list of book boyfriends. He reminds me of Rhys. For some reason.

4.5 Stars

I went into this book knowing that it was based off of the real life murderer Jack the Ripper. I don't know how accurate to the actual Jack the Ripper Case this book is because I personally know little to nothing about it. That being said though what I read was very believable. I had heard such great things about this book and I can't believe I waited so long to finally pick it up. I buddy read this with a friend of mine and we were constantly talking about who we thought was the murder. We both had similar suspects but she was leaning toward one more than I was and she ended up being right. If you don't want to pretty much be told who you should suspect then don't read the back of the book. I wish I wouldn't have because it tells you what kind of people to suspect. With that being said I don't think it took away from the suspense of the book or anything I just wish I could have had the opportunity to come to that conclusion on my own. I absolutely adored Audrey Rose and Thomas and I especially loved the banter between them. There was one chapter in this book where a Medium was introduced and I just found that weird and unnecessary. It to me was a cop out way for characters to come across pertinent information regarding a case. Overall I thought this was an amazing debut and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series which I hear is even better.

Reread - I still found myself hooked the second time around and I still loved it. I will say Audrey Rose annoyed me more this time around.

4.5/5 stars

O H M Y G O S H!!! this book left me shooked and needing more like yesterday.

I loved this book so much. It was beautifully written and the audio book is amazing!!! I totally recommend y'all to read this if you like light thrillers, mysteries, and historical fictions. I'm personally not a fan of “horror” themed books or movies but this was not bad. The suspense aspects of it actually made me want to keep reading it. I will tell you this I CALLED IT!!! I knew who was Jack the Ripper before it was revealed. But it was still a great reveal though. Being Kerri Maniscalco's debut novel it was phenomenal!!

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!

This book was amazing because It had the bad ass heroine but she was bad ass because she was smart and took risks. Audrey Rose loves forensic science even though she lives in the Victorian era and women are supposed to love fashion, beauty, and tea. Although Audrey likes those things too her love for science is first. She is an amazing character that is what the female bad ass trope should be... some books wish they could relate.

When I first saw the synopsis I thought it was going to be filled with romance. It had its little bits of romance here and there but it wasn't the main focus. Thomas was so cute, he was a bit of a smart ass. Thomas and Audrey's relationship was one of the best things in this book. It wasn't the annoying insta-love, Its developed slowly and it was soooo cute!!

I personally knew it was going to be Nathaniel it was obvious to me because of the way his character developed. It was very minor but I'm the type of person that focuses on details. The second they mentioned that Nathaniel started looking a bit more rugged was a huge clue. Tbh his reveal would've been more shocking if his motive for killing them was also because they were women his father slept with too like that would've shooked me 1000 times more.

Moral of the story is that I loved this book and I totally recommend it!!

4.5/5 stars

O H M Y G O S H!!! this book left me shooked and needing more like yesterday.

I loved this book so much. It was beautifully written and the audio book is amazing!!! I totally recommend y'all to read this if you like light thrillers, mysteries, and historical fictions. I'm personally not a fan of “horror” themed books or movies but this was not bad. The suspense aspects of it actually made me want to keep reading it. I will tell you this I CALLED IT!!! I knew who was Jack the Ripper before it was revealed. But it was still a great reveal though. Being Kerri Maniscalco's debut novel it was phenomenal!!

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!

This book was amazing because It had the bad ass heroine but she was bad ass because she was smart and took risks. Audrey Rose loves forensic science even though she lives in the Victorian era and women are supposed to love fashion, beauty, and tea. Although Audrey likes those things too her love for science is first. She is an amazing character that is what the female bad ass trope should be... some books wish they could relate.

When I first saw the synopsis I thought it was going to be filled with romance. It had its little bits of romance here and there but it wasn't the main focus. Thomas was so cute, he was a bit of a smart ass. Thomas and Audrey's relationship was one of the best things in this book. It wasn't the annoying insta-love, Its developed slowly and it was soooo cute!!

I personally knew it was going to be Nathaniel it was obvious to me because of the way his character developed. It was very minor but I'm the type of person that focuses on details. The second they mentioned that Nathaniel started looking a bit more rugged was a huge clue. Tbh his reveal would've been more shocking if his motive for killing them was also because they were women his father slept with too like that would've shooked me 1000 times more.

Moral of the story is that I loved this book and I totally recommend it!!

This was an absolutely fascinating book!

It started of badly... for me anyhow because I was trying to eat dinner and was reading about an autopsy. Shut book, finished dinner, took a break, then started it again
Word of advise: Unless you don't mind reading about death, autopsies, etc. while eating, I'd say put the book down because some of it seems a bit graphic if you have a good imagination because the author's love of forensic science is indeed present.

Moving on, I thought this was a brilliant book. The science was there and interesting, there was witty banter that I totally ate up, deductive reasoning, and an interesting theory on who Jack the Ripper was as well as why he committed the crimes. I'm not sure if what the book has is what the author truly thinks about the unsolved crimes or if she came up with something fictional to make an intriguing book.
Audrey Rose is a good MC. Both girly, yet unafraid to get blood on her shoes, it was nice reading from her POV. Thomas is AMAZING. Loved that he was included– even if he was reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes (which probably made me like him more ^_^). Audrey Rose's family was an interesting dynamic and showed how life was like for women in the time, although because it is fiction, she definitely gets away with more than she would have!

Personally, I thought the book was a bit wordy, which would lead me to being distracted by other things, but it wasn't too bad.
My biggest concern with this book is how Audrey Rose is 1/2 or 1/4 Indian, talks about loving naan bread and wearing saris, yet it isn't brought up besides that. She also has super white skin while if she actually had to deal with her mixed heritage I think the book would have been more interesting and full. But... in the end, it felt like a gimmick to make her ‘not just white' #diversity when really... there is no diversity here.

Will I read the sequel??? Probably. I want more of the banter and plus... DRACULA! I'm down with that haha.

I recommend this to people who don't mind liberties taken with historical fiction and murder mysteries.

3.5 Stars

This book was really hard to pick a rating for. I really enjoyed it and loved how historically accurate it is even if Kerri Maniscalco took some liberties to make the history fit will her story. But at the same time the beginning was incredibly slow and I really struggled to get into the story and really care about the characters. It honestly took almost half the book for that to happen which is never a good sign especially in a book just over 300 pages. I think Kerri's writing grew stronger as the book went on and I will definitely be continuing on with the series and following Audrey Rose and Thomas's stories as they solve more mysteries.

~Full review on The Bent Bookworm!~First of all, look at that gorgeous cover. I could practically reach out and touch the silk of that dress. Also I swear I see blood on the knife, every time I see it out of the corner of my eye. But when I look at it closely, of course there's nothing there. And that, my friends, is why this was my Creepy Cover. Because no matter how many times I look at it...I see that blood (it's probably the combination of the lip color with the knife when I just glance at it...but still). Oh, and inside at many of the chapter beginnings, there are these AWESOME old creepy pictures.I'm fascinated by unsolved true crime. Yes, I am one of those people. At the same time, I like keeping a semi-safe distance between me and the crime. Hence, Jack the Ripper fits the bill because he's obviously dead by now. Phew. All the same, this book raised the hairs on the back of my neck. While simultaneously causing me to tear up in the final chapter. Like what IS this mix of emotions, even?!?Audrey is a scientifically minded young woman with a backbone of steel. She is fascinated with the human body and despite the VERY suspicious appearances, studies under her uncle, a professor with an unsettling obsession with the dead (now we call it forensic science). I love the way she flaunts society while at the same time enjoying what fashions suit her own fancy. Of course, this also involves disobeying her extremely protective father, who honestly comes across as rather unhinged after the passing of her mother. She still cares deeply for him, despite her constant frustrations with the limitations forced on her. Audrey's brother, Nathaniel, is another sympathetic character. He deals with the loss of their mother much differently, seeming to have picked up and moved on as a sadder, melancholy person concerned only with his family and holding them together. Her motivation for studying science above and beyond what's considered proper really resonated with me:It was then that I knew I'd rely on something more tangible than holy spirits. Science never abandoned me the way religion had that night...God no longer held dominion over my soul.Yessssss. I'll join you in hell, dear sister.Ahem. Moving on. insert “Fight Song” playing in the backgroundThen there is Thomas, the quirky, socially awkward student with the face of an angel and tongue of a viper. He's annoying in an endearing sort of way. Every time I was about to be all, “Awwwww,” he would make some other caustic remark that made me want to slap him. Like for real slap, not pretend slap. He gets better and we get inside his crusty exterior more and more as the story goes on, though, and by the end I was feeling very charitable towards him, indeed. In the way one feel charitable to a naughty but adorable puppy.The hunt for the serial killer (a term not yet coined) Jack the Ripper – first called Leather Apron by the press (look at me, learning things!) keeps the plot moving along briskly. The attention to historical detail in this book is AWESOME, even if there were a few liberties taken that made me roll my eyes. Like at one point Audrey's cousin says women should be able to wear a certain type of clothing to “go to work.” Um...wealthy women in the 1880s most definitely did not “go to work.” Just saying. I understand Audrey is something of a revolutionary, but to maintain believability I think a couple things like that should have been edited out. I do love the way she comes into her own through the story, and THAT part is handled exceptionally well.“This who deserve respect are given it freely. If one must demand such a thing, he'll never truly command it. I am your daughter, not your horse, sir.”The creep factor is amazing. At first I thought it was going to be relatively tame (flaying bodies open and lots of blood really don't bother me, ummm...sorry?), but the psychological aspect of it really starting affecting me about a third of the way in and I couldn't put it down at all! I started it in bed one night...and quickly decided to finish the rest in broad daylight. I was by turns fascinated, horrified, and at the last just so very sad. The foreshadowing was incredible – which means it was so skillfully done that I was completing flailing in chapter before the reveal and while I felt completely broadsided, immediately saw the clues I'd missed.My biggest issue with the book is actually the romance. Thankfully, it's more of a sub-plot, but I think the whole thing would have been better by just hinting at possibilities to come instead of anything actually happening. In the first several chapters it's WAY too distracting and it really seems out of place for Aubrey's character. Contrary to popular opinion, it seems, I think you can have a very successfully told YA story without having any romance at all. Sometimes “just-friends” friendships are the strongest ones we have.Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.Monsters were supposed to be scary and ugly. They weren't supposed to hide behind friendly smiles and well-trimmed hair. Goodness, twisted as it might be, was not meant to be locked away in an icy heart and anxious exterior. Grief was not supposed to hide guilt of wrongdoing.Blog Twitter Bloglovin Instagram

3/5 stars

I'm going back and rereading this. I remember vaguely what happened in this book. I do remember it being one of my favorites at the time I read it but that was years ago. It was probably interesting at the time, but it didn't stick that much to me compared to some of my other favorite books.