Book Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper
Recently I found myself in a bit of a reading slump. As much as I wanted to read, I just couldn't figure out what book to pick up, and really didn't have the motivation to pick one out either!
I think there is something a little extra special about the books that pull you out of your reading slumps. Slumps happen to the best of us, and when a book gets you reading to the point where you can't put it down, it's a great feeling. Enter Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco. It is her first book, and what a book it is. In the late 1800s, Jack the Ripper terrorized London. Kerri Maniscalco has taken that story and adapted it into a narrative that is exciting, full of suspense, and feminist.
The last word might have surprised you, but there is a lot of girl power in this book. The protagonist, Audrey Rose, is an excellent narrator, and very much ahead of her time. Studying forensic science and the art of performing autopsies, she must lie to her father, disguise herself as a boy to attend lectures, and navigate solving a mystery in a time when many doors were closed to women.
The mystery of Jack the Ripper is also an enticing one, and keeps you guessing. Even for an avid reader, familiar with plot twists and turns, the ending comes as a surprise in the final chapters. I really enjoyed following along as the characters look for clues and try to solve the mystery of the Ripper. If you like mystery and are looking for a quick read that you won't be able to put down, then this is definitely a book you'll want to pick up.
I haven't even told you the best part- a second book following the characters in a new mystery is being released in just over a week! Hunting Prince Dracula will be on shelves September 19th 2017, and you can bet I'll be at my local bookstore on release day!
9/10 stars
You'll like this book if you enjoyed: Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James; Caraval by Stephanie Garber; The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee; Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge; and other similar stories!