Stalking Jack the Ripper

Stalking Jack the Ripper the book is a fiction tale, semi using the case of Jack the Ripper, London’s most famous Serial killer.The two main characters in this book is one Audrey Rose Wadsworth,(btw Kerri, if your reading this, I love her Name.) and the other is Mr Thomas Cresswell. AudreyRose decides to do something, most would consider un-lady like of the time period and her status in society. That something turns out to be a medical examiner of sorts. She decides to study the science with her Uncle because she lost her Mum very young. So during her studies, she happens to met her Uncle intern Mr Thomas Cresswell. She learns through her Uncle and Thomas of the Jack the Ripper Murders After Audrey is invited to help in the case, all hell pretty much breaks lose. All of the clues point to people close to her. She is also slowly starting to like Thomas as more then a friend,which doesn’t help matters either. Why? because lets be real who wants to fall in love or semi love while investigating famous murder. As time goes on, Audrey Rose becomes closer to everyone possibly involved in the murder. I rated this book a 5 out of 5 stars, because it is written so well. The best way to describe the story is that it wants you to look at the murders as being a puzzle for a crime solving like a person in Forensic's would study a murder .I hope all of that makes sense but before I continue I also would like to point out that this book discusses in some detail Forensic science study of dead bodies. It is the process of a Doctor or Scientist receiving a dead body to study its organs as well as sometimes studying murders. But back in Victorian days it was Called being a Cadaver which was a way for doctors or scientist to get free bodies to study what cause a person death as well or use certain body parts . While this is discuss in the book, it is not extremely detailed to point of making someone feel sick. I am a sensitive person to these types of things and this detailed did not bother me. Now on to more details about the story itself. This story is not your standard Murder mystery in the sense that its all about the murder. This book is also about Audrey Rose becoming her own person. I also honestly couldn’t believe how funny this book was, mainly from Thomas’s point of view. Thomas tends to be the one who keeps Audrey Rose on her toes and really helps to get her to think about everything. He loves the fact that she is so well educated compare to most girls of her position and the age. He tends to use humorous flirty banter towards her whenever they are together. I can’t say enough about how much I love Thomas in this book. I also loved the cover on this book. This cover which is shown above of a woman holding a knife while wearing Steampunk victorian clothing is bloody beautiful, intriguing and inviting .I honestly can’t wait to start the next book in the series which is Hunting Prince Dracula, and it comes out in September 2017 for hardcover sell.

I'm not really big on mysteries to be honest (and yet I ended up reading two at the same time somehow), so I wasn't completely sure I would be interested in this. But, I love all things that take place in Victorian England, plus Jack the Ripper is grotesquely interesting to read about, so I thought I might enjoy this (plus I also got the ARC of Hunting Prince Dracula at BookCon so...kind of felt like I should at least give it a try). Turns out, I kind of loved it! The story follows Audrey Rose Wadsworth, one those "not like other girls" kind of heroines who prefers stitching up dead bodies after examining them to stitching embroidery into napkins, as she dives into the case of "Leather Apron", or as we know him today, Jack the Ripper. It's fast-paced, full of great characters and relationships, and of course, lots of mystery and intrigue. I thought the story itself was wonderfully written for the the most part. It moved at a decent pace, keeping the reader on edge despite knowing what was in store, and filling the plot with great characterization and relationship growth. There were mysteries abound, in both the case of Jack the Ripper and in characters themselves, keeping everything fresh and interesting as new questions came into light. It wasn't perfect, unfortunately, as a lot of creative liberties were taken by the author (which she admitted to in an Author's Note at the end of the book) and while I'm sure most people are fine glossing over them, I read another book that dealt with the Jack the Ripper murders ( The Name of the Star , by Maureen Johnson), and though that does not make me an expert on the subject matter at all, there were enough inconsistencies that I noticed that had me confused at times. I brushed it off, but I still felt mildly annoyed. One such liberty was the inclusion of the Barnum & Bailey circus act that Audrey Rose goes to see with her brother, Nathaniel. Not only did it not occur in the year this book takes place (1888, when the circus came in 1889), but to me it felt a little unnecessary to the plot. All it served was a means to make Nathaniel feel like he was helping his sister be a little happy again, only for it to be interrupted by the Jack the Ripper case again, cutting the happy night short and honestly just making the entire scene feel like it could have been cut entirely. On another note, there was a specific plot point that felt like it was completely forgotten about after a specific incident occurred related to it. While I can infer some answers about that particular mystery (I'm talking about Thornley and Alistair) based on the revelations at the end, it was never specifically brought back up and so things are left a little muddled with the answers being more along the line of "could have been" than definitively. It was a little predictable - I kind of guessed who Jack was about halfway through - but the motive felt a little strange and out there for the character. I figured out why he was choosing his particularly victims correctly, but not the complete reason as to why he was killing and maiming their bodies as he did. In fact, when the revelation came, his actions and demeanor compared to how he had acted prior felt very out of character. I know this can be attributed to Audrey Rose's perspective of the situation, and to the idea that people aren't as they seem, but there are usually more behaviors shown that would make this kind of revelation make sense, I think. As for the characters, I really did enjoy Audrey Rose and her constant determination to assist in the case despite what her father and society wanted from her, and her compassion for the victims of Jack the Ripper. Her relationships with those surrounding her really defined the book as a whole, as they grew and changed over the course of the novel, without them ever really changing her own desires for her goals in life. My only issue is with Maniscalco's writing of Audrey Rose's feminist views: I completely agreed with her on everything, but they were just a little too straightforward - a little too much "tell" when it could have been more "show". Thomas Cresswell came off being a little bit too much Sherlock Holmes-ian at first, with his deducing and arrogance, but he slowly grew on me and showed much deeper levels to his character throughout the novel. I loved his relationship growth with Audrey Rose, and that he became a little softer as the book wore on. The other characters had just as much depth and growth as well throughout the book, and were all interesting and intriguing to read about and grow to understand. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I especially enjoyed reading about Audrey Rose and Thomas. The plot moved decently and kept me captivated the entire time, while the characters really brought the story to life. Despite a few issues with historical accuracy and some plot holes that needed filling, I still really enjoyed this book and can't wait to dive into Hunting Prince Dracula!

Nella Londra vittoriana dove il sesso debole ha il ruolo di ornamento, frivola compagnia e tanto gossip, la sua propensione all’arte forense è un’attitudine del tutto inappropriata, da mantenere segreta. Soprattutto se si è figlia di uno dei Lord più influenti della città e si indossa la gonna. Una mente eccelsa e calcolatrice però difficilmente si tiene in gabbia, e Audrey Rose odia le sbarre. All’insaputa di un padre più protettivo del dovuto, la ragazza diletta la sua passione nel laboratorio medico dello zio, dottore forense, principale investigatore sulle vittime di Jack lo squartatore. Su quel tavolo sterile, Audrey guarda le vite di giovani ragazze strappate via dalla furia assassina e combatte i suoi istinti di libertà contraddetti di un animo gentile e devoto alla famiglia. A tenerla costantemente sul chi vive, c’è l’assistente Thomas, affascinante studente di poche ma taglienti parole. Un occhio attento al dettaglio, in grado di dedure anche il meno plausibile, la ragazza ne sarà attratta ed infastidita allo stesso tempo. E noi ne saremo divertiti come non mai. Anche se la nebbia londinese non piace a nessuno, lasciarsi ammaliare da Audrey Rose e Thomas è abbastanza facile, per non dire naturale. Battute taglienti, dialoghi ferrati, un’ironia che è il cavallo di battaglia, faranno cornice ad una storia in cui poliziesco e thriller si mescolano in una miscela adrenalinica. I vicoli di East End rispecchiano la struttura del libro, dove ogni pagina nasconde qualche piccolo indizio al grande mistero. I personaggi poi, sono anche loro tutto un mistero. Thomas è l’irresistibilità in persona: silenzioso quanto basta, giusto il tempo di irritare la protagonista e poi scomparire, lasciando lei e noi senza parole. Della sua storia si sa poco quanto niente, quanto basta per sperare di conoscerlo più a fondo nel libro successivo. Audrey invece, è un libro aperto. Combatte per i suoi diritti, non riesce ad abbassarsi ai livelli di una società retrograda, di cui denuncia proprio la sua arretratezza. Allo stesso tempo però, desidera ardentemente essere accettata per quello che realmente è, e che la rende unica. Ha le sue idee ed è pervasa dal desiderio di urlarle ai quattro venti, di viverle senza alcun segreto. È tuttavia combattuta dalle conseguenze che queste potrebbero avere non tanto sulla sua immagine, quanto su quella del fratello e del padre. I suoi monologhi sono di una dolcezza smisurata. Le cupe atmosfere di Londra; gli assassini efferati del famoso Jake; protagonisti divertenti e sensibili; ambientazioni storiche. Insomma, non si hanno scuse per non iniziare Stalking Jack the Ripper, e non si hanno motivi per non amarlo.

Très bon livre

Stalking Jack the Ripper is set in 1888 based on the real-life murders of the victims in Whitechapel, UK. This book is a murder mystery with our main character, Audrey Rose, investigating the murders by using forensic science with her uncle and a very lovely arrogant main protagonist Thomas. This novel is a historical YA and probably suitable for 15 and above. The novel itself is packed full of gorey type descriptions and doesn't fall short of any shock factor. If you're a little squeamish then this might not be the book for you. Afterall, these murders really happened and Kerri only presents them as so. It's incredibly well written with beautiful prose and you immediately care for the characters. The novel is uniquely dark and mysterious all with a fantastic "proper" romance between Audrey and Thomas. Thomas Cresswell is one of my new favourite book boyfriends. With the time period, it really depicts the formality of dating and courtship which I found to be an extremely lovely touch. It's lovely to see a real gentleman, even if he does break the rules a little and comes across as arrogant. But his arrogance is so attractive in that he's not ashamed to express how he feels to Audrey. It's super cute. The plot is driven by the continuous murders and the mystery surrounding who Jack really is. At no point did I pin who Jack actually was (Of course, this part is fictional, I believe, as the really JtR is still unknown). The ending and the motive behind the real killer's action were so brilliantly planned out. Kerri couldn't have come up with a more grotesque, wildly imaginative ending. It was truly shocking and I simply had no idea. And also, go Thomas! He's a real hero. The book includes some photographs throughout the novel to show what life was really like during 1800's. They are quite fascinating to look at and I feel they added a realistic edge to this story. There is one picture of a hand towards the end of the book that is downright creepy. Urgh. But still, it was great to see what kind of reality people were facing during that time period. The time period was so fantastically captured, from the clothing, behaviours, courtship. Everything was meticulously planned and it created such authenticity. You really feel the "grunge" of forensic science in this time period. Even though we do see Audrey sterilizing equipment, you can still imagine that lab in the dark with gas lamps and candles, no real hygiene and working with a woman, which is frowned upon. The atmosphere was simply great and I was hooked all of the way through. I read the novel in just over a day. I was so excited that I purchased Hunting Prince Dracula when I was 50 pages from the end. I cannot wait to read the next installment and I hope there are many more adventures of Audrey and Thomas to come. Would recommend to: - Readers over 15. - Those who enjoy horror/thriller and murder mystery. - Those who read YA Pros: - Atmosphere and setting is built well and is authentic - The murders aren't witnessed but are talked about in professional detail *squeamish trigger* - Realistic loveable characters - Authentic representation of the "view of women" during those times. - Lovely romantic subplot - Didn't guess who Jack really was. - Inventory of information at the back of the novel - Images of the life back in the 1800's throughout Cons: - There is a period where there aren't any murders and there is more story building with suspicion. - Took forever for the romance between Audrey and Thomas to develop into a kiss. - Can be explicit in terms of discussing the murders and wounds (not that I minded!) Overall, was a fantastic enjoyable read and I am so excited for the next book to fall through my letterbox. Thank you Kerri for such a unique read. I loved it.

Achei esse livro por acaso e li só porque curti a vibe de Sherlock Holmes. Amei tudo, do início ao fim

I had heard quite a lot of good things about this book- it was after all very much hyped about in the bookstagram as well as the booktube community. And so when I got the chance to pick it up as a part of a book club reading list, I promptly did so. The lead characters in the book Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell. And I found them both very well rounded. Audrey Roe isn’t a conventional Victorian lady- in her spare time, she loves to study dead bodies and human bodies- something that otherwise grossed out women of her era. While she also loves shopping for new clothes and shoes like every other woman, she loves science- forensic science to be specific. While I admire her spirit, I sometimes felt angry and justly so. Why antagonize the enemy at the cost of your own life? I mean to say, at a time when a killer is on the loose, slashing away at women, why would a sane one go out alone at night in the dark when you might not even possess perfect fighting skill? Audrey Rose was very impulsive and reckless at times. Thomas Cresswell is a rich young gentleman of the society and he too is a student of Audrey Rose’s Uncle Jonathan, just like her. Thomas gives some very Sherlock Holmes vies sometimes- he is great at deduction and he knows it. He also knows he is handsome to look at, and this combined knowledge make shim arrogant at times. Nonetheless, he is admirable and likeable. I also like hoe flirtatious he is with Audrey Rose, how sincere and hardworking he is with his studies. In short, I am smitten. He also gives me some Rikkard Ambrose vies if you know what I am talking about. Jack the Ripper aka Leather Apron aka the Whitechapel Murderer is grossly fascinating. The way he kills and then tortures the body is thought-inducing and you can’t help but actually mull over the real murderer who ran rampant years ago. Like most of you all already know, that even though various arrests were made and various theories were also theorized, no one was actually framed as the real Jack the Ripper. The background to the story was very gothic I feel like- what with all the gore, and murders, the visit to infamous Bedlam, the nightly adventures and the whole theme as a whole. Including the pictures was a good thing- it made the story all the more real and tangible and the entire effect was gruesome and something of the macabre. They really enhanced the reading experience. The writing was on point and I almost finished the book in one seating. The research that was done by the author is definitely something to be applauded. It’s a really unique book and the plot was definitely very original. I honestly cannot believe that Stalking Jack the Ripper was a debut- it was exceptionally well written. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I rate this a 4.5/5 stars.