Stalking Jack the Ripper

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco is a dark, gripping story that I never wanted to end. Needless to say, I've been having trouble keeping on top of my TBR lately with university taking over my life and all, so I've been super picky with my reads lately. If something doesn't pull me in straight away, I set it aside to come back to sometime in the future when I have less essays to write and more time to read. That being said, it physically pained me to put down Stalking Jack the Ripper whenever I had to set it aside to get some work done. It was gripping from the very first page and even when I wasn't reading it, I couldn't stop thinking about it.The story follows young Audrey Rose who secretly apprentices under her Uncle who's a mortician, despite her father's disapproval. In a time when girls were taught that the only place for them was the home and tea parties, Audrey is going against societal norms to pursue a gruesome side of science: cutting corpses open. She helps her Uncle conduct postmortems which is where she meets the arrogant but intelligent Thomas Cresswell aka the new love of my life. Imagine a young, extremely flirty Sherlock and you have Thomas. The Sherlock to Audrey's Watson. They make such a fantastic team and seeing them attempt to solve the Ripper's murders together, not to mention the angsty banter and both romantic and sexual tension that fills the air whenever they're in the same room. I ship them so hard. I could've done with a little more... intimacy though but I guess it was the Victorian era where it was improper to even be alone in a room with a guy, meh. (Edit: I just found out this is a trilogy so I'm 100% now okay with the slowburn).Besides the characters, I have so many more things I loved about this book. The photos and the incorporation of things like an image of Jack the Ripper's letter added such authenticity to the story and made it even darker. I never knew when I'd be flipping a page only to find something gruesome staring back at me. Kerri takes something that most of us find grossly fascinating (I mean, that explains why the Ripper case is so infamous) and gives us a sense of closure. We get to go on this mysteriously dark and thrilling adventure and we actually get answers at the end. I found myself rushing to finish so I could confirm my suspicions but feeling utterly conflicted because I also didn't want it to end. As the victims started piling up and we were handed a bunch of suspects, I found myself pulling my Sherlock hat on, fully invested in the investigation.One more thing I have to make very clear: I LOVE Audrey Rose. I really do. She has definitely joined my list of favourite MCs/protagonists, she's fiesty and stubborn and brave in a time that teaches girls they need to be the complete opposite. Even when her father threatens to toss her out onto the streets, she continues to pursue science and stands up to him - which is one of my favourite scenes in the book.Overall, I think I've found a new favourite book. I guessed the culprit before the big reveal but that didn't matter a bit to me because I was doubting myself the entire time and the entire back story and plot was just magnificently done. I can't wait to read more books by Kerri Maniscalco and I just found out that this is a trilogy rather than a standalone so I can't wait!

Dark and gory, this brilliantly written account of the haunt for Jack the Ripper is both gruesome and captivating at the same time., although the author changes the timeline slightly this does not impact on the quality of the storytelling. The characters are believable especially Audrey Rose, who feels trapped and stifled by societies expectations of her as a young lady of the times. Haunted by her mother’s death she years to learn about death and forensics and trains with her Uncle who is a surgeon and coroner who autopsies the victims of the Ripper, and this is how she becomes involved.The locations of the Ripper murders are correct as are the order of each killing, some changes were made to location access particularly with regards to Dorset Street and Miller’s Court, the location of the murder of May Jane Kelly, the last of the Ripper’s victims, however this was so subtly done that I did not notice it and it did not spoilt the narrative and plot.Maniscalco describes  the injuries inflicted on each of the victims in detail, and some of this information is pretty gory, especially that pertaining to Mary Jane Kelly. The murder of Elizabeth Stride as part of the Double event is mentioned only in passing and more detail is given to Catherine Eddowes.This was so well written that I was only aware of the slight changes Maniscalco made at the end of the book, when she explained them in a note explaining why this was done . An excellent book definitely worth picking up

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 YAPros:- 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 throughoutCons:- 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.

I really enjoyed reading Stalking Jack the Ripper, it was dark, bloody and exciting to read. I didn't know what to expect before reading the book because I only bought the book after the title got me a bit curious about the book. However after reading it and loving every minute of it, I am so glad the title caught my eye.Stalking Jack the Ripper follows a Victorian girl called Audrey, who works in secret with her uncle who is a mortician, and helps conducts post-mortems. Also helping her uncle is Thomas Cresswell, who at the beginning does not get on too well with Audrey, but after a while them become a team and try to solve the mystery of Jack the Ripper.I absolutely loved Audrey Rose, she is everything you need to become one of your favourite main characters. She is intelligent, determined, funny and stands up for what she believes in. The way she interacts with Thomas is a definitely the highlight of the book because if your like me you will come to love every scene they are in together. They way they flirt and handle each other makes both of the characters relatable and likeable.I found the plot to be really interesting and once I got into the story I found it hard to actually put the book down. The plot is complex and full of twist and turns, but because it is well written its easy to follow and a joy to read. Throughout the novel I was undecided on the suspects and kept changing my mind with every chapter I read.Kerri Maniscalco writing is a pleasure to read. Her writing draws you in and paints a very vivid picture in your mind of the locations of the murders and how the victims died. There was so much gory in the book, I wish I read this over Halloween because its a perfect read for that time of the year.If I had to think of one thing that I didn't like about the book, then I would have to say it was the beginning part of the book. I found it to be a little slow and it took me a while to actually get into the story and care about the characters. But don't be put off by the start because it gets so much better. If you are finding it difficult to get through, just continue reading because you will regret not reading this fabulous story.I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a well thought out and developed mystery read, with added gory. After the slow start the book really picks up and takes you are a journey full of twists and turns you do not see coming. I am so glad that this is not a standalone and is instead part of a trilogy because Audrey Rose needs to have more adventures.I rate this book 5/5 stars

Purchased 4 x new paper back books (Jack the Ripper, Devil, Dracula and Houdini).The edgings around the covers were very crimped and Houdini had the most damaged cover because it had a tear on the back which tore into the bottom of some of the pages. The tear was noticeable but I will have to accept this, only for the fact that, they were purchased for a gift and if I return the the 4 books I will not receive replacements in time. I see that others have had the same problem so I hope Amazon take this on board and deal with this. They should be sold at half the price as damaged goods!