Reviews - Stalking Jack the Ripper

11.3k reviews for:

Stalking Jack the Ripper

Kerri Maniscalco

3.84 AVERAGE

rock_facts's review against another edition

4.0

2nd read (audio): 4 stars
1st read: 3 stars

jordanthebookwitch's review against another edition

5.0

This book was so good I closed it at 9:20pm, got dressed, and raced to barnes and noble for book 2 before they closed. So much yes.

acuriousreader's review against another edition

1.0

"Roses have both petals and thorns, my dark flower. You needn’t believe something weak because it appears delicate. Show the world your bravery."

Where to begin with this one... *sputters*

I went into this book with high expectations. A girl, Audrey, breaking the barriers of being a girl in the late 1880's. She has ideals and opinions and *gasps* speaks them. She wants nothing more in her life than to go to the same school the boys do, to have a job carving open dead bodies and figuring out how they died. To top it off it all takes place around the time of the famous Jack the Ripper murders, so the body count and mysteries are at an all time high.

This story and novel had soo much potential, border lining on a dark and gruesome story (complete with autopsy photos) and a Sherlock Holmes style mystery. But it fell flat.

Lets begin with Audrey. She is a woman in the Victorian era that has the thoughts/ideals/attitudes of woman in our given era. Which would have been fine, FEMINISM! *raises hand*. However she is the ONLY woman with these views. The ONLY woman that tries to break down the wall that hold up a man's pedestal. Furthermore, she tries to "show" her capability by throwing herself into dangerous events recklessly. That's not strength or bravery or courage, honey, that's stupidity.

“If you’re not careful,” I said, brushing imaginary wrinkles off the front of my riding habit and breeches, hoping the flush in my cheeks would come across as anger and not embarrassment, “you’ll be the one dragged here in bits and pieces.”
Thomas tilted my chin up with a finger, his intent gaze setting my skin aflame. “I do love it when you speak so maliciously, Wadsworth. Gives my heart a bit of a rush.”

Thomas. Oh, Thomas. Don't get me wrong, I can agree that Thomas is drool worthy. BUT, the author tried a little to hard to make him Sherlock Holmes. Him and Audrey's banter back and forth felt like it was there as filler to get a page count rather than adding anything to the story...or the romance. and once Thomas was properly introduced to the reader, well the scraps of "story" left were thrown out the window and the book seemed to focus more on their love story than anything. Not that THAT was done well either. needless to say for being the two main characters I could not latch on to them in anyway. they were not relatable and boring and had little to no development at all.

“Without lifting his head from his own journal, he said, “Not having any luck figuring me out, then? Don’t worry, you’ll get better with practice. And, yes”—he grinned wickedly, eyes fixed on his paper—“you’ll still fancy me tomorrow no matter how much you wish otherwise. I’m unpredictable, and you adore it. Just as I cannot wrap my massive brain around the equation of you and yet adore it.”

Shall we move on to the actual story? or lack there of. This will be short and sweet. I figured out who 'Jack the Ripper' was the first time we met him. And not even 100 pages in I correctly guessed his motive/what he was doing with the women's body parts. As sick and twisted as it was, it was not executed properly. Therefore leaving the reader with no shock value. And when the "climax" actually came to the big reveal? *yawn* oh wait....that was it?

It is safe to say that my 1 star rating is a reach and I'm giving it solely on her attempt on taking this tragic piece of criminal history and turning it into a YA thriller. It would have perhaps been better suited as a screen play? now there is an idea.

mikarar480's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

ariver_ofbooks's review against another edition

3.0

It was okay.. not great, not terrible.. just meh..

jdcunegan's review against another edition

5.0

Anyone who's read my work knows I'm a sucker for genre mash-ups -- specifically, mixing murder mystery with science fiction. But any cybernetic mumbo-jumbo I come up with pales in comparison to Kerri Maniscalco's debut work Stalking Jack the Ripper, which is a fantastic romp that introduces us to the world of forensic science in 1880s London.

First and foremost, Maniscalco introduces us to the brilliant Audrey Rose (side note: two of the books I've read so far in 2017 feature protagonists named Audrey -- and they're both excellent). She's a forensic understudy, despite what polite society wants for women in that day and age, yet she still maintains her femininity whenever possible. I love female heroes, especially when the simple reality of their presence flies in the face of convention.

Fortunately, this book is more than a period piece making a gender statement. Audrey's brain takes readers on a thrilling journey as she tries to piece together who Jack the Ripper might be. There are plenty of candidates who make sense as the book goes along, and while I didn't see the ultimate reveal coming, it makes sense with a healthy dose of hindsight.

The best mysteries don't necessarily shock you; they simply keep you thinking as you flip through page after page. Stalking Jack the Ripper does just that.

The sci-fi aspect really doesn't come into effect until the big reveal at the end, but it's such a deliciously morbid reality that adds such depth to the world Audrey Rose and the other characters inhabit that it's more satisfying than I had anticipated. I've read my share of mysteries that end with the thud, but this book builds to a crescendo.

A minor aside: I love that Maniscalco added a section at the end of the book, detailing the facts she kept from the real-life mystery of Jack the Ripper and where she took liberties. It was a nice little peek behind the curtain that I wish more writers would offer.

All in all, Maniscalco has created a fantastic heroine and a vibrant world that straddles the line of reality and fantasy -- and I am thrilled another book is in the works. If you love mysteries, or historical stories, or just a damn good tale, you'd do well to give Stalking Jack the Ripper a read. There are a couple difficult passages for those weak of stomach, but that doesn't deter from what is a clever, well-written tale.