Reviews

Jack the Ripper: Case Closed by Gyles Brandreth

pink_alex's review

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Two writers turning murder investigators …
The police asks Oscar Wild and by association Arthur Conan Doyle to assist them solving the mystery of Jack the Ripper. 
Jack the Ripper killed several woman in London the late 1880 and no one knew who he was. Even years later the press was still realling about accusing the police of not doing their job. So they ask the two famous writers for their inside. As a reader we follow their investigation which is sometimes funny sometimes disturbing and curious. 
I enjoyed reading the story and the revelations made. I was sometimes quite confused by the steps taken, which was probably on purpose. It was fun to see these characters and their quirks. 

sabrinamergner's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Did not enjoy the book as much as I would have thought  from the description. Doyle was a bland narrator and Wilde seemed to only consist of his whitticisms, no substance. The denouement was at the same time an interesting idea and very unfulfilling. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Violence, Homophobia, and Mental illness

Minor: Suicide and Infidelity

alipickle's review

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

taylorelm's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

helenephoebe's review

4.0

Review - I really enjoyed this book in general. However, I thought that the ending was a bit naff, even though it raised some interesting points about the possible identity of Jack the Ripper. I haven't read any of the previous books in this series, but this one really works well as a stand alone novel in its own right. I loved the combination of Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes), I think that was really clever, and it gave the story a sense of realness, because we know these men did live at the time. I'd be interested in reading some of Brandreth's other books as well.

Genre? - Historical / Mystery / Crime

Characters? - Oscar Wilde / Arthur Conan Doyle / Aaron Kosminski / Constance Wilde / William Wilde / Lily Lees / McNaughten / Jimmy / Michael Ostrog

Setting? - London (England)

Series? - Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries #7

Recommend? – Yes

Rating - 17/20

evelyn_luna's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

thebooktrail88's review

5.0

Visit the locations in the novelJack the ripper

This novel speaks to me on so many levels. Arthur Conan Doyle fascinates me in many ways. I know he was into mysteries in real life, the supernatural, the unknown and the other wordly, so what would he have made of Jack the Ripper?

There’s a lot to love:

The trail around London to the sites of the five canonical murders

More murders which take place in 1894 and are investigated as being committed by “Jack”.

The friendship between Oscar and Arthur , the banter, mystery and intrigue of being in their worlds as well as the very real one of Jack the Ripper and the fear that still endured. Very cleverly it’s written in the first person in the words of Arthur Conan Doyle. An author as character? Well I was just in literary heaven. As for Oscar Wilde, he seems like a right character! Full of colourful words and even more colourful actions, he’s a fun and fascinating man. The real friendship between them comes through loud and clear and add the Jack the Ripper mystery to the mix and I was sucked in from the very start.

How did I not know about this series of books where Oscar Wilde is the main character of such compelling mysteries? I am now excited to be going back to book one and to able to step inside this mix of fact and fiction. I really felt as I was in the presence of two great writers and the very real atmosphere of fear which would have existed not long after the Ripper murders. What I really loved was the warmth wit and banter between the two of them is what makes all this so believable. Some of it is, of course, and that’s what makes it so brilliant. The suspects we all know are there but so too are the fictional ones or ones brought in to suggest new suspects…..

A literary feast of delights. I have the pleasure of now going off and reading the others. Gyles, I thank you.

vickilee's review

1.0

What a drag! It's a no from me 👎👎👎

aditurbo's review

4.0

Enjoyable but not great. Brandreth is still (as in the previous books in the series) afraid or unwilling to address the issue of Oscar Wilde's homosexuality directly, and tiptoes around the subject in a ridiculous way. Also, his Wilde is a caricature, spitting out aphorisms and behaving erratically with no explanation. I believe the real Wilde was so intelligent that he must have behaved in a more reasonable way. From reading his "De Profundis" I got a picture of a mature person, with an unbelievable capacity for self-knowledge and self-consciousness. I find it hard to reconcile that man with Brandreth's character. Conan Doyle appears characterless here, following Wilde around blindly even though he doesn't provide any reasons for his behaviour or explanations for the things he says. Conan Doyle has to work to keep his wife and children cared for, but he keeps skipping work to jump out every time Wilde calls him.
Still, I love the period and was interested enough to keep reading, although I figured out who the killer was before the denouement.

jakeozzy04's review

adventurous hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

At first I thought I loved the book. About 2/3 of the way through I got a bit bored and the end was pretty good. I felt sorry for Conan Doyle as he clearly expressed his friendship with Wilde more than Wilde did with him. Overall okay book and the author is obsessed with Oscar Wilde!