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A review by actuallyjusthanne
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have been meaning to read this book for YEARS now, probably starting from when it was first released back in 2016. I finally picked it up just in time for spooky season this year, and it was such a fun quick read!
My main feeling about this book is that it is . . . deeply from the mid 2010s. The phrasing and descriptions in this book are so strongly reminiscent of 2015 tumblr aesthetic; it's jarring but at the same time, does add to the vibes of this book. There were also a bunch of sentences that feel like they were custom-designed to go tumblr viral, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but did date the book. It really did feel like the setting was more mid-2010s aesthetic (like almost steampunky?) than the Victorian period, which is kind of funny to me.
The plot line itself was fairly basic and easy to follow: a teenage girl in Victorian England is interested in forensic science at the same time as Jack the Ripper was active. The setup did require a bit of suspension of disbelief, as the whole reason that Audrey Rose (come on, the most 2016 name in existence) got into forensic science wasn't really that clear, and how she was allowed to do it was never really clear either.
There is, of course, a TON of mentions about the role of a woman in the Victorian era, and what was "proper" for a young woman, and also simultaneously a lot of feminist lines about how women can do anything. The forward-feminism is very apt for the time period the book was written in but it was kind of pounded into the sand. Audrey seemed like a fairly progressive woman most times, debunking stereotypes, but would then on the next page, spend money on frilly dresses and wield her beauty to get her way. There was also no real discussion about how her family was very well off and that Audrey Rose was really very privileged in how she was able to study forensic science (it was briefly mentioned, but nowhere as much as the feminism thing).
My main critique of this book is that it feels like there are too many plot lines going on at the same time: I recognize that this is the first book in the series and there are going to be storylines explored in the future, but there was just. . . .so much going on. The romance line between Audrey Rose and Thomas was really cute, if rushed; the storyline of Audrey Rose and her cousin is so interesting, and I hope it is explored further in the next books; Audrey Rose and her aunt, her brother, her father, and the forensic science classes: there was so much going on and none of it really felt properly fleshed out.
The romance had a lot of potential, both Thomas and Audrey Rose had a lot of chemistry with each other and the romantic scenes had potential, but there was too little backstory for them to have the connections that they did have. I wish it was either explored more or less, but as it is, it came out of nowhere and didn't have me rooting for them.
While I never guessed who Jack the Ripper was until the very end of the book, by about halfway through the book I had narrowed it down to like 3 people, and by 2/3 of the way through the book it was between two people,one of whom was pursued much more heavily than the other. so I suspected it was the other person, and I was right . Nowhere in the book was I looking forwards to seeing how the story ended: I thought it was just okay.
I think I would have really enjoyed this book when I was younger, if I had been into thriller books (which I wasn't really). There is a nice balance between describing the scenes of the bodies while not being overly gruesome (though there are a bunch of rather vivid descriptions).
Overall the book was a really fun quick read, though I probably won't continue on in the series, as I didn't enjoy it /that/ much. I did appreciate the author's note in the back detailing the list of historical accuracies/inaccuracies from this book vs the Jack the Killer murders/characters from historical records; I thought that was really interesting and the way the historical plot points were incorporated into the book was really well done.
My main feeling about this book is that it is . . . deeply from the mid 2010s. The phrasing and descriptions in this book are so strongly reminiscent of 2015 tumblr aesthetic; it's jarring but at the same time, does add to the vibes of this book. There were also a bunch of sentences that feel like they were custom-designed to go tumblr viral, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but did date the book. It really did feel like the setting was more mid-2010s aesthetic (like almost steampunky?) than the Victorian period, which is kind of funny to me.
The plot line itself was fairly basic and easy to follow: a teenage girl in Victorian England is interested in forensic science at the same time as Jack the Ripper was active. The setup did require a bit of suspension of disbelief, as the whole reason that Audrey Rose (come on, the most 2016 name in existence) got into forensic science wasn't really that clear, and how she was allowed to do it was never really clear either.
There is, of course, a TON of mentions about the role of a woman in the Victorian era, and what was "proper" for a young woman, and also simultaneously a lot of feminist lines about how women can do anything. The forward-feminism is very apt for the time period the book was written in but it was kind of pounded into the sand. Audrey seemed like a fairly progressive woman most times, debunking stereotypes, but would then on the next page, spend money on frilly dresses and wield her beauty to get her way. There was also no real discussion about how her family was very well off and that Audrey Rose was really very privileged in how she was able to study forensic science (it was briefly mentioned, but nowhere as much as the feminism thing).
My main critique of this book is that it feels like there are too many plot lines going on at the same time: I recognize that this is the first book in the series and there are going to be storylines explored in the future, but there was just. . . .so much going on. The romance line between Audrey Rose and Thomas was really cute, if rushed; the storyline of Audrey Rose and her cousin is so interesting, and I hope it is explored further in the next books; Audrey Rose and her aunt, her brother, her father, and the forensic science classes: there was so much going on and none of it really felt properly fleshed out.
The romance had a lot of potential, both Thomas and Audrey Rose had a lot of chemistry with each other and the romantic scenes had potential, but there was too little backstory for them to have the connections that they did have. I wish it was either explored more or less, but as it is, it came out of nowhere and didn't have me rooting for them.
While I never guessed who Jack the Ripper was until the very end of the book, by about halfway through the book I had narrowed it down to like 3 people, and by 2/3 of the way through the book it was between two people,
I think I would have really enjoyed this book when I was younger, if I had been into thriller books (which I wasn't really). There is a nice balance between describing the scenes of the bodies while not being overly gruesome (though there are a bunch of rather vivid descriptions).
Overall the book was a really fun quick read, though I probably won't continue on in the series, as I didn't enjoy it /that/ much. I did appreciate the author's note in the back detailing the list of historical accuracies/inaccuracies from this book vs the Jack the Killer murders/characters from historical records; I thought that was really interesting and the way the historical plot points were incorporated into the book was really well done.