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A review by oashackelford
Jackaby by William Ritter
4.0
Abigail Rook is an adventurous young woman living in the 1890s so she does the only thing she can think of; she runs away from home. She leaves behind her family in search of adventure, and soon finds herself in the United States in a bar talking to a Sherlock Holmes-esque detective, Jackaby, that she soon begins to work for. Quickly she realizes he isn't just perceptive, he can literally see things that others can't, magical things. Her interest piqued she soon becomes his assistant as they struggle to discover what kind of monster is murdering innocent people in their town.
I really liked this book. I think it is very difficult to write in a true Sherlock Holmes style because you have to be well-versed in deductive reasoning, but I think that adding in the fantasy element helps the author here. Because anything that is fantastical can be made up, the author is the expert, so when he writes Jackaby does seem all knowing because the reader, like Abigail, is also learning about the creatures for the first time. I thought that this was an excellent adventure with a good twist. The twist was foreshadowed, which is always fun as a reader because it actually allows you to try and solve the mystery with the main characters. I did, however, only give the book four stars because I did feel like it moved a little slowly, and I was hoping for a little more suspense. All in all, I would recommend this book to mystery lovers.
I really liked this book. I think it is very difficult to write in a true Sherlock Holmes style because you have to be well-versed in deductive reasoning, but I think that adding in the fantasy element helps the author here. Because anything that is fantastical can be made up, the author is the expert, so when he writes Jackaby does seem all knowing because the reader, like Abigail, is also learning about the creatures for the first time. I thought that this was an excellent adventure with a good twist. The twist was foreshadowed, which is always fun as a reader because it actually allows you to try and solve the mystery with the main characters. I did, however, only give the book four stars because I did feel like it moved a little slowly, and I was hoping for a little more suspense. All in all, I would recommend this book to mystery lovers.