stalking jack the ripper
“One taste of warm blood is never enough, Miss Wadsworth.”
words can’t express my love for this novel.
when i first picked this book up, i knew almost nothing about it. i was expecting another whodunnit tale, which it was, but it definitely stands out from others i’ve read, and it was impossible to put down.
the scientific approach to the infamous story of jack the ripper is what really sets it apart from the rest; the anatomical descriptions had chills running down my spine. it is not hard to tell that hours of research went into creating this world. also, the use of images was a nice touch.
i love me a good mystery, and oh, this was one of the best.
i was questioning everything the whole time, and i suspected everyone. blackburn, lord wadsworth, doctor wadsworth, thomas cresswell, and even audrey rose at times.
but never nathaniel.
it wasn’t until the name jonathan nathaniel wadsworth was revealed to be on the secret passage painting that i knew. or at least suspected. and the motive! murdering prostitutes in order to harvest their organs with the goal of bringing his mother back to life? and committing suicide by electrocuting himself using the metal he put in his mother’s corpse ?!
wow.
also, i was a big fan of the dynamic between audrey rose and thomas. separately, they are both amazing, complex characters, but together ...
“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.”
the two of them drive each other mad, and as they take turns getting under the other’s skin, the attraction between them blossoms into something much deeper. when they FINALLY kissed in the alleyway after being attacked was when i felt complete. maniscalco sprinkles in enough romance to lighten the mood, but not so much as to distract you from the main, bloody plot.
using the red, black, and grey of victorian london, kerri maniscalco creates a vivid, somewhat grotesque story. STALKING JACK THE RIPPER is a fantastic tale of mystery, and at times romance, that will capture the reader even after the final page is turned.