Title: Stalking Jack the Ripper
Author: Kerri Maniscalsco
Publisher Info / Release: Jimmy Patterson Books, Little Brown / September 20, 2016
Source: Barnes & Noble
Rating: 5 / 5 *’s
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.
Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.
**Post may contain spoilers, so read at your own discretion 
**
This book was one of my absolute favorite reads of 2016. Here are a few of the big reasons why I even picked it up while I was at the book store:
- The COVER
- Synopsis
- I heard one of my favorite booktubers say it was fantastic
- Medical professional over here – skeletons & autopsy equipment. Sold!
- Historical YA
Audrey Rose is such a fascinating character from the moment that I cracked open the book to the first chapter. There’s a bit of background while she’s being introduced and then we’re immediately thrown into murder cases and classes. We’re in London in 1888, so it is a bit of a shock to to watch a proper young lady cutting open bodies to perform autopsies. But as the book progresses, you get to see her constantly have conflict between the two, however she tries to balance it all out properly.
Next, we’re introduced to what will be her sidekick – Thomas. And honestly, he is one of the reasons why this book ended up being rated 5/5 stars for me! He’s so smart and snarky. I absolutely love it. And the two of them together have a good mix / vibe of Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson. However, certain personality traits are mixed between the two.
As for everything concerning the Ripper murders, I wasn’t entirely familiar with everything that happened historically. The author did a great job with filling in what had happened. If you don’t like the thought of guts, blood or crime scenes, you may just want to skim over these parts. I loved watching Audrey Rose try to put all the clues together in trying to figure out who the killer was. There are some clues that you read about that I won’t discuss so that it doesn’t give any spoilers away, but once you hit that “AH-HAH” moment (it happened to me very close to the end of the book) and you discover who Jack is, it will make you feel like your mind has been blown!
I honestly loved this book and I couldn’t wait to see little teasers or snippets of the sequel, Hunting Prince Dracula. If you like a little mystery with some snarkiness and a dash of romance, you’ll love this book as much as I did.
a bookish peach 