Mad Soul Child
Written on Sep 28, 2020
In the shocking finale to the bestselling series that began with Stalking Jack the Ripper, Audrey Rose and Thomas are on the hunt for the depraved, elusive killer known as the White City Devil. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse has them fighting to stay one step ahead of the brilliant serial killer---or see their fateful romance cut short by unspeakable tragedy. Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell have landed in America, a bold, brash land unlike the genteel streets of London they knew. But like London, the city of Chicago hides its dark secrets well. When the two attend the spectacular World's Fair, they find the once-in-a-lifetime event tainted with reports of missing people and unsolved murders. Determined to help, Audrey Rose and Thomas begin their investigations, only to find themselves facing a serial killer unlike any they've heard of before. Identifying him is one thing, but capturing him---and getting dangerously lost in the infamous Murder Hotel he constructed as a terrifying torture device---is another. Will Audrey Rose and Thomas see their last mystery to the end---together and in love---or will their fortunes finally run out when their most depraved adversary makes one final, devastating kill?
- ISBN10 0316485543
- ISBN13 9780316485548
- Publish Date 26 September 2019 (first published 10 September 2019)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher Little, Brown & Company
- Imprint Little, Brown Young Readers
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 448
- Language English
Reviews
zooloo1983
Written on Dec 4, 2019
I can't believe this is the last book in the series, this makes me so sad! I didn’t listen to this when it first came out as I wanted to wait a bit of time because I knew when I started to listen to it I would just blitz it too quick.
We are following Audrey Rose and Thomas as they have now landed in America following the events that happened on the RMS Etruria, but something shocking has come to light….Jack the Ripper is not dead!! WHAT!!!!!! How could this be? As we are following our favourite couple through the streets of New York seeing how electricity is first used, Jack the Ripper is sidelined temporarily but never forgotten!
However, for a chunk (and maybe a tad too much) of Capturing the Devil, we are leading up to the exciting nuptials of Thomas and Audrey-Rose. Yet the course of true love never did run a smooth path. It was not fun to see these two people who are so suited with each other having to be apart thanks to Thomas’ scheming father! If I was a spitting person, I would spit on him in the street. He is awful and spiteful and spineless!
Anyway, back to the action of the crime-fighting duo, Audrey still fighting the stigmatism of a woman in a man’s world. She has a personal interest in this serial killer, as she/he is the reason her brother is no more. You do still feel his presence in the book as Audrey is not ready to let him go!
Oh, and her Grandmama has finally made an appearance in this book and boy is she a hoot! She gives Thomas a clear run for his money. Her mind, her ways would give anyone a run for their money! She does not mince her words and no one can pull the wool over her eyes. Everything about her is bright and vibrant in a dark deceptive world. She brightens up the room with her tongue and her clothes. I need more of her in my life!
Nicola Barber blows this book away as usual! She gets the voices to a tee! And I am always astounded with male voices! It just doesn’t sound like her but like a man! Nailed it!
I am gutted that we had to say bye to Audrey Rose and Thomas but I do hope it’s not the last time. I am hoping it’s a find farewell for now. Just a short goodbye….please?
This series has taken all the urban legends, plus the real legends and merged the two, Kerri has created one scary world where they collide but one that I have really enjoyed my adventure in! I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
kalventure
Written on Nov 14, 2019
The Good
Sir Isaac Mewton. Need I say more?
I absolutely adore the relationship between Eliza and Audrey Rose. Their banter and friendship give me life. Throughout the series, Audrey Rose has slowly been building her found family and it is nice to see her coming into her own, finding her own place at the fringes of society. She can wear pretty dresses and host extravagant birthday parties, but she also fights to give a voice to the victims of murder in a time when the profession is frowned upon by polite society. It was refreshing to see her confidence grow and be taken seriously in America.
While you can't really call the romance between Audrey Rose and Thomas slow-burn, the book finally gets a little steamy (but tasteful and no on-page sex described). The care Maniscalco gives to their blossoming relationship, which has always toed the lines of what was acceptable for the times, over the course of the series is exciting. I also appreciated that consent is featured and normalized.
"We humans could not help loving our monsters."Creepy investigations are back, my friends! The whole murder mystery aboard the RMS Ertruria wasn't as engaging, which bums me out because the macabre investigating duo is precisely what draws me to this series. I don't tend to read the synopsis before reading a book, so the investigations in America leading to the Murder Hotel in Chicago was a delightful surprise for me.
"I long to live in a world where equal treatment is not something in need of commending."I found the overall plotting for the series, the investigations, and the travels to be incredibly well done. Having read all four books now, you can see the connections and the overall theory that Maniscalco wanted to explore with these infamous murder cases. And while I know some readers didn't enjoy the murderer in this book, I actually enjoyed it and the connections.
The Disappointing (for me)
The pacing for this book was dreadfully uneven to me. The first and last 100 pages had me on the edge of my seat, blissfully engaged and eager to continue reading. Unfortunately, the middle 300-pages languished with unnecessary drama and obstacles, detracting from the murder investigations.
"The devil was a monster, but I would become his nightmare."Speaking of obstacles, we need to talk about Lord Cresswell. Thomas' father, Lord Cresswell, has been absent during the course of the series thus far. So color me surprised when he suddenly shows an interest in his son's life, or rather, his son's desire to marry someone other than a match he tried to make prior to Thomas meeting Audrey Rose. Surprise! Thomas' betrothed shows up to their wedding last minute, brandishing a letter with Thomas' signature promising betrothal.
I might have been a little forgiving about this had the whole problem been rendered moot at the end of the book. I'd still be pissed about how it affected the pacing of the book, but the fact that as soon as Audrey Rose and Thomas follow the murderer to Chicago the problem essentially solved itself at the end of the book? Fuck. That. Thomas' father threatens to disown him, as well as out Daciana and Iliana's relationship should Thomas not comply with the betrothal to Miss Whitehall, and at the end of the book everyone is just happy? What?
It's needlessly dramatic and I don't think it does anything for the characters. Like there's no character growth that came from this; I really dislike torturing characters for the sake of it, it's one of my pet peeves. And the fact that Lord Cresswell goes unchallenged at the end grinds my gears. In my opinion, the book would have been a lot better had this entire subplot been removed from the book. We didn't need it and it dragged the plot. And in the end, it meant nothing in deus ex machina fashion.
Overall, this is a satisfying end to the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, even though its pacing suffers from what I consider to be an unnecessary subplot. Thomas is still charming as hell and honestly boyfriend goals, and Audrey Rose has grown so much in the course of the series. This installment has the macabre horror I found lacking in the last book satisfying my itch for murder and mayhem.
This was a buddy read with my lovely friends Destiny and Reg!
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roundtableknight
Written on Oct 29, 2019
~
I don’t even know where to start with is review....
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First off, this is by far my favorite book out of the series. All of the books in the series are amazing, however this answered my most burning questions and put to rest a lot of what Audrey was dealing with throughout the series. I adored the challenges both in finding the Devil and also Audreys and Thomas’s own hindrances that they worked through along the way.
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If you have this read this series, I would 100% recommend it, and if you need encouragement, Thomas combines their names together as a ship, which is literally the most adorable thing I have ever read!!
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Okay, that’s enough of me being a Fangirl, but I wanted to say thank you to Kerri for making these amazing characters that all are so different and incredible in their own way; I will forever cherish these books.
alisoninbookland
Written on Oct 22, 2019
I found Audrey and Thomas’ personal story line to be a bit cliched. It’s not surprising that the two were wed in the book nor was it surprising that there were some major hurdles to jump to get to that point. Really? An objection at the very last moment? Then that part of the story was very easily fix. I didn’t see the point.
Once we moved on past the personal woes back to the mysteries, the story really got interesting. I found the idea of tying Jack the Ripper and H. H. Holmes in together to be fascinating. [The author’s note even mentions that this is a real theory too!] As usual the story was very thrilling.
I really loved that Audrey and Holmes final showdown was just between the two of them. She had to rely on herself. While people were searching for her, no one was going to come to her rescue. It was also great to see Audrey restrain herself and not let herself ‘become’ a monster. No one would have blamed her for killing Holmes. It really would have been self defense for him to die. Yet somehow she manages to drag him out and let the authorities deal with him. That was great restraint.
All in all, a decent ending but not one of my favorites of the series.
alindstadtcorbeax
Written on Oct 13, 2019
I think I would’ve rated this one a 3.5 were it not my love for Thomas Cresswell and Audrey Rose Wadsworth. I’ve been on this journey with them through all 4 novels and this one was my least favorite. But how could I not give the finale that extra .5 stars? I had a bit of trouble staying focused & getting through it... but I’m not sure if that’s due to me being sick, or having an ARC i had to read smack dab in the middle of my reading this or what. Anyway.
RTC, GR lovelies!
Renee
Written on Oct 7, 2019
This book completely threw away the original plotline of book one as well as the murder mystery itself. Why would I care why is going to portray HH Holmes in this book if his name is literally HH Holmes? Even though I also had my complaints about finding out who the murderer was in book one, at least we got to figure it out. This book took away all mystery and turned into a dramatic romance novel.
Because honestly, why was that whole drama with Thomas' father even added? It did not make any sense and there was no plotline at all. All it did was create drama, unnecessary. Which was resolved at the end of the book in a stupid way that was way too easy to be believable? Oh, it's all in the connections. Okay. No thanks.
This book started as the other books of this series, but soon threw away all the postmortem examinations and exchanged it for romance, drama, and a lame mystery that was way too obvious.
Also, the murder castle is one of the most interesting things that could have been written about and it just did not deliver. I either wanted to know more while Audrey Rose stayed there, or wanted to hear more facts afterward when the police found HH Holmes. But the murder castle burned down, they caught him without any evidence, and that's the end guys. Audrey Rose and Thomas live happily ever after.
cornerfolds
Written on May 29, 2019
Review to come!