Escaping From Houdini (Stalking Jack the Ripper, #3)

by Kerri Maniscalco

Oh, how I love the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco. The first book started wonderfully, the second one had a better plot, and the third one showed that our precious characters make dumb mistakes because they are human and not perfect. Don't mistake me. I hated the sudden romance between Audrey Rose and Mephistopheles. Yet, I did understand why it was in this book. I did not see it as a love triangle since there was no question that the sudden fling was anything more than that, a temporary fling. Kerri Maniscalco portrayed the characters as they were. Audrey Rose has always been intrigued by danger and pushing the boundaries of her freedom. Her betrothal to Thomas would not change that part of her in a few days. I understand how she thought she was doing the right thing but still walked into Mephistopheles trap of flirtation.
However, I do believe that she should have communicated more with Thomas. As often in books, a large part of the drama could have been avoided if they had just communicated. Often when they found themselves together, it wasn't the best timing to talk about their relationship, but they could have done more in their power to make time for each other and talk about their relationship and the secrets that were keeping them apart.

The murder mystery in this book was done a lot better than it was in previous books. In Stalking Jack the Ripper, I could tell who the murderer would be halfway through the story, and in this book, I couldn't fit the clues together until a few paragraphs before the reveal. I definitely see improvement in Kerri Maniscalco's writing, storytelling, and suspense building. The whole murder mystery on a boat where no one could leave made the world small, but the danger felt incredibly real. There were only so many possibilities to who could be our murderer, but everyone acted so suspiciously.
It frustrated me that both Audrey Rose and Thomas did not investigate Dr. Arden more. He was clearly acting suspicious, but they only cared about the circus. It felt out of place for their characters, who would normally investigate any strange behavior, no matter what other people told them to do.

In the end, I guess that the characters felt a little out of place compared to the other books, and there was definitely a lack of communication on Audrey Rose's part. This did not take away of the suspense and mystery in this book and I loved the story. The ending was heartbreaking, and I am wondering if the next book will crush our loves for Audrey Rose and Thomas, or if we will indeed get that highly anticipated wedding, even if they have only known each other for just a few months.