Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco

Capturing the Devil (Stalking Jack the Ripper, #4)

by Kerri Maniscalco

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?

Reviewed by Renee on

3 of 5 stars

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I still love Kerri Maniscalco's writing style, but I did not love this book, unfortunately. I believe that an author's presence online can result in book changes that wouldn't have been made if they stayed off of social media.

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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 7 October, 2019: Finished reading
  • 7 October, 2019: Reviewed