Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on
Superintendent Blackburn shook his head, his fair hair catching the light of the sun. “I’d inquire about the weather, but I’m sure you’d like to speak of other things, Miss Wadsworth.” He squinted toward the body, shielding his eyes with his hand. “Seems our boy gave us two more victims.”
While the author took some liberties with the Ripper historical timeline and added some of her own, she stayed true enough to the crimes gave authenticity to her fiction. As a reader, I quickly found myself immersed in the macabre atmosphere of this tale. I enjoyed the subtle humor and romance served as a side dish to the murder mysteries.
Despite my annoyance at the author’s continual reminder that Audrey was brilliant, our young protagonist, Audrey Rose Wadsworth, was indeed clever and brilliant. A young Watson in the making. Audrey’s Uncle is a professor and mortician who studies cadavers and at times aids law investigations. Audrey prefers sawdust at her feet and a scalpel in her hand to society’s norm of tea and chatter about perspective husbands. I found Audrey to be likeable, and admired her stubbornness and refusal to conform to society’s expectation of her.
"Not to mention, the subject matter was hardly appropriate for the dinner table. Discussing missing ovaries then asking him to pass the salt would be revolting for anyone, let alone a girl of my station"
Maniscalco brought nineteenth century London to life in vivid detail. We got a sense of not only the panic that the “Whitechapel Murderer,” dubbed the “Leather Apron” by the press but also received a glimpse into scientific advancements in the world of forensics. She brought opium dens to life, took us into the walls of Bedlam, and fed us deliciously gory accounts of the brutal murders. We even explore experiments made famous in Frankenstein. Laced throughout the book are period images that enhanced the tone of the story.
Without hesitation, I dragged the scalpel from one shoulder to the sternum, taking pains to push as deeply as I could. My brows raised a fraction before I schooled my face into an unreadable mask. Human flesh flayed easier than I’d anticipated. It wasn’t much different from cutting into a pork loin prior to its roasting, a thought that should have been more disturbing than it was.
Thomas, the young apprentice to Audrey’s Uncle reminded me of a young Sherlock Holmes. I admired his appreciation for Audrey’s skills at deduction and brazen drive to discover the identity of the Ripper. A truly modern thinking young man he encouraged Audrey and saw nothing wrong with her desires to explore forensics. The interaction between these two was delightful, laced in snark, and at times maddening. Whenever these two engaged it was a test of wits as they tangoed. It was quite fun to watch.
Copy obtained at BEA2016 This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 23 August, 2016: Finished reading
- 23 August, 2016: Reviewed