Review - Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Series: Stalking Jack the Ripper #1

Genre: Historical Fiction/Horror

Age Group: Young adult
Hardcover -326 pgs

Source: Purchased 

Publishe: September 2018

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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.

The story's shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling, #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.

This book has floated around the edges of my bookish awareness for years now.  I've seen candles inspired by it and art with hearts and knives attributed to this series. However, I never took the time to really check out what it was about.  Once I did, I could not resist the idea of a young Victorian lady learning forensic science and trying to solve the Jack the Ripper murders. This story sounded right up my street. 

Audrey Rose is a young lady from an upper class background who breaks the mold by learning anatomy and dissection at her uncle's knee. She is smart and we see her use her knowledge to solve problems throughout the novel. She is brave and brash and I absolutely loved her. 

Throughout the novel, both in the scenes in her uncle's basement and in the field, you can see how much research Maniscalco put into her novel. The gruesome details from the Jack the Ripper murders draw you into this dark story along with our intriguing main characters. The descriptions of the murder scenes and the Wadsworth home seemed to put me right there beside Audrey Rose as she struggled to predict what Jack would do next. Though a little predictable at times, this story kept me on the edge of my seat whenever I picked it up. 

I adored the almost Holmes and Watson dynamic of our two main characters. They worked so well together and were so interesting on their own and as a pair. The sexual tension almost killed me and I think I've found my newest favorite ship. Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell have an fascinating way of constantly grounding each other in reality during their murder investigations and keeping each other off balance in their personal interactions. I really enjoyed their relationship and cannot wait to see where it goes in the next books.