Writer. Reader. Reviewer.

Have you ever come across a book that you liked the cover of, but wasn’t sure was for you?

This is one of those books for me.

Having been looking for a Regency novel, Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco came up on my Amazon search results. I liked the cover and read through the synopsis but wasn’t too sure. But I kept coming back to it. Then I decided that I had nothing to lose and to give it a shot. To that end I bought the boxset.

I am glad I did.

Stalking Jack the Ripper fully pulled me in. I read it at home, on the bus and in work. I couldn’t put the book down. I’m pretty sure I fell in love with the main character Audrey Rose, who is the kind of character I wished I saw more of in books. She knows what she wants and goes for it. She wants to be a forensic scientist in a time when women were to be baubles, if that means being elbow deep in the chest cavity of a cadaver, so be it. She speaks her mind when she needs to and know when a subtle touch is needed. Audrey Rose is emotional but controls it to accomplish what she wants. She is a great counterpart for her partner Thomas Creswell, who reminds me in some ways of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes. Charmingly arrogant and seemingly cold, Thomas prefers logic over emotion and can sometimes come across as cruel because of his lack of tact, this leads to him to be confrontational, which Audrey must smooth over on occasion. Their banter is funny and enjoyable and felt natural, even with the flirtatious undertones but Audrey and Thomas felt natural.

The bevy of side characters also added texture to the story. From Audrey’s overprotective to the extreme father Lord Edmund. Her supportive and loving brother Nathaniel. Her amusing cousin Liza. Her aunt Amelia, who tries to make Audrey into a proper young lady. Her uncle Jonathan, who is teaching her forensics but is borderline mad. These characters give the story a balance that I like.

The story itself is based on the story of Jack the Ripper, as you can probably guess, but Kerri wove her own touches into the myth behind Jack, laying down hints and clues as to who Jack could be within the context of the story and I found myself thoroughly enjoying the journey that Audrey, growing into the woman she wanted to be, made in investigating who Jack was. I found myself believing I knew who Jack was, then Kerri threw in a plot twist that shocked me. But looking back, I saw that all the hints were there to lay down who it was and so the identity of Jack did not come out of nowhere.

I especially liked how she revealed who Jack was and revealed what Jack’s motivation to killing was. The final reveal was creepy and quite horrifying; the context and atmosphere adding to the scene.

I would definitely recommend this book to a friend and will be adding it to my favourite shelf to reread in the future.