— book review, young adult —

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (Review)

October 10, 2017

stalkingjacktheripper_cover__spanTitle: Stalking Jack the Ripper
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Historical, Mystery, Horror
Imprint: Jimmy Patterson
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Date published: September 5, 2016
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 326
Source: Publisher

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A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: 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.

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– MY REVIEW –

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I’d been wanting to read this book since it came out late last year! But due to having never read any book about Jack the Ripper, and having read very little good YA historical fiction set during the Victorian era, I was not sure what to expect. I kind of remained tentative as I dove into the pages, afraid that I would be let down again.

unnamed (15)I don’t know if it was because I had gone into this book a little too soon after finishing a book with a very distinct writing style, and which was set in another time period and world entirely…but I had some difficulty with some of the wording. This was not because Maniscalco wrote her novel to sound precisely as if a girl living in 19th century England (as a noblewoman) were narrating it (because she did, and it was great). I’ve read plenty of classics which were actually written by younger or older woman living in the 19th century, and had no difficulty grasping their more complex language. I think that I needed to give my brain a little more time between books, or something in my mind just didn’t click with Maniscalco’s style? I suppose it’ll remain a mystery.

unnamed (6)In either case, this did not really affect my experience with Stalking Jack the Ripper, which was decidedly a good one! I really enjoy anything 19th century, particularly London. I also enjoy a good murder mystery, and the fact that Maniscalco obviously did a lot of research, and wrote the book in such a genuine manner definitely helped.

The plot kept me guessing, and every time that I thought I knew who the killer was, I was proven wrong and would shake my head at myself for having been so silly. I won’t say any more on that matter, in order to avoid spoiling anything for those who have not yet read this book. But I will say that Stalking Jack the Ripper definitely kept me on the edge of my seat!

unnamed (13)In regard to characters, I wanted to say that I absolutely loved Thomas Cresswell, and that he would definitely make it onto my top 10 book boyfriend list (haha). And I also wanted to say that I really liked Audrey Rose, as well as reading the story from her perspective! There were times when she acted in ways that really frustrated me, but I would take a moment to remind myself that I should not be upset because Audrey Rose was staying in character, and remaining true to herself (as a progressive young woman living in a century not yet ready for her kind of thinking).

I really enjoyed this book, and am over halfway through the sequel (Hunting Prince Dracula which you should not read the synopsis for if you want to avoid spoilers for Stalking Jack the Ripper!) as we speak (review coming soon)! If you enjoy historical fiction with a good dollop of mystery and a dash of romance, (and if you can handle some very detailed descriptions of murder scenes and human bodies), Stalking Jack the Ripper is the book for you!

Note: You can read my reviews for the rest of the series here!

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– ABOUT THE AUTHOR –

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Kerri Maniscalco grew up in a semi-haunted house outside NYC where her fascination with gothic settings began. In her spare time she reads everything she can get her hands on, cooks all kinds of food with her family and friends, and drinks entirely too much tea while discussing life’s finer points with her cats. Her first novel in this series, Stalking Jack the Ripper, debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It incorporates her love of forensic science and unsolved history. For more information, visit Kerri online: www.kerrimaniscalco.com || www.facebook.com/KerriManiscalcoAuthor || Follow Kerri on Twitter and Instagram: twitter.com/KerriManiscalco || instagram.com/kerrimaniscalco

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– PURCHASE LINKS –

amazon-canada amazon-usa amazon-uk

chapters-indigo  amazon-australia  book-depository

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THANK YOU FOR READING MY REVIEW! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET, DO YOU WANT TO, OR NOT? HOW COME? LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

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36 thoughts on “Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (Review)”

  1. I am glad you finally read it and enjoyed it! I am dying waiting for book 3! Oh, and Kerri says books 1 and 2 have clues as to where book 3 will take place. If you have any ideas from your recent read through let me know so we can chat about it!

    1. Me toooo! So glad I saw this on your Twitter 🙂 because that convinced me to request book 1 and 2! (DM’d you about the other bit hehe, as you know)

  5. Excellent review! This book is on my October TBR so I am hoping to get to it soon. I’ve had an ARC for Hunting Prince Dracula since BookExpo and have continually pushed back my read of Stalking Jack.

    1. Thank you! And thanks for reading! I’ll be sure to check out The Name of the Star 🙂 thank you for sharing. I hope that you get to read SJTR soon!

    1. Yaaaay I’m glad that I enjoyed it too! I was so worried that I wouldn’t haha you don’t understand. I’ll be reviewing Hunting Prince Dracula today I think, and I liked that one a lot more too! Thanks for reading and commenting, Victoria! 😀

  10. Okay, first of all, I LOVE your signature with the fox and witch hat!! Ahhh so cool!!
    Secondly, I’m so glad you liked this book! I read it this weekend and really enjoyed it, but yeah, it did take me a few pages to really get into the writing style. I guess because it was YA but also Victorian, and normally Victorian books have a different writing style? I don’t know.

    1. Thank you so much! Hehe! And I’m glad that I’m not the only one who had to adjust to the writing style! And yes, since it’s narrated by a character living in Victorian times, the way the book was written is different from other YA. But this is a good thing! I’m a sucker for Victorian fashion, antiques, houses/architecture, aaaaand language 😀

  12. Hahaha glad I’m not the only one! I hope that you enjoyed the rest of it (if you’ve finished by now….seriously I suck at getting back to comments in a timely manner 😛 ) And I hope that you get to read the sequel soon! I’ll be reviewing that one today 😉

      1. Yay so glad to hear that! Yeah I remember hoping that I’d LIKE it, rather than be one of the few who dislikes it (if there ARE people like that out there). So I was very happy to, in fact, love it! And haha yesterday I got caught up in other things, so I didn’t write the review for Hunting Prince Dracula, but it’s near the top of my list today! 😀

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