A #1 New York Times Bestseller Presented by James Patterson’s new children’s imprint, this deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion… 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 … 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.more
Actual rating: 4.5/5 Stars
This book was so much fun! If you guys look at my Goodreads (you should all friend me btw!), you’d see that it took me like 6 days to read this book. Most of that is because I had to put it down for like 4 days because of school. You don’t care about that though, you care about how the book was. As you can see from the rating, I really liked it. Of course, more Jack the Ripper scenes (even his POV) would have been great, but I enjoyed what we got. I didn’t mind the romantic scenes or watching the mystery unfold. I honestly did not see the ending coming. The two characters I pegged for Jack the Ripper would have actually pissed me off if I was right due to tropes, but the actual reveal and motives were super cool. I loved how it played with expectations and almost transcended out of the historical fiction genre. I think it was worth the hype and was a creative story. I can’t wait to pick up the sequel and see where the story goes!
Solid 4.5. Super compelling, all the mystery and intrigue of Victorian England with a badass female lead.
I love Jack the Ripper themed novels. This one is written from a new point of view delving into the forensic evidence aspect and melding it with a witty protagonist and an interesting alternative story line.
Great historical fiction. I loved how spunky & unconventional Audrey Rose was. And the plot twist at the end was brilliant