Today, we’re going to be discussing a mystery! First, some background information.
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco was published in 2016 as a YA mystery novel, and gained traction years later on Booktok as an interesting mystery that didn’t shy away from including gore. It is strongly based on the real life Jack the Ripper murders, featuring the actual victims, the details of their deaths, and the media involvement the case had at the time. Since the original murders were never solved, Maniscalco was able to use that to create a fictionalized connection between the victims and the main characters. The story follows a 17-year-old girl as she attempts to solve the murders with the help of a new friend/potential lover and her uncle, who is teaching her forensic science.
Next, this is my detailed review of the book. Overall, 3.5/5 stars. I thought this book was pretty solid! I think some of the things that I found fault within the novel were a result of it being her debut novel. Like the main character’s thoughts or feelings were repeated over and over throughout the entire book, so it became kind of redundant by the end. There was also a point where the main character had just spoken to someone, then went through a two minute monologue in her head before continuing the conversation. But overall, the plot progressed pretty well, and it generally always made sense why the characters were doing what they did. I was also super glad that the mystery wasn’t impossible to solve, because it’s such a huge pet peeve of mine when authors try to outsmart the reader like that. I was actually super proud of myself for being able to guess whodunnit, although I was still really surprised by their motivation. The occasional romance was also pretty strong, even if parts of it tended to overtake the plot at certain points. Overall, I did genuinely enjoy the story and believe that the strengths outweigh the flaws.
Lastly, I’ll be giving a mildly detailed plot synopsis of the book, so **potential spoilers ahead**, do not read if the book seems interesting! Aubrey Rose Wadsworth is a young girl who is secretly studying forensic medicine in a time period where both forensic medicine and a woman having “unladylike” interests were severely looked down upon. Her mother passed away when she was younger, due to a weak heart and the Scarlet fever that Aubrey Rose believes she caught from her. Her father is now a hypochondriac, as well as an opium addict, and her brother is unable to take anything in his life seriously. Even though her father and uncle no longer speak due to a massive falling out over her mother’s death, she secretly trains under her uncle, Dr. Johnathan Wadsworth, a professor, to learn forensic science. This leads her to both her friendship with Thomas Cresswell, a fellow student of her uncle’s, and her association with the Ripper murders, as the trio try to figure out who could possibly be committing such atrocious crimes. She investigates to discover that all of the murdered women are related to her family’s household staff in one way or another, and must race against the clock to try to figure out who among those she trusts has betrayed her.
This book is meant for younger audiences, so it’s not a difficult read at all if you’re in a slump! Support your public libraries (library cards are free!) and your local bookstores (the small businesses, not always Barnes & Noble). Happy reading!