Audio Friday

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscaleo

Read by Nicola Barber

Summary from Goodreads:

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.

Confession:

This was a deliciously good read for October.  I really like reading modern retellings of the Jack the Ripper story and this one was really disturbing and dark.  Especially when it came to the end and we find out who Jack was in this version.  I saw on someone else’s review recently that there were pictures in the book!  I didn’t realize this so I will have to take a peak at the book the next time I come across it.  I don’t think missing the pictures affected the overall feel of this book though. 

I really liked both Audrey and Thomas.  They make a good pairing.  I have seen some reviews that liken them to Sherlock and Watson, and I can see that, but I think they are their own characters with their own takes on how to perceive the world.  Audrey was perhaps a little too modern in her thinking and actions sometimes, but I’m sure that there were some women in that time period who thought like her, they just kept it to themselves.  The relationship between Audrey and Thomas was fun to watch.  Thomas often made me chuckle with his droll sense of humor, and Audrey’s reactions to some of his comments was priceless. 

I kept changing my mind as to who Jack was going to end up being.  Many characters were heavily suspected throughout the story.  But I must admit that even though I suspected the person it turned out to be, the reason behind the killings totally threw me.  I did not see the reason coming although it made logical sense.  It was a good solid theory on the murders that was realistic to some extent.

The audiobook was excellent. Nicola Barber does an excellent job.  She has the right voice for Audrey, part modern and part victorian feel to it, if that makes sense?  She also paces the narrative just right and has a good emotional range.  

A really sinister and macabre read with some solid twists and turns on a true historical event.