Book: Stalking Jack the Ripper
- Author: Kerri Maniscalco
- My Rating: 3 out of 5 corpses
Okay, have y’all heard about this series? Because I have. Like. All. The. Time. So why did I not get super hyped about reading it? I mean, it’s true crime adjacent with Jack the Ripper, it’s a young woman crushing stereotypes by studying science *gasp*, it’s got mystery, it’s got a teensy bit of romance. Despite the fact that this checks basically all my boxes, I still procrastinated reading it. Strap in, dear readers, this is going to be a mixed review.
The list of things I loved about this book is longer than the list of things I didn’t. However, what I didn’t like, I really didn’t like. So, I’ll start there. It was that teensy bit of romance I mentioned earlier. It wasn’t good, y’all. I can’t say the author should have left it out, because she shouldn’t have, the story needs it. I can say, I wish it wasn’t SO ANNOYING. I can only take so much of the – I’m oblivious to how much this guy is into me even though astronauts could read the signs from the International Space Station – female lead. And this concludes the list of things I didn’t like about Stalking Jack the Ripper. It’s a short list, but it bothered me from start to finish. To be honest, it’s the reason I haven’t picked up the second book yet. I don’t know if I want to deal with the whole “do we love each other or not?” second guessing.
On the positive side of things, the merging of fact and fiction in this story is seamless. I loved that Audrey Rose was defying the norm and studying forensic science. I loved that Thomas (the guy who obviously loves her, but despite her being a genius she somehow doesn’t catch on for a long time) reminded me of Sherlock Holmes. I loved the big reveal of Jack the Ripper’s identity – did not see all of it coming. The banter between Audrey and Thomas is perfect! Think Holmes and Watson. The gruesome crimes. The dramatic characters. It’s all so good. Totally worth putting up with the wonky romance plot. I have high hopes that it becomes less annoying in future books, I have faith in Audrey. A girl as smart as her can’t be THAT ignorant, y’all. RIGHT??? Fans of Sherlock Holmes, or just fans of the dark and mysterious will enjoy this one!
Krystle Goodman is a crazy cat lady, who loves to drink exorbitant amounts of coffee, and read a shocking amount of books. She lives in Benton with her husband Josh, her son Roman, and their two cats Roxanne and Abby. When she isn’t reading, you’ll find her cooking, painting, or watching true crime shows. Watch for Krystle’s book reviews every other Friday. Send fanmail to: [email protected]
See more of Krystle’s reviews at www.mysaline.com/krystle.