Apart from the stunning cover, Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco simply caught my attention for two reasons: Jack the Ripper, and the idea of having a well-to-do girl go about trying to solve the murders through rational thought and science, rather than being the bumbling dumb foil had me super intrigued. Though she was a foil, she was never bumbling and the man she was a foil for, sweet Lord preserve me I have no idea how Audrey Rose had the strength to keep him at a distance for as long as she did.
A modern feminist girl in Victorian London, Audrey Rose dreams of doing more with her life than attending society parties. She glories in her escapes to her Uncle’s laboratory where she dissects corpses and tries to help him solve crimes. Through Audrey, we get some of the most poignant lines in the novel, thoughts I think are rarely thought when anyone talks about Jack the Ripper, or indeed any serial killer that preys on prostitutes. She actually tells the men to stop thinking about these women as simply prostitutes. Audrey realises they are humans that have families and are valid people. This is brought back to attention when Thomas is berated for buying corpses.
Audrey Rose has attitude and spunk, but also just the right amount of softness. She isn’t a heroine that needs to be cruel to succeed, but also isn’t one to simply play coy to try and pry answers out of a man. I mentioned earlier she wasn’t a bumbling fool, she did play the role of the emotional woman, foiling Thomas’ detached coolness. Though normally I would be a bit annoyed at women and men having to play such “conventional” roles when it comes to emotion and rationality, in this time period, it works.
Though Audrey Rose was a fantastic character, Thomas stole the show for me. He was absolutely witty, devastating charming, and from what I could gather, extremely handsome. If Maniscalco decides to write a second book, I would love to see more of them together, to see not only how their partnership as “professionals” plays out, but how a romance could unravel.
Pacing was great. It never felt too dull, nor did it feel too fast. Maniscalco took a risk working with such a well known serial killer, but it paid off for her quite well. It was obvious she had done her research. Characters were solid, and though the culprit was a bit predictable, there were moments of insecurity where I thought perhaps I was wrong and it actually was x or y person instead. One flaw, however, was having that police offer/commander in talks with Audrey Rose’s father to wed her. I felt like it just detracted from the story and was thrown in there simply to try and put a wrench in the Audrey/Thomas relationship, which it never did. Otherwise, Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco was a great, but gruesome read. However, definitely not for the faint of heart.
