Synopsis
Groomed to be the perfect highborn Victorian young lady, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has a decidedly different plan for herself. After the loss of her beloved mother, she is determined to understand the nature of death and its workings.Trading in her embroidery needle for an autopsy scalpel, Audrey secretly apprentices in forensics. She soon gets drawn into the investigation of serial killer Jack the Ripper, but to her horror, the search for clues brings her far closer to her sheltered world than she ever thought possible.
Inspired by the infamously unsolved case, this dazzling debut by Kerri Maniscalco weaves an atmospheric tale of beauty and darkness in which a remarkably modern Victorian girl discovers that some buried secrets simply won't stay dead.
Loved
- Oh my goodness there's so much to say about this series! I was very apprehensive about reading this book because I have no stomach for horror anything and I didn't want to be kept up at night with the creeps. But I am SO happy I gave it a chance because this has become one of my all-time favorite series.
- I love love the anatomy aspect! I took anatomy and worked on cadavers in college and I absolutely loved it. Maybe I'm just weird, but I thought it was so fascinating to learn how the body works and I couldn't get enough of studying the cadavers. I loved seeing these mysteries solved from an anatomy and scientific perspective instead of just seeing gore. The descriptions are graphically detailed and honestly quite disturbing, but I loved solving the mysteries through dissecting the bodies and finding clues that way.
- Thomas Cresswell. Ah, Thomas. I've recommended this book to a couple of people who haven't been able to stand Audrey Rose and Thomas. I can understand why, but I absolutely love them. I love Thomas and his constant risqué but witty comments, but also how smart and good he is. He keeps the book lighter amidst the heaviness of the setting and events.
- Audrey Rose. She is so cool- dressing up as a boy to study forensics? Yes please! Again, I've heard people say they didn't like her, but I thought she was so smart and witty. Her modern perspective, witty comments, analytical brain. and spunky pluck also keep the novel light amidst the horror of the murders.
- The history. I love that this is based on history! If it wasn't based on an actual murderer, the story would be too far out and no one would've connected to it because the murders are so bizarre and horrendous. But, as they say, truth is stranger than fiction, and Kerri Maniscalco did such a good job of making the story as historically accurate as possible. She even has newspaper clippings, a note written in Jack's handwriting, and pictures- which really makes the novel come alive.
Didn't Love
- I loved this book and would definitely recommend it, but I thought the ending was a little far-out. I was surprised, but disappointed with who Jack the Ripper turned out to be. Without spoiling it, I felt like the ending was a little too bizarre and really sickening. The rest of the murders were that way as well, but as I said above, they are based on real events and descriptions, so it's actually believable, whereas the ending was fictional, so the far-outness didn't work as well for me. However, I did like that I hadn't guessed the murderer because it's so much more fun when it totally surprises you and all your suspicions are wrong.
Content
- Language:
- Occasional use of "hell."
- Sexual content:
- Since the victims of Jack the Ripper were primarily prostitutes, there is quite a bit of talk about prostitutes and what drove them to that lifestyle. Audrey Rose is annoyed with men who don't want to talk about such things in front of a lady.
- There are a few kisses between the main characters, but nothing passionate. Their romance is just budding and the kisses are short and hurried- usually in between major horrific events.
- Audrey Rose and Thomas share a lot of risqué banter towards each other- mostly consisting of Thomas making improper comments and Audrey Rose chastising him for it, but enjoying it.
- Audrey Rose spends a lot of time thinking about how attractive Thomas is.
- Violence:
- Okay- obviously- this book is not for the squeamish. It is a horror novel and we're dealing with not just a serial killer, but Jack the Ripper- and he was called that for good reason it turns out.
- There are multiple victims of Jack's found, whom Audrey Rose inspects. The descriptions are based on the actual forensic descriptions of the real murders in the 19th Century. Most of the women have had their throats slashed and their bodies have been desecrated. Some are missing body parts such as ovaries, some have their intestines wrapped around them, and some have skin missing. The descriptions spare no detail because they are studying the cadavers to find subtle clues. Audrey Rose finds a few of the women right after the murders took place, and there is a lot of blood and gore described. Many of the descriptions are from an objective, scientific standpoint as they write notes from their studies. We get descriptions of the textures, smells and states of decomposition of the bodies. The descriptions are very disturbing and I would recommend avoiding this book if you are squeamish at all.
- A long dead body is infused with electricity, making it twitch. The body is described with disturbing detail.
- A character dies from getting electrocuted.
- Many dead bodies described as they spend time in the morgue trying to find bodies to study.
- There are some beatings and one character is imprisoned and treated like a criminal when he is innocent.
- Other themes:
- One character is addicted to opium. The opium seems to drive much of the character's actions and affects the family immensely.
- Occasional use of "hell."
- Since the victims of Jack the Ripper were primarily prostitutes, there is quite a bit of talk about prostitutes and what drove them to that lifestyle. Audrey Rose is annoyed with men who don't want to talk about such things in front of a lady.
- There are a few kisses between the main characters, but nothing passionate. Their romance is just budding and the kisses are short and hurried- usually in between major horrific events.
- Audrey Rose and Thomas share a lot of risqué banter towards each other- mostly consisting of Thomas making improper comments and Audrey Rose chastising him for it, but enjoying it.
- Audrey Rose spends a lot of time thinking about how attractive Thomas is.
- Okay- obviously- this book is not for the squeamish. It is a horror novel and we're dealing with not just a serial killer, but Jack the Ripper- and he was called that for good reason it turns out.
- There are multiple victims of Jack's found, whom Audrey Rose inspects. The descriptions are based on the actual forensic descriptions of the real murders in the 19th Century. Most of the women have had their throats slashed and their bodies have been desecrated. Some are missing body parts such as ovaries, some have their intestines wrapped around them, and some have skin missing. The descriptions spare no detail because they are studying the cadavers to find subtle clues. Audrey Rose finds a few of the women right after the murders took place, and there is a lot of blood and gore described. Many of the descriptions are from an objective, scientific standpoint as they write notes from their studies. We get descriptions of the textures, smells and states of decomposition of the bodies. The descriptions are very disturbing and I would recommend avoiding this book if you are squeamish at all.
- A long dead body is infused with electricity, making it twitch. The body is described with disturbing detail.
- A character dies from getting electrocuted.
- Many dead bodies described as they spend time in the morgue trying to find bodies to study.
- There are some beatings and one character is imprisoned and treated like a criminal when he is innocent.
- One character is addicted to opium. The opium seems to drive much of the character's actions and affects the family immensely.
Overall Thoughts
As I said before, I was apprehensive about reading this series for a long time because I was worried about the gore. I am so happy I gave it a try though because I fell completely head over heels for Audrey Rose and her brains, wit, and banter with Thomas. There is a lot of gore and the descriptions are very disturbing, but having studied anatomy I didn't find it as hard to stomach. However, I do think there are many people that would struggle reading this because the descriptions are so graphic and detailed. I did appreciate that the descriptions were historically accurate because it made the story believable and I was able to buy it, knowing it was based on real events. Overall I think this is such a deliciously creepy mystery balanced with witty banter and a spunky heroine.
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