Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco is a dark, thrilling read, packed with period detail and plenty of gruesome gore. This fast-moving, gothic murder mystery is set in gritty Victorian-era London, where an intrepid society girl finds herself embroiled in the investigation of a serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.
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.
The story’s shocking twists and turns are augmented with real, sinister period photos, which adds an eerie feel and depth to the story. The author clearly did a lot of research on the real Jack the Ripper, and used these historical details to create a thrilling murder mystery which is even more chilling because the Ripper was a real historical person. Maniscalco really inhabits this era well, and her main character, Audrey Rose, is believable and relateable. This was one book I couldn’t put down! Highly recommended if you like historical fiction, or murder mysteries, or if you like your main characters dark.