Book Ramble - Stalking Jack the Ripper

Hi everyone! Welcome to Nox Reads, I'm "Nox", and this is my book ramble about Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco, which much to my surprise I have rated a GET ME ALL THE MERCH!

"I was determined to be both pretty and fierce, as Mother said I could be. Just because I was interested in a man's job didn't mean I had to give up being girly. Who defined those roles anyhow?"

TRIGGER WARNING: This book has a lot of mentions about death, autopsies, and gruesome murders. The way that the victims are found is incredibly detailed and gory. There is also mentions of drug addiction, poor prison conditions, and experimenting on people.

Songs I Listened to While Writing: A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got) by Fergie; Out of My League by Fitz and the Tantrums; Play With Fire by Hilary Duff

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S P O I L E R - F R E E  T A L K 

To be honest, I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book. The back of the book made me think that this was going to be a story about a girl who fell in love with Jack the Ripper, based on all of the murders he committed. While I admit it would be interesting to see how that story would turn out, it sounded sick and creepy. 

Actually, looking at Goodreads, it turns out that somebody else had the same concern because they submitted a question: "Is this book really that sick that it's about a girl who falls in love with a serial killer, or is it more to the story than just that?" My advice is to ignore the part that says "But despite all these horrors, in the end, I can't deny it. I was the girl who loved the Ripper." It's incredibly misleading. I'm surprised that I read it with a description like that.

Audrey Rose Wadsworth is fascinated with death and autopsies, and as the niece of a forensic scientist/coroner, she's in a position where she can explore her interest. Her uncle allows her to be his unofficial apprentice, and during this time, he's called to look at the bodies of several murder victims. Audrey Rose and her uncle's student Thomas (ugh) aid him in his laboratory, and together the three try to piece together theories about the case.

To my annoyance, Thomas Cresswell is one of the main characters in the story. I know that there are lots of readers who love him, and I understand the allure of the "cocky, arrogant, suave love interest" (hello Carswell Thorne) as much as the next reader. Cresswell didn't work as a love interest to me. Even Audrey Rose tries to fight her attraction to him. I felt that he had a habit of talking down to her at times, and while I admit he was occasionally charming (especially at the end), I felt that he had a God complex that I couldn't quite shake. So yes, I hate Thomas Cresswell as a love interest. Not that Audrey Rose had any better options in the book. At least it seems that he does genuinely care about her.

Something that I enjoyed about Audrey Rose is that she's a strong heroine and still can be considered girly. It's sometimes a common trope that strong female characters are "different than other girls" and that's what makes them better. Yes, Audrey Rose is different in her interests: she prefers death and dissection to tea and gossip, but she still has her moments of stereotypical girliness. She enjoys wearing dresses and (sometimes) letting her cousin give her a makeover. Kerri Maniscalco doesn't put Audrey Rose on a pedestal because she is different, but because she dares to be different in a society that wasn't accepting of it. Her cousin is a stereotypical woman of the era, and the two aren't seen as enemies because of their differences. In fact, they embrace each other's differences, admire them, and encourage them. It may seem small, but it was something I thought was important. I also like that she's biracial, and despite living in England, her Indian heritage is still mentioned often and important to her. Diversity for the win!

I love Audrey Rose Wadsworth. I love that she's intelligent and dedicated. I love her loyalty and determination. She was an interesting character to follow through the story, and I enjoyed reading about her. 

Of course, the story of Jack the Ripper is prominent in here as well. Maniscalco includes all of the Canonical Five and I believe another that wasn't officially considered his victim but is speculated. There were a few historical inaccuracies but they're all mostly for the sake of the book's timeline. She does go into detail about the state the women were found in, so if reading that is upsetting to you then you might want to skip past it. Personally, reading it isn't as hard for me as seeing it is, so I was able to handle it until I got to Mary Kelly at the end. That was absolutely gruesome.

The ending is...wow. I can honestly say I didn't predict who Jack the Ripper was until about two pages before the reveal (which is saying something because, not to brag, but watching crime shows has made me quite the amateur detective), and the reasoning and reveal was amazingly written. 

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For once I've said everything I need without the need for the spoiler section! I really enjoyed this book, and I plan to read Hunting Prince Dracula this week, so expect a post about that!

Thank you for reading! If you're a fan of true crime, crime shows, or Buzzfeed Unsolved, like me, but don't mind a few historical inaccuracies then this a great book to read! I adore this book and can't wait to start Hunting Prince Dracula. Hopefully, Thomas becomes less irritating.

If you've read the book, does Thomas irk you as much as he does to me? Have a good day!

~Nox