People of Abandoned Character
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Average rating3.6
What would you do if you thought your husband was Jack the Ripper? A dark historical crime novel. 'Astonishing ... I'd be amazed if it isn't dominating the shortlists come next year's awards season' M.W. CRAVEN. Marry in haste... Murder at leisure? London, 1888: Susannah rushes into marriage to a young and wealthy surgeon. After a passionate honeymoon, she returns home with her new husband wrapped around her little finger. But then everything changes. Thomas's behaviour becomes increasingly volatile and violent. He stays out all night, returning home bloodied and full of secrets. The gentle caresses she enjoyed on her wedding night are now just a honeyed memory. When the first woman is murdered in Whitechapel, Susannah's interest is piqued. But as she follows the reports of the ongoing hunt for the killer, her mind takes her down the darkest path imaginable. Every time Thomas stays out late, another victim is found dead. Is it coincidence? Or is her husband the man they call Jack the Ripper?
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A reimagination of the Jack the Ripper murders. Jack the Ripper is one of those characters that has been a fertile stream for imagination, and the mystery that surrounds the Whitechapel murders lingers to this day. Clare Whitfield does a good job of conjuring Victorian era London through the eyes of a nurse who becomes fascinated with these murders. The angle taken is intriguing and I will avoid spoilers by not revealing more.
The basic plot follows an amateur sleuthing style angle to a murder mystery and it has some interesting twists and turns on the way. The prose is well written, if a little dry for my tastes. The historical research has been well done. My main issue is with the characters. I found I did not really warm to any of them - the housekeeper and the husband are almost caricatures of unpleasantness.
There were some neat ideas in here, but it wasn't really for me in the end
