This was my first introduction to Felicity Carrol and it was indeed a romp! Felicity joins the club of sassy, independent and totally unrealistic Victorian era females who investigate crime while thumbing their noses at social conventions.

Here, Felicity travels from London to the American West, trailing the infamous Whitechapel killer, Jack the Ripper as he slashes his way into America. The author does a nice transition from Victorian London to the Wild West, providing Felicity with a handsome lawman and a tricky killer who is not at all what everyone expects. This is entertaining reading at its best. Recommended for Victorian mystery fans.

I had so much fun reading this book. I recommend it without reservations to everyone who enjoys a good mystery, unexpected romance, historical fiction or who simply appreciates a great story. I read Patricia Marcantonio's novel courtesy of NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, and I am glad I did. It is terrific and wildly entertaining.

Felicity Carrol is interested in everything—except being a proper young matron of Victorian society. Brilliant and resourceful, Felicity took refuge in science and education after her mother died and her father abandoned her to be raised by servants. Now that her father has passed away, not only is she wealthy, she is free to use the family fortune to do good. This is the second book in the series and, sadly, I have not read the first; a situation I plan to quickly rectify.

Someone is viciously murdering and dismembering prostitutes in London and Felicity's dear friend - a Scotland Yard detective, is committed to bringing the notorious murderer to justice. Before he can, however, he collapses in mental, emotional and physical exhaustion, leaving but one clue – the name of a small mining town in Montana. Felicity, hoping to help her gentleman friend recover, jumps into the fray and, with her long time servant by her side, follows the killer to America and the wild, wild west and discovers the murders are continuing there with a vengence.

What awaits the reader is a faced-paced, engrossing and altogether harrowing adventure to find the killer and bring him/her to justice. Felicity is a kick-in-the-pants heroine – feisty, smart, outspoken and fearless who befriends prostitutes, madams, cowboys, miners, a rugged, charismatic sheriff and assorted other characters in search of gold. Not to be outdone, her long time companion falls head-over-heels in love.

Marcantonio’s clever twist on the Jack the Ripper case is a delight to read.

I was provided with an electronic ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

I enjoyed this book, it was a quick read that kept me entertained. I enjoyed the sass that is Felicity Carrol who is a lover of knowledge and tries very hard to not be defined by the social pressures of Victorian England. The story is the authors take on Jack the Ripper and at points is pretty graphic in the telling of the murders.

This was a fast, entertaining read, as long as you just go along for the ride and don't think too much.

The characters were stereotypical to me, with the main character being the proper English lady who disdains society's propriety and strives to be independent. She is a perfect human being with absolutely no flaws; beautiful but modest, intelligent, wealthy, accepting of others and self-sacrificing to a fault. She has a maid/mother figure who dotes on her and cares for her, etc.

The lawman is a typical romanticized wild west Sheriff as well. Handsome, tough and chivalrous with a soft heart of gold. The minor characters were also ones you'd normally think would inhabit a gold-rush western town.

I found it somewhat hard to believe that Felicity adapted so quickly and so well to life in the wild west of Montana, and that she was allowed access to so much information about the crimes that transpire there.

But all that aside, it was an easy read and the story (a different take on Jack the Ripper) moved right along. Because I didn't feel it was very intense or gripping, I would liken this more to a cozy mystery than a thriller. ⭐⭐⭐💫

I recieved a free ARC of this book from the publisher for my honest review.

This was a new to me author and I thoroughly enjoyed this book, so much so that I went and purchased the first in the series. The main character is a independent woman who is strong and smart and does not care for the conventions of her time. Looking forward to many more in this series!

Felicity Carrol is a brilliant “amateur “ detective. She is fearless and forward thinking, many years ahead of the police using her forensic skills to solve. Crimes. She is the woman we all want to be. This book is set in England shortly after the reign of terror by Jack the Ripper. Felicity travels to Montana on the request of her Scotland Yard friend and sets about trying to solve this crime. This book is full of delightful twists that keep you guessing and spur you to continue to read. I read this book in one day as I needed to know who the guilty party was. If you love Agatha Christie or Hercule Poirot than you will love Felicity Carrol.

Entertaining, but with a disconnect between novel elements.

First, the blurb I read appears to be for the first book in the series not this one which deals with Jack the Ripper in the American West.. It’s 1889: protagonist Felicity Carrol is in the middle of a case - sort of like the beginning of a James Bond flick. The case is quickly resolved, and she’s just as quickly drawn into another one by good friend Inspector Davies. Davies had been involved in the case involving Jack the Ripper; their prime suspect is dead by suicide, but then a colleague has sent Davies a clipping of another murder in Jack’s trademark style only in Placer, Montana. As Davies is too ill to make the trip and investigate, Felicity sets off.

The book was entertaining, although elements of it seemed at odds with each other. The plot seemed to be pulling towards gritty realism, while the characters seemed to be almost perfect with modern sensibilities. Meanwhile, the setting is torn between the two, ending up feeling like a modern book set in the old west. For example, the plot deals with Jack the Ripper and the brutal murders of women, referring how women lacking male support fall into first prostitution then drugs and alcohol to escape. The characters, on the other hand, feel like they are from a fluffy cozy being nearly perfect with modern sensibilities; Felicity is wealthy, attractive, and smart, but has modern ideas like taking care of her works by providing schooling, etc. Her big weakness (mild spoiler - concerning her father) would have been common in the Victorian age and only an issue for the modern age. The setting is in between the two - references to buggy and stage coaches, but there’s electric lighting, etc. The money references don’t help; Felicity is frequent giving people $20 gold pieces as bribes, the rough equivalent of $500. There’s no references to how prostitutes would have dressed or how they would have been treated, for example, which would have added to the sense of setting (as an aside, I remember reading an Amelia Peabody book where Amelia was concerned that a bar maid wasn’t properly covered; simple, but effective at establishing a feel for the time).

Overall, an entertaining book, although I found it annoying with the inconsistencies.

I received a free reader's copy of this book from NetGalley.com and voluntarily chose to review.

Felicity Carrol is a modern woman living in the Victorian era. With endless curiosity and a quick mind, she has turned her attention to topics not typically female for that time period and has educated herself in a variety of topics including medical (she has the education of a doctor, if not the title), language (she can speak/understand at least four languages) and technology (chemistry/photography/handwriting analysis/fingerprinting). A true bluestocking of the era, she has found herself assisting a Bow Street runner solving some mysteries, including the murders done by Jack the Ripper.

I find Felicity to be a refreshing character for the Victorian time period in that she is not afraid to pursue her interests in the face of a society that severely disapproves of this conduct. She is well-rounded enough in that she does not completely forego polite society, or her emotional needs. In fact, this story is kicked off by her need to support her “friend” (really he’s a love interest even if she doesn’t quite accept that…) and ends up in Montana, USA to pursue Jack the Ripper. There, Felicity finds another potential love interest in the local Sheriff and uses her natural charm and endless capabilities to help solve the set of murders mirroring the original Ripper murders in the East End of London.

If you’ve ever watched the “Murdoch Mysteries”, you’ll really enjoy Felicity Carroll. It’s a bit of tongue in cheek to have a character so amazingly capable, beautiful, wealthy, intelligent, fearless…the list goes on. But, it all works. You’ll find yourself cheering for Felicity, laughing with her and frightened for her as she gets caught in various scrapes. What you won’t want to do is stop reading the story.

Though this was a unique take on the Jack the Ripper mystery, it may not appeal to readers of cozy mysteries. The descriptions of the crimes veer into graphic territory. Also, the detective, Miss Felicity Carrol, has all the attributes of a superwoman and is difficult to relate to.

What a delightful book. Thank you NetGalley for introducing me to such a wonderful writer. I loved the twist to the Jack the Ripper tale. Felicity is such a wonderful character. Now I need to find the first book to read. I’m looking forward to it.

This book turned into a very captivating read. I thought the characters were interesting and the side characters in particular were very well rounded and felt like real people, even if they only appeared for a short time. I found myself drawn into the story the further I went and felt the same determination to find the killer that Felicity felt. While I did guess the killer a little before the end, I was not sure until it was actually revealed and the twist of who they were still got me. I thought the pacing worked very well. It was enough introduction to make me feel like I was there without being boring and moved quick enough to keep my interest at the end. I could put the book down about 3/4 of the way through.

The only issue I had was at the beginning of the book. I found Felicity to be extremely unrealistic at first. I felt that she was too accomplished. Someone who could be a doctor, speaks so many languages, is a chemist, a photographer, an heiress with no one to hold her back, wealthy, philanthropic, and beautiful, with a photographic memory is a little much. I don’t argue her being intelligent. I am thrilled to have a strong and accomplished female character. However it is hard to believe she is young and has done so much during this time period. That said, I did forget a lot of this as I read - she was just charming - and it didn’t bother me as much as I got more into the story.

This was my first time to read a Felicity Carrol book. It was easy to jump into the story and I don't feel it was necessary to read the first book before reading this one. I love this time period and I love this genre. Unfortunately I just could not love this book. Felicity was just too perfect in every way. And perhaps I just wasn't in the correct mood for this book, but I could not get involved in the story. I found the writing stilted and I never connected with the characters. Perhaps at another time I'll try the first book in the series.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

Even though I had not read the first in this series, it was not hard to jump right in. A witty and interesting main character makes this a quick read!

Great read for anyone adults or teens alike. Great twist on a Jack the Ripper tale. Strong female sleuth.

An enjoyable mystery! Some historical things don’t line up. Also, our main character was quite perfect. Smart, beautiful, kind, wealthy. I sort of wondered if she had faults at all. But she eventually grew on me. She did jump to conclusions about a suspect for a very personal reason, and I felt a little better. There were spelling and other small errors.

I do wonder where she will take the series in the future! Three stars! I think I would read another by her again. I received this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

On the hunt for Jack the Ripper, Felicity Carrol follows the trail to Montana, USA.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of the book.
2.5 / 5 stars

Overall, a decent read, but needs some editing. The plot was good, the novel was well written, descriptive, fast-paced, and had strong female characters.

That being said, Felicity is too much. She out rivals Sherlock Holmes. Her mother died when she was an infant. Her brother died as a child. Her father ignored her for her entire life and then died. She is young, always the most beautiful female in the room, super wealthy, perfect memory, speaks at least 4 other languages, is an excellent actress, overly generous and caring, every police officer values her sleuthing and opinions, is a doctor of medicine, dabbles in mechanical engineering, is a brilliant chemist and photographer. Oh, and she educates her servants and employees, AND she's an excellent marksman/woman with both a pistol and a crossbow (which she brilliantly redesigned, btw). Can she fly, too?

Where, oh where, have all the editors gone?

In the beginning of the novel, Felicity is tracking down a murdering widow. <spoiler> Felicity figures out that the widow killed her 3 previous husbands with arsenic laced ointment. Said husbands just dropped dead. A quick Google of arsenic poisoning, and there are dozens of symptoms, such as sores, vomiting, convulsions, headaches, tingling, and a whole lot more. All things that would send anyone running to their doctor immediately. The husbands had none of these. </spoiler>

Felicity tips/bribes people for information. When she does, it’s $20 and $40. Now, today that would be a decent tip. But in 1896 time, $40 is the equivalent of $1195. $20 is $600. Those people could live for <i>years</i> off of $40.

Almost every character is mentioned by their full name every time they are mentioned or appear. Jane Doe would always be Jane Doe, never Jane, never Miss Doe, never Doe. Sheriff John Smith is almost always Sheriff John Smith, not Sheriff, not Sheriff Smith, not John. It just gets annoying after a while.

Also, I had issues with the timeline. The novel begins in London, England. After a short time, Felicity travels to Montana, USA by ship and train. No part of the novel covers this time. We also are never told how long it took. This isn't a quick hop of the ocean and through half the US. Travel should have taken weeks, and we just skip over it. Felicity is in Montana for months, but feels like only a week or two, and is only mentioned in one minor line that it has been months.

#FelicityCarrolAndTheMurderousMenace #NetGalley

Felicity Carroll and the Murderous Menace is a great book that hooked me from the first chapter. The storyline is good and I loved the characters. Good writing.

Patricia Marcantonia has written a wonderful historical fiction story. The main character Felicity Carrol is a young woman who has strong abilities where even men of the time have failed. Well educated in many fields and the daughter of a well endowed family, she uses her talents to assist Scotland Yard with the murders of many women by Jack the Ripper. When this investigation drives her friend Inspector Jackson Davies to his sick bed , Felicity swears she will solve this mystery of who Jack the Ripper is. Packing her bags and bringing her chaperone Helene, Felicity travels to the United States to see out the killer.

I found the book well written with each character well rounded. It contained information that also taught me about the mining industry at the time of this story. This is the first book of Ms. Marcantonia's that I have read and will be looking forward to reading another one.

This book gets you hooked within the first chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed and was impressed by the strong, intelligent, witty main character who follows her heart and uses her mind to solve problems in a world full of men telling her that she does not belong. This book will keep you intrigued and want more until the very end!

This is the second book in the Felicity Carrol series and it works well as a stand alone. This mystery sees Felicity leaving England the travel to Montana on the hunt for Jack the Ripper. This book breathes new life into Jack the Ripper fiction, with likable characters, and plenty of twists and turns.