It's August of 1888, just three weeks before Jack the Ripper will begin his grisly spree in the London slum of Whitechapel, and another serial murderer is stalking the gas-lit streets of New York. With taunting messages in backwards Latin left at the crime scenes and even more inexplicable clues like the fingerprints that appear to have been burned into one victim's throat, his handiwork bears all the hallmarks of a demonic possession.

But consulting detective Harrison Fearing Pell is convinced her quarry is a man of flesh and blood. Encouraged by her uncle, Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry hopes to make her reputation by solving the bizarre case before the man the press has dubbed Mr. Hyde strikes again.

From the squalor of the Five Points to the high-class gambling dens of the Tenderloin and the glittering mansions of Fifth Avenue, Harry and her best friend, John Weston, follow the trail of a remorseless killer, uncovering a few embarrassing secrets of New York's richest High Society families along the way. Are the murders a case of black magic—or simple blackmail? And will the trail lead them closer to home than they ever imagined?

I loved the character of Harry (Harrison Fearing Pell). A great strong female lead. I also liked the other supporting characters, especially John Weston. There is definitely more to their relationship than came out in this book. I'm guessing this will be developed more in the rest of the series. The whole cast of characters was definitely one of the major plus points of this book.

I also think the setting and time period were done really well.

I think this book would appeal to readers who enjoy Sherlock Holmes (for obvious reasons if you read the above ;)

Not a major page turner, but it was a good story that held my interest.

I absolutely loved Kat Ross' Fourth Element series so when I saw she had another title I couldn't wait to explore something else of hers. Unfortunately, I had trouble connecting to the story and getting interested in it, finding myself unable to concentrate or fall into it, so I put it down. I tried a couple of times after that with no success. I assume it's just the story itself since her writing has been enjoyable in her other series, and this will be a one-off. I won't be able to finish this title, but I'll still read this author's works in the future.

Already reviewed and feedback sent ages ago. Not sure why these are duplicating. But please find review content at my archived blog www.behindonbooks.wordpress.com

- Thanks! Sorry this is a little haphazard. Just trying to clear my Shelf here. :)

*I received a free copy of this ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Maybe just shy of 4 stars--I can't decide. Unrelated, I'm not sure why this book is listed as 0.5 in the series--it feels like a first book to me, and it's the length of a regular book rather than a novella. So I don't get that, but oh well.

As this was presumably an ARC, the occasional editing mistakes were forgivable. Mostly it was minor things that were easily understood within the context. (Accidentally saying "Mrs. Hudson" instead of Mrs. Rivers," or "Harry" instead of "John.")

The Daemoniac was clearly inspired by Sherlock Holmes. In fact, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is mentioned and referred to several times as an "uncle" (close family friend) of Harry and Myrtle. Harry communicates with him a little bit by letter regarding the case she is working on. But although the book is inspired by Holmes, it isn't simply a re-write. It feels almost like it may have (fictionally, of course) inspired Doyle's own work. What I mean is that I think it's meant to feel that way. Obviously we know it didn't actually influence the Sherlock Holmes books.

I hope I'm making sense. I'm quite sleepy, though it's afternoon.

Harry (19) was a likable character, though at times she was rather foolhardy, caring more about the case than personal safety. At least she still had fears and weaknesses, though. I'm interested in why her parents named her Harrison. It's interesting that John (19?), her long-time friend who was in medical school, was the one more likely to believe in psychical stuff. You'd think that since he dealt with science, he'd be less likely to consider paranormal causes. But I suppose Harry's reliance on logic would preclude her from considering anything that wasn't purely rational. Anyway. John, though reluctant to go along with some of Harry's schemes, doesn't leave her to pursue them alone. I like him; I like them both. And although it's very subtle, and Harry doesn't seem to realize it, I'm completely sure John feels more for her than simply a friend. I hope that as the series progresses, she will see it as well and that something will develop between them.

I'm interested to see how things pan out with James Moran (the series' Moriarty, I suspect). I can't quite figure him out, but that's pretty typical. How old is he, anyway? At first I thought he was a bit older than Harry--more like Myrtle's age (27). But then she later referred to him as a "boy," so I'm wondering if he's supposed to be closer to Harry's age. I'm not sure.

The case itself was interesting, and I enjoyed how it skirted logic and a bit of the paranormal. But did it? Harry finds logical explanations; John finds psychical ones. Were they dealing with a deranged murderer or a possessed man? Or both? The author kind of leaves you wondering, but not in a frustrating way. I will say that the case was like a combination of Holmsian serial killer and number 24 in Split, the 2016 M. Night Shyamalan movie. Yes, it is possible. And yes, it freaked me out a little bit, just like Split did. But in an interesting way, not an I-won't-be-able-to-sleep-tonight way.

I enjoyed the way Kat Ross wrote and how she developed the story. I liked the inclusion of real events and people from history (hurricanes, Nellie Bly, etc.). The second book in the series is out, and I'm interested in reading it if my library ever gets it. (I don't usually buy books unless I've read all or most of the series already and suspect it will end happily, so we'll wait and see.)

Note: A few moments of Split-like freakiness. Maybe some mild language?

The Daemoniac is the kind of story that I just love. It's got crime solving and a supernatural element mixed with interesting history. It was a very well written and fast paced story and I liked the characters and plot however I didn't like the lack of mystery in the novel I could tell straight away who the villain was and we weren't in my opinion given a good build up to the final reveal.

After a slow beginning (which caused me to abandon it for a time) this book really found it's legs. Then it picked me up and ran away with me, not stopping until the final breathless reveal.

My only other complaint is that the author seemed to set the stage for the sequel in what I felt was quite an artificial way. However, this may have been referencing an older style of crime novel in the vein of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes so it wasn't enough to merit losing a star.