The Ripper's Shadow
A Victorian Mystery
by Laura Joh Rowland
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Pub Date Jan 10 2017 | Archive Date Jan 10 2017
Description
Miss Sarah Bain, a photographer in Whitechapel, is an independent woman with dark secrets. In the privacy of her studio, she supplements her meager income by taking illicit “boudoir photographs” of the town's local ladies of the night. But when two of her models are found gruesomely murdered within weeks of one another, Sarah begins to suspect it's more than mere coincidence.
Teamed with a motley crew of friends--including a street urchin, a gay aristocrat, a Jewish butcher and his wife, and a beautiful young actress--Sarah delves into the crime of the century. But just as she starts unlocking the Ripper's secrets, she catches the attention of the local police, who believe she knows more than she's revealing, as well as from the Ripper himself, now bent on silencing her and her friends for good.
Caught in the crosshairs of a ruthless killer, Sarah races through Whitechapel's darkest alleys to find the truth...until she makes a shocking discovery that challenges everything she thought she knew about the case. Intelligent and utterly engrossing, Laura Joh Rowland's Victorian mystery The Ripper's Shadow will keep readers up late into the night.
Advance Praise
THE RIPPER’S SHADOW:
"Please let this be the start of a series. I went into The Ripper's Shadow wondering if I could care about another Jack the Ripper novel, and emerged at the end of it thrilled, off-balance, and astonished at how Laura Joh Rowland was able to bring Victorian England into such vivid life, and a story we all know into new relief. This is a fantastic read." – Charles Finch, bestselling author of The Inheritance
“Laura Joh Rowland reinvents the story of Jack the Ripper in a wholly unexpected way. Gritty, imaginative, and full of nail-biting suspense, The Ripper’s Shadow is a triumph.” -Tasha Alexander, NYT bestselling author of A Terrible Beauty
“Laura Joh Rowland has penned an imaginative, chilling reinterpretation of Jack the Ripper’s bloody reign of terror. A dark, seductive peek into the dangerous underbelly of Victorian London.” – C.S. Harris, bestselling author of the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries
“Tense, pacy and compelling; Laura Joh Rowland commands empathy for the Ripper’s victims and sincere affections for her characters.” – Stephen Gallagher, critically acclaimed author of The Kingdom of Bones and The Bedlam Detective
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781683310051 |
| PRICE | $25.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 368 |
Links
Featured Reviews
Tammy W, Reviewer
This book was one of the best books I have read in a very long time. I literally could not put it down. I read it from cover to cover in one sitting. Since I am a somewhat slow reader, because I was to absorb every nuance of a book, it took me about eight straight hours to read this... and it was worth every single second!
In this novel, Rowland adds a fresh, new twist to the legend of Jack the Ripper. Every single character is rich and vibrant and crafted with such depth. You start to feel as if you "know" them, and their trials, tribulations, joys, sorrows, pain and victories become your own, as well.
This book and it's delightful, quirky cast pay homage to the mantra that "Friends are the family that YOU choose," as it sweeps you from the seedy underbelly of 1888 London, through the streets of the poverty-stricken immigrants and working class, into the sinister lair of a ruthless serial killer, behind the bars of the dreaded Newgate Prison, to the cozy photography shop where friends and fiends alike trod over the doorstep.
This novel is packed from beginning to end with murder, mayhem, mystery and intrigue.
It is lovely to watch Sarah "blossom" and come out of her shell. Mick is a loveable ragamuffin ruffian that tugs at your heart strings. The Lipskys are warm, kind and generous Russian Jews ruthlessly harassed and persecuted for nothing more than their faith and heritage. Hugh leads a double life and is a classic example of someone struggling for acceptance within himself as well as within the circle of friends around him. Catherine is a troubled soul who seeks to stave off thoughts of her dark past with gaiety, frivolity and a light, trivialness of spirit. PC Barrett is a combination of bold and brash yet timid and susceptible to peer pressure. Sometimes, you don't know whether you want to smack him in the head or smack him on the lips.
When all of these characters come together to bring down The Ripper, a thrilling, heart-pounding and heart-warming story is born. This novel has the best of several genres combined: crime thriller, suspense and romance.
I am heartily wishing that Rowland decides to pen another novel dedicated to these characters.
*I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from NetGalley in order to read and give an honest review.
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