by Amy Carol Reeves
In 1888, following her mother's sudden death, 17-year-old Arabella Sharp goes to live with her grandmother in a posh London neighborhood. At her grandmother's request, Abbie volunteers at Whitechapel Hospital, where she discovers a passion for helping the unfortunate women and children there. But within days, female patients begin turning up brutally murdered at the hands of Jack the Ripper.
Paperback, 340 pages
Expected publication: April 8th 2012 by Flux
ISBN- 0738730726 (ISBN13: 9780738730721)
Review:
Suspenseful YA novel about a young woman who moves to London after the tragic death of her mother. She finds her self volunteer at the Whitechapel Hospital for Women. Not long after she is haunted by the visions of the Reaper and his victims. This historical fiction is a little slow at 1st but it really takes off with a fantasy twist.
This book was very well written with the intertwining historical facts, with a little modern mixed in. Bravo on the Writing Style. Overall it was a splendid book that blended so many elements. From the mystery, romance, amazing historical setting, a tad bit of the paranormal, all mixed with the facts of Jack the Ripper.
Rating: 4 Stars!
Writing Ripper
(Author Guest Post)
I decided to write about Jack the Ripper back in graduate school when, during a trip to London, I went on the Jack the Ripper tour lead by Donald Rumbelow, the author of The Complete Jack the Ripper. I read his entire book on the plane ride home. I remember thinking that the Jack the Ripper murders are so mysterious, so baffling, it would be so cool to write a fiction novel about them. But it seemed then as if there were already too many movies and books based on the story.
Then, a few years later, after finishing my PhD, I buckled down and began writing fiction. I knew, at that point, that I wanted to be a children’s book or young adult book writer. After working on some other writing projects, I realized one day, that there were no Jack the Ripper books for young adults. There were lots of vampire and werewolf books, but no books about history’s most notorious serial killer. So I decided to write Ripper.
It was very important to me to make Ripper more than a murder mystery. I wanted a very personal story about a girl where there was more at stake than just solving the crimes. Abbie is contemplating her future, trying to decide what to do with her life, all while trying to figure out her family’s history. She also finds herself, rather inconveniently, falling in love with someone that she suspects is completely wrong for her. I wanted the story to be dimensional, with Abbie deciphering her own feelings and her past simultaneously as she solves the crimes. I also wanted a rich historical background, so I wove some of the bizarre and beautiful tales about the Pre-Raphaelites into my plot.
I had such a fun time writing Ripper. And Abbie’s adventures are by no means over. Currently, I’m working on the sequel. Official title: Renegade. So stay tuned. It will be out next year!
Author Bio
Amy Carol Reeves has a PhD in nineteenth-century British literature. She published academic articles before deciding that it would be much more fun to write about Jack the Ripper. When she is not writing or teaching college classes, she enjoys running around her neighborhood with her giant Labrador retriever and serial reading Jane Austen novels. She lives in Columbia, South Carolina with her husband and two children. Ripper is her debut novel.Please Visit this author at:
Website: http://amycarolreeves.com
Blog: http://amycarolreeves.com/wordpress/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/@amycarolreeves
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4968653.Amy_Carol_Reeves
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