Stalking Jack the Ripper

Stalking Jack the Ripper
by Kerri Maniscalco
Jimmy Patterson Books
(Little, Brown and Company
2016
336 pages
ISBN: 9780316273497

Atmospheric, creepy, macabre and satisfying, Stalking Jack the Ripper is the first book (and it's a good one)  published by James Patterson's new children's  imprint Jimmy Patterson Books. Debut author Kerri Maniscalco gets the details right: the infamous London pea soup--the  fog, the eerily quiet streets, the hurried footsteps on cobblestones, the terror that stalks its victims in the dark ghettos of 1880's London, the seedy dens of inequity, the bloody cadavers, the gruesome murders, the creepy yet kind doctor uncle, the strong, young heroine with a mind of her own in a society  that says she can't be a doctor or study medicine and that says women should be wives and mothers, subservient to their men.

Audrey Rose Wadsworth is a London debutante from a family of financial means. Her father and uncle have an ongoing feud over the death of Audrey's mother, so Audrey Rose must sneak out to visit her uncle's gruesome yet fascinating laboratory in his home. She asks her uncle to attend his classes at the university to learn about forensic science but must masquerade as a boy since women were not allowed to learn medicine. She outshines most of the male students  at university but must keep quiet in class lest someone realize her true identity. One boy--a tall, good looking boy who works with her uncle--notices Audrey Rose for what she is. Thomas, Audrey Rose and her uncle, Johnathan Wadsworth,  study the murdered prostitutes to try to find clues to the killer.

Audrey Rose is strangely fascinated by the gore in her uncle's laboratory, but as a woman, she empathizes with the young women who are being murdered. She is the kind of heroine readers will love: strong, passionate and not afraid to buck authority. 

The deeper Audrey Rose digs, the closer she gets to the killer. Uncovering clues will cause events to be set in motion and Audrey Rose will be in danger.  Can she save herself? Will she be able to save her family's name and honor?

Shocking plot twists and some uncanny, unpredictable turns will leave readers breathless. Well done, Kerri Maniscalco! Well done, Jimmy Patterson Books!

Beautiful cover design  conveys the gloomy setting and atmosphere. The brilliant emerald color of the woman's gown is an eye catcher designed for sales.

A MUST have for collections! A MUST read for horror and mystery fans. Gothic horror fans will rejoice! 
Highly, highly recommended grade 9-up due to gore and mature situations.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Classic Twist Pick: Splintered

Splintered
by A.G.Howard
Amulet
2013
371 pages

View the book trailer here

Magical, enchanting, captivating and mesmerizing, Splintered is a new twist on an old tale. Lewis Carroll wrote about Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and a garden tea party he made real for millions of childen.

Generations later, Alyssa is the great, great, great granddaughter of Alice Liddell, the original Alice that Carroll made famous in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa is fearful her family's curse of madness may have finally found her. She has been hearing bugs and plants talk to her for some time but now she's having visions of a dark and mysterious young man who seems to be beckoning her down the rabbithole.

In order to save her own mother's sanity, Alyssa hatches a plan to travel to England, find the fountain that hides the rabbithole and visit Alice's Wonderland. She takes a flashlight and the original text of the book for help. What she doesn't plan for is that her best friend Jeb has followed her and now she's responsible for getting both of them safely through Wonderland and back home.

The original Alice mucked things up in Wonderland and until Alyssa can set things right again, her family curse will never be lifted.

Jeb and Alyssa face monstrous creatures like the octobenus--a weird mutant walrus creature famous for his enormous insatiable appetite, the Mad Hatter--who isn't mad at all but quite a well-respected maker of hats, and a steady stream of Carrollian creatures. Finally, Alyssa meets Morpheus, the dark but fascinating creature who called her to Wonderland. Morpheus agrees to help Alyssa and Jeb and send them both home if Wonderland can be repaired.

What are Morpheus's real intentions? It seems that Wonderland has been corrupted and no one is who they seem to be. Can Alyssa save Jeb and find a way back home? Now that Jeb realizes his true intentions, will he remember Alyssa?

The cover art is both captivating and colorful and sure to draw in legions of teen readers. This one is sure to jump off of store shelves.

Highly, highly recommended grade 7-up. A few kisses. Some Wonderland violence.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Chick Pick: Still Waters

Still Waters
by Emma Carlson Berne
Simon Pulse
2011
240 pages (page count from Simon & Schuster's author's page)

Available in trade paperback on or about December 20, 2011


Ominous, dark, and creepy, Still Waters is sure to intrique with its compelling cover photo and the words, "He'll never let her go..." teen readers will want to dive right in (pun intended).

Hannah just can't seem to commit--it's only three little words...three little words she just can't bring herself to say. "I love you" means forever, and Hannah is unsure about forever with her boyfriend Colin. It's almost time for Colin to go to college--far away from Hannah. She doesn't want to lose him, but she doesn't know how to keep him either.

Colin and Hannah have a shared interest in photography, and Colin takes Hannah up to the attic where the light from a warped window shows them some eerie shots of the city. When Hannah comes across a folder with some old photos and a map, she is intrigued. The house by the lake in the old photograph seems to beckon to her. When she asks Colin about the house, he says it's his family's old lakehouse but that he hasn't been there in years. That should have been Hannah's first clue...

Thinking that a romantic trip for two to a deserted lakehouse is just the ticket, Hannah makes plans. She lies to her mother saying she has an overnight job that will pay triple her regular salary. She dupes Colin into driving and doesn't tell him where they are headed until they have almost arrived. When Colin finds out the romantic weekend will be spent at his family's old lakehouse, he is furious! That should have been Hannah's second clue...

The creepy and all-but-deserted town and the unhospitable shop keeper should have been her third clue...no cell phone reception should have been her fourth clue...no cars on the road and the overgrown path to the house--should have been...you guessed it, her fifth clue.

When Colin begins to act a little crazy, Hannah keeps hoping for the best. She is vulnerable and naive but finally realizes the danger she is in. The lakehouse brings out the malevolent and dark passions in Colin, and Hannah fears for her life.

Unforgettable and sweet but brooding and twisted, Colin is sure to engage female readers. Enough plot twists and running through the dark woods keep the story moving along. Hannah even mentions that the woods remind her of "The Blair Witch Project"--that should have been her final clue!!!

Recommended grades 9-up. Probably okay for grade 8 readers. Hannah mentions that she and Colin have talked about sex and that they will sleep together at the lakehouse--which they do--sleep, I mean. No mention of the actual event taking place, but the savvy reader will assume Hannah is no longer a virgin. No language.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.