Stalking Jack the Ripper

Gr 9 Up—Audrey Rose Wadsworth spends most of her time in her uncle's laboratory, studying science and medicine through the dissection of cadavers. Although she has confided in her conceited brother regarding her studies—which are questionable at best for a young girl of her station—she has kept her time away from home mostly secret from her overprotective father. But when her work with a series of gruesome murders pulls Audrey Rose into a serious criminal investigation, she may not be able to keep her double life from her father, or from society at large, much longer. With help from her uncle's second apprentice, Thomas Cresswell, the protagonist is determined to find answers, for herself and the murdered women, even if those answers are closer to her own sheltered life than she'd like. Set in 1888, this seamless blend of history and fiction places its characters directly in the middle of the Whitechapel murders attributed to Jack the Ripper. The heroine is strong-willed and independent, and her sassy and Sherlockian protégé, Cresswell, adds a satisfying romantic element to the work. While this offering is thoroughly researched, some liberties have been taken to further the plot; these are outlined in an author's note at the end of the book. Grisly period images set the mood, and strong language is included throughout.