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Merissa (12051 KP) rated The London Monster in Books

Feb 10, 2021 (Updated Jun 10, 2023)  
The London Monster
The London Monster
Donna Scott | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
THE LONDON MONSTER is set about one hundred years before Jack the Ripper, and tells the story of a man who attacked women at night. It became known that he would only attack beautiful women, so it was almost a 'badge of honour' to have been chosen.

I have to say, I had no idea who it was, right up until The Final Note. The characters all intermingle, and you have no idea how much until it is revealed by the author. Simply wonderful!

This book reads as a standalone and I have no idea if the real London Monster was ever truly identified. I would love to know more about Tom, Sophie, and in particular, Dalton and Cuthbert. Those two got off very lightly in my opinion.

A long book that you can fully immerse yourself in, I found this to be one of the best mysteries I have read in a long time. Absolutely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 10, 2021
  
Corpse Thief (Joshua Hawke #1)
Corpse Thief (Joshua Hawke #1)
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I remember reading Michael Arnold's seemingly-abandoned Captain Stryker Civil War Chronicles books when they first came out, and quite enjoying them.

I wasn't so sure about the setting of his new series, of which this is the first (and currently only) entry.

None-the-less, I thought I would give it a chance anyway: after all, a gin-sodden opium addicted grave robber ex-policeman who previously participated in the Peterloo massacre is hardly, shall we say, your standard protagonist!

Set in and around London's seedy underground of the 1820s, I got a strong flavour of Jack the Ripper when reading this; of a murderer who strikes at his (or her?) victims before disappearing again, and of whom the authorities seemingly have little interest in apprehending until he - or she! - jeopardises their own interests.

It's interesting, therefore, seeing the life and time from the 'other side', as it were, from the points of view of the downtrodden masses rather than from the rich and powerful.

Be aware, however, that this is NOT a self-contained novel in its own right (well, it is and it isn't), in that some major plot threads are purposefully left hanging for the inevitable sequel.
  
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
Hallie Rubenhold | 2019 | Crime, History & Politics
8
8.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
An Different Angle to View True Crime
So many of us that are into True Crime get caught up in the killers and this book, thankfully, gives us a kick in the butt to wake up and remember the tragic victims of the horrific crimes we pour-over. Taking a very in-depth look at the lives of the victims of Jack the Ripper we get a vivid picture of the lives of these women before they were so brutally ended.

This book gives us a window into the lives of women in the 19th Century that is fascinating.

I listened to audiobook read by Louise Brealey and I think mainly because it was an audiobook (and people had like a million children each!!!) it got a bit name heavy at points as well as other details being hard to take in. This though reflects on what is clearly a very thoroughly researched book. It's conclusion that not all the victims were necessarily prostitutes I think was slightly off the mark in that it doesn't matter even if they were there was more than that to sum up their lives.

There is always more to the victims of horrendous acts than we often look at while we are busy giving in-depth looks into the lives of killers. This book does a great job of refocusing the True Crime narrative.