I thought this was a fairly enjoyable, middle grade paranormal fantasy. I really appreciated how the author characterized the protagonist and how he set up the main conflict in the story. The combination of the main characters predilection for so-called creepy things went hand-in-hand with the ability to see ghosts. While many points of the plot, including the way that the problem was solved could be predicted easily, that’s more than likely because I have read my fair share of books and have far more experience than the target audience.
I hoped when I started reading this book that this narrative would provide a more enjoyable take on the Jack the Ripper story using a fantastical bent then the one that I read earlier this month. I have no idea how I managed to read books with similar premises so close together, especially when they are not published anywhere near each other time-wise. Unfortunately, I think that my reading experience of this book did not surpass and most likely lower than If Looks Could Kill. The main character felt far too naïve to have survived, especially in the Whitechapel area being completely uninitiated when she entered to look for her brother. Many of the events that just happened to occur to her were far too coincidental to be believed, even under the suspension of disbelief. Then at the ending, we’re supposed to believe that she is somehow a magical creature and had no knowledge of it prior to stumbling upon this house where her brother wants lived. I unfortunately cannot recommend this.
I appreciate the dilemmas that this main character faced in this novel as she embarked on a year participating in mock trial at her school, even when the case felt eerily similar to her own mother‘s tragic death five or six years previously. I also think that the author did a fairly decent job, developing the romantic relationship and gradually leading the main character to see the flaws and to stand up for herself when it truly mattered. The author did not go the route of making the love interest completely reprehensible on the turn of a dime which I appreciated. The narrative did not blow me away, but I had decent reading experience.
I did not realize when I first selected this book from Book of the Month that I had some familiarity with this case from a podcast I listen to several years ago during my avid true crime podcast listening days. I think that added to my engagement with the narrative. Others may have found the book lacking in depth on a few different fronts because this is not an exhaustive portrayal of the crime. Looking back on my reading experience, as well as considering the title, I’m not really sure where the name itself came from unless it has something to do with the man wrongly convicted incarcerated for the murder murders. That aside, I think the author did a fairly good job laying out the facts of this case, along with other factors that contributed both to the crime and also to the failed investigation and prosecution.
The author certainly has a lot of expertise in the topic. His passion for his work is easily picked up from his prose. I even engaged fairly deeply with the narrative until he started talking about AI. While a lot of what the author discussed concerning AI is valid and definitely affects how intelligence is gathered, I could also see that the author either purposefully ignored the potentially horrific side effects and consequences of its use or was blind to them. Neither one of those options bodes well. I understand how artificial intelligence can be used well when it comes to sifting through the enormous amount of data that is collected, but the author’s blasé treatment of AI’s use in generative functions rubbed me the wrong way. It made it difficult to make my way through much of the latter third of the book.
This memoir is absolutely brilliant. I read the audio and highly recommend the audio version because clips of the authors recordings are included throughout the narrative. I loved learning about her story and hearing her passion for music as well as her passion for access to music for everyone. At one point, she describes an opportunity she had to play with an instrumental group made up of all kinds of differently abled people. When she described what that founder and conductor had done to give everyone the opportunity to make music, it brought tears to my eyes. I grew up playing violin and piano, and I’ve always considered music a core part of my life even though I really don’t engage with it much at present. Although I do not have the time, I definitely considered what it would take to pick up playing the piano again.
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