From Whitechapel: A Novel of Jack the Ripper

by Melanie Clegg

There was a pain, a terrible empty, lonely ache of sorrow and loss, within my ribcage while my heart felt like it had turned to ashes. This then was the end of my journey, this then was the answer that I had sought for so long, this then was the secret that Whitechapel had been withholding from me...


Alice Redmayne, beautiful daughter of a famous artist, has been haunted since childhood by the mysterious disappearance of her sister Beatrice but when she resolves to discover what happened all those years ago she finds herself enmeshed in the dark secrets of the past and caught between two very different men.

Emma Johnson was working in a brothel in Calais when a terrible mistake turned her whole world upside down and forced her to go on the run to Whitechapel, the one place where she was sure she could never be found. There she believes herself safe from the horrors of the past until her pursuer reveals his murderous intent and puts everyone she holds dear at risk.

Cora Lee is the youngest daughter of a H Division Sergeant, living above the Whitechapel Police Station on Commercial Street. Bored with her life and longing to escape, she makes a split second decision that will change everything and turn her whole world upside down.

Set against the infamous Jack the Ripper murders of autumn 1888 and based on the author's own family history, From Whitechapel is a dark and sumptuous tale of bittersweet love, friendship, loss and redemption.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Victorian, Mystery Thriller

291 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 17, 2014

About the author

International woman of history, biographer, posh doomer, chaotic good, anxious, ENFP, flame haired Robespierre, Scottish, a sweet titbit for the Devil's mouth.

To date, my published books include biographies of Marie de Guise, Henrietta Anne of England, Margaret Tudor and Empress Alexandra of Russia, all of which were published by Pen and Sword Books.

My next book, a biography of Madame Élisabeth, sister of Louis XVI, is due to be published by Pen and Sword Books in the summer of 2023.

After this, I am contracted to write about women guillotined during the French Revolution, Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, Marie Antoinette, Madame Royale, Louis XVI and the daughters of Louis XIV.

Reviews

[RL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book, except for the ending which I found far fetched and ridiculous!!! What a disappointment to an otherwise great book. Aside from the last couple of disappointing and unrealistic, silly chapters that I can't get over, this is a page-turning historical fiction set accurately and creatively against the Ripper murders. I especially loved the fact it doesn't focus on the killer's Identity or popular theories, as every other JTR book does, but rather on the perspectives of 3 women living during the time, one of which is a part of High Society. The contrast in class of the female characters offers a meaningful glimpse into life during Victorian London. Anyone who is familiar with the history of East End London or has visited there will especially relish this book. It makes me eager to go back and visit Spitalfields market and the Ten Bells. I began reading it skeptically as I am very familiar with the murders and details of the case, but I found the author has done her research, and I love her creative choice in telling this all-too-known mystery. The tone of the final killing seems as if the author has a very low opinion of the final victim. Again, the ending was completely ridiculous for me given my familiarity with the case, but overall I enjoyed the book immensely up to that point.

[J. Rubino · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tone was somewhere between historical thriller and romance and the ending seemed a bit implausible and rushed. Still, it was an interesting spin on Jack the Ripper.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars.

Set during the Jack the Ripper murders, From Whitechapel follows the stories of three very different girls: Alice, a member of the High Society and daughter of a famous artist; Emma, a former prostitute and now thief; and Cora, the daughter of a H Division Sergeant.

Jack the Ripper is one of my favourite historical figures (not that I appreciate what he did, obviously - but unsolved mysteries are just irresistible to me), so I started this book with high expectations. I liked that Clegg decided to focus on the women, who probably were the most affected by the murders. I also loved how the protagonists had three very distinct voices, and how their stories intertwined. Because of their different backgrounds and point of views, the portrait of Victorian London and of the murders was complete and convincing.

I liked Alice's and Emma's storylines the best. Alice is a privileged girl, who suffers from the disappearance of her older sister Beatrice and is desperate to have her back. After some clues lead her to Whitechapel, she starts working there. Her main aim is finding her sister, but she also grows a sympathy for the poors, and gets involved in a love triangle. Luckily, the romance aspect was not very prominent, and handled in a mature way. The triangle itself does not last long.
Through Emma's storyline, we know what happened to Beatrice since the beginning of the book: nonetheless, I enjoyed Alice's search, even if she acted recklessly most of the time. In the end, however, there is a big twist that I had not seen coming. It was shocking and, looking back, there were several hints to it, so I found it a satisfying conclusion to Alice's storyline.

Emma worked in a brothel in Calais, but after witnessing to a dreadful murder she decides to flee to London. She stops being a prostitute and becomes a thief. Her life certainly isn't perfect, but it gets dramatically worse when a series of murders start in Whitechapel - identical to the one she witnessed. I enjoyed Emma's storyline because she was the closest to the murders, and because through her we could see all the victims before they died. They are far from being prominent characters, but it was interesting nonetheless. As for her personal storyline, I found the ending to be very rushed, and I would have liked to know more about her past and her family.

Cora is my least favourite of the three. I really enjoyed her unlikely friendship with Emma, but I was mostly indifferent to her. Besides, I got incredibly mad at her, when, near the end, she decides to flee with Emma because she wants more in life. She did not feel bad about leaving behind her dad and siblings, even when her older sister had given up marriage to help her family. That was incredibly selfish of her, and even stupid, considering she had the example of Emma, who made the same decision in the past and then ended up like she did.

The plot is fast-paced: the beginning is a little slow, but it picks up quickly. My main complain about the novel regards the style. The book is not written badly, and there are few errors (mostly just typos), but most of the sentences are way, way, way too long. Several times I had to re-read them to understand them properly. I can forgive a poor editing if the story is enjoyable, and in this case it surely was. However, the technical issues ruined the general strenght of the book, which was otherwise very well constructed and entertaining.

[Hafiza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jack the Ripper tale told from the viewpoints of three 17 year old girls:

Emma- the prostitute
Cora- the Policeman's daughter (my favorite)
Alice- rich society girl (my least favorite)

The cover is beautiful and it was a free read on KU, so I borrowed/downloaded it

So why two stars-
1.Abrupt ending
2. Artificially HEA/Deus ex Machina for poor Emma.
3.no conclusion to Cora's potential romance line-why even include this if you are going to be left hanging?
4. Another Deux ex Machina in the Alice and her sister plot line

Basically not all the plot threads come together in the end.
The ending to the Ripper plot was just too absurd and unbelievable.

I couldn't tell if this was meant for a YA audience or an adult readership.

[Jasmine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book took me so long. The book has potential, and maybe could have been great, but it was in desperate need of an editor. The mistakes hindered the reading and I found it so difficult to get through. The author seemed to make up comma rules as she wrote.

The plot itself was somewhat slow. There were times it seemed the characters knew information they should not have in the book. The ending itself also just bothered me. It was very anticlimactic after a rather big build up. Overall I felt like I was reading a first draft of a novel.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a really hard time staying focused on Thai book. I've read other Melanie Clegg novels and enjoyed them. This one, however, was too disjointed and just seemed to ramble. Not really worth the time to read it

[tinalouisereadsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whitechapel, August 1888 and Jack the Ripper is on the loose. Alice a young well to do lady is wanting to know the whereabouts of her sister Beatrice. Cora the daughter of a policeman and two prostitutes, Emma and Marie Kelly may hold the key.

Firstly this book has Jack the Ripper has a backdrop and really is about the lives of the young women and how their stories blend together. The murders do take place and his victims have small cameos in the story. What this book has is wonderful description of Whitechapel and does give the reader a sense of place, and what it may have been like in Victorian London.

I haven't read any books by this author before and I would certainly read more. What I did find however that although the book had lovely descriptions it was very wordy.

However for me to read about the Victorian period especially Jack the Ripper is a treat and I did enjoy the book very much and would recommend it.

[Eva Müller · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Whitechapel is told by three different first person narrators… all of whom sound quite similar. True, all three girls are the same age but Alice is the daughter of a rich and famous artist, Cora the daughter of a police-sergeant in Whitechapel and Emma a former prostitute. One would assume that they sound more different but apart from the fact that Emma (and occasionally also Cora) are more likely to use curses and some swearing there is little difference in the three voices. Together with the fact that I found some of Cora’s behavior far too childish for a 17-year-old, it took me some time to get in the book but after a while, I was hooked.

Even though the novel is set during the Jack the Ripper-murders it is not a crime-novel. Neither of the girls is trying to capture Jack or discover his identity. Alice is trying to find her sister, Emma is mainly just trying to survive and Cora, well, she doesn’t quite know what she wants. The Ripper does influence their lives a lot but he is still not that important. Alice, Emma, and Cora are, as are the Ripper-victims. We do not get to know all of them and those we meet have (with the exception of Marie/Mary Kelly) only a few lines but Emma knows them all. She grieves for them and is affected by their deaths. Unlike much other fiction (and non-fiction) about Jack the Ripper this book remembers that the victims were actual people and not some clues, left there to figure out the puzzle.

Also (and this is hardly a spoiler) any book/film about the Ripper needs to deal with the fact that nobody was ever imprisoned for the crimes and I must say that the way this books solved it was one of my favourites in this aspect and very much fitting in with the ‘This is more about the victims than the killer’-theme.

Towards the end, I did get the feeling that too many things very were just shortly touched and then left without going into more depth, especially where Alice’s story was concerned. For me, it left hanging in mid-air too much. Emma and Cora also do not get a clear-cut ending but I felt they did at least get more closure than Alice who learns some life-changing things in her last chapter and we never get to see how all this affects her and how she deals with that knowledge.

Still a very worthwhile read, also for non-Ripperologists.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is told from several points of view, that of Emma, a prostitute/thief living in Whitechapel, Cora, the daughter of a policeman, also living in Whitechapel, and Alice who is from a good family and lives in Highbury, during 1888 when Jack the Ripper is cutting a swathe through the women of the East End of London. Emma and Marie witness a murder of one of their co-workers in a French brothel and flee to London, some of the deceased's belongings in hand. One of those belongings, an envelope containing a letter and pendant comes into the hands of one of the early Ripper victims and is found by Cora who goes to the mortuary to prove her bravery. She decides to take the envelope for proof and ends up giving it back to the person to whom it is addressed, Alice Redmayne.

Alice realizes the envelope and pendant (no letter) belonged to her sister, a woman who disappeared years before and decides to do volunteer work in Whitechapel as a means to tracking down her sister, Bea.

The story over all is a look at how the Ripper's attacks affects the lives of these women and the district in general. We get a very good feeling for the streets of eastend London of the period. The three women all make connections with each other and find out more about themselves in the process. I liked the story quite a lot though I do have to say that the editing could have been tighter. The length of a lot of the sentences is very long and while it seems they're "run on" to add in lots more atmosphere, it made it a bit more confusing at times to make out the point of the sentence. Christ Church appeared so much that I think it was meant to be a character of its own. That was maybe a bit much as well. The author has delved into the era and into the area of London deeply and it shows in the detail. Still, it's a good story and I enjoyed it.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from non-fiction my reading in and around Jack the Ripper's crimes is limited so it was truly fascinating to have them brought to life for me in fiction. To the extent that I'm now seeking out further novels that offer the same rich and vivid picture of Whitechapel in the late 19th century.

From Whitechapel moves quickly but still allows the reader to get a full and rounded picture of each of the leading characters. I particularly enjoyed Alice's story, as through Emma we already know where her story is leading although there is an even bigger climactic shock towards the end - I didn't get any of the hints leading to the truth which made it a huge surprise.

The author's research is so cleverly intertwined as each of the murders take place there is a personal touch added, we find out something about the victim beforehand whether it's simply her last words or what the other girls thought of her. This really brought them to life for me and made me seek out more information about each of the "canonical five".

I also love the detail included, no element is allowed to go by without scrutiny and the richness of the descriptions made every scene feel all the more real. This is simply the perfect style for a novel with actual historical events behind it.

My favourite thing about this novel is the angle in which it comes from however. Everything I have ever read or watched in relation to Jack the Ripper has always been just that, almost solely focused on the mysterious murderer. Instead, Clegg lets us see things from perspective of the women and in this way it reminded me a lot of Wake by Anna Hope which I adored recently.

This novel lived up to all my expectations and went beyond them. It's definitely one for the reread pile.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was quite intrigued about this book, given the author's own connection with the Whitechapel murders - one of her ancestors was a policeman at H Division at the time. And check out that cover!

The story is told from the point of view of three women from very different backgrounds, whose stories all somehow come together. I thought this was quite an ingenious way of telling the story - makes a change from Jack the Ripper being about the (supposedly) male murderer and the men wot tried (and apparently failed) to catch him. Because of course, his victims were female, and it must've been a terrifying time for women living in the area.

I thought the characters were nicely drawn, and each lead female had her own chapter, following through the story. This is a nice layout, and a nice way to deal with the stories of the three protagonists. I did wonder, however, if the ending was a bit abrupt.

I haven't given it five stars for reasons which might sound churlish (hence why I've prevaricated over writing my review), but it's about writing style... I do think there's a run-on-sentence issue in the text. The other problem is that Melanie clearly knows her historical stuff (from fashion to furnishings to the layout of Whitechapel's streets, pubs and boarding houses), but it can lead to rather over-stuffed sentences where setting the scene becomes vast amounts of info-dumped historical props. I think think this has led to the narrative flow becoming a bit clogged in places, which distracted me a bit from the story, which is a shame.

Anyway, aside from that, if you're after an intriguing tale with interesting female protagonists, about this rather dramatic and terrifying period of history, then this book is for you.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last, a Jack the Ripper inspired novel that is worth the read for more than just the Autumn of Terror nerd-feelings.

Three young women from different social classes find themselves drawn together by a mystery within a gruesome mystery. Whatever happened to Beatrice Redmayne, how did her locket end up with Martha Tabram and what is the truth of the Ripper killings?

Alice Redmayne is a teenage socialite and sister to Beatrice. Cora Lee is a Whitechapel copper's daughter, who found herself face to face with the body of Martha Tabram and stealing a locket from the body as proof. Emma is one of many homeless people in Whitechapel, forced to earn her doss money as a prostitute, who is one of only three people in London to know what really happened to Beatrice.
Naturally, there is a secret fourth main character in the body of Saucy Jacky himself. He only makes a few appearances in the book but, as the cliche goes, his shadow looms menacingly over every page.

There is more here than just a mystery novel, and is most certainly not a whodunit, with commentary on the class system, the conditions in the East End and musings upon a woman's place in society at large a part of all three characters stories, without even so much as a hint of being lectured or preached to.

My only hang up is that the ending felt a little on the rushed side - the book as a whole is pretty well paced, but that final chapter rattles along like the clappers - but when we're faced with the fact that the Ripper was never caught, I think it's understandable that there could only be so many ways of ending it without making Emma and Cora into stereotypical damsels in distress.

A cracking story and a clear passion-project. I look forward to a re-read sometime!

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a couple of non-fiction books about the Ripper murders and theories of who he could've been, this is the first time I have read fiction on the subject.
One of my favourite things about this book was how Melanie Clegg has made Whitechapel come alive, the descriptions, not only of the area but the people living there, make the reader feel as if they're there and by the end of the book those streets feel almost familiar.
The story is brilliantly written and focuses on the effect that Jack the Rippers murders had on the people living in the area, particularly the women who worked the streets and must have felt as if they were constantly looking over their shoulders as the number of women being killed grew.
It's definitely not a 'who-dunnit' book but more a possible scenario and a well thought out one.
I've followed Melanie on Twitter for a while but this is the first time I have read her work and I really enjoyed her writing, the book had me hooked from the first chapter and if it wasn't for things like husbands and children needing to be fed I would've read it in one sitting!

[Valerie Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd been looking forward to reading this book for ages, as I follow the author's blog and had enjoyed following the progress of the book as it was being written.

From the very start, I felt as if I was immersed in the world of the book. I loved the characters, I thought that having a character based on someone from the author's family tree was amazing, because it brought the story to life so much and added to the level of empathy I felt for the characters. The interactions between Emma and the Ripper's victims really added to the story as well. It made me see them a little bit differently too, when reading nonfiction its quite easy to read the facts about the victims and not really think about them as people, but in fact they were individuals who did things like get drunk and buy new bonnets and chat to people they knew in the street.

This book really is very good. I would really recommend it t anyone because it's well written, it's interesting and it's got great characters.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Knowing it started life written in the third person is quite interesting - it works fantastically well in the first person, and it's hard to imagine it otherwise. I'm terrible for not reading chapters and this getting lost in books which change point of view - no danger of that here, the three narrators have distinct, but subtly sketched voices of their own. There's occasionally just one adjective too many (maybe more by some standards, but on the whole I like adjectives) the overall effect is richly evocative.

While the author has made it clear on publishing this book that it doesn't come up with an identity for the Ripper, I liked that she has come up with a motive, and a broad-brush character for him instead, while keeping the focus very strongly on the women.

[Lynsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I read a lot of history (fact and fiction) I had not read anything about Jack the Ripper or this period before this book. However following Melanie on twitter I had read a lot of her journey whilst writing so thought I would give it a go.

I really enjoyed this book, the three main characters were great and I loved how their stories intertwined. Focusing on the women and having the murders almost happening in the background of the story was a good move in my opinion, and also I like that the identity of the killer wasn't revealed.

This story has really sparked an interest to read more about Jack the Ripper for me, oh and possibly drink more gin!

[Moira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have followed Melanie's entertaining blog (Mme Guillotine) for several years and have been looking forward to the publication of "From Whitechapel."
The angling of the storyline from the three female characters was a clever ploy, tho' I did get confused at times. Great detail of time and place but not hammered. You really feel you are there.
I did have a quibble over some of the dialogue, especially for Cora and Emma as their "voices" did not seem realistic.

Overall a very interesting read.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its been a long time since I read a book that I was excited to pick up again counting the minutes before I could read more.

The characters are so well formed and the 2 stories beautifully interlinked. The only complaint I have is it was too short or I read too fast... The fault is probably mine in that case.

Please Melanie, more please

[Scarlett O.H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book very much, i could not put it down and finished it as soon as possible.
I liked the characters, and the story was very gripping.
I just love books set in the Victorian time frame, and the way jack the Ripper was used as a plot in this book was very surprising and worked for me.

I think i will be reading the other books by this author too.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like historical fiction, true crime or women's lit there's a good chance you'll enjoy From Whitechapel. Told through the eyes of three women from different societal classes, this take on Jack the Ripper is more compelling in its compassionate depiction of Victorian women, especially those at the lowest levels of society than in its speculation regarding the crime.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a version of the Jack the Ripper story that's more about the women affected than Jack the Ripper. It's fascinating reading about Whitechapel. Clegg has an artist's eye for bringing to life this time period. I enjoyed this.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this because I enjoyed the author's books set in France. It was her best book yet, even though the setting was not French, but set in the time of Jack the Ripper.
A very exciting plot, kept me reading, until I finished it one sitting.
This author gets better and better.

[Allison Burris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I enjoyed the story, the setting, and the mix of characters quite a bit. The style of the book is quick paced, yet descriptive. However I found the grammar issues to be a bit distracting, and I felt the ending was a bit too neatly tied up.

[Debara Zeller]

Bad editing, far too many "S/he pulled a face"s, and about three deus ex machinas. Still, I stayed with it to the end.