“Ripper” is yet another book in a genre not normally part of what I read/listen to. As soon as I saw it, though….I knew I had to listen to this book. Marina Barrett. There. Those of you have read my reviews of Marina’s works (and those of her pseudonyms) know that I’d listen to here reading a phone book aloud.
So, “Ripper” is a fictionalized story of the very real first serial killer: Jack the Ripper. The story is from the viewpoint of the Ripper’s final known victim. So…a challenge for the author given that we sort of know the ending before we begin the book.
What makes “Ripper” work, is that the story focuses on events from the viewpoint and interpretations of one person. MC Marie is living a hard life in 1888 as a woman on her own. She was disowned by her weathy Irish family for marrying a man she loved and refusing an arranged marriage. He died a few years after marriage, and she was broke and alone in England at age 19.
Four years later, she has been turning tricks for four years to support herself, though she lives with a man (Joe) who loves her but she does not love.
One late night she meets a mysterious man just as she hears police whistles for what she later learns was a gruesome murder. She is attracted to him, and is thrilled when he walks into the pub soon after and offers her an exclusive arrangement for more money than she could imagine.
As time goes by, they are more and more attracted to each other, though the man, Jackson (Jacks), insisted he will never fall in love, and will never make love to her. He will fuck her senseless, but will never take what she does not offer or want. She’s intimidated by his “wolfish gaze”, and shocked at being in control of the use of her body for the first time in her life.
“Wolfish gaze”, eh? Author Amy Cecil’s writing is very sensual and descriptive. We spend most of the book not looking at characters and events from the outside, but viewing events from the inside of Marie’s mind. She is at times observant and clever, and at time maddeningly prone to leaps of conclusions. She is definitely an over thinker. So…I was sure I’d discovered Bridgett Essex writing under an alias for a hetero historical novel, working once again with Marina Barrett! Until I asked the author to confess. Either she wants to maintain her pseudonym, or I reached my own wrong conclusion. Odds are with me being in error on this occasion!
As the story progresses, and the murders continue, Marie and we are suspicious of her benefactor, Jacks. It’s creepy as we get bits and pieces of the Ripper clearly stalking Marie at times.
In Essex’s werewolf stories, we generally have a world where monsters are real, but not monstrous. The MC learns of their existence, and ends up loving and having a very good time with them. In Cecil’s story, we have a monster who is also real, but is human, and is very monstrous indeed.
“Ripper” does a great job leaving us clues and yet no clear path. As with Essex’s stories, we have massive miscommunication and misunderstanding, and unlike the werewolf stories, a tragic result.
There’s a twist at the ending, but that’s all I’ll say about it. 4.7* rounded up to 5* and a very strong recommendation for “Ripper”. Did I mention Marina Barrett is the narrator?
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
My rating and my review was not in anyway affected by my having been provided a review copy.