The Prisoner's Apprentice: A Novel

by Cheyenne Richards

Boy Meets Killer
Discover the award-winning novel based on the shocking true story.

Albert is a bright boy—a quality much despised in 1846 Ithaca, a gritty town at the edge of New York’s frontier. Desperate to belong, he fails repeatedly to prove himself worth his salt, until a captivating stranger offers a new future—that of a respectable scholar in New York City. His new mentor, however, is Edward Rulloff, an accomplished physician, lawyer, linguist fluent in 27 languages—and serial killer.

Soon caught up in an epic test of loyalty and betrayal, Albert must wrestle with the meaning of justice, and decide for himself whether Rulloff is a genius or a madman—all while trying to survive his thrilling, shameful, and dangerous adventures.

Based on the true story that riveted the 19th-century world, THE PRISONER’S APPRENTICE won the 2022 IRDA Historical Fiction Award, was an Eric Hoffer Finalist, and was awarded an Indie BRAG Medallion. A must-read for anyone who enjoys Erik Larson, Lindsay Faye or Robert McCammon.

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 24, 2021

About the author

Cheyenne Richards is an award-winning author, sailor, and traveler who writes historical fiction inspired by real women and a life at sea.

Reviews

[Matthew S. Rosin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheyenne Richards’s The Prisoner’s Apprentice is compulsively readable from beginning to end. Based on a true story, the novel is a timely and richly-textured exploration of how far a disaffected and misunderstood person might go to feel important and consequential, even if it means doing terrible things and sacrificing important relationships in service to an ostensibly grander cause. This is the story of how young Albert Jarvis learns to take finally responsibility for the whole of his life.

[Tom McGuire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning Debut Novel by Cheyenne Richards


The Prisoner's Apprentice is a superb, descriptive, and powerful historical novel, an engrossing tale that will keep readers turning the pages, wanting more!

The power of Cheyenne Richards's storytelling is multi-layered, and replete with passages of historical vérité, deeply resonant with lyrical beauty and subtle insights into the tragic complexity and mystery of the human condition, with dollops of intrigue heaped on page after page, all flowing with an inimitable style related in a gripping and unforgettable sense of time and place, and strong historical characters she has breathed life into their very souls.

This is a sumptuously narrated story start to finish, a stunning debut work of literary art, crafted with believable and memorable scenes and poetic images searing in heartfelt intensity, as though the author were truly channeling the thoughts, visceral emotions, and inner lives and psychological conflicts of her richly wrought protagonists. 

I expect this book will find a large and receptive audience, and will be wanting more from Cheyenne Richards.

[Gordon Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheyenne Richards story, inspired by true events, is an incredible tale of a charismatic sociopath and the young boy who falls under his spell. Nobody in Albert Jarvis's family understands him. He's a bright and curious boy, not suited for the rough and tumble world of America's frontier. It isn't until he meets Edward Rulloff, a noted intellectual that Albert finds someone who appreciates his unique qualities. Problem is, Edward is in prison for murder and will most likely be hanged, either by a court of law or angry mob.
This is a fascinating historical thriller, part Night of the Hunter and part Silence of the Lambs. Cheyenne Richards takes the reader back to the 1840s with beautiful historical details and places us at the moment of one boy's moral reckoning. This book is for anyone who likes true crime that explores the dark, psychology of both the killers and their "assistants"

[Mary Taugher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fast-paced book is smart, thoughtful, and full of unexpected twists. If you like psychological thrillers and historical fiction, The Prisoner’s Apprentice is for you. It’s a beautiful blend of both. I was captivated by the novel’s young protagonist, a boy desperate to educate himself and move up in the world, who falls in the thrall of a sophisticated renaissance man who turns out to be a serial killer. I couldn’t put the book down. I can’t wait to read what Cheyenne Richards writes next. I also thought it was pretty darn cool that the book is based on a true story, and that Richards is the great-great-grand-niece of the killer.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It felt like both a journey and a mystery experiencing the story unfold through the thoughts and emotions of a young boy while knowing that ultimately…what? I wasn’t exactly sure, but I was hooked and kept wondering how it was all going to end (while crossing my fingers for Jarvis). I found the writing style beautiful, the imagery vivid, and the book an engaging and easy read. Can’t wait for the next one by Cheyenne Richards.

[Mary]

I love historical fiction and this book had me from page one. So descriptive and elegantly written that it places you right there with the characters, events, and a moment in time. The story summons up empathy for every character, even the ones we're not supposed to like are likeable in their bare humanity, complexities and flaws. Eminently readable, you won't want to stop once you start. Bravo, Cheyenne!

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Well written and engrossing and engaging and very different--you are there in the mind of a young boy who is drawn into the intense orbit of a cultured, educated, brilliant monster killer, and you see how this kind of thing could happen. Also great picture of 19th century America. Highly recommended !!

[Michele Newsome · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I found it hard to put down. Her writing was excellent and really pulled me into the story.

[Nicole Frees · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the language and arc of this story, which is an amazing accomplishment given that the book is based on a real historical figure and events. This is some of the best writing I have consumed in recent memory. The author does an amazing job of drawing us into both rural and urban 19th century settings, organically, without pulling in unnecessary lengthy descriptions. I hope we will see more from her soon!

[Marie Borges · Rating 3 out of 5]

an OK read but the first thirst third doesn’t have a compelling storyline

I had high hopes for this interesting story. All the characters are well developed, however the storyline moves a bit too slow in the first 1/3. My guess is many readers won’t get through it. Nevertheless the writer has done an excellent job actually Influencing you to support characters that are clearly entirely wrong and destructive. By the end of the book you’ll be wondering if there is any redeeming character!