Date A Book YA Book Club discussion

Welcome back Readers!

Part two of our Stalking Jack the Ripper read along is about to kick off! We're discussing Chapter 15 – End – or pg. 151-318 in the paperback edition.

Below are a couple of questions to get the ball rolling – look out for more questions during the week.

Remember this is an open discussion, but try not to post out of the parts being discussed (eg. No Hunting Prince Dracula spoilers please!). Have fun!

1. Did you know much about Jack the Ripper before starting the book – are you aware that the victims named in the book were the real victims of the Ripper, not fictionalised accounts (including the assault of Emma Elizabeth Smith in May which is not typically attributed to Jack the Ripper)?

2. Did you guess the identity of Jack the Ripper early on or was it a shock?

3. We wouldn’t be able to pass up mentioning Audrey Rose and Thomas’ flirtations. They’re very improper for the time period, but we’re happy to make an exception for their budding romance. What’s your take on the two of them as a potential couple? Or are they better suited as crime solving partners? Or a bit of both?

Send us your favourite quotes from these parts for #DABbookclub

I knew of Jack The Ripper but not the intimate details of the cases or names of his victims, only that they were prostitutes.

I suspected early on who The Ripper was but still had doubts. (view spoiler)[Mainly due to his name, which is often shortened to Jack. (hide spoiler)], but there was more than enough doubt that kept me guessing too. What shocked me was the why. Super creepy.

I enjoyed the banter and tension between Audrey Rose and Thomas, it was risque for the period but they both showed an incredible amount of restraint. I think a lot of readers will like the slow burn with their friendship / relationship. Blackburn is an interesting character too, he really intrigued me.

I literally inhaled the book and finished it last night. Bring on book two!

Kelly (Diva Booknerd) wrote: "I suspected early on who The Ripper was but still had doubts. (view spoiler), but there was more than enough doubt that kept me guessing too. What shocked me was the why. Super creepy.
...
Blackburn is an interesting character too, he really intrigued me. "

We were in the dark the whole time, so we were pretty surprised in the end. In hindsight we shouldn't have been, because as often happens in novels, the killer is usually in the pool of people you're introduced to. It wouldn't be quite so fun if the murderer was some random person Audrey Rose hadn't come face-to-face with at some point in the story. But we agree, the reason behind it was way more twisted than you might expect.

Kerri certainly makes you curious about some of the side characters. We're pretty hung up on knowing more about Liza, but Blackburn is another one. His connections to her father and his background make us want to see more from him. But we're 100% Team Thomas, so it's only a mild curiosity.

Kimberley wrote: "I think I’ve read most of the books/articles about Jack the Ripper so hearing that we were reading this book I was really excited. I just found the cases fascinating. I’m really happy that the victims stayed the same, gave it an authentic feeling. I was definitely fan girling."

We're very intrigued by this. Like Kelly above, we didn't know much about Jack the Ripper except for the basics. How did Stalking Jack the Ripper compare to any other Jack the Ripper fictionalisations you've read?

1. I didn’t know that much about Jack the Ripper so i was surprised when i found out that they were real victims, i thought it was a really great touch by Kerri.

2. It was a shock to me! I thought it could have been every other character except who it actually was haha. The reason behind the murders was unexpected as well, it was a surprising ending but i thought it was great.

3. I love them together! i liked that there wasn’t too much of a focus on their romance but their flirting (mainly Thomas’) was so entertaining, and a good contrast to the dark main plot of the book. i’m excited to see how their relationship will develop in the next book.

Trista wrote: "It was a shock to me! I thought it could have been every other character except who it actually was haha. The reason behind the murders was unexpected as well, it was a surprising ending but i thought it was great."

This is part of why we love the mystery in this book so much. You feel like you can narrow it down to a pool of suspects, but at the same time, everyone is a suspect until the end. You start to question the motives and actions of all characters - and whether they're helping each other or doing it alone.

Kimberley wrote: "Stalking Jack the Ripper was definitely one of the better ones around because it stuck very closely to what happened. A lot try to change what happened, it’s history, you can’t change that. My partner got a bit annoyed with me because I kept going ‘omg, the name is still the same’ haha."

We're definitely fans of out loud comments as we're reading - it's a sign of a good book when you just can't help yourself and vocalise reactions!

We're glad there was a level of historical accuracy that appealed to you.

Now that you've had a few days to let Stalking Jack the Ripper thoughts setting down: will you be continuing the series? What do you hope will happen in Hunting Prince Dracula?

1. I studied Jack the Ripper in school so I was aware of the historical accuracy that Kerri added into the novel to make it authentic. I loved that she included the real victims and the speculation behind certain events that could have been Ripper related.

2. Honestly, I lapped up this book with the hopes that the Ripper would remain a mystery. So when *that* happened I hAD NO IDEA AND I AM STILL IN PAIN FROM IT.

3. The amount of times I thought "that is so inappropriate for the time period" was incredible, but I adored their budding romance so much. I think highly of them as a couple. I think their minds are equally matched and their personalities make for some hilarious moments. Why not be both crime-solving partners and a couple?

Also, I have the sequel right next to me and I'm ready to dive in.

Date A Book wrote: "Now that you've had a few days to let Stalking Jack the Ripper thoughts setting down: will you be continuing the series? What do you hope will happen in Hunting Prince Dracula?"

I've already begun Hunting Prince Dracula and enjoying the medieval tone and the Strigoi mythology. I dont want to reveal too much for those still reading Stalking Jack The Ripper but it's brilliant so far.

Sofia wrote: "Honestly, I lapped up this book with the hopes that the Ripper would remain a mystery. So when *that* happened I hAD NO IDEA AND I AM STILL IN PAIN FROM IT. "

We know how shocking the ending of Stalking Jack was and, emotionally, it works very well for the story - but do you think it could have had a similar shock if the identity of the Ripper was left unknown?

Kelly (Diva Booknerd) wrote: "I've already begun Hunting Prince Dracula and enjoying the medieval tone and the Strigoi mythology. I dont want to reveal too much for those still reading Stalking Jack The Ripper but it's brilliant so far."

Yay! We're glad you're enjoying it and were so quick to pick up the next in the series. We wish we'd been able to dive straight in after we finished Stalking Jack. Feel free to leave us messages with your theories and thoughts!

I've already finished it, I just couldn't help myself. The series is absolutely brilliant and book two was completely unexpected. My eyebrows nearly flew off my forehead.

So clever. Didn't see it coming.
The wait for book three now will be agonising!

Kelly (Diva Booknerd) wrote: "I've already finished it, I just couldn't help myself. The series is absolutely brilliant and book two was completely unexpected. My eyebrows nearly flew off my forehead.

So clever. Didn't see it coming.
The wait for book three now will be agonising! ."

We probably should have started a thread for Hunting Prince Dracula discussions!

Did you find that you were more surprised with the twists in HPD than in Stalking Jack? Both subjects - Jack the Ripper and Dracula - are well documented and re-imagined topics, did you learn new aspects?

1. I didn't know much about Jack the Ripper at all before reading Stalking Jack the Ripper which I think was a good move. It meant that I didn't go into the book with preconceptions about what would happen and who Jack the Ripper was or who his victims were. But now having read this and finding out some information about Stalking Jack the Ripper I really want to go and find out some more about it all. I think that's the beautiful thing about authors using historical moments for inspiration with their books. It inspires us all to go out and actually seek more information about our history.

2. I thought I had guessed who Jack the Ripper was but I couldn't have been more wrong. It's hard to really say more on the subject without giving it away but I will say I was kind of on the right track just the wrong person.

3. I love Audrey Rose and Thomas' flirtations and I think they make a fantastic couple and crime solving partners. They certainly bounce off each other and have great comradery together and I think that's what makes them such a fantastic duo. Their relationship is certainly unique and I would love to have read more about them.

Jessica's Bookworld wrote: "...now having read this and finding out some information about Stalking Jack the Ripper I really want to go and find out some more about it all. I think that's the beautiful thing about authors using historical moments for inspiration with their books. It inspires us all to go out and actually seek more information about our history."

It really is a fantastic feeling, sparking a history hunt of our own! We're glad you enjoyed Kerri's story so much that you wanted to find more about the era and murders.