A Modern Ripper Tale

After an interview in which she is once again unable to persuade a young woman, the victim of gang rape, to testify, DC Lacey Flint walks to her car searching in her purse for her keys. As she reaches the car, a blonde woman bleeding copiously stumbles into her and dies in her arms. The next day, an anonymous letter arrives. The killer is re-creating the crimes of Jack the Ripper. He seems to have a bond with Lacey and mentions her in the letter.

The deaths of women mount up, but the connection between them is unclear. As Lacey fills the police in on the Ripper;s crimes, the evidence points to Lacey being somehow at the heart of the case. In fact, DI Joesbury, working with DI Tulloch on the case while he convalesces, suspects that Lacey may be responsible for the murders. The tension escalates as the team tries to prevent another murder and for Lacey it becomes almost unbearable as her past starts to haunt her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although there are many books based on the Ripper mystery, this one has a fresh aspect. The plot is full of twists and as the clues kept coming, I found the book hard to put down. The characters, Lacy, Tulloch, and Joesbury are likeable. Their reactions under stress are realistic and in each there are hidden depths.

The plot is full of twists. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the game changed again. You can feel the frustration of the detectives trying to solve the rash of baffling murders. If you like a mystery where the clues are there, but well hidden, you'll love this book.

I reviewed this book for Net Galley.