Ripper (edition 2012)

This novel is more of a "what if" Jack the Ripper had a son who was interested in becoming a detective, and I enjoyed that rather inventive storyline. The novel is very heavy with detective work and interspersed with magical elements, but the ending, I felt, was unsatisfactory. ( )

Ripper by Stefan Petrucha is not the gory thriller that many readers may expect, and rightly so, given that it is a young adult, historical fiction novel with a young main protagonist. Carver Young is an orphan in New York City in the late 1800s, who is thrust into the care of an older Albert Hawking, a former Allan Pinkerton detective. Carver is dragged into a fantastical world of secret agencies and cloak-and-dagger moments, all while the police are investigating some very real and grisly murders. He’s joined by some rather eccentric characters, from his adoptive father, Hawking, and his home in the asylum, to Septimus Tudd, the current leader of the secret detective agency.

Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/12/ripper-by-stefan-petrucha.html ( )

Tense, historical mystery.

When Carver Young is told that the orphanage he was raised in was being sold, and that he and two other older teen orphans were unable to stay, their destinies soon change dramatically. At times for the better, other times for the worst. Delia and Finn are adopted by two of New York's finest families, parents of wealth and high social standing. Carver however is taken under wing by a mysterious gentleman named Albert Hawking whose claim to fame is that he is one of the finest Pinkerton Detectives. Growing up enthralled with the dime-store novels of Sherlock Holmes, Carver has always dreamed of being a sleuth himself. Being adopted by an elderly and prestigious Pinkerton agent seemed all that he could hope for until he arrives at an insane asylum instead of what he expected would be the office of a Private Eye!

The world of criminology is thrust upon 14 year old Carver instantly as his new mentor forces the young man to use his wits and detective skills to assist with New York's worst nightmare. Women of the elite social circles are being brutally murdered leaving Police Commissioner Teddy Roosevelt baffled and stumped as to who this mass murderer could be and just how to catch him. Alternating between the office in the madhouse and in a secret New Pinkerton agency hidden underground, Carver's world gets turned upside down as clue after clue lead him to believe that the slasher is none other than Jack the Ripper, and that he is Saucy Jack's son!

Ripper is an extremely executed teen mystery novel that is fun, exciting, mysterious, and scary. This reader could not put this ingenious tale down and cannot wait for the sequel being penned by the author now. With the Victorian atmosphere of turn-of-the-century New York, funky steampunk-like mechanical gadgets, intriguing good guys and bad guys, true-to-life history, and characters with charisma and charm, readers will digest this novel in one or two sittings. You will cheer Carver and company on as they prowl the streets of New York diving into danger and intrigue every step of the way throwing lots of chills and thrills upon the pages you will find turn rapidly. The added feature of Teddy Roosevelt was an awesome ingredient, returning to the legend of Jack the Ripper was cool, and having the author create a brand new young detective character one can look forward to reading more about, makes this story a five star winner! ( )

It’s the end of the 19th century, Theodore Roosevelt is the commissioner of police, and a killer is on the loose in New York City. Carver Young is more concerned with another mystery, though--the search for his father. When a Pinkerton detective arrives at the orphanage with a plan to adopt him and train him in the art of detection, finding his father suddenly seems like a real possibility rather than simply a dream. But Carver soon realizes that the search won’t be easy and what he discovers may be the stuff of nightmares rather than dreams. As clues reveal themselves and the plot unravels, Carver’s quest for his father and the search for the killer haunting New York City begin to overlap in terrifying ways and the question becomes whether Carver is the only one who might be in a position to bring the killer out into the open.

Stefan Petrucha has created a fast-paced, suspenseful novel filled with famous historical faces, steampunk gadgets, and plot twist after plot twist. The chapters are quick and sprinkled with insights into the world of detecting and turn of the century New York. Though Jack the Ripper books are never in short supply, like Maureen Johnson’s The Name of the Star, this is a welcome addition to the genre.

http://tatalonline.blogspot.com/2012/04/ripper-by-stefan-petrucha.html