William Ritter (1)

I read the first book in the series back when it was first released. I loved it but never got around to finishing the series. That is, until I had finally caught up on review copies for February and found myself looking for something new to read. There are so many books I could have chosen during this time – other series I have been meaning to finish, books that have been languishing on my shelves for over a decade. Yet, the Jackaby series is exactly what I needed at that point in time.

The show more series never takes itself too seriously. It is as raucous and bizarre as the synopsis indicates. At the same time, it is very much a story with heart. Jackaby is more than the odd detective with rare skills. He has a hidden soft side that you don’t really understand until the end of the second novel. Abigail has spunk, which is something you realize almost immediately but which never fails to impress throughout the series. Even better, every once in a while there would be a sentence so in keeping with some of the brouhaha in today’s society that I had to stop and marvel at its perfection. I found myself looking forward to these gems even as they continued to surprise me when I finally ran across one.

I went into reading these novels expecting silly fun with great characters and a good mystery. What I got out of them was so much more than that. They are reminders to love and accept one another in spite of or maybe even because of our differences. They are reminders to keep your mind and your heart open and to never fail to help someone in need. They are affirmations that we are more than the boundaries set by others and that we all deserve the chance to grow and shine. While still quirky and highly entertaining, they are also inspiring. Honestly, you cannot get much better than that. show less

This was a quite fun mystery in my opinion. I liked the supernatural elements of it that ran alongside the detective story. And in a break from other books I have read recently, I found myself to be rather charmed by all of the characters and I genuinely cared about their well-being. I really liked that the main character was a headstrong girl who had set off on her own. I find that the character of the eccentric mentor can be a bit trite in books but I actually didn't mind the character of show more Jackaby (i liked him if we're being honest.) I think the supernatural part of his character helped a little with that. The mystery in this book was good. I wasn't really on the edge of my seat for any of it but I was always intrigued about what would happen next. There are two plot twists near the end of the book. One twist I predicted fairly early on but the other one I did not see coming so I guess this book is half and half on the surprise element and if you're more observant than me you may be able to pick up on the second one but that wasn't a problem for me. I don't know if I've talked about this before but I do not like the character of Sherlock Holmes and I don't like his stories. I think having a super observant character that can pick up on completely innocuous things that manage to break open the case cheapens a mystery. If the reader has no chance of solving the mystery because the most important clue is something the author didn't mention at all just so their main character could spring it on us later and look like a genius it's not much of a mystery in my book. I also always just thought of Holmes as a bit of an asshole who thinks he's better than everyone else which I don't enjoy. Because of that and because this book is marketed as a Holmesesque book I was nervous to pick it up. I was glad to find there really isn't much annoying evidence hiding to surprise the audience later and I think a reader could probably solve the mystery before the big reveal.
Now on to the spoiler section of my review
I really liked the character of detective Charlie Cane and I hope he will be included in subsequent stories even though he got sent away. It seems like he will be because he was set up as a bit of a love interest and it seems like the author intended to have that plot line continue. I was actually really sad when the banshee character was killed because I was intrigued by her story and I wanted to know more. I liked the ending well enough but it sort of seemed like the author didn't exactly know how to end it so put us back in a place very similar to where we started but I do like that Jackaby was sort of set up as a father figure with protective instincts. I also really enjoyed the other residents of Jackaby's house: a duck who used to be his assistant and a friendly ghost lady who used to live in the house. I really do want to read the next book in the series because I think these kinds of mystery books are just so fun and really do want to see where the characters go from here. show less

"Some girls work in shops or sell flowers. Some girls find husbands and play house. I assist a mad detective in investigating unexplained phenomenon. My name is Abigail Rook, and this is what I do."

I love these rather madcap characters. Jackaby is a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Mulder from X-files [in that not only does he believe he SEES the phenomenon]. Abigail is the every-man (or woman) in this story line, we get to see the world through her eyes. She's intelligent and adventurous, show more and (yay!) in this installment of the series, we get to learn more about her background and Jackaby's.

As Sherlock has his nemesis, I believe we have just gotten a glimpse of Jackaby's, and I can't wait for the next so we can get a better view of him/her. the mystery in this one wasn't as much a mystery as it was an adventure of sorts. While it was fun and I played along, the next one will hopefully solve a mystery that is nearer to home for them, and I'll be there. show less

I'd been wondering for a while now about why The Dire King was called the final novel in the Jackaby series, and now I think I know. Hope I know, I should say, because it's really just a guess. I think it's intended to be the end of a story arc.

Well okay, it's absolutely the end of this story arc which takes place over four books and nearly a year in time. There's no question that this arc is finished, though the why of that I'm not going to reveal because it's a huge spoiler, one that had show more me gasping in shock. Oh yeah, it was that unexpected.

Briefly, the story picks up immediately after the end of Ghostly Echoes, and follows the characters through to the end of their mission to save the world from the Dire King and his plan to wrench open the veil between this world and the world of magic, allowing all manner of magical creatures, benign and otherwise, to flood the human world, presumably with some, ah, dire consequences.

While the identity of the Dire King is unknown, it did become increasingly simple to make an educated guess as to who he really was, making this not so much a mystery as an adventure story, and a darn good one as well. There's some great action sequences, and the usual dry humor that underlies all the Jackaby books no matter how dark the events become. As I've said before, Ritter walks a fine line, and does it well.

I wasn't certain, when I reached the end of the book, if the end of the arc meant the end of these stories of New Fiddleham and the bizarre and supernatural events that occur within and around it. (Shades of Sunnydale!) But the more I consider those last chapters, the more sure I am that Ritter has a lot more story to tell. Maybe he doesn't know it yet, but it's all there waiting for him, and so will I be.

I want more. show less