Jess Kidd
Author of Things in Jars
About the Author
Image credit: Jess Kidd
Series
Works by Jess Kidd
Dirty Little Fishes 1 copy
Little Spark 1 copy
Associated Works
The Haunting Season: Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights (2021) — Contributor — 323 copies, 9 reviews
The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights (2023) — Contributor; Contributor — 236 copies, 10 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1973
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Open University
- Occupations
- creative writing teacher
- Agent
- Susan Armstrong (C+W)
- Short biography
- Jess completed her first degree in Literature with The Open University after leaving college to have her daughter. She continued to work and study part-time, finally gaining a PhD in the field of creative writing studies. Jess’s dissertation focused on the ways in which disparate modes and genres can be brought into correspondence to create new hybrid forms in crime fiction. Her research covered several key crime fiction and magical realist texts, along with the work of John Millington Synge and Dylan Thomas. Jess has taught creative writing at undergraduate level and to adult learners. She has also worked as a support worker specialising in acquired brain injury, a PA to a Rector, and an administrator at a local community centre.
Jess was brought up in London as part of a large family from Mayo, and plans to settle somewhere along the west coast of Ireland in the next few years. Until then, she lives in London with her daughter. - Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Richmond, Surrey, England, UK
- Places of residence
- London, England, UK
- Associated Place (for map)
- England, UK
Members
Reviews
I enjoyed the premise of this book and its protagonist, Nora Breen, a nun who has left her order to find a missing friend. I enjoyed the slow paced search and discovery and the tete a tete with the local police. Imagine throwing a shoe at a copper’s head ?! The tongue in cheek comments and humor was just so perfect. The setting was beautifully described which added immeasurably to the sleuthing. This was a wonderful cozy mystery full of interesting characters and a few well placed show more twists.
Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy and to the reviewers who mentioned previous books by Jess Kidd which are now on my “want to read list”. show less
Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy and to the reviewers who mentioned previous books by Jess Kidd which are now on my “want to read list”. show less
We follow Detective Bridie Devine as she searches for a missing child. but finds so much more than she bargained for. Bridie is no stranger to the seedy underworld of Victorian London. As an accomplished detective with medical training, she sometimes helps the police by examining bodies to determine the cause of death. Bridie recently had failed to find a lost child, so when she’s approached about another missing child, this one not just ANY lost child but the daughter of Sir Edmund show more Berwick. She isn’t really enthusiastic about taking on the case. However, Christabel Berwick is no ordinary child. Sir Edmund has hidden Christabel away her whole life but yet wants Bridie to believe that this is just an ordinary kidnapping. Bridie starts asking questions and learns that Christabel isn’t so much Sir Edmund's daughter but much more like his "prized procession". He fully believes that Christabel is a “merrow,” which is a darker version of a mermaid. Bridie of course, is skeptical, but there are reports that Christabel has some strange characteristics like sharp teeth, color-changing eyes, and the ability to drown people on dry land. Bridie is without some "strange" herself as newest companion is a ghost who refuses to tell her why he’s following her around. There’s a lot going on in this story and it's NOT PRETTY! London in Birdies time is soaked with mud and blood, and her own past is a nightmare at best. The author, Jess Kidd is an expert at giving us a supernatural mood that any ghost or merrow would be happy to call home... and her human villains would not be the exception. The story has so much detail and so many clever characters. I think Bridie deserves her own series of oh maybe a hundred or so books. This one is creepy, dark, and sometimes violent...but what an adventure! show less
A strange, sharp-toothed child, bleached of colour and trailing the scent of the sea. Sinister kidnappers. The ominous underbelly of London’s class of collectors, where even the most particular tastes can be indulged. A seven-foot-tall housemaid. And a dandyish pugilist ghost. In my first encounter with Jess Kidd’s writing, I was taken by the hand and led deep into a deliciously disturbing story, told in prose that sparkles with the cadences of an Irish brogue. At its heart there is show more Bridie Devine, a formidably down-to-earth woman who makes a speciality of taking on unusual mysteries – and who is about to encounter a case which will push her expertise to its limits, as well as forcing her to face up to a dark period of her own past. Blending Victorian Gothic with a roistering tale of London’s underworld, this is a deeply enjoyable adventure...
For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2020/02/08/things-in-jars-jess-kidd/ show less
For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2020/02/08/things-in-jars-jess-kidd/ show less
I couldn’t put this one down – a murder mystery with suspicious characters, an abundance of clues, distracting red herrings, multiple motives and a surplus of secrets, brilliantly told against a backdrop of an eccentric boarding house in a British seaside town in 1954.
What makes this a standout is the main character, Nora Breen. A former nun, nurse, and avid mystery reader, her powers of observation contribute to her skillful ability to assist Chief Inspector Rideout in his show more investigation. Their relationship contributes to the novel’s charming readability.
Can’t wait for the second installment of this new series. Going to check out a few of Kidd’s earlier novels while I wait. show less
What makes this a standout is the main character, Nora Breen. A former nun, nurse, and avid mystery reader, her powers of observation contribute to her skillful ability to assist Chief Inspector Rideout in his show more investigation. Their relationship contributes to the novel’s charming readability.
Can’t wait for the second installment of this new series. Going to check out a few of Kidd’s earlier novels while I wait. show less
Lists
Ghosts (1)
Netgalley Reads (2)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 10
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 3,623
- Popularity
- #6,989
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 198
- ISBNs
- 119
- Languages
- 4
- Favorited
- 4