Now You See Me

Now You See Me
4.5 Stars

An intriguing and original take on the Jack the Ripper murders with some excellent twists and turns that keep you riveted.

The heroine, Lacey Flint, is rough around the edges and some readers may find it difficult to engage with her, but to me the amalgamation of strength and vulnerability make her particularly appealing. In terms of her investigative skills, Lacey has good instincts and cares about people but she is an inexperienced detective and also a bit of a loose cannon who has problems with authority. It will be interesting to see if she learns from her mistakes in the next book.

The murder mystery is intense and the historical detail is well-researched and insightful. It should be noted that the show more descriptions are quite graphic and grisly so the book may not appeal to those who prefer less gruesome elements in their reading.

Bolton’s writing style is immersive and gives just the right amount of information about the characters and the crimes to whet the appetite for more. The hint at a romance between Lacey and Marc Joesbury is enough to satisfy the romantic in me and I look forward to seeing how their relationship develops in the series. show less

Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton should come with a warning or at least a dare (as in, "I dare you to try to put this down once you start it"). I've enjoyed Ms. Bolton's other books, but this one is her very best. In this plot about a Police Constable with a past caught up in a bigger investigation than she ever imagined, the twists and turns are unexpected and delicious. Ms. Bolton raises the stakes over and over, each time outwitting the reader with the ingenuity of her mind.

This book is a combination of British police procedural and psychological thriller with dashes of Jack the Ripper thrown in for seasoning. The result is a book that I resented having to put down to do things like eat and go to work. I loved the characters, loved the show more writing, pretty much loved everything about it. Its only flaw is that it's so very good that the next three or four books you read afterwards are likely to disappoint. If you like Ruth Rendell writing either as herself or as Barbara Vine you will gobble down this book like the best chocolates you ever had. Must read! show less

I love it when this happens. When you find a new author, read the first book, and you strike gold. You can see in your mind’s eye a series of books stretching out in front of you, promising great things, and like a blood-hound you happily rush down the trail.

LOVED this book. It had it all for me. Set in London. Strong historical element (the history of the Jack the Ripper murders). Great cast of believable characters. Grisly murders and exciting chases. Strong procedural backbone to the plot. Gothic elements abound. Cinematic set pieces create lots of drama. Even got extra points for bringing in social issues that impact Londoners of today.

Plotwise--someone is mimicking, which is different than duplicating, the Ripper murders. More show more of an homage than a copy cat. You have to really be on your game to anticipate their next move. Lacey Flint is as damaged and perhaps as dangerous as the criminal that she pursues. Constant left turns and plot reversals keep the reader fighting their own preconceptions as theory after theory blows away. Eventually I just enjoyed the ride, stopped trying to figure it out, and had a great time.

Then I sat back and thought about how much fun I am going to have reading the rest in the series. From what I have read here from other reviews, they get even better, which is definitely saying a lot considering how much I enjoyed this one. show less

First Line: Leaves, mud, and grass deaden sound.

Young Detective Constable Lacey Flint has finished interviewing a witness at a London apartment complex when she stumbles into a woman brutally stabbed just seconds before in the complex's dark parking lot. Within twenty-four hours a freelance journalist receives an anonymous letter pointing out the similarities between this stabbing and Jack the Ripper's first murder-- and this letter mentions Lacey by name. If this is real, London has a killer determined to recreate the city's bloody past-- and the police have just five days until the next attempt.

Although the letter writer seems to be taunting Lacey, no one-- even her-- believes the connections are anything but a sadistic killer's game. show more However, as they begin to investigate deeper into the details of the case, Lacey is reminded more and more of a part of her past that she'd rather keep hidden. The only way to do that is to catch the killer herself.

Just when you think Jack the Ripper has been done to death, along comes a talented writer who proves to you that there's still life in the old geezer. What keeps this from being a tired rehash of the Ripper murders is twofold: (1) It's not a slavish copy of the original Jack the Ripper case. The killer is using the bits and pieces that fulfill the purpose, and discarding the rest. It's up to the readers and the police to figure out what the purpose is. (2) Taunting young DC Lacey Flint puts the focus on her and what a serial killer may want from her. As the focus sharpens, it's learned that Lacey has something big in her past that she wants no one else to know-- and her reliability as a narrator is put into question.

This book moves quickly and really gave me a workout as I tried to figure out the point the killer was trying to make... and what Lacey was trying to hide from everyone. Bolton lets us get to know Lacey and to trust her before putting her reliability in doubt. As the end of the book gets ever nearer, it's easy to feel that you've put all the pieces together and solved all the mysteries. Don't be too cocksure of yourself, though. I would imagine that Bolton has more than one surprise in store for you.

Don't you just love a book whose plot twists and turns, twists and turns, twists and turns... then suddenly stops, faces you, gives you a nice juicy raspberry, and proceeds to twist a few more times before coming to a halt, out of breath and laughing? I do! show less

Well well well. This book. What can I say? Definitely an intriguing, gory, twisted mystery.

There's a killer on the loose that's copycatting Jack the Ripper so they know what days there will be a murder/mutilation but can they find out who it is and stop it before it's too late?

This book had me lured in and then BAM! a twist happened that I did not see coming (I love that, lol). This twist had me so consumed. Was it even possible? I don't know and didn't know until the end. Oh, I had my thoughts and theories but the story was told in way that there was no way to know what to believe until the author literally spelled it out for you.

I'm intrigued to see how the next book in the series plays out.

Well that was twisty. But in a good way. Not just at the end with one big wallop. There are surprises throughout and a few things that I suspected would be true turned out to be. It was a good mix of making me feel smart and making me feel outsmarted.

Lacey is an interesting lead character. She’s mostly good at her job, values it, but isn’t a suck up. She mouths off a few times when I just cringed at the chances she took. In a way she was refreshing since she took those chances and others, kept things to herself until it made sense to reveal them and seemed pretty even-tempered. She missed Mark’s major suspicion of her though. Sure they butted heads and he was an overbearing asshole most of the time, but it was pretty clear he had show more other motivations for being with her other than bad-tempered flirting. She also got caught out with the security electronics. Quite tripped up. It was weird in a cop, but necessary to have the denouement work out the way it had to. A little forced, but not too bad.

The ultimate reveal - that Lacey is Victoria wasn’t one really. With all her shiftiness, the flashbacks in time and her confession it made sense although she could have been either sister although Cahty would have been less credible. show less

This book!!! Fast paced and gritty, with deeply damaged characters and scenes so dark & vivid they could give you nightmares. Author S.J. Bolton is almost as brutal as Mo Hayder. Add in an intricate plot, a fresh take on an old theory, and pain and anguish with the turn of every page, and this one's a winner. The best news - it's the first in a series! 5 stars!