About the Book:
It’s autumn 1888, and Jack the Ripper is on the run. As London police close in, he flees England for New York City seeking new victims. But a primal force of female vengeance has had enough. With serpents for hair and a fearsome gaze, an awakened Medusa is hunting for one thing: Jack.
And other dangers lurk in Manhattan’s Bowery. Salvation Army volunteers Tabitha and Pearl discover that a girl they once helped has been forced to work in a local brothel. Tabitha’s an upstate city girl with a wry humor and a thirst for adventure, while farmgirl Pearl takes everything with stone-cold seriousness. Their brittle partnership is tested as they team up with an aspiring girl reporter and a handsome Irish bartender to mount a rescue effort, only to find their fates entwine with Medusa’s and Jack’s.
*Review Contributed by Kim Baccellia, Staff Reviewer*
Gripping twist on Medusa meets Jack the Ripper set in 1888. I was riveted by this engaging historical fantasy. Readers meet Tabitha and Pearl, two Salvation Army Hallelujah lasses in 1888. These two roommates at first don’t have a great relationship, but stay together as they both believe in helping others in the poor part of Manhattan. Meanwhile, in Whitechapel, East London, is Jack, a man rumored to be Jack the Ripper. His last victim, though, is different than his other victims. He swears she has snakes for hair. He flees to America with hopes of getting more victims to help him achieve immortality.
This unique story portrays the grittiness of 1888 in both East London and Manhattan, with the plight of poor women. Tabitha’s upbringing is more privileged than Pearl’s. At first, Pearl comes across as a judgmental sort, and of course, the two don’t get along. What drives this story is how Medusas come to being and how they aren’t the monster of Greek mythology but those who seek justice for murdered women.
There’s also humor and romance in this story. Tabitha encounters Mike at a bar when she tries to sell a copy of The War Cry, a Salvation Army flyer. There’s chemistry right off the bat. He’s there when her attempts to save Cora, a young girl who is trafficked into a brothel, backfire. He also shows himself to be truthworthy when others fall short.
I loved the concept of Medusas being made. Pearl’s development comes midway through the novel. At first, she recoils when her golden locks are transformed into snakes that whisper of vengeance. Yes, these Medusas also turn men into stone. There’s an elderly Medusa who claims to be over one hundred years old. That scene reminds me of a twisted Great Expectations, only in this case, it’s an elderly woman sitting with the ghastly results of the men who wronged her.
Jack’s story is grisly and haunting. His quest to heal himself and achieve immortality is told matter-of-factly. He hates women but tells himself he needs their body parts to achieve his ultimate goal. The author says in the footnotes that the true Jack the Ripper was never found, but she bases her character on notes and records of that time.
Fascinating, unique historical with Medusa vs. Jack the Ripper set in 1888, Lower East Side, Manhattan. Once again, Berry delivers a winning tale!
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