People of Abandoned Character Paperback – 29 April 2021

You might think you've read everything there is to read about Jack the Ripper but this is a new angle and a whole new premise to be honest.Have you ever thought that there might have been a woman, newly married who started to suspect her husband of killing these women or at least being involved somehow. If so, what would she have done knowing that women at that time were trapped, married ones controlled and their role in society not what is is today.Susannah is the woman in the novel with a rich husband who does what he wants. The housekeeper has clearly read Rebecca as is acting very Danvers-like so the whole house is eerie and unsettling. Ah if only that were the only thing Susannah had to worry about! AS the novel progresses, so to do the murders. But it's Susannah's reaction to them and what goes on in the house that really shocks here. What IS her husband up to and why?Along with the main gripping plot, there are short excerpts about the real life victims and this really helps to place the novel and to remind us that this was of course a very real case. The victims get to speak and it's a loud voice they each have here which works well. I found this brought them into the main story and made it more real and believable and honoured their memory.Really strong writing, atmospheric scene setting and an angle on a well worn story that really is refreshed and new under this author. A compelling read and what an interesting premise! Makes you think - well what you have done if that had been you?

I loved so much about this book; the atmospheric conjuring of Whitechapel, and the societal judgements that went with being one of its residents, the everyday struggle to survive, the incredible resilience of the human spirit ~ both moving and fascinating, and with disturbing parallels today. And Susannah is a compelling character, although Thomas seems much more the cartoon villain, which I found pulled me out of the story now and again.Ultimately I enjoyed the first half of 'People of Abandoned Character', as the story was set and Whitechapel was a main character, much more than the second half, where the twist to the Jack the Ripper story unfolds. I preferred the 'realism' to the wild conjecture I suppose, but this is certainly a well written, fascinating book that draws you along with it.Definitely worth reading.

When Jack the Ripper carried out a series of shocking murders in late nineteenth century Whitechapel, he would probably never have imagined that a virtual industry would grow out out of his misdeeds. There have been countless books, articles, films and documentaries discussing his crimes and, not least, his identity, and the interest piqued by him shows no sign of slowing. It is therefore something of a potential problem for any writer wishing to create a work of fiction based on the Ripper as so many angles have already been covered.People of Abandoned Character is a novel based on an intriguing concept: what if a newlywed suspected her own husband was none other than the Ripper? How would she behave towards him? And would she report him to the police, who were in real life desperate to identify him and bring him to justice?Susannah, the novel's heroine, takes up nursing as a career and marries one of the doctors at the hospital where she works. Her husband is quite wealthy, but she soon finds herself at odds with his housekeeper, who seems to wield rather too much power over her. The relationship has overtones of that in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca between the second Mrs de Winter and the sinister Mrs Danvers, although the reasons behind her behaviour are revealed to be very different from those of the Manderley housekeeper.As the novel progresses, Susannah grows aware of another, and far greater, problem. Like everyone else in London, she is aware that women are being murdered in a brutal and sadistic fashion. She is also aware that her new husband is absent from home whenever these murders take place.The story progresses in an exciting and original way. Far be it for me to reveal the truth, but this is a very worthwhile read which will keep you up at night. One aspect of the novel I particularly liked were the short chapters devoted to the real life Ripper victims, recreating their last hours on earth. They underline the fact that they were not simply names to be listed as Ripper victims, but women who struggled against the harsh conditions of the time, often due to the social injustices of the day.A ripping read, if you'll excuse the pun.

I began the book thinking I would maybe give it 4 or 5 stars, I think it started very well… it began to fall down for my tastes. Reading the majority of it I felt like when you start a movie and you continue watching just because you still want to know how it ends… The last 70 or 80 pages picked up my interest back again, wasn’t for those I was thinking to rate 2 stars.I think the story is very nice, and the writing style is quite good too. I really appreciated the change of focus with POV of Jack’s victims. Citing articles as the character was reading them was a very nice touch too. But it was for me boring in some parts, prolonged too much, I think maybe it would’ve been a better story if it was shorter, I think I would’ve appreciated it much more. Because in the end it wasn’t building up to suspence and it didn’t give massive plot twists either (at least for me, the twists were quite expectable).Overall, I think it is a nice light read. I was maybe expecting a grander execution of it.

A stunning piece of work! I am blown away. Taking a break from mm romance I looked for something different to read, I picked this book, and what an amazing book it is! Stunningly frank and bleak this is an incredible piece of work, and it seems to be this authors first. Based around the Ripper murders of London in 1888, the story is of Susanna and her struggling marriage and her grim fascination of the newspaper reports of the murders, but then again, wasn't the whole of London gruesomely fascinated? Utterly unputdownable, you all need to read this!

I thoroughly enjoyed your book, disturbingly exciting and your connection to the Whitechapel Ripper was well worked in with your fictional characters. Excellent first novel and look forward to reading your next book.

I’m only on chapter 4 and can’t put this book down.