People of Abandoned Character by Clare Whitfield ~ Book Review

Book Description:

Marry in haste . . . Murder at leisure?

London, 1888: Susannah rushes into marriage to a young and wealthy surgeon. After a passionate honeymoon, she returns home with her new husband wrapped around her little finger. But then everything changes.

Thomas's behavior becomes increasingly volatile and violent. He stays out all night, returning home bloodied and full of secrets. The gentle caresses she enjoyed on her wedding night are now just a honeyed memory.

When the first woman is murdered in Whitechapel, Susannah's interest is piqued. But as she follows the reports of the ongoing hunt for the killer, her mind takes her down the darkest path imaginable. Every time Thomas stays out late, another victim is found dead.

Is it coincidence? Or is her husband the man they call Jack the Ripper?

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About the Author:

Clare Whitfield is a UK based writer living in a suburb where the main cultural landmark is a home store/Starbucks combo.

She is the wife of a tattoo artist, mother of a small benign dictator and relies on a black Labrador for emotional stability. She has been a dancer, copywriter, amateur fire breather, buyer and mediocre weight lifter.

Clare nurtures an obsession with female characters that are as much villain as hero, and enjoys lurking in the blurry landscape between perception and reality.

Author's Twitter.

Review:

This novel has a definite dark feeling throughout and had me hooked right from the start. Susannah was caring for her ailing grandmother. Once she passes, Susannah becomes a Nurse at the London Hospital. She is a plain girl and older than a lot of the new nurses at age 27. When Susannah meets wealthy Surgeon Thomas Lancaster it is a quick romance that leads to marriage. After a passionate honeymoon they go back to Chelsea, where things turn sour and fast. Thomas is not who Susannah thought he was when he was romancing her in the beginning of the relationship.

Young women begin to be brutally murder, the same nights Thomas comes home late with blood on his close etc. Could Thomas be Jack the Ripper?

I had a hard time pulling myself away from this story. For a debut novel, I will say that this did not read as such. I love how the author develops the characters that they feel so real, like they are jumping of the page. I could feel and see the story as it was happening. Some descriptions were so gruesome that I actually cringed while reading it. I can't wait to read more from Clare Whitfield. I am not normally a historical fiction fan but after reading this book I will be checking out some other historical novels.

I give this book a 4 stars! A great book to get comfortable in front of the fire.