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Zielsgeheim (Lacey Flint #1)

by S.J. Bolton (Goodreads Author), Anda Witsenburg (Translator)

4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 · rating details · 2,032 ratings · 403 reviews

Ondanks haar fascinatie voor de negentiende-eeuwse seriemoordenaar Jack the Ripper heeft de jonge Londense politieagente Lacey Flint nog nooit aan een moordonderzoek gewerkt. Totdat er op een avond een vrouw hevig bloedend door messteken over Laceys auto leunt, in haar armen valt en sterft. Als getuige moet Lacey een gepaste afstand tot de moordzaak houden, maar wanneer ze...more

Paperback, 344 pages

Published April 2012 by A.W. Bruna Uitgevers (first published January 1st 2011)

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Apr 22, 2013 Janebbooks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(Last summer I briefly returned to my young girl passion of reading Modern Gothic thrillers. Here's my take on this mystery subgenre and my review of a British Gothic thriller writer's fourth book!)

My first reading passion was for the tales of mystery and suspense called Modern Gothic thrillers. From the time I was old enough to peruse the adult section of the public library in that small Southern town where I grew up, I hunted down the novels of Daphne Du Maurier, Anya Seton, Mary Stewart, and...more (Last summer I briefly returned to my young girl passion of reading Modern Gothic thrillers. Here's my take on this mystery subgenre and my review of a British Gothic thriller writer's fourth book!)

My first reading passion was for the tales of mystery and suspense called Modern Gothic thrillers. From the time I was old enough to peruse the adult section of the public library in that small Southern town where I grew up, I hunted down the novels of Daphne Du Maurier, Anya Seton, Mary Stewart, and fell in love with the prolific Barbara Mertz writing as Barbara Michaels, who eventually published thirty of her wonderful tales of suspense.

In an introductory essay touting a 2008 English course at CUNY called "The Gothic Experience," a Professor Melani attributes the first great practitioner of the Gothic novel to Ann Radcliffe, the most popular and best paid novelist of eighteenth century England . Radcliffe "added suspense, painted evocative landscapes and moods or atmosphere, portrayed increasingly complex, fascinatingly-horrifying, evil villains, and focused on the heroine and her struggle with him." Her best works, the professor continues, are A SICILIAN ROMANCE (1790), THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO (1794) and THE ITALIAN (1797). Although Professor Melani would not include popular Gothic fiction in the course readings, she talks of these Modern Gothic or Gothic Romance novels and states that Daphne DuMaurier's REBECCA (1938) is the quintessential Modern Gothic Thriller.

I wonder what Professor Melani would think of British writer S. J. Bolton? Bolton has written four Gothic thrillers. I recently wrote a review of her fourth thriller, NOW YOU SEE ME, which I titled "The High Priestess of Rural Gothic Crime Goes Urban":

Over in Harrogate, England the third week of July 2011, they dubbed S. J. Bolton the high priestess of rural gothic crime. Her third book BLOOD HARVEST was shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier mystery novel of the year at the Harrogate festival. This title is apt: all three of Bolton's previous mysteries are "lush with creepy British atmosphere." Bolton's award-winning debut novel SACRIFICE is set on a Shetland Island. The next two novels are set in isolated British villages. The narrators, or main female characters, are strong, professional women (an obstetrician, a veterinarian, and a psychiatrist) and at least one female in the books is deformed or disabled. There's also a hint of romance and dark family secrets. Reviewers have called Bolton the "new queen of suspense" and after a bit of flap reading of her fourth novel, this reader thought she was about to read "Mary Higgins Clark goes to London."

Well, so much for flap reading! NOW YOU SEE ME is not only a fine example of a Modern Gothic thriller, it's a police procedural!

The narrator of the novel is one D. I. Lacey Flint of the Sapphire unit (crimes against women) of the London Metro Police. She has been on the force for four years. She is a Ripperologist. That's right, an expert in the Jack the Ripper five canonical cases of 1888-89. The five undisputed Ripper Crimes. It seems Lacey, after interviewing a victim of gang rape in a seedy part of London, discovers the first modern-day copycat Ripper victim on August 31 the day Polly Nichols' body was found in Victorian London some eleven decades previously. And other victims follow.

For the first part of NOW YOU SEE ME, we are smothered in Ripper lore, gory description, and lectures. (Bolton has well researched the subject. She lists among other references ANATOMY OF A KILLER by Patricia Cornwell.) If you are squeamish about the Ripper stuff and skim the first half of the book, slow down about Chapter 59. A suspect has been found through DNA on the third victim. The Major Investigation Team is celebrating the close of the case. And into the Squad Room walks the fathers of a private school's rowing team with their solicitors. It seems the first four modern-day victims were mothers of the young rowers. Get ready for a FIVE STAR finish!

And Gothic lovers, don't dismay! The elements are there. A freelance journalist named Emma Boston, with a missing right ear and burn marks on her neck, befriends our protagonist. D. I. Mark Joesbury becomes both romantically interested in Lacey and suspicious of her spotty background. Lacey herself is rather enigmatic and slips down to Camden late at night for sexual adventure. And Julie Andrews sings "My Favourite Things" in her head throughout the book.

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Dec 17, 2011 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads, mysteries

Rating Clarification: 4.5 Stars

Two S.J. Bolton novels under my belt now, and I am hooked on this author's writing style (think of a much grittier, modern Mary Stewart).

Bolton has crafted an intense, atmospheric, and twist-laden tale of a young female Detective Constable with "issues", a modern day Jack-the Ripper copycat killer (oh, goody!) and all the page-turning, stomach-churing excitement you could find from the mystery/police procedural genre.

There's nothing clunky about Bolton's style. It...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Vicky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, thriller, favourites, read-in-2013

Originally reviewed at: http://www.booksbiscuitsandtea.co.uk/...

What made me interested in Now You See Me is, as morbid as it may sound, a fascination with serial killers on both the main character’s and my part. Since I’ve always been fascinated by these people myself, I was curious to see how Bolton would incorporate the Ripper myth into her story and how it would work in a twenty-first century novel.

The book certainly has a compelling set-up. The original Jack the Ripper, a sadistic serial ki...more

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Apr 16, 2011 Debra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller, first-reads

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! It was a crime-thriller, but so much more; and it wasn't formulaic. It's hard to tell the same story we've all read about police trying to track down a apparent serial killer, one that seems to by copycatting Jack the Ripper. We've read stories like that before, right. And there is almost always a predictable romance thrown in, for grins and some gratuitous sex. Well... you will be surprised by this one... I was!

Good job on a fun, page-turner!

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Dec 19, 2012 Adam Leask rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I, like many others, have a deep seeded fascination with Jack the Ripper. It started when I was at Junior High - I would arrive at school early and spend time perusing the large collection of Ripper material that the school had accumulated over the years.

Now You See Me, brought back many of these childhood memories and again has sparked my interest in the Ripper case. A very, very well written novel, in which I thought I had predicted the ending a few times, but had all of my theories thrown out...more

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May 01, 2013 Nancy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Modern Ripper Tale

After an interview in which she is once again unable to persuade a young woman, the victim of gang rape, to testify, DC Lacey Flint walks to her car searching in her purse for her keys. As she reaches the car, a blonde woman bleeding copiously stumbles into her and dies in her arms. The next day, an anonymous letter arrives. The killer is re-creating the crimes of Jack the Ripper. He seems to have a bond with Lacey and mentions her in the letter.

The deaths of women mount up,...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Natframpton rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First reviewed here. http://www.besottedwithbooks.net/2013...

First of all before I start this I have to say a huge thank you to Vicky over at Books, Biscuits and Tea for introducing me to the book and of course S.J.Bolton for her amazing book.

So like many other people I have a slight morbid fascination in Jack the Ripper. The whole mystery and the many theories intrigue me to no end so once Vicky told me the premise of the book I ordered myself a copy straight away.
I was actually going through...more First reviewed here. http://www.besottedwithbooks.net/2013...

First of all before I start this I have to say a huge thank you to Vicky over at Books, Biscuits and Tea for introducing me to the book and of course S.J.Bolton for her amazing book.

So like many other people I have a slight morbid fascination in Jack the Ripper. The whole mystery and the many theories intrigue me to no end so once Vicky told me the premise of the book I ordered myself a copy straight away.
I was actually going through a pretty tough time when I received the book and I wasn't sure if murder and gore was what I needed but I am telling you its exactly what I needed.
Now You See Me gripped me from the first page and kept hold of me right until the last.

Our main character is DC Lacey Flint. Lacey found the first victim and is also a target. Lacey was fascinated by Jack the Ripper so plays some crucial roles in helping the investigation. I really liked Lacey, I mean she has a few downsides and bad qualities like the rest of us but that's quite a nice thing to have as I hate when characters are too perfect, it makes them seem unrealistic.
We also have some of Lacey's colleagues, there is her boss Dana who I really like. She is ballsy but also sensitive and caring at the same time. Then there is Joesbury, he is sort of a tease to Lacey and she is confused about him, hating him one minute and then finding herself with feelings for him.
I love the amount of detail that S.J.Bolton includes. It's very obvious that she loves this story

This isn't just another Jack the Ripper copycat mystery however. The crimes committed do have huge similarities and references to the original murders but there are also things that distinguish them different to really keep you gripped.
Okay the bit I can't talk about is the twist...and by god is it a good one. Seriously I could never EVER have guessed what was going to happen and still I'm not really sure if it did.

I loved this book! Plain and simple. It has been a long time since a book has kept me awake because I could not put it down so if you like a mystery and a bit of gore then please, please pick this one up and give it a try.

DO IT!!!(less)

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Mar 06, 2013 Tee loves Kyle Jacobson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: march-2013, net-galley

Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton is a BRILLIANT READ!!!!!!!!! First I have to say thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. If it were not for them I would not have found this little gem of a book. I have to say that this book totally blew me away for several reasons and one being that it is a murder mystery with a female lead character who is strong and knows what she wants and how to get it. Then there is the Jack The Ripper park of the story. Man oh man being a Psych and Criminal...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Lydia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: abuse, adult, horror, mystery, thriller

Premise: As with The Name of the Star, I'm very interested in the legend of Jack the Ripper formed from the Whitechapel murders of 1888, so a modern copycat killer is (while not that original) interesting.

Characters: Despite being the protagonist, we know very little about Lacey. Little bits of her past come to light throughout the book, building a bigger and more confusing picture about who she really is and what her connection is to the murderer. The other characters are all realistic, if not...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Rosario (http://rosario.blogspot.com/) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lacey Flint is a novice Detective Constable, working for the London Metropolitan Police. She's not spectacularly good or spectacularly bad, just your average DC, investigating your average day-to-day crimes. Until, that is, the day she comes out after a routine interview with a witness in a council estate and stumbles upon a dying woman, right next to her car. The woman has been stabbed in the stomach, so badly that for h,er to still be alive, the attack had to have happened only seconds earlier...more Lacey Flint is a novice Detective Constable, working for the London Metropolitan Police. She's not spectacularly good or spectacularly bad, just your average DC, investigating your average day-to-day crimes. Until, that is, the day she comes out after a routine interview with a witness in a council estate and stumbles upon a dying woman, right next to her car. The woman has been stabbed in the stomach, so badly that for h,er to still be alive, the attack had to have happened only seconds earlier.

Within hours, a journalist receives a letter that throws the whole department into an uproar, and that moves Lacey firmly from witness to a much more involved role. The letter suggests a killer intending to emulate Jack the Ripper's murders, and it mentions Lacey by name. Clearly she has caught the killer's eye, but as the case continues and the horrors start piling up, Lacey starts to realise that it wasn't just a matter of her being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nope, there's something in her past that's very relevant to these crimes.

It feels kind of wrong to say I "enjoyed" a book as graphic and dark as this one, but what can I say, I totally did. I confess I was a bit disturbed by some of the descriptions of the crimes (these might have been a tiny bit more gruesome than they strictly needed to be), but I was able to get past this, and enjoy the ride.

I think what I liked best about the book was the twistiness of the plot. You know from the very beginning that there's something more to Lacey than what she shows to her colleagues, but even though the book is narrated from her point of view, you don't quite know what it is. This is done in a way that feels natural, not like the author is manipulating us, and the information comes out oh-so-slowly, at the perfect times. I kept coming to conclusion after conclusion, and then being proved wrong every single time. Bolton played me like a fiddle, but she did it so well and I enjoyed the ride so much, that I don't even resent it.

In addition to the plot, there was plenty more to like. The London setting was vivid and real. It's not the tourist view of London, but a much rawer, rougher side of the city, and I thought it was brilliantly done. I also appreciated how the cops here are not idealised. They're not the perfect, 100% dedicated, 100% fair cops in, say, the JD Robb books (which, don't get me wrong, I love). These people are far from perfect. They mean well and are willing to work hard to solve the case and stop the murders, but a lot of them are prejudiced assholes, who bring their prejudices to the investigation, and Lacey isn't always necessarily treated fairly.

I also found it interesting to have the case narrated by someone who's really junior, the lowest-ranking in the team. It's a different perspective from the usual one, who tends to be the lead detective, someone with some power. Lacey doesn't have much of that, and sometimes she doesn't know all the threads of the investigation. The centrality of her involvement in the case is only because the murderer focusses on her so clearly, otherwise she'd probably just be running around knocking on doors and tracing purchases. This was different, and really interesting to read.

I've got only two complaints. The first is that the book felt overly long, like it could have been pruned a bit. Also, there's a bit of a romance there that never really gelled for me -just no chemistry there. Other than that, really good, and for a bonus, a Jack the Ripper theory I'd never heard before, and one that actually makes sense!

MY GRADE: A B.(less)

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Oct 01, 2012 Burt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: could-not-put-it-down, favourites, good-page-turner, mystery-suspense, will-look-for-more-by-this-author, would-like-to-read-it-again

Now You See Me
S. J. Bolton

London and a young detective constable grapple with frayed nerves and the outrage of injustice as they are forced to relive a time of terror in the lives of women who found themselves at the mercy of men who showed none. The normally low profile DC Lacey Flint is placed in the spot light by way of an unusual storehouse of knowledge gleaned from her teenaged fascination with Jack The Ripper. That and the copycat killer whose mutilated victims are now appearing around t...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Col rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

……….The one thing this book isn’t short of is blood! There’s tons of the stuff in the pages of this terrific detective story/thriller by S.J. Bolton. However, there’s a bit of love too – though for the most part it’s more the love product of a twisted, warped mind than perhaps the conventional everyday love that I know about! But the two are cleverly connected together in this story of DC Lacey Flint and her attempts to find a pyschopathic killer butchering women across London in a kind of homag...more ……….The one thing this book isn’t short of is blood! There’s tons of the stuff in the pages of this terrific detective story/thriller by S.J. Bolton. However, there’s a bit of love too – though for the most part it’s more the love product of a twisted, warped mind than perhaps the conventional everyday love that I know about! But the two are cleverly connected together in this story of DC Lacey Flint and her attempts to find a pyschopathic killer butchering women across London in a kind of homage to Jack The Ripper.

DC Flint’s involvement with the murder starts at the outset for the first victim blunders, throat cut and bleeding from that and other stab wounds straight into DC Flint’s arms as she gets out of her car. It’s clear very early on that this is no coincidence on the part of the killer who begins a killing spree across London, butchering women while constantly linking the crimes in some way or other to the notorious Jack The Ripper. As the body count mounts, DC Flint moves from detective to bait for the killer and even to a shadowy place where as the reader you end up unsure just exactly what DC Flint’s connections to these deaths, and to the killer might be.

I read Now You See Me as part of The Readers Summer Book Club. It was the one of the books I was most looking forward to and yet I was apprehensive that it might not live up to expectations – I shouldn’t have been concerned – I loved it! I usually enjoy detective fiction so I was always confident that if the book lived up to reviews elsewhere and some of the hype around it, I’d like it. What I’d not expected was for it to be such a fabulously great read! At this point, this is the best detective story I’ve read this year by some distance. And for me, there were three things that made it special, so special in fact that it overcame the fact that as I read the book, I didn’t particularly like or warm to DC Flint as a character!

The first thing that makes it special is the plot itself. The interweaving of the killings, the search for the killer, the link to Jack The Ripper and the lives of the main characters is quite brilliantly done. As a result, the book rips along at a really good pace and it’s full of twists and turns. What’s very clever about those twists and turns, is that they are always so well embedded in either history, or in the characters, they are always believable. It’s a book that constantly throws you off the scent and catches you off guard but you never feel it’s being done just for the sake of it or just because the author is trying to manipulate you as the reader!

The second thing about it is the way it connects up to the Jack The Ripper killings, which are done subtly in places, sledge-hammer like in others! But it’s never less than utterly engrossing. I had a bit of difficulty with the fact that DC Flint, in addition to being the first witness and in addition to her role as both detective and bait, is also apparently the font of all knowledge within the Met on Jack The Ripper! This stretched the character a bit for me, but it didn’t detract from the writing or the story. The sections of the book looking at the Ripper murders was informative, intriguing and very effective. Equally the connections made with the Ripper killings have been really well thought out – it’s miles beyond the simplistic kind of “let’s have all the bodies in Whitechapel” stuff and the connections become small puzzles in themselves at times.

The last thing that I loved about this book is the main character – I didn’t like her but I loved reading about her! There’s a little bit of the standard “flawed” genius about DC Flint, but in her case her issues, problems and faults are certainly unusual and they are drip fed into the story rather than poured out in the space of the first couple of chapters. Somehow what it ends up doing is creating a detective who I didn’t like, didn’t even rate, and yet, as a result, it made her all the more realistic. It really engaged me as a reader – my brain was following the narrative, trying to make sense of the relationships, trying to work out who the killer was and why, and then on top of all of that, trying to come to terms with the main character throughout. It’s an absorbing read!

The book is well written, with just the right balance of detail, action, reflection and, frankly, gore. The killings in themselves are pretty gruesome – there were bits where I felt physically uncomfortable reading the book – but that just added to the enjoyment of it! While the section below is far from the goriest, it gives you a very early flavour of the quality of SJ Bolton’s writing.

“I hadn’t the heart to argue, so I just kept staring at the dead woman. Blood had spattered across the lower part of her face. Her throat and chest were awash with it. It was pooling beneath her on the pavement, finding tiny nicks in the paving stones to travel along. In the middle of her chest I could just make out the fabric of her shirt. Lower down her body, it was impossible. The wound on her throat wasn’t the worst of her injuries, not by any means. I remembered hearing once that the average female body contained around five litres of blood. I’d just never considered what it would look like when it was all spilling out.”

So, ‘Now You See Me’ delivers blood and gore from beginning to end – in between, and throughout, it delivers a terrific plot and a detective who I didn’t like, but who I loved, including those ‘wild rose’ bits, character thorns and all!(less)

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Apr 29, 2012 Cath rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lacey Flint is een jonge, Londense politieagente die erg gefascineerd is door Jack de Ripper, een verschrikkelijke moordenaar die meer dan honderd jaar geleden een reeks gruwelijke moorden pleegde in Londen.
Wanneer er op een avond een vrouw naar Lacey toe komt gestrompeld en in haar armen sterft, kan ze haar kennis over Jack de Ripper maar al te goed gebruiken. De manier waarop de vrouw vermoord is en de datum van de moord wijzen beide in de richting van de Ripper. Hierdoor weet Lacey dat er waa...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Ellen Keim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't always like British mysteries--at least not the "Agatha Christie" kind--but I enjoyed this one (if a book about a blood-thirsty serial killer can be enjoyed, and I think it can, which says something about me, I suppose). The main character, DI Lacey Flint, is complex and interesting and has a mysterious dark side which is slowly revealed throughout the novel. There is the typical"we hate each other on sight, but can't quite stay away from each other" romance, but it doesn't dominate the...more

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Sep 26, 2011 Laurian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

I'm a sucker for S. J. Bolton. That is pretty much the short of it.

S. J. Bolton's three previous books were very intimate - even the previous one which was told from a couple of view points. As you read the book you felt the terror and exhilaration of the characters as you were reading. That grip on the narration is what kept me, the reader, going through some pretty unbelievable plot twists (especially in her first book).

This book is a bit of a divergence. It isn't as intimate. First of all, i...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Jerome Parisse rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a great crime novel! S. J. Bolton's Now You See Me will keep you on your toes from beginning to end. Guaranteed. Her characters are real and interesting and the plot flows well. It's never boring, and the "yuk" factor is there when needed, although not straight in your face as in other novels. I found the story riveting, and of course, I missed the whole point until the very end! I just didn't see it coming, which I love in a good story. Bolton writes well, and I'm looking forward to more o...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Kirsty rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, free-amazon-vine-books, thriller

This is the third S.J.Bolton book I have read and although I enjoyed the other two, Now You See Me really shows the extent of her talent.

The book follows Lacey Flint on her first murder case, and sees her playing a bloody game of cat and mouse with a Jack the Ripper copycat.
The plot has been well researched and is not only a great crime novel, but also gives an in depth historical account of the infamous Ripper killings. The story is set in both Cardiff and London, and shows both how easy it i...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Detective Constable Lacey Flint has been returning to the same apartment complex every Friday night for months. She has been trying, without any signs of success, to persuade a reluctant witness to come forward and testify in a trial. As Lacey walks to her car, she rifles through her bag, searching for her car keys. When she has them in her hand, she looks up and sees a dead woman holding on to the framework of the car. The woman is standing, breathing, but Lacey knows that no one can survive fo...more

Detective Constable Lacey Flint has been returning to the same apartment complex every Friday night for months. She has been trying, without any signs of success, to persuade a reluctant witness to come forward and testify in a trial. As Lacey walks to her car, she rifles through her bag, searching for her car keys. When she has them in her hand, she looks up and sees a dead woman holding on to the framework of the car. The woman is standing, breathing, but Lacey knows that no one can survive for long with the kinds of wounds the woman has. Lacey calls for back-up and an ambulance but there is no chance that anything can be done for the woman. When Lacey’s commanding officer, Detective Inspector Dana Tulloch, arrives, she orders Lacey into the Tyvek suit crime scene investigators wear. Lacey is, herself, a crime scene. The suit is to protect the evidence of the wounds that are on Lacey’s street clothes. She held the woman and Lacey is evidence of the brutality.

Lacey is burdened with guilt. If she hadn’t been looking into her purse, she might have seen the attacker. If she could see the attacker, the attacker could see her and the woman might not be dead. DI Tulloch discourages Lacey from thoughts that will only serve to drive her crazy but the next day, when an anonymous letter arrives at the home of a newspaper reporter, it seems there might be a connection to Lacey – her name is mentioned in the letter.

More frightening is the information in the letter. The killer is re-creating the crimes of Jack the Ripper and this woman, Geraldine Jones, is only the first to die. The killer seems to know something more about Lacey. Since childhood, she has been fascinated by serial killers and she is an expert on the Ripper. The method and the means are a message to Lacey that she can’t understand. Why? Why has she been singled out? As more women die and there is no connection to Lacey, Tulloch and the rest of the team become convinced that the young and inexperienced detective may be in danger.

There have been any number of mysteries and thrillers that have referenced Jack the Ripper but Bolton does it as if the story has never been told before. The author sprinkles the story with credible clues identifying possible killers. Lacey’s back story contributes to some confusion about the motive and the method of choosing the victims. The book is 400 pages and begs to be read straight through and as the story approaches its end, it might be helpful to have a pen and a piece of paper available to keep the confusion at bay.

This is definitely a must read for anyone who enjoys police procedurals that play by the rules but take the reader down unexpected paths. There are descriptions of the extreme brutality inflicted on the victims but, again, it would be difficult to be a fan of this genre without having been exposed to the crimes of Jack the Ripper. It is easy to scan the parts that are too unpleasant and still enjoy the story.(less)

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Jun 05, 2011 Mel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, crime, jack-the-ripper

In 1888 a series of murders in Whitechapel area of London captured the press and public’s imagination due in part to the brutal nature of the crimes and apparently lack of evidence. Know as Jack the Ripper, these crimes have never been satisfactorily resolved and over 120 years later many remain fascinated with these murders. Including an unknown killer, who appears intent on recreating Jack’s famous murder spree... and we follow DC Lacey Flint as she becomes drawn into the killers world.
Lacey...more In 1888 a series of murders in Whitechapel area of London captured the press and public’s imagination due in part to the brutal nature of the crimes and apparently lack of evidence. Know as Jack the Ripper, these crimes have never been satisfactorily resolved and over 120 years later many remain fascinated with these murders. Including an unknown killer, who appears intent on recreating Jack’s famous murder spree... and we follow DC Lacey Flint as she becomes drawn into the killers world.
Lacey is an unusual main character – told in first person from her point view, she brilliant describes the current happenings into the investigation and what is happening at that moment, but we only get short glimpses into her past and her motivations. She hasn’t had a happy upbringing and finds it difficult to trust others – even her fellow police officers. Throughout I was never sure of which characters I trusted as Lacey swung between extremes. Lacy is a brave but damaged character and is as much of a mystery as the crimes are – which means there are plenty of revelations that keep you anxiously turning the pages.

The crimes are brutal and creepy – this is not a book for the squeamish, yet it wasn’t the gore so much as the disturbing circumstances surrounding them that keeps you looking over your shoulder. A killer that disappears, leaving little evidence. Body parts removed and left in public places. And outside of the killings there are other crimes which make for uncomfortable reading – mostly because you suspect they may not be entirely fictional. It brings a level of realism to the story that grounds the story and makes it plausible.

Now You See Me is very well written, with plenty of memorable characters, twists and turns and an intriguing central mystery. I loved the way London came to life – not the typical tourist areas but the wider town that sits south of the river and how it added to the atmosphere. I was hooked until the very last page, never sure where the story was going to go to next!

Recommended for fans of Patricia Cornwall and Tess Gerristen. 9 out of 10.
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Jan 29, 2013 Shaun rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, crime, fiction, library, london

What an absolutely fantastic read. One of my favourite things about reading is discovering a new author, or at least new to me. The cover was what drew me to this book (yes, I judge books by their cover) and the blurb inside. I enjoy reading about true crime and I do have a mild fascination with Jack the Ripper and other serial killers so I couldn't wait to get started with this book.

The main character is Lacey Flint and I have to say I immediately took to this character and liked her a lot. The...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Liz Wilkins rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jack the Ripper is an enduring mystery that has baffled and bemused people for over a century. Many novelists and screen writers have attempted to incorporate Jack into the telling of a tale but I don't think I've ever seen it done in such a discerning way as Ms Bolton has achieved here. Meet Lacey Flint. She is a Police officer and an expert in all things Ripper - he is, after all, her favourite character from history. So when she discovers a woman, barely alive, slumped over her car and furthe...more

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Sep 02, 2011 Mary Gilligan-Nolan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a little different from S.J. Bolton's other books I have read. This story is set in London and is told by a young D.C. Lacey Flint, who goes to interview a teenage rape victim one night and a dying woman, literally falls into her arms. The woman has horrific injuries she does not survive and when another woman is murdered, the police soon realize with Lacey's help, that there is a "Jack The Ripper" copycat killing women. Lacey is fascinated by the Ripper killings and know just about all...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After unsuccessfully trying to convince the victim of an all-too-common gang rape in London, DC Lacey Flint finds a woman, covered in blood, leaning on her car. DI Dana Tulloch runs the investigation of the mutilated woman's murder with help from her team, including DI Mark Joesbury who isn't entirely convinced of Lacey's innocence. From occasional short chapters describing the killer's thoughts and actions, the reader knows Joesbury is right to be suspicious - but not exactly why. When a second...more

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May 05, 2011 Jmm rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

S. J. Bolton's Now You See Me is one part fictional thriller and one part true crime structured around Jack the Ripper's murderous spree through London over a century ago.

When DC Lacey Flint from Southwark CID returns to her parked car on the evening of August 31, she finds a dying woman, still standing, spurting blood across the detective's vehicle. The victim is Geraldine Jones, an upper-class mother with two grown sons. Why she would be stabbed to death in a seedier part of London is a puzzle...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Bridget rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads

A friend of mine wrote about reading this a few months ago, and it sounded pretty interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try. It did not disappoint.

Lacey Flint, a police detective in London, has a woman come up to her one evening, bleeding and with her throat cut. Before help can arrive, the woman dies. Once she is identified, it's puzzling as to why she was in the part of town where she was found. Lacey is assigned to the squad with jurisdiction in the investigation, since she was a witness -...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Richard Louden rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first S J Bolton novel I have read and I am impressed. In DC Lacey Flint, she has created a lead character - it's hard to call her a heroine - who is unusual by any standards, though the reasons for her oddity are slowly revealed. I never managed to persuade myself that somebody with Lacey's background could pass the Met's entrance checks but let's be charitable and put it down to poetic licence.
The plot of Now You See Me (based on Jack the Ripper copycat killings)twists and turns in...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Rebecca Martin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: global-detective-fiction

I read this book first and then went on to Dead Scared to see if it was better. If it were possible, I would give Now You See Me 3.5 stars. It's very clever the way the question of identity flips around and around again at the end (I won't say more about that). What I don't find very appealing in the book, though, is the writing and characterization. The writing is wooden and the characterizations lack liveliness. There is one good surprise about DI Tulloch (Tully) but she, despite being the bos...more

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May 06, 2012 Lainy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Time Taken To Read - 6 days (on and off)

Blurb From Goodreads

Lacey Flint is a London policewoman with a secret past, a morbid fascination with serial killers and a curiously empty flat. On the job she's quiet and plainly dressed. At night she has an unusual social life.

When Lacey returns to her car one evening to find a woman fatally stabbed right by it, she is taken in for questioning, but then a hand-delivered letter suggests the killer has a special interest in Lacey herself.

Suddenly she is at...more Time Taken To Read - 6 days (on and off)

Blurb From Goodreads

Lacey Flint is a London policewoman with a secret past, a morbid fascination with serial killers and a curiously empty flat. On the job she's quiet and plainly dressed. At night she has an unusual social life.

When Lacey returns to her car one evening to find a woman fatally stabbed right by it, she is taken in for questioning, but then a hand-delivered letter suggests the killer has a special interest in Lacey herself.

Suddenly she is at the centre of a terrifying murder hunt, working with the smart but damaged DI Dana Tulloch and the hostile DI Mark Joesbury, another person who seems curiously fascinated with Lacey.

Is Joesbury's interest in Lacey personal or professional? Will Lacey cope as the case pushes her into the limelight? And does the team have the skill to outwit one of the nastiest serial killers Londoners have fallen prey to since the killer's infamous role model... Jack the Ripper.

My Review

Lacey Flint is our main character, a police officer with a murky past and a fascination with serial killers. She keeps herself to herself and blows off some steam with some questionable after hour activities. Lacey finds herself in the middle of a serial killer investigation when she comes across a woman brutalized and dying at her car. Soon the police realize the have a jack the ripper copycat on their hands and an obsession with officer Flint.

This is my first encounter with this author and whilst I loved the jack the ripper style theme and pace I am not too sure about the first person narrative (whether it is how this author has done it or maybe it has just been too long since I read a book done in this style). The killers are pretty gruesome and descriptive so not for the faint hearted I have to say. I found myself having to go back and re read some of it as it jumps around a fair bit. To the past, comparing the present killings with the ripper victims and at one point someone just declaring they are the murderer (to you the reader) and it isn't until the end you get the full picture and understand it but it was confusing for a while and I hate when that happens.

It had been a while since I read or seen anything Jack the ripper so I did enjoy the refresher on that. I really disliked Lacey for the most of the story and only warmed to her near the very end, for an intelligent well trained police officer she done she pretty stupid and very dangerous things. Either way it will be a while before I forget this story, 3/5 for me and I would read this author again.

Thanks so much to Transworld publishers for providing me with a copy of this to review and introducing me to another new author.(less)

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Apr 20, 2012 Kim (Bookishly Me) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dutch, thriller

Zielsgeheim is het eerste boek dat ik van Sharon Bolton heb gelezen al heb ik wel al Offerande liggen en geloof me deze zal ik zeker binnenkort gaan lezen.
Zielsgeheim is een vlot geschreven en spannend verhaal waarin geen saai moment te vinden is. Ik heb het boek dan ook binnen een dag uitgelezen. Wat hierin ook hielp zijn de korte hoofdstukken.

Dit boek heeft een zwaar onderwerp namelijk Jack the Ripper, maar daarnaast eigenlijk nog een veel zwaarder onderwerp namelijk groepsverkrachtingen van...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Prince rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of police procedurals, mystery fans, thrill seekers

Shelves: 2013-reads, thrillers

S.J. Bolton's Now You See Me is one of those novels that I both like and hate. At its best moments it's a 4-star book, and at its worst, a 1-star. Since it ends on an interesting note, I give it 3-stars. Now lets see,

The Good:
1. There is a good mystery at the center of the story. Women around London are being slaughtered by a ruthless killer, and somehow it is connected to a gruesome crime committed a decade ago.
2. A well written book with an engaging, easy style. Narrated in first person POV, t...more

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Kindle English My...: * May Group Read 2013 - Now You See Me (Lacey Flint, #1) by S.J. Bolton	7	22	May 14, 2013 03:57pm
The Readers: Book #6; Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton	13	49	Jul 06, 2012 03:49pm

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About S.J. Bolton

Sharon J Bolton was born and brought up in Lancashire, the eldest of three daughters. As a child, she dreamed of becoming an actress and a dancer, studying ballet, tap and jazz from a young age and reading drama at Loughborough University.

She spent her early career in marketing and PR before returning to full-time education to study for a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at Warwick Univers...more

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