Book Review — PEOPLE OF ABANDONED CHARACTER by Clare Whitfield
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?
People of Abandoned Character takes us to 1888 London, where women are property at best, and a vicious killer is roaming the streets at night.
I was fully immersed in the setting and atmosphere. I swear I tasted the soot in the air. I felt the desperation and desolation of the poor, as well as the privileged opulence of the upper class.
Susannah, our main character, goes from being an independent nurse to the trophy wife of a prominent doctor. Soon she learns that nothing is as it appears, and her well respected husband may have more secrets than she does.
Pacing starts slowly, settling us in, gradually quickening as Susannah’s life and mind unravels.
I alternated between reading my print copy and listening to the audiobook, and I enjoyed every minute.
*I received an ARC from Kaye Publicity.*
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