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A Brutal Chill in August: A Novel of Polly Nichols, The First Victim of Jack the Ripper
(Jack the Ripper Victims Series #3)
by
We all know about Jack the Ripper, the serial murderer who terrorized Whitechapel and confounded police in 1888, but how much do we really know about his victims?
Pursued by one demon into the clutches of another, the ordinary life of Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols is made extraordinary by horrible, inhuman circumstance. Jack the Ripper's first victim comes to life in this sensit ...more
Pursued by one demon into the clutches of another, the ordinary life of Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols is made extraordinary by horrible, inhuman circumstance. Jack the Ripper's first victim comes to life in this sensit ...more
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Kindle Edition, 252 pages
Published
August 30th 2016
by IFD Publishing
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Start your review of A Brutal Chill in August: A Novel of Polly Nichols, The First Victim of Jack the Ripper

This volume of the Jack the Ripper Victim Series focuses on his first victim, Polly Nichols. A lifelong struggle with alcoholism, the physical abuse at the hands her husband Bill, and the disconnect with her children are just some of the baggage she carries through a hard life. There is always a rationalization for her behavior and the consequences. Her character is both rich and li
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If you're looking for a book filled with the gruesome details of Jack the Ripper's murders, or dwelling with loving length on the psychology of a serial killer, this book is not for you. Jack himself is, rightfully, relegated to just a few lines. Instead, this is a book chronicling something much more meaningful and yet even more horrible than the depraved actions of a single lunatic: the life and living conditions of working-class women in 19th-century London.
Based on Polly Nichols, the Ripper' ...more
Based on Polly Nichols, the Ripper' ...more

Ripperology grinds on, obsessively picking over police documents, newspaper articles, dubious revelations and precarious inferences. Meanwhile, the thing we know for sure is that, between 1888 and 1889, at least five women were brutally murdered by a violent killer in the East End of London. So much Ripper-related literature, fact and fiction, seems to forget the human toll of Saucy Jack's reign of terror. Alan M Clark is doing us a great service, I think, by using research, imagination and mayb
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I’ve been looking forward to reading these series of books. I was so glad to hear that someone gave a voice the canonical five, victims of Jack the Ripper, and this didn’t disappoint. It’s a look at how her life MAY have been (yes, I know this is fiction but some of this could have really happened to her!). Although this was a fantastic read, I did find it repetitive, especially where it concerned the Bonehill Ghost AKA Mr. Macklin. He was mentioned so often, it got a little boring but I loved P
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Wow...Word Horde. You've put out three of my favorite books I've read this year. The Fisherman, The Lure of Devouring Light and now A Brutal Chill in August. This was my first time reading Alan M Clark and not my last. Totally immersed in the story from the get go, all the way through until the very end. I didn't know what to expect at the end but certainly expected the worse for poor Polly Nichols. No spoilers here but the ending was perfect. I shut the book and all I could say was...Wow.
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In his introduction to A BRUTAL CHILL IN AUGUST, Alan Clark adds some historical context that I never knew before, despite being an avid follower of the Whitechapel killer. That fatal August was pretty chilly due to the eruption of Krakatoa that spread fine ash over the northern hemisphere. As I read this, I mentally bemoaned the inadequacy of history texts in presenting events in a broad enough context. My motto is that any day that I learn something new is a good day… so today is one of those
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Book 1 is a hit!
What a great start to a series about the victims of Jack the Ripper. No one will ever really know why he chose the women or why he committed these crimes. However, the author has done a wonderful job of showing how hard life was at this time. The choices that women had were limited. They learned at a young age that they were useful only as men's property. The story is sad but understandable. Alcohol provides calmness and prostitution provides some money.
This book is very well wr ...more
What a great start to a series about the victims of Jack the Ripper. No one will ever really know why he chose the women or why he committed these crimes. However, the author has done a wonderful job of showing how hard life was at this time. The choices that women had were limited. They learned at a young age that they were useful only as men's property. The story is sad but understandable. Alcohol provides calmness and prostitution provides some money.
This book is very well wr ...more

Jan 21, 2020
Fee (Ebook Addicts)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arc,
read-in-2020
FULL REVIEW COMING SOON

Another of Alan Clark's forays into the victims of Jack the Ripper. His portrayal of Polly Nichols and the socio-economic times she lived in are starkly revealed. Clark does his homework with this series of books and they are very good reads indeed.
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A Brutal Chill in August is a fictionalized accout of the life of Jack the Ripper Victim Polly Nichols.
I having listened to the first book in Alan's Jack the Ripper Victims Series I have to say I find the story to be very moving and amit to shedding a tear or two.The narrator Alicia Rose has the perfect voice for audiobooks and gives a realistic voice, to the authors tragic fictional but realistic portrayal of Polly Nichols life before she became the first victim of Jack Ripper.
Over all the aut ...more
I having listened to the first book in Alan's Jack the Ripper Victims Series I have to say I find the story to be very moving and amit to shedding a tear or two.The narrator Alicia Rose has the perfect voice for audiobooks and gives a realistic voice, to the authors tragic fictional but realistic portrayal of Polly Nichols life before she became the first victim of Jack Ripper.
Over all the aut ...more

Alan M. Clark is better known for his beautiful award winning covers and illustrations that have been in the interior and the covers of works from authors ranging from Stephen King to Cody Goodfellow. His art is amazing but many forget that he was also nominated for a Bram Stoker award for co-writing Siren Promised with Jeremy Robert Johnson. Alan of course has his artists eye for detail and has written historical horror before. Brutal Chill is the third in a series of novels about the victims o
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As an established fan of Alan M. Clark, I had no doubts I would enjoy A Brutal Chill In August, and the lack of doubt proved to be correct. Clark is a great writer in the gothic style no matter who or where he is writing about. With the exception of Michael McDowell, I do not know of any writer that I enjoying reading historical gothic ghost stories by more than Clark.
This book is a continuation of his Ripper victim series. I had previously read Say Anything But Your Prayers about Elizabeth Stri ...more
This book is a continuation of his Ripper victim series. I had previously read Say Anything But Your Prayers about Elizabeth Stri ...more

Dec 10, 2016
William M.
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
drama,
dark-fiction
I first encountered Alan M. Clark from his amazing artwork on various book covers and interior illustrations. What a delight to discover that he was nearly as talented as a writer, as well. Like most horror fans, I have always had a fascination with Jack the Ripper. Perhaps the fact that he was never caught or how cleverly he avoided capture is the reason he is still so popular today. Regardless, I was a bit disappointed in his almost non-existent appearance in this book. I understand that it wa
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Author and illustrator, Alan M. Clark grew up in Tennessee in a house full of bones and old medical books. His awards include the World Fantasy Award and four Chesley Awards. He is the author of seventeen books, including twelve novels, a couple of novellas, four collections of fiction, some of them lavishly illustrated, and a nonfiction full-color book of his artwork. Mr. Clark's company, IFD Pub
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Other books in the series
Jack the Ripper Victims Series
(6 books)
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