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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)

Alan M. Clark (Goodreads Author)

4.27 · Rating details · 26 ratings · 14 reviews

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 ...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

Aug 26, 2016 Karl marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-08-books-bought

This copy of the book arrived with a signed book plate signed by Alan M. Clark.

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Nov 07, 2016 Rodney rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: word-horde

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 lifelike.
You can tell that the historical elements are well researched. Clark’s strength lies in the development of ...more

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Sep 03, 2016 E.P. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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 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's first victim, "A Brutal Chill in August" is a novelized account of her life, beginning in adolescence and continuing until her murder when she was in her forties. We see how the teenage Polly, who secretly longs for adventure and excitement, or even just a little material comfort, spends her days doing piecework in the privies and being beaten by her father until she escapes, she thinks, into marriage. Only of course her marriage bring even more brutality, abuse, and back-breaking labor. Polly tries to escape into alcohol and infidelity, but each step she takes causes her sink further and further into misery and degradation, until she finally meets her end at the Ripper's hands.

If this sounds brutal, it is. As the novel makes clear, the London working class, especially women, lived lives of horrifying poverty and struggle, such that serial killers walking the streets were the least of their worries. However, "A Brutal Chill in August" is ultimately, in its own odd way, an uplifting read. Polly jumps off the pages as a lively, sympathetic, and fully formed character, one who is constantly struggling and searching for redemption and self-forgiveness, something she finally finds in the book's final pages. The writing style is beautifully clear and spare, putting us straight into Polly's head and experiencing Victorian London through her eyes, ears, and nose. There is plenty of period detail, but it is included naturally, rather than being dropped in willy-nilly as is so often the case in historical novels. The effect is somewhat like reading a book actually written in the 19th century, but more accessible to the 21st-century reader. I hesitate to say that this is an easy read, but the pages flow quickly and smoothly as we become immersed in Polly's world. A highly worthwhile read about a fascinating period in English history, seen from an unusual and under-utilized perspective. ...more

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Dec 07, 2016 Jayaprakash Satyamurthy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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 ...more

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Jan 08, 2020 Book-Lover Book Blog rated it it was amazing

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 ...more

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Sep 12, 2016 Mark rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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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Aug 05, 2017 Madelon added it · review of another edition

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 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 days.

Although this is part of the Jack the Ripper Victim Series, each book is a standalone novel not about Jack but about one of his victims of which the canon tells us there were five. A BRUTAL CHILL IN AUGUST is the story of Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols, Jack's first victim. In creating a biography from what is known of the victims, Alan Clark has obviously done his homework with regard to the history of Victorian London. He explores the ways of superstition and religion in that time period in such a way that his background as an artist and writer in the horror genre add just the right flavor to the tale, No doubt, Jack the Ripper is the narrative of an unsolved murder spree, but Jack himself has become a time-honored trope in horror.

Let's forget about Jack for the moment because he is truly peripheral to the point here. Polly Nichols comes alive in a world beset by the ills of adherence to class structure. If you are poor, you live and work with others of your class. This class structure led to such travesties as the workhouses which were little more than forced labor prisons for those in need.

This series has led to some personal experimentation with listening to audio books without having read the text. The narrator, Alicia Rose, does a five-star job of reading. Her British accent enhances the story by putting you there, in London. She speaks clearly and with the right emphasis to bring Polly Nichols to life. I could be easily persuaded to listen to anything she might perform.

The story ends as you would expect, no change in history here. However, if you read this book on Kindle, you will miss out on the chilling musical rendition the Audible edition provides. ...more

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Jan 09, 2020 Patricia Finnegan rated it it was amazing

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 ...more

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Oct 20, 2016 Elizabeth Engstrom rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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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Dec 04, 2017 S.Ballinger rated it it was amazing

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 SeriesI 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 tragicfictional but realistic portrayal of Polly Nichols life before she became the first victim of Jack Ripper.

Over all the author ...more

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Jan 21, 2020 Fee (Ebook Addicts) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, read-in-2020

FULL REVIEW COMING SOON

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Sep 30, 2016 David Agranoff rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, gothic-horror, historical-horror, serial-killer, jack-the-ripper

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 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 of Jack the Ripper.
I reviewed the second book Say Anything but Your Prayers in 2014 and it made my top ten reads of that year. "This book is the second in a groundbreaking series that explores the Jack the Ripper history from an angle never before seen in over century of non-fiction and fiction inspired by the serial killer. This second book follows the life and demise of Elizabeth Stride the fourth victim. Each book in the series follows the life of the killer’s victim. Clark includes a few key Illustrations, but the strength comes from the attention to detail and the humanizing of Elizabeth Stride."
I am not sure why Clark Chooses the order of the novels and subjects but this novel the third in the series is about Polly Nichols the first victim of the ripper. It is the most powerful of the novels so far. If you are looking for novel about the Ripper then go elsewhere. You know the main character is destined to die at in his hands so he looms large but not a part of the novel itself.
Polly Nichols is tragic figure and not just because she was murdered by one of the most famous serial killers ever. Her life was interesting as it was tragic. She lost a battle with alcohol and lost her whole family.
In a interview I did here on the blog with Alan he explained why he writes about the victims not the ripper "The more I looked at what we knew about the women, the lives they led within the extreme environment of Victorian London of the time, the more interested I became in what existence was like for them emotionally and the less interested I became in who the killer was. The more I find out about London of the period, the more fantastical the place becomes in my imagination. As a real world environment in which to stage drama, especially dark fiction, it is almost beyond belief. The rapid growth of British society during the industrial revolution, the disease, the poverty, the crime, the the hazards of unfettered industry, the abusive employment practices, the amount of labor required by most just to live a meager existence, and the endurance of countless simple human beings—these are great elements for story-telling. Researching the lives of the victims is like exploration to me. I’m endlessly fascinated and frequently surprised by what I find."
In a sense this novel is less of a horror novel and more or less a period drama. It would be easy to dismiss such a novel as boring or not horror. Clark has a way keeping the dread alive in the readers mind with subtlety. This time more so with a creeping device a demon that Polly Nichols lives in fear of from her childhood. This sets up a genius pay-off in the end. The novel is so well written that I was engaged on every page with Polly. It doesn't hurt that I knew the tragic end coming. That is the strength of the subject but in the hands of a lesser writer this novel could have been as boring as Baseball on TV.
Ross Lockhart's Word Horde press is quickly becoming the closest thing to lock when it comes to books of quality. This time he brings us the most powerful of Clark's Ripper victim novels yet. I deeply human story that paints a miserable life in 19th century London that is impossible to look away from. Another must read from Clark. I think his last novel he Surgeon's Mate might have been even better. Two masterpieces in a row that ain't bad Mister Clark. ...more

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Dec 19, 2016 David Bridges rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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 ...more

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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 ...more

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About Alan M. Clark

Alan M. Clark

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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 ...more