A Buried Past

Jacqueline Frye #1

by Alexandria Clarke

In spite of a dark secret still haunting her, detective Jacqueline Frye, is trying to move on. Until a one hundred year old case gives her a new purpose. When Jacqueline, a self-professed detective with a dark secret, arrives in Whitechapel, she becomes embroiled in one of London's greatest mysteries.

Genres: Mystery, British Literature, Fiction, Crime, Serial Killer, Thriller

312 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 19, 2020

About the author

Alexandria Clarke is a writer, cat lover, and all-around optimist. She loves to immerse her readers in mystery and intrigue, meaningful friendships, and the worlds of characters who learn by doing. When she's not writing, Alex enjoys playing guitar, watching Wynonna Earp, and spending time with her family. She currently lives in Orlando, Florida with her partner and their four pets.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Buried Past
By: Alexandria Clarke
Narrated by: Cheryl May
This is a book I received from freeaudiblecodes and the review is my own opinion.

This is a mystery about a semi-copycat killer of Jack the Ripper. A gal goes to see her friend in England to help her while her friend recovers from surgery. While she is there, a copycat killer of the Ripper starts but they are killing men too. Our gal knows a lot about the Ripper and decides to try to investigate herself. Not a smart move.
A good mystery and our gal gets into plenty of trouble!
The narration is pretty good too.

[Ted Tayler · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Not for me"

Yet another attempt by an American writer to show what's she's learned about England from TV shows. There are too many errors to mention them all. To top it all her PI wandered into a police station to steal a file. Fat chance of that happening even with the overstretched Met Police's situation these days. Not for me.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars, I'm a sucker for serial killer books. This one features the original granddaddy of them all Jack The Ripper. A copycat killer is following Jack's playbook.

Jacqueline "Jack" has come back to London to help out her boarding school friend who is recovering from shoulder surgery. Jack is a crime blog writer who fancies herself a private investigator/ sleuth. She has been residing in the United states for over a decade, due to her mother's murder. Whilst taking care of her friend they get embroiled in the current copycat slayings.

Jack can't help but to put her skills to use to help the hapless police investigation.

[Carolyn Comings]

I probably will not finish the book. It has started out as an interesting whodunit, but has broken a famous author's "Keep the reader in the story!" admonition twice in the first couple of chapters. The first glaring error was the number of time zones between California and London (it's 8, not 5) and the second was that the protagonist's English friend's shoulder injury mysteriously switched from right to left from one chapter to the next. Not only that... the protagonist (I refuse to call her a heroine) has just committed an extremely non-heroic act that I don't think I can get past. And I don't care enough about the characters to see what happens to them.

Things like this are not exactly conducive to keeping the reader in the story, and if the book were paper and not electronic I would have already thrown it across the room twice. The author needed a few more first readers to (hopefully) catch these rather egregious mistakes. And with such obvious errors going uncorrected, I can only wonder how many not-so-obvious errors are yet to be discovered.

[raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book quite suspenseful.

It was a good story, well told. The ending left one hanging, with no where to go, regarding Evelyns job. That's too bad ,especially since the story does not continue.

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over a hundred years after Jack the Ripper struck terror in East London, it's happening again.
When Jacqueline Frye, a self-professed private detective with a dark secret, arrives in Whitechapel to help out an injured friend, she never expects to become embroiled in one of London's greatest mysteries. As bodies turn up on the streets, mimicking the Ripper's work, Jacqueline ignores the warnings of others and dives into the case. But dodging the Metropolitan Police, hiding from her past, and unmasking the killer turn out to be bigger challenges than Jacqueline ever imagined.

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Can't wait to read more of these.
Recommend reading.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Jacqueline's mother was killed by a serial killer she becomes obsessed with learning everything she could about them. When a friend needs help in London she drops everything and heads there. Eventually finding herself caught in the middle of a copycat Jack the Ripper investigation. This author is one of my favorites for this genre and every book I've read of hers pulls me in and has me reading nonstop. Not only is the writing great the characters are believable and well developed. I do love a great mystery and this author writes the best. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, with this author, this book is a definite riveting mystery. I could not put it down! I loved the storyline and found Jacqueline an awesome character. I love these mysteries and this is one of my favorite authors.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Maureen Hetzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting mystery as a copy cat killer is replicating Jack the Rippers killings in modern day London. A blogger about serial killers who considers herself an expert on Jack the Ripper gets involved and the quest is on. Meanwhile she is reliving in nightmares the murder ten years ago of her mother, an Oxford professor. Fast moving and exciting!

[Julie Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I did think a copy cat of Jack The Ripper's crimes might be a bit heavy or graphic but that wasn't the case and I was quickly drawn into the story. The mystery was interesting, I had worked out who the killer was but that was only down to the fact that while she was investigating there wasn't that many to choose from. I still enjoyed it though. I liked the characters and the friendship between them and like most characters they had there problems. There is a lot of home life drama but as that was the reason for Jack to be staying with her friend or the reason why she is so obsessed with serial killers it worked well and made the characters multi dimensional instead of flat. The only downside was the ineptitude of the police but then again I guess they had to be for Jack's to step in. I just liked the story and am off to start the next book.
When Jacqueline "Jacks" school friend hurts her shoulder while acting as a bodyguard, fed up with takeaway curry she asks Jack's to come stay with her until she recovers. Jack's drops everything and rushes to her friends side, at the same time somebody kills a young man in the same way as Jack The Ripper's first victim is found. Is this a one off? Jack's is obsessed with serial killers, after on took her mother away from her at an early age. So when the police don't turn up any clues and another body is found on the date of the second victim, she knows she could never live with herself if she didn't put all her Back The Ripper knowledge to good use and try to catch the killer before the next death. Even if it means she is putting her and her friend In harm's way.
I really liked the narrator. She did some really good sounding characters and helped to sell the story and the difference between the two friends.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

8/31, Whitechapel, E. London, England. Royal London Hospital (Durward St.) William Lewis (23, med student) never made it to work.
San Diego, CA. Officer Byers (San Diego PD) & Doctor Chuck Witz (psychiatrist, MD) came to pay Jacqueline “Jack” Frye a visit.

Whitechapel, E. London, England. Evelyn Grey (BFF) greeted Jacqueline with open arms.
Evelyn & Jack were listening to Bertha (tour guide) talk about Jack the Ripper.
Jack had managed to acquire the William Lewis cold case.
9/8/2019, The body of Rosie Brigham (23, teacher’s asst., Lambeth) was found at # 29 Hanbury St.
Jacqueline “Jack” Frye (PI) came to interview Henry Alcott (student).
# 13 Miller’s Court Mary Kelly was killed.

Will the murder mysteries be solved & someone brought to justice?

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written murder mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great murder mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. A very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free author; ARC; FreeBookSY; BookSprout; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story about a women who has an obsession with serial killers and more so with Jack the Ripper. She lost her mom some years back and is now trying to solve her murder. Jacqueline "Jack" has a habit of disregarding rules and laws. At first it was annoying for me to read about all her antics but then I realized that is way I loved this story so much. I forgot Jack was a character in a book and that is what makes this writer so good in her work. Alexandria Clark has the ability to use her words and make you live and feel the story she is telling. I recommend that you read this book, you will love it too.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

First book I’ve ever read where I disliked every character. Including the heroine. Who is the most annoying, self centered dolt imaginable.
Her friend is not much better although somehow she is always there in the nick of time.
Nothing made sense. Is it possible that the London police are that incompetent?
At times I wondered if the author was using some kind of plot device to make us dislike the people in the book.
With the ripper as the plot line it could have gone in so many directions other than what was chosen by the author.
I was actually hoping the lead character would be a victim of the new ripper.
Won’t be reading any more of this series.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Ripper read!

A story is good when the characters get “under your skin”
This was certainly the case in A Buried Past. I found myself feeling very irritated by the main character Jack. I almost put the book aside due to Jack’ obsession with Jack the Ripper and the fact that her almost childish interference with the police investigation was to the detriment of properly caring for her injured friend. However, I persevered and I am so glad I did because Jack’s behaviour in the end made perfect sense and her doggedness unraveled all those little clues sprinkled ever so cleverly thought the story.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery

Jacquelyn ( aka Jack ) is a want to be private investigator. When her best friend calls her from England, Jack leaves San Diego to take care of her.
Jack loves reading about serial killers and posting on her blog. When she gets to England the Jack the Ripper killings begin. Jack knows it's a copy cat and it's up to her to find out who it is even though she's constantly getting in trouble.
I gave this book three stars because it's so slow to get interested in. I figured out fairly quickly who the copy cat was.

[Susan Mathews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of A Buried Psst

I enjoyed reading The Buried Past. Two roommates throw caution to the wind and
set out to capture a copy cat Jack the Ripper. Jack, a do it yourself Private Investigator cannot help but solve the mystery of who is killing women in London.
Her best friend tries to stop her friend's amateur sleuthing, to no avail.
It is fun to follow Jack's antics as you read the book. This is not the most
realistic story, but if you are looking for a light mystery, I recommend this book.

[Murrel Lowry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Headline (required)

Alexandria Clarke is a very fine author. I’ve now read several of her works and have not been disappointed. She takes you to places you may have never been before and plants you there so you can’t get away until she is ready to turn you loose. Good for her and good for me. I have other works of hers waiting in the wings and I think my reading pleasure will definitely be continued!

[Janiece Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent mystery and suspense

My daughter is blind now. She used to love to read.
She does not enjoy audio books so I read to her. Together we use Kindle and find books we both enjoy.
It turns out you have become one of our favorite authors. Thank you for your engaging and wonderful books. You never disappoint! No one would be wasting their time if they chose to read anything authored by you. Thank you!🥰

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but very slow and too hard to unravel

Not my normal type of book. Guess this indie type is not really my cup of tea. Even though I enjoyed the plot, it is too much trouble to try and decide...are Jack and Ev flirting with one another? Slow, slow, slow to get on with the subject at hand. At times, jack was too pitiful in character. I will say this...I may have to read sequel to fund out what their secrets are, but I hope it’s worth it.

[Thompson615 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Book!

Jacqueline has gone to London to help her best friend Evelyn who has been injured at work. In trying to find some closure after the murder of her mother, Jack has become somewhat of an expert on serial killers. She finds herself involved with the copycat murders of a modern day Jack the Ripper. As the story unfolds the clues are stacking up and Jack is right in the middle of it. I enjoyed this book and will be continuing with the series!

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love a good mystery with plenty of suspense that makes you want to keep turning the pages, then this is a book you need to get. Alexandria Clarke has written the story so well and without all the profanities, that it captivates the reader from start to finish. She did not disappoint.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Maris Gavzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book I didn’t want to out down. I enjoyed the setting and the suspense and the banter between friends, although I had hoped for a renewed relationship with the father. Perhaps that could have at least been a start. Still, all in all, it was something a little different, and a most suspenseful and enjoyable read. I look forward to reading Book 2!

[Stephanie Kish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read

Only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is the main character kept rushing out alone and always had to be rescued by her badly injured friend no less! Got tiresome. It was a very good book otherwise. I will check out any other books featuring Jackie but not if she continues to be stupid and jeopardizes not only her own life but the lives of anyone else around her.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book which I really enjoyed. The perp was a Jack the Ripper wannabe who was killing people using the same modus operandi as the original. Jacqueline Frye is a wannabe private investigator who is being ignored by the police department. I thought I had determined who the perp was but I was very wrong. I would recommend this book to all mystery readers.

[bandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what i expected

read the reviews and the plot sounded interesting, but i did not care for the Jack character. I was disappointed with the promising storyline. She was PI without a license, jeopardized her friend's job by her rabid obsession on The Ripper. And the way she stole the file and snuck around was not believable to me .

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ll be shelving this as a did not finish. I wanted to like it, but couldn’t get past the main character stealing from the police and inserting herself into an investigation on foreign soil by doing so. The very beginning was interesting, but then the main character’s personality became ever more grating the further into the story I got. There were several cringe worthy moments for me.

[Steve Hildebrand · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little confused and disappointed

This book seemed to be somewhat disjointed and left a lot of questions in my mind even at the end of the story. There was some nice mystery but I felt like I had guessed who it was before I was informed. This story was not actually a favorite of mine.

[Heather Bane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexandria Clarke is one of my favorite authors and she did not disappoint with this book. I loved the storyline and found the book well written. I definitely recommend reading.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Noel Harshman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Bright Future:_For the Author

Anyone who lives a good mystery will enjoy this book. It is an excellent read.The best part to me was no profanity or vulgarisms. Finally, an author who can find words without profanity or nastiness! Thank you.

[Jean Lambert]

Very interesting book

I've always
He enjoyed interesting mystery










I was hooked on this book from page one. It kept me entertained the whole time reading it. I love the mystery of crime solving. Overall a great read.