I received a copy of Killing Jane from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Vesuvian Books, Netgalley and Stacy Green for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.
A young woman is discovered brutally murdered in her home. The scene is horrifying: the victim has been slashed dozens of times. When a disturbing note is found at the scene, signed JTR 31 August 1888, the detectives believe they may have a Jack the Ripper copycat on their hands. There is an additional note that says Abberline was right, signed Jane, referring to Inspector Abberline, who was part of the investigation into the Ripper murders, and his theory that the Ripper was actually a woman (a theory I’ve not heard before so I’m not sure if this is based in fact). Are the modern day police dealing with someone - possibly a woman - inspired by Jack the Ripper? Or, is the Ripper calling card a red herring?
The protagonist, Erin Prince, is newly promoted to homicide detective, after serving as a sex crimes investigator. Her family is wealthy, members of the Washington, DC, Elite, something Erin tries to distance herself from but the connection is always following her, especially with the nickname “Princess” used by colleagues and the media. Erin is the lead on the case and little she says or does inspires much confidence - in this reader anyway. She also has a new partner, Todd Beckett, who has transferred from Philadelphia, seemingly with some issues following a case but not much is explored in depth with him. I find that a shame as he is the more interesting and likeable character, mustache and all. Also, his girlfriend, Lucy, is apparently a character in another series by Green, and I’m guessing Todd is in that series as well.
It’s clear, as Erin and Todd investigate, that Erin is a bit out of her depth while Todd is much more experienced but he does not try to take over or make Erin feel inadequate. He tries hard to assist her and get her to see things without being condescending. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Erin as she becomes more and more insecure and immature. She’s unprofessional throughout, alienating witnesses by being combative and rude. Todd is a good foil, remaining calm and mature.
During the investigation, Erin begins to get unnerving phone calls from a little girl named Mina who is terrified and is apparently somehow connected to the killer. Erin desperately wants to find Mina before she is another victim but it proves an impossible task. When a second female victim is discovered, at another gruesome scene with yet another note, things get even more heated with the media and family demanding answers on why the killer is still at large committing more murders. Is “Princess” really up to the job? With a third body and more calls from Mina, the pressure is on to find the killer but there are many twists and turns in the investigation and a lot of self-doubt from Erin.
I’m torn on how to rate this one. For about the first half, it was a good 4 or 4.5 star read - it’s an excellent story with a lot of twists into some uncomfortable territory and I’m also a sucker for Jack the Ripper-themed/inspired stories. Unfortunately, the honeymoon began to wear off, mainly due to Erin. She started off fairly strong but at some point, she changed into this insufferable, bratty character. I wish Green had used Todd Beckett’s perspective in addition to Erin’s to offer more depth and to give the reader a break from Erin. It’s not just her attitude that bothers me, it’s also her inexperience and annoyance at others because she misses things that are obvious to others. I have a difficult time believing such an inexperienced detective would be allowed to be the lead detective on what eventually turns out to be a serial killer case. She treats witnesses and suspects alike terribly. I really disliked her by the end. Unless the character is given a lobotomy, I’m not sure I’d read another book featuring Erin, which is a shame because the story is strong and the other characters are well-drawn and interesting. The ending surprised me but I liked it - it was pretty twisted! I will say the story line revolving around someone very close to Erin really ticked me off and it felt quite unnecessary, pretty much just serving to make Erin more of a wounded individual.
It’s a pretty gruesome but intriguing story that is well-written and full of tension. I plan on checking out some of Green’s other books but I’d have to read some reviews on any future Erin Prince books to see if she has improved before reading another in this series.
3.5 stars overall
4.5 stars for the mystery
4 stars for Beckett
2.5 stars for Erin