Ripper

Ripper
By Amy Carol Reeves
Flux, 2012. 343 pgs. Young Adult

After her mother's death in 1888, Abbie Sharp is sent to live with her grandmother in an upscale London neighborhood. She is bored with all the proper things her grandmother expects her to do so her grandmother suggests that she volunteer at Whitechapel Hospital for one week in order to better appreciate her new life of luxury. The plan backfires when Abbie discovers a true passion for helping all the less fortunate women and children at the hospital and decides to spend more time there. Her work at the hospital becomes more dangerous when Jack the Ripper starts brutally murdering former patients.

Abbie is a tough heroine who doesn't cringe away from the realities of the medical field. She is street tough from the years she spent in Ireland and can hold her own. That being said, I had a hard time believing that she could be alone on the streets of London as much as she was, especially for this time period. There is a paranormal element brought into this novel that added to the creepiness. Because of the description of some of the medical procedures, the brutality of the murders and some language I would recommend this novel to older teens and adults.

AL