STALKING JACK THE RIPPER (SJTR book one)
#1 NYT Bestseller
Presented by James Patterson’s new children’s imprint, this deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion…
Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.
Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.
The story’s shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.
It is the first in a series of gothic mysteries, available now.
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For all other retailers click here
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Praise for STALKING JACK THE RIPPER
A 2016 BEA YA Buzz Book
A #1 New York Times Bestseller from its first week!
“An entertaining debut full of twists and turns, perfect for fans of historical fiction and mystery.”
School Library Journal
“Maniscalco has created a serious, sharp-minded, and forward-thinking protagonist in Audrey Rose, whose fearlessness will endear her to readers looking for an engaging historical thriller. Abundant red herrings and a dash of romance round out this gruesome but engrossing story.”
Publisher’s Weekly
“This audiobook has everything: a true-life tale that has intrigued readers for 100-plus years, a young woman who balks at the constraints put upon women during the Victorian era, a marvelous yet somewhat gruesome mystery, and a narrator who brings you down into Spitalfields as Jack the Ripper earns his name. A must-have.”
School Library Journal (*starred review*)
“Audrey Rose Wadsworth prefers breeches to ball gowns, autopsies to afternoon tea, and scalpels to knitting needles. Though her father, Lord Edmund, has forbidden it, Audrey covertly studies forensic medicine…while “the Ripper” remains two steps ahead, lurking where Audrey least expects….Maniscalco’s portrayal of scientific invention in a newly industrial era will serve as a fine first foray into Victorian classics.”
Booklist
“Audrey is a young woman eager to use her brains and willing to flaunt society’s rules….This mystery pays homage to classics like Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein [and] will satisfy those readers looking for historical mystery, a witty heroine, and a little romance.”
School Library Connection
“Sherlock Holmes meets Mary Shelley in this brilliant take on the legendary tale of Jack the Ripper. With memorable characters and deliciously sexy writing, Kerri Maniscalco paints a picture of nineteenth-century London that lives and breathes in wonderfully sinister fashion. You won’t want to put this book down.”
Renée Ahdieh – #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
“This grim gothic retelling of the Jack the Ripper story blends history and fiction in vivid detail. Audrey Rose is far braver than I, and I was glad to have her as my escort into Whitechapel. This is a book that will keep you up at night and haunt you during the day.”
Beth Revis – New York Times Bestselling Author
“With ample knowledge of Ripper lore, Maniscalco creates a steadfast and headstrong heroine who is as comfortable in gloves of blood as she is in watered silk. Filled with plenty of gory details, and no shortage of possible suspects, Stalking Jack the Ripper conveys the panic, paranoia, and fascination of 1880s London with a madman on the loose.”
Kendare Blake – New York Times Bestselling Author of Three Dark Crowns
“Dark and suspenseful…this book kept me guessing until its final, terrifying scenes.”
Anna Carey – author of the EVE trilogy
Add STALKING JACK THE RIPPER to your goodreads list!
HUNTING PRINCE DRACULA (SJTR Book Two):
In this New York Times bestselling sequel to Kerri Maniscalco’s haunting #1 debut Stalking Jack the Ripper, bizarre murders are discovered in the castle of Prince Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Dracula. Could it be a copycat killer…or has the depraved prince been brought back to life?
Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper’s true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe’s best schools of forensic medicine…and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend.
But her life’s dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school’s forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again.
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Praise for HUNTING PRINCE DRACULA
A New York Times Bestseller from its first week!
“Combining historical fiction, romance, forensics, a feisty heroine, a swiftpaced plot, gobs of murders, and historical illustrations, Maniscalco pulls in the reader for a wonderfully bloody romantic romp.”
―Booklist
“There are plenty of suspects and red herrings as well as tense escalations….A scenic, twisty mystery.”
―Kirkus Reviews
“Readers of the previous mystery will be thrilled to have more of this likable duo. [A] delightful romp into an 1888 Gothic mystery with a hint of romance.”
―School Library Connection
“Audrey Rose is a smart, fearless, and progressive heroine. Plenty of red herrings, a conspicuous absence of blood, and a developing romance make this a must-read.”
―School Library Journal
Available now!
Order links:
Add HUNTING PRINCE DRACULA to your goodreads shelves here!
First chapter is exclusively up on Entertainment Weekly: Read it here!
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ESCAPING FROM HOUDINI (SJTR BOOK 3)
The #1 New York Times bestselling series that started with Stalking Jack the Ripper and Hunting Prince Dracula continues in this third bloody installment! A luxurious ocean liner becomes a floating prison of madness and horror when passengers are murdered one by one…with nowhere to run from the killer.
Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her partner-in-crime-investigation, Thomas Cresswell, are en route to New York to help solve another blood-soaked mystery. Embarking on a week-long voyage across the Atlantic on the opulent RMS Etruria, they’re delighted to discover a traveling troupe of circus performers, fortune tellers, and a certain charismatic young escape artist entertaining the first-class passengers nightly.
But then, privileged young women begin to go missing without explanation, and a series of brutal slayings shocks the entire ship. The disturbing influence of the Moonlight Carnival pervades the decks as the murders grow ever more freakish, with nowhere to escape except the unforgiving sea. It’s up to Audrey Rose and Thomas to piece together the gruesome investigation as even more passengers die before reaching their destination. But with clues to the next victim pointing to someone she loves, can Audrey Rose unravel the mystery before the killer’s horrifying finale?
Out Now!
Praise for Escaping from Houdini:
A New York Times bestseller from its first week!
A USA Today bestseller from its first week!
“Audrey Rose is a witty, resourceful feminist who refuses to bow to Victorian-era gender norms. This dark, gothic landscape is peopled with nuanced, diverse characters who keep readers enthralled. A gripping mystery with a compelling heroine and just the right touch of romance.”
―Kirkus
“Maniscalco’s winning combinations of historical fiction, romance, forensics, and a feisty heroine will attract historical-fiction and romance readers….Well-placed hooks advance the plot and sustain the swift pace.”
―Booklist
“Every sentence of this novel drips with decadence. The settings and Midnight Carnival performances are lush yet dangerous, beautiful yet terrifying. It was easy to understand just how Audrey Rose comes to be so enthralled with the Midnight Carnival and the performers because, as readers, we’re put under the same exact spell…. Masterfully crafted.”
―Hypable
“Displaying her usual fierce determination and progressive ideals, Audrey Rose is once again a compelling protagonist. Another delightfully mysterious addition to the series.”
―School Library Journal
“Young adult readers of crime novels will thrill to Maniscalco’s labyrinthine plot and the gruesome secrets it reveals. And yet Escaping from Houdini is also a love story, one in which Audrey Rose’s love for the charming and stalwart Thomas is tested by the exhilarating freedom represented by Mephistopheles’s unorthodox lifestyle. As one member of the Moonlight Carnival muses, ‘Normal is boring. Extraordinary is memorable.’ Like-minded readers will find Maniscalco’s latest foray into nineteenth-century forensic investigation anything but boring.”
―Chapter16.org
Order links:
Add ESCAPING FROM HOUDINI to your goodreads shelves here!
This B&N Exclusive Edition includes a full bonus chapter featuring a special encounter with Audrey Rose and Thomas, not available in any other edition!
It’s a LIMITED edition, and will not be reprinted once supplies run out.
First chapter is exclusively up on Entertainment Weekly: Read it here!
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CAPTURING THE DEVIL (SJTR Book 4)
In the shocking finale to the bestselling series that began with Stalking Jack the Ripper, Audrey Rose and Thomas are on the hunt for the depraved, elusive killer known as the White City Devil. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse has them fighting to stay one step ahead of the brilliant serial killer—or see their fateful romance cut short by unspeakable tragedy.
A New York Times and USA Today bestseller from its first week!
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Kerri I LOVE your blog & I seriously hope you get published! You are witty, sarcastic, articulate, & funny, and I can’t wait to read more! Thanks for saving other would-be writers a lot of time by doing all the research and sharing it with us!
Congratulations on the Goodman Agency.
Went to their site– looks top drawer to me.
Bravo!
All the best
Jim Zee
http://jimzee.tk
Thank you so much for the congrats, Jim! I’m definitely very excited to be part of such a wonderful agency. 🙂
HI Kerri!
I have finished all 3 of your books: “Stalking Jack the Ripper”, “Hunting Prince Dracula”, and “Escaping From Houdini”; I am in LOVE with your series! I dont even know where to begin.
I am interested in music.I have a singing talent and I would much like to ask…
Could you make your book into a film?
I would most be thrilled to cast into your SERIES!
I live in a small town of Bayfield, Colorado.
Half an hour away from Durango.
I love all things victorian and gothic clothing, furniture, designs, etc, etc,…
My favorite singers: Stevie Nicks, Amy Winehouse & Patricia Day (Horrorpops)
My favorite Actress: Helena Bonhsm Carter.
My favorite movie director/Producer:
TIM BURTON (!!!!).
I am 4’10 1/2
26 Years old.
I would love to escape the the small town life.
I love horror movies, antique history, & haunted history as well!
You can message me here on Facebook or email me at tassiehemphill93@gmail.com
I hope to hear from you soon! 🙂
I am in love with this series and have read all four books. I absolutely love your writing and am devastated that there is not a 5th book yet. Unless there is…. are you planning on releasing a book 5. If your not I think we would all live it. If you haven’t got any ideas…I have one. If you want to here it email me or respond to my comment??
So I have to say I absolutely LOVE Stalking Jack The Ripper. You are amazing and your writing is simply inspiring! I related to Audrey Rose in her wit and her need for female independence as well as maintaining propriety. I really hope that Audrey and Thomas have a long lasting relationship and I wish there was more. You are amazing and I love your work!
I absolutely love love love your book and I know many of my students will too. I really hope you write more books with these characters. They are enthralling. I hope to see Audrey Rose and Thomas in more books and anything else you intend to write. Congrats!
I have read Stalking Jack the Ripper and I loved it. I hope to read another one of your books. Thanks for writing them
I have read both of your books and loved them, I’m ready for the next one, please say its coming out in 2018
You are an amazing writer. When I finished Stalking the Ripper, I almost turned back to page 1 and reread it. When Hunting Prince Dracula came out I was the most excited I have been in a long time. I have hundreds of books and yours are my favorite. I cant get enough.
When can we groupies expect the next? 😁
I loved stalking jack the ripper and just could not put it down ( even when I had to go to bed).Then I found out that you wrote a second book. Hunting prince dracula I couldn’t even let it close until it was done even when walking every where. Please say your making a third book about a mystery or case in America and please say it’s coming out soon I love the way you write your books.
P.S I love the way you write and hope you have more books in the future.
I loved both stalking jack the ripper and hunting prince Dracula, I hope their would be a third book. I became a huge fan on how you write, I read so many horror and mystery with a pinch of seduction everyday and yours are on top of my list.
Please, please, please say there is going to be another! What’s in store for them in America? I truly hope you continue the adventures of Thomas and Audrey Rose! I reread them just to pick out all the clues… and my favorite parts with Thomas and Audrey Rose!
You are one of my all time favorite authors. Can’t wait to see what happens in the third book!!
Kerri…I am in love with your books. I couldnt put them down. I cant wait for you to release the third and fourth books. I do hope you wont stop there.
these books are all amazing and im so excited to read escaping from Houdini!! is there a way to buy meeting Thomas cress well, or has the opportunity passed?
I just finished Stalking Jack the Ripper and I’m in love with your work! Jack the Ripper is my favorite historical mystery but your book gave me a whole new view on the legend. I’m super hopeful my first novel will be as fantastic as this book!
I finished the newest book’ Escaping from Houdini’. I love this book series more than any other book series I’ve ever read. And I read A LOT! I can’t wait to see what the next amazing adventure the CressWorths are going on
Just finished Escaping From Houdini. Looking forward to book 4 but also I’d read a whole book about Mephistopheles just sayin’ *swoon*
I just want to say that you are an amazing writer. When I read Stalking Jack the Ripper I didn’t think it could get better but then Hunting for Prince Dracula came out and I was excited. Then when Escaping Houdini came out I couldn’t put it down. I am not one for romance but I loved how Cresswell and Wadsworth completed each other. I just cannot wait until book 4 comes out.
I really like the series so far and can’t wait until the next book comes out! I love the way everything is laid out and the detail put into the story! I love the use of forensic science in the story as well, I hope there are more good things to come ^^
I absolutely love your books! They truly do keep you hooked from the very first line and desperate for more when you finish the last. I can’t wait for the next book.
So happy I found this series. Both intelligent and thrill seeking. Sorry to see it end but can’t wait for your next series.
Will you write another book series? It is not often I find an author that I enjoy this much. I couldn’t wait for each one of your books to come out.
I’m looking forward to starting this series! Are these books to be read in order? Do they build off one another? They seem they are their “own” stories and could be read out of order… Is this true? Thanks for your input!
Hi, Kerri! I just finished reading Capturing the Devil and was wondering if you’ve ever considered doing a prequel series to SJTR with Daciana and Ileana as the main characters? I would love to read more about their adventures with the Order of the Dragon.
PLEASE don’t make Capturing the Devil the last book! I am SO in love with this series and I need more Audrey Rose and Thomas! I would love to know about their investigative agency! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
Hi, Kerri! I wanted you to know that these books actually inspired me to take an interest in forensic pathology and I have decided to take courses as soon as I am old enough!
Thank you so much for opening up such a wonderful new world for me.
Please add to this series – SJTR – as it is my all time favorite series. I have quotes that Thomas says all across my room. I write it on my mirror – I love it. Especially the time Thomas says, “Outside forces will always be out of your control. One thing you can control is how you choose to live. If you wake up fearful of every bad thing that might happen, you miss out on the good… worrying about tomorrow only succeeds in ruining today.” That is my favorite quotes.
I want to sincerely thank you for writing and opening up a new pathway for me.
These books are such a big part of my life.This series is my all time favorite series. I love it so much. Thank you Kerri for writing such amazing story and characters!!!
I just finished the SJTR series and I am in tears at how beautifully the books have concluded. This has quickly become my favorite series I have ever read and I am in love with the way you have weaved romance into the most thrilling passages. These books have wholly bewitched me and I am so thankful for having gotten to read them.
Thank you
This series is one of the BEST I have ever read in my life! I had to re-read it agian! It wasn’t has exciting the second time, but I got to find clues to solve the mysteries the second time through that Audery Rose and Thomas Cresswell had to solve. I love the relationship you built between them. They both thought they wouldn’t marry, Thomas because he thought he couldn’t live and Audery because she didnt want to be caged. Then they found each other. It made my heart soar when they had their moments! I also love how you had Audery Rose apprentice under her uncle and that’s how they met, it was incredible how you made love between people who loved ti dissect the dead for answers of how they died. It was a really nice touch that both of their mothers died and that’s when they both got apprenticing under Audery Rose’s uncle. Another nice touch was when their wedding got ruined because if Thomas’s father, it added just the right amount if drama. I felt like I was with Audery Rose when Miss Whitehall entered the chapel, because my heart sank into my feet when I read that part. Thank you for providing those stories!
Would you ever consider writing the series SJTR series in Thomas’s view?
I just want to say thank you so much for these amazing books! It took me a while to finish “Capturing the Devil” because I truly didn’t want the series to end! I think my favorite parts about these books are how you tie in historical events or people into a story about a strong willed, “more modern than her time” young lady, and how she has to overcome these struggles of self-acceptance. These really have been the best books I have read in a long time, and I honestly can’t wait to read your next series!
Hey Kerri, this is your newest reader from Germany! I’m so in love with Audrey Rose and the others. Normally, I don’t like reading book series, I like separate volumes better, but it’s different with your series! We definitely share the same interests 🙂
I have already preordered your new book! By the way: your books have the most beautiful covers EVER!!!
But there is one question: will your books ever be translated into German? I’m capable of reading in English well enough, but with all the anatomical expressions and the victorian way of speaking it was not that easy for me. I would love to reread them in my mother tongue.
I would be grateful for an answer 🙂
Best regards from Germany
Coco
I’d really would love a movie for this series! I think it would be fun to see all the characters come to life.
I absolutely love the Jack the Ripper series. I’ve learned so much and love Audrey Rose, Thomas and Liza. You are a great writer with all the twists and turns that keep me from putting the book down. I’ve read them all 3 times now and wish you would make some more. Thank you so much for sharing your rare talent with us.
Ms. Maniscalco,
Howdy! My name is Emily and I recently read all four of your books and LOVED them! I couldn’t stop reading I HAD to know what happened! Never before have I identified with a character so much. I myself am a Forensic & Investigative Sciences Honors Major with a double minor in Chemistry and Anthropology at Texas A&M. I loved the character Audrey Rose and your modern feminism twists. I’ve read James Patterson and Tess Gerritson, but I wasn’t as connected to those characters as I was/am with Audrey Rose. Forensic Anthropology is my true passion in life and seeing a beautifully intelligent young woman pursue the same passions against adversity and social norms gives me confidence that I can continue to succeed (in modern times). I hope to be just as brilliant as the Cresswells someday, and I know I won’t stop until I get there. Maybe one day this profession won’t be needed, but from here on out, the thought of Audrey Rose will always be in the back of my mind.
Thank you so, so much for writing this series. A few chapter into Stalking Jack the Ripper I knew I was going to love it, and I swore up and down that Audrey Rose was me. This series will always be one of my top favorite.
Best wishes,
Emily E.
This series is my favorite in the whole entire world, I’ve been buying them and following along since the first book was published and i absolutely fell in LOVE. I’m currently studying to be a medical examiner so the title caught my attention REALLY quickly. (I was looking for books on Jack the Ripper so I could see what theories I’d personally have on him and who he was when I found the first book.) Audrey Rose Wadsworth is who I aspire to be if and when I get into medical school, with a little Cresswell mixed in for my interest in forensic psychology as well. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve read and re-read and marked in and saved my favorite pieces of these books. They’re show-stopping-ly amazing and I wish the adventures never had to end. But if they had to end where they did then I’m satisfied with the pieces of the lives of these people that were shared with us.