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Jackaby
299 pages
A delightfully eccentric romp through a gaslamp-lit world where the supernatural hides in plain sight.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a gaslamp-lit parlor filled with oddities, where the air is thick with mystery and dry wit. It moves at a brisk, entertaining clip, propelled by snappy dialogue and the delightfully eccentric dynamic between a brilliant, chaotic investigator and his grounded, observant assistant. The mood strikes a perfect balance between cozy historical charm and mildly macabre supernatural thrills, never tipping too far into genuine horror. Instead, it wraps you in a whimsical, autumnal atmosphere that celebrates the weird and the unseen. It is an absolute treat for readers who crave quirky mysteries, platonic partnerships, and a world where magic and monsters lurk just beneath the veneer of polite society.
- Mood
- gaslamp-lit
- whimsical
- mildly macabre
- cozy
- Tone
- witty
- eccentric
- cheeky
- earnest
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- embracing the extraordinary · finding your place · the power of observation · unlikely partnerships
- The writing
- The prose is snappy and observant, laced with dry, eccentric humor and vivid descriptions of the uncanny.
- The arc
- The protagonist moves from a state of uncertain displacement to finding confident belonging in a world of bizarre wonders.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love quirky historical mysteries, supernatural sleuthing, and platonic partnerships with a dash of the macabre will devour this.
Content notes
- murder
- mild gore
- supernatural peril
About the book
“Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”
Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.
Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.
Description from Open Library.
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