Set in Victorian London, Things in Jars is a Gothic mystery that in its extensive cast of eccentric characters (including a seven-foot tall housemaid and a melancholic, tattoo-covered visitor from beyond the grave) is a kind of mash-up of a novel by Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins with the addition of a generous slug of magic realism. The book oozes atmosphere – and a lot else besides – in its expressive descriptions of bustling, noisome 1860s London.

‘Follow the fulsome fumes from the tanners and the reek from the brewery, butterscotch rotten, drifting across Seven Dials. Keep on past the mothballs at the cheap tailor’s and turn left at the singed silk of the maddened hatter. Just beyond you’ll detect the unwashed crotch of the overworked prostitute and the Christian sweat of the charwoman. On every inhale a shifting scale of onions and scalded milk, chrysanthemums and spiced apple, broiled meat and wet straw, and the sudden stench of the Thames as the wind changes direction and blows up the knotted backstreets.’

This is a period when curiosities, including in human form, are displayed as objects of entertainment or sold to collectors and anatomists. Christabel, the young girl hidden away in a wing of the country house of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, is a child with ‘singular traits’, perhaps even supernatural powers, whose origins are not initially clear. Her unique appearance makes her a valuable and hence sought after ‘curiosity’. And is there any connection between Christabel and the unusual weather afflicting the capital? ‘London has never seen rain like it. And now, all over the city the streets run with water, this foul, grey-foamed downpour. As if God had emptied his wash-tub after boiling Satan’s inexpressibles in it.’

The book’s plot concerns Bridie Devine’s search for the people responsible for kidnapping Christabel. The reader knows who the culprits are way before Bridie but this knowledge didn’t reduce the engrossing nature of the story as far as I was concerned. I thought Bridie was a brilliant character: resourceful, intuitive and brave. Described as ‘not the flinching kind’, she’s a woman rumoured to wear a dagger strapped to her thigh and keep poisonous darts in her boot heels. We learn quite a bit about Bridie’s unconventional and rather unhappy childhood, and how she acquired the unique skills she now possesses.

I loved the witty banter between her and ex-boxer Ruby Doyle, a figure who seems vaguely familiar to Bridie although she can’t quite put her finger on where they’ve met before. Ruby’s barbed comments (that only Bridie can hear) about the individuals she interviews as part of her investigation, as well as potential admirers of Bridie, are hilarious.

A historical crime mystery wouldn’t be complete without some good old-fashioned villains and the author provides at least two who are rotten to the core (one almost literally), along with some fantastically named characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed Things in Jars for it’s eccentricity, imagination and melodrama. Given Bridie’s obvious aptitude for crime-solving and the strong secondary characters, I thought the book had the makings of the first in a historical mystery series but the author obviously felt differently.

I don’t know what I think🫣
I thought I’d listen to this while sorting out my book shelves books I want to keep and those to pass on….

Is it me?
Should I have read this physically and not listen to it?

The narrator was the best, didn’t matter what she was saying, it was the voices she used that fascinated me!

Maybe I’m a simpleton.

I just couldn’t get into this, too much going on for me.


Loads loved it though so don’t go by me.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Christabel Berwick is missing. The secret daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick is rumoured to have supernatural powers and the shady characters who deal in the arcane have kidnapped her to those seeking curiosities. Bridie Devine is on the case, aided and abetted by a 7 foot housemaid, a depressive ghost and an apothecary.

Jess Kidd has created another rollicking, gothic , supernatural romp that brings in Kidd's signature affinity for blending humour and darkness, fiction and folklore. It's a macabre, funny tale ably led by the brilliant Bridie as she forges ahead to solve the mystery despite the dark things that it raises from her own past.

London; dark, murky and bedevilled has a Dickensian character that is the perfect setting and the story is thrilling, mysterious and poignant as Kidd shines a light on the margins or society and those who inhabit it.

🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️
.
"The heart in her turns in her crossways."
.
I will read everything #JessKidd writes. She is simply astonishing & I don't want #ThingsInJars to be over. How can it be over? Bridie Devine is a heroine like few I've ever seen. She is fierce, strong, independent, loyal, compassionate and full of love. To pull a story such as this together, you need a creation like Bridie, though, I'm not convinced she isn't real.
.
Part historical supernatural, part romance, Things in Jars is sublime. Kidd describes her characters in a way that made me laugh:

"His complexion is as wan and floury as an overcooked potato..."
.
‘It’s his head,’ observes Cora, ‘as bald as a peeled bollock.’"
.
And her descriptions are so visually stimulating;
.
"Sir Edmund’s home is an architectural grotesque , the ornate façade the unlikely union of a war-ship and a wedding cake."
.
"The moon sees the beauty and cruelty of London: her whores and drunks, saints and murderers , thieves and lovers and fighters."
.
Please, if you read this review, & you're looking for something with real heart, this is what you need.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

an interesting concept and a fun read

A quirky and unique book, set in Victorian times, with a fabulous protagonist and elements of the supernatural. I loved this book. Bridie's humour was a delight (dry) and the characterisation brilliant. The plot almost seemed secondary to that, but it was a wonderful read.

I am in charge of the senior library and work with a group of Reading Ambassadors from 16-18 to ensure that our boarding school library is modernised and meets the need of both our senior students and staff. It has been great to have the chance to talk about these books with our seniors and discuss what they want and need on their shelves. I was drawn to his book because I thought it would be something different from the usual school library fare and draw the students in with a tempting storyline and lots to discuss.
This book was a really enjoyable read with strong characters and a real sense of time and place. I enjoyed the ways that it maintained a cracking pace that kept me turning its pages and ensured that I had much to discuss with them after finishing. It was not only a lively and enjoyable novel but had lots of contemporary themes for our book group to pick up and spend hours discussing too.
I think it's important to choose books that interest as well as challenge our students and I can see this book being very popular with students and staff alike; this will be an excellent purchase as it has everything that we look for in a great read - a tempting premise, fantastic characters and a plot that keeps you gripped until you close its final page.

"Things in Jars" is a Victorian-era detective novel, and we follow our protagonist, Bridie Devine, as she is hired to find Lord Berwick's kidnapped daughter. But Christabel is a mysterious child, and her kidnapers are ruthless, unscrupulous and, frankly, quite creepy.

“Things is Jars” is a richly detailed novel with gothic tones and a feel of the supernatural and uncanny. Bridie’s London is full of charlatans and men of science, people fascinated with all things weird and unexplained – curiosities and medical experiments are equally interesting and admired. The language is descriptive and atmospheric, the characters compelling and complex. This is an ideal autumnal read, engaging and spooky in places .

I’m such a fan of Jess Kidd. Her stories transport me to another time and I am mesmerised. Bridie Devine is an incredible character, intelligent, strong and determined to find the missing child despite the actions of unsavoury characters who try to stop her. The myth and folklore is compelling, descriptions are incredible (especially of Christabel) and I could listen to Mrs Bibby’s gruesome stories for hours!!

I’ve not read a Jess Kidd book before, but was totally captivated by this Victorian detective book which crosses over into a number of genres - crime, supernatural, folk lore and mystery. It is a lovely mix of styles which makes it hard to define and there are also elements of subtle humour sprinkled throughout. The characters leapt to life off the pages and felt rather Dickensian. The descriptions of a smoky, sooty London of the past added to the tense and gloomy atmosphere and at times gothic feel.

Things In Jars wasn’t at all what I was expecting, but this made it even more of a surprise and more enjoyable. It was the perfect book to pick me up right now and I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys books that span multiple genres within its pages.

With many thanks to NetGalley and Canongate Books for the opportunity to read this ARC, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Jess Kidd is now my new favorite author. This book was so interesting with astute observations and incredible character development.

Absolutely incredible, from the opening paragraph I was hooked and transported into the world of Bridie and Cora. Jess Kidd has an incredible way with words, the imagery that she was able to convey within her sentences blew me away. Stretching across the genres of fantasy, folk lore and thriller, with mythical sea creature, the ghost of a boxer and a 7 ft parlour maid, it was both hilarious and murderous at the same time.
I genuinely am excited to see what Jess Kidd does next and I am going to go and read her back list! Highly recommend.

A gothic, creepy detective novel. A blend of The Addam's Family and Nancy Drew, Things in Jars sees Jess Kidd return to form with one of the most inventive novels I have ever been blessed to read. I thank the author for creating such a superb text, for delving into the supernatural, and for a delightfully weird read.

You know those books that you love so much that you just can't find the right words to tell anyone about them? The books that you just want to go and press into the hands of friends, family - strangers even - and say "read it, just read it". Yeah, Things in Jars is one of those books. 

But, hey, I'm a book blogger and finding words to talk about books is one of the things I'm supposed to do apparently. So I shall do my level best to tell you why I loved Things in Jars and why I think you should go and read it too!

At its heart, Things in Jars is a novel about Bridie Divine. Female detective, surgeon's apprentice, and resurrectionist's ward, Bridie is a fascinatingly complex character who moves between the respectable country houses of London's elite and the sinister underbelly of the city with apparent ease. Quick-witted and determined, Bridie has made it her mission to protect the city from the anatomists, surgeons and showman who seek to make spectacles out of the unusual - or simply to prey upon the poor and innocent. 

Assisting her in this task are Cora Butter, her seven-foot-tall housemaid whose first instinct is to give guests - troublesome or otherwise - a 'good clattering', and Ruby Doyle, a tattooed prizefighter with handsome brown eyes and a debonair disposition who just so happens to be recently deceased. Her mysterious undead partner is, however, the least of Bridie's worries when she is summoned to investigate the apparent kidnapping of Christabel Berwick. For at Maris House, she finds a room dripping in water. Servants whisper of a girl with the teeth of a pike, who can delve into the minds of men and kill with a single bite. There are stories of a woman who drowned on dry land and an apparition that haunts the gardens at night. 

Thus begins one of the strangest but most compelling novels that I have read. Jess Kidd moves seamlessly between the real, the unreal and the surreal in Things in Jars, weaving apparently magical and mystical elements into her otherwise straightforward detective tale. The novel defies genre and resists easy categorization as either 'historical fiction', 'detective story' or 'magical realism'. Instead, it manages to be all of these things and, in some ways, none of them. The result should be a hot mess but is, in Kidd's hands, a thrilling and mysterious story that was by turns hilarious and heart-breaking and was, at all times, compulsively readable. 

Bridie Devine is an absolute treat of a protagonist. Fiercely intelligent, she is full of spark whilst also having a softer side that leaves her, on occasion, heartbreakingly vulnerable. Kidd's other characters are similarly layered. Beneath a charismatic swagger, there is melancholy, whilst a tough exterior can hide a heart of gold. Respectable appearances can be deceptive, and even the canniest of operators might fall foul of some of the slipperier characters in this novel!

By the end of the book, all of the characters felt familiar but my personal favourite was Bridies mentor, Prudhoe - a genius eccentric who lives in a windmill, analyses stomach contents for a living, invents new forms of narcotic,  and dotes on his collection of pet ravens. Kidd's description of Prudhoe had me laughing out loud and I could immediately picture him - wiry frame flitting around the inside of his windmill and talking to his corvids amidst a haze of smoke. 

The world Kidd has created - and the characters she places within it - are exceptionally vivid. I could envisage each chapter as if the scene were playing out in front of me - the novel would make for a fantastic drama series - and really felt as if I lived the novel alongside the characters. Her characters speak with 'real' voices without ever resorting to stereotype, whether these are the voices of the streets or the polished tones of an expensive education. And whilst the story is often dark, there's humour shot all the way through - whether in a witty turn of phrase, a moment of banter, or a description of a place or person. 

As you can probably tell, I adored this book. It has so many of the elements that I look for in a book - a strong and compelling narrative, a vivid recreation of a historical moment, complex characters with rich histories, and a central mystery with some supernatural elements.

It's hard to find anything to compare it to - the closest I can think of is Imogen Hermes Gower's wonderful The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock which offers a similarly madcap blend of the historical and the fantastical alongside a vivid recreation of a moment in time - and Things in Jars is so wonderfully unique that it defies easy categorisation. What I would say is that if you love compelling stories with vivid characters - and you don't mind an element of the fantastical - then you need to pick Things in Jars up!

Another wonderful book from the excellent Jess Kidd. Written with her usual witty and spell-binding style, and featuring some incredible characters, Kidd can do no wrong in my mind!

Jess Kidd has become one of my go-to authors. Things in Jars is ominous, dark and mysterious yet also beautifully strange and hypnotic. I loved her characters and the images she weaves. Fantastically immersive.

Wow. Loved this book, it is delightful. Bridie is such a strong, memorable, witty, original character and with side-kicks of a seven-foot maid and the ghost of a tattooed pugilist, you know this will not be an ordinary yarn. For me, this is magical realism at it's best - Ruby the Ghost and the strange sea creature children are enveloped into the fabric of the story, part of the rich telling not jarring and "supernatural" as such. I loved the descriptive setting of Victorian London with it's squalor, desperation, cruelty but also sense of discovery. There is a lot of back-story to Bridie and a lot of threads to follow in the story but the writing is skilfull and I am hoping for more of her and her associates.

Wow, this book was a chore to get through.

Things in Jars has everything in it that I should like. Historical fiction? Tick. Historical fiction with a mystery/crime twist? Tick. Historical fiction with a splash of fantasy/magical realism? Tick. A female detective? TICK. And yet reading this book felt like wading through syrup, and I’ve still got a bit of a headache from it.

Set in the 19th century, Things in Jars follows detective Bridie Devine as she’s hired to track down a stolen child, Christabel, who, rumour has it, isn’t exactly human. I was sold on that premise, and I’d heard that Jess Kidd is someone who writes the weird and wacky well, so I was delighted when I was approved for an eARC.

The one thing I can’t fault this novel for is Kidd’s writing. She can write the bizarre extremely well and, for the most part, I really enjoyed her writing – that’s why this novel got 2 stars instead of 1 – but the plot felt all over the place.

My major issue with this novel is that Kidd couldn’t seem to decide what the story was. I thought we were tracking down Christabel, and to an extent we are, but we learn who’s taken her fairly early on which means we’re waiting for Bridie to catch up and reveal to us how all of the people in this case are inevitably linked to her own childhood.

I think that’s the main problem with Things in Jars for me. This book should have been about Christabel, but instead it’s about Bridie. Bridie isn’t unlikeable by any means, but I was so bored of flitting back and forth, from Bridie’s formative years to the present and to Christabel’s kidnappers and then back to Bridie, that by the time the ‘big reveal’ came about how everything was connected, I’d mostly forgotten who a lot of the side characters were.

There was too much going on in this novel, and in Kidd’s defence it probably wouldn’t have felt that way as much if I hadn’t seen this marketed as a historical crime novel which is what I was looking for when I picked this up.

I did enjoy Kidd’s writing a lot, and I liked how she wrote people, but I spent the last two thirds of this novel begging for it to be over soon because it took me so long to get through. Personally, a crime novel isn’t the kind of story I want to sit with for very long. Crime novels are the kind of novels I want to inhale because I’m desperate to know whodunnit, but Things in Jars didn’t have any of that urgency for me.

It’s beautifully written, but, sadly, the writing and all the extra kooky characters got in the way of the story.

Victorian England, a female detective and a touch of the supernatural - what’s not to like?
Things in Jars is set in Victorian London. Bridie Devine is a female detective who is called on by Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, a baronet, to find his secret daughter, Christabel, who has been kidnapped. However, he doesn’t want to involve the police (this is where alarm bells start to go off!). Very few people in his household know about the existence of Christabel, and she is shut away, ostensibly to protect them from her. Because Christabel is not an ordinary child: she has supernatural powers that can harm people. Bridie doesn’t believe this, of course. So with the help of Cora, her 7 foot tall housemaid and Ruby, the ghost of a prizefighter, she sets out to rescue the child.

I absolutely loved this book. I was never sure if the mythical, fairytale elements were real, or whether Bridie believed them to be real. The seedy, macabre side to London, the sights and smells of the winding streets and the general atmosphere were so well described, that I could have been standing next to Bridie, watching the moving tattoos across Ruby’s torso! Bridie is an excellent character. She feels compelled to find Christabel, mainly because she is coming to the job with a failure weighing heavy on her shoulders, but also she can remember being alone in the world as a child.

Mrs Bibby is a superb villain - she has her conspirators dancing to her tune. She has a gun (and a limp!) and she’s not afraid to use it! Her macabre ‘fairytales’ really ramped up the atmosphere, and showed how truly awful she was. There was a real menace about her.

Other than what I’ve said here, all I can really say is - go and read this book! I loved it (I’ve said that already, I know!), go and read it - you won’t be sorry!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.