TW: Domestic Abuse.

3 harvested organ stars.

A disturbing and different perspective on the mystery shrouding Jack The Ripper.

Susannah's happiness at having met and married the man of her dreams ends abruptly after a mere 2 weeks, when she begins to suspect there's something not right about her new husband. The marriage has changed, her husband is frequently aggressive and domineering, and worse still - he keeps disappearing of a night time, coming home covered in blood. Is it a coincidence that his mystery nights missing coincide with each of the victims of Jack the Ripper being found?

This was a haunting and depressing story for me. It was written well, but I struggled with my emotions when reading of Susannah's experiences. Her depression and situation struck an uncomfortable chord with me and I felt uncomfortable reading about it. I'm very lucky to have never experienced domestic abuse, but I felt so down and trapped for Suasannah whilst reading her plight and it stayed with me for some reason. I have no issue reading about gory and violent crimes and love a murder mystery, but this was very emotional.

There were some good explorations of gender inequality during the 1800s- Susannah struggles to be believed about her husband because she is a mere women, and the prostitutes of London's streets are targeted due to their lowly status - gawped at by even other women of better classes. Also explored are class inequalities and overall a very well written book.

I enjoyed the alternative idea of Jack The Ripper being known and the way the story panned out.

3 stars. Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for a review.

I am sorry to report that the promising premise of this book was sadly betrayed by one-dimensional characters, unbelievable plot twists and uninspiring writing. I found the idea that an intelligent, abused, medically-trained wife comes to believe her husband is Jack the Ripper to be original and exciting. However, it was immediately clear that he is not clever enough to be the Ripper and she is too drug-addled to be a reliable narrator. I don’t mean to imply that the plot was predictable - quite the opposite in fact - but the twists and final reveal were so far-fetched that it lost all credibility with me, particularly as I felt zero-sympathy for Susannah. She seemed totally selfish and dull; even the fact that the real love of her life was a woman, couldn’t make her any more interesting. I appreciate that Whitfield was trying to draw attention to some of the challenges faced by women at this time and the difficult choices they have to make (based on poverty, abuse and exploitation) but the characters were too self-interested and repellent for me. That was really the main issue - too much unbelievable stuff was going on but none of it occurred at sufficient depth to inspire any feeling in myself as the reader. Whitfield's writing was engaing and she created vivd descriptions, but it would have been beneficial to apply the 'show-don't-tell' principle to the plots and character too. Lots of other readers really enjoyed this book so I am sure my opinion represents the minority; but as strong, engaging characters are my priority in any book, this one just didn't do it for me I'm afraid.

Susannah Chapman trains as a nurse in the East End of London, leaving behind her inauspicious start to live her own life, but is courted by a handsome doctor, whom she marries. Life in his household is dominated by the housekeeper, Mrs Wiggs, and the attention lavished on her during her courtship quickly dissipates once Susannah is installed in the house. Bored and unhappy, she becomes fascinated by newspaper reports of ever more gruesome murders in Whitechapel, especially when she realises that the first victim was brought to the hospital when she was on duty. Increasingly estranged from her husband and worried by his secrecy, she is shocked and alarmed when he returns covered in blood-soaked clothing.
Susannah’s first person narration ensures immediacy, adds tension and builds suspense, and allows the reader’s suspicions to grow along with hers, all the while recognising that she may not be the most reliable of narrators with her reliance on laudanum to relieve her boredom and anxiety. Unable to trust any of the other characters, it is soon clear that everyone in the novel has a secret, Susannah included.
An intriguing and absorbing novel set around the Whitechapel murders, this engrossing tale is a different take on a historical whodunit with a twist. I will be recommending it to fellow booklovers.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an Honest review.

Had this not been an ARC I might never have pushed through to finish it and yet in some ways I am glad I did. This book was a very slow starter and even that is understating the actual fact. For almost 60 % of the book there was more floss than thrill or mystery. The ripper's deed poke in and out of this floss, they engage the reader and then flit off to be replaced by more of not a lot. It is only in the last 30-40% that the author pulls things together and creates a mystery of pace and some unsuspected twists. I did enjoy this latter part but it did not really make up for the slowness of the rest. I felt the narrative could have been tighter, more pulled together, however for a debut novel it does have some merits. The fact that this merely turned out to be OK for me would not stop me from reading something else from this author.

I am however done with historical re-shapings of Jack the Ripper. I have read a couple this year neither really capture the real narrative.

Interesting, Unique and a book I will be collecting for my forever shelf I have found this one hard to put down and have been completely captivated.
I adore the writing style, plot and characters. A great book!

Susannah is a nurse at the London hospital serving Whitechapel's poorest. She is stuck in life and her means of escape is marriage to the young and handsome Dr Thomas Lancaster. He's successful and passionate and for about three weeks they are happy. As soon as the honeymoon is over however things start to go wrong. His housekeeper is menacing and manipulative so Susannah doesn't trust her, Thomas keeps a locked attic room which she believes contains sinister things. Then as Jack the Ripper starts to stalk Whitechapel's streets, Susannah feels the brunt of Thomas's violent temper - she starts to wonder if her husband is the murderer.

For me this was quite difficult as it was bogged down in Victorian thriller clichés. The attic, the housekeeper, the laudanum. Thankfully the pace picked up towards the end and the hints of clever plotting finally emerged. For me it was just a slow journey to get there

People of Abandoned Character is a debut novel for Clare Whitfield. It is a dark historical crime fiction set in London in the year 1888. It is the period of Jack the Ripper and who he might be is explored through the eyes of a nurse, Susannah Chapman who has married a young doctor, Thomas. The marriage starts off well but soon Thomas becomes abusive and disappears frequently at night often returning covered in blood. Where does he go, what does he do and why are his shirts covered in blood?

There are some incredibly graphic descriptions of the murders of several young women in Whitechapel, one of the slums of London.

This novel would appeal to those interested in historical crime fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher Head of Zeus and author Clare Whitfield for a copy to read and review.

In London in 1888, former nurse Susannah thinks that she is about to start a new, secure life with her doctor husband Thomas. The honeymoon period is short, however, as Thomas begins to stay out late returning home covered in blood and with a temper that makes his new wife fear for her life. When a woman is murdered in Whitechapel, Susannah begins to take an interest in the newspaper reports, reading everything she can. When other women are killed in horrific circumstances, Susannah begins to realise that the deaths coincide with her husband being away from home. Could Thomas be the one they call Jack the Ripper?

I am always looking for a a different take on the Jack the Ripper story, whether it be fiction or non-fiction and so People of Abandoned Character piqued my interest immediately. What I found was that, although the premise of the book is that the protagonist suspects her husband of being the notorious killer, this is only the backdrop to what is a wonderful take on life for the poorer classes in London, in particular the plight of women who were unfortunate enough to find themselves in the slums of Whitechapel.

In People of Abandoned Character, we see Susannah, a product of Whitechapel, managing to secure herself a position as a nurse, providing her with a way out of the misfortune that befell her own mother. Despite this, the life of an unmarried woman in Victorian Britain was a precarious one and so it was easy to see why her head was turned by Thomas, a doctor several years her junior and why she felt compelled to marry him. The marriage was by no means a happy one and Clare Whitfield paints a terrifying picture of what Susannah had to endure at the hands of her husband and his housekeeper, Mrs Wiggs.

The descriptions of life in Whitechapel were incredibly clear and I could visualise the desperation of the people who lived there as they tried to survive. Although, as I wrote earlier, the murders are a backdrop to the rest of the plot, I was pleased to read about the victims when they were alive, the author giving them a voice instead of just portraying them as dead prostitutes.

As the book reached its exciting conclusion, I couldn’t wait to see if Susannah’s fears would be realised. The ending was full of shocks and was particularly macabre and gruesome. You will have to read the book to see if Thomas was Jack however…

People of Abandoned Character is a fantastic debut and I shall look forward to reading more of Clare Whitfield’s work.

I love a good historical crime thriller and this was a very enjoyable and rather unique take on the Jack the Ripper mythos. The MC Susannah is engaging and plausible and the plot is well constructed and fast paced. Highly recommend.

Premise is excellent, being secretly married to a serial killer is my actual biggest fear.
Unfortunately whilst I was thoroughly interested in the subject matter, I could not gel with the writing, the characters or the plot and ultimately this one wasn't for me. I am disappointed and maybe I will give it another try in the future

People of Abandoned Character by Clare Whitfield

People of Abandoned Character is Clare Whitfield's debut novel and what an incredibly fantastic introduction!

After Susannah Chapman's grandparents die, she moves to London to train as a nurse at The London Hospital. At 27 years of age, she's already considered a bit of an 'Old Maid', but when a younger and wealthy surgeon Thomas Lancaster pursues her romantically, she agrees to marry him, but has to resign as a Nurse.
It's only a matter of weeks before their seemingly idyllic relationship turns sour and Thomas becomes violent and controlling. Susannah aso has to deal with the overbearing housekeeper, Mrs Wiggs, who dotes on Thomas and hates Susannah.
Thomas starts to stay out all night, returning home in the morning, often with signs of blood upon him. Susannah, who has avidly been collecting newspaper clippings about the victims of the Whitechapel Ripper starts to notice that the murders coincide with Thomas' late night outings. Is her husband the Ripper?

This is a really well-written and gripping story. Gruesome, stark, shocking and gory but with characters that you feel emotionally invested in. This book fulfills more than just satisyfying an interest in the subject, it's fully immersive.
I would have given this five stars, but for the ending. I just felt that it didn't quite wrap up as perfectly as I thought it would.

* Thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for the ARC.

A dark, twisted, enthralling and well written story I thoroughly enjoyed.
It kept me hooked and on the edge till the last page, turning pages as fast as I could.
I loved the description of Victorian London, the empathy toward the victims and the excellent character development.
The mix of history and fictions works well and the author is a good storyteller.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I was sent the first few chapters of this book to review and it definitely peaked my interest.

The writing was really well done, and the plot highly intriguing.

If you enjoy historical crime this is a great one for this time of year!

This novel has a definite dark feeling throughout and had me hooked right from the start. Susannah was caring for her ailing grandmother. Once she passes, Susannah becomes a Nurse at the London Hospital. She is a plain girl and older than a lot of the new nurses at age 27. When Susannah meets wealthy Surgeon Thomas Lancaster it is a quick romance that leads to marriage. After a passionate honeymoon they go back to Chelsea, where things turn sour and fast. Thomas is not who Susannah thought he was when he was romancing her in the beginning of the relationship.

Young women begin to be brutally murder, the same nights Thomas comes home late with blood on his close etc. Could Thomas be Jack the Ripper?

I had a hard time pulling myself away from this story. For a debut novel, I will say that this did not read as such. I love how the author develops the characters that they feel so real, like they are jumping of the page. I could feel and see the story as it was happening. Some descriptions were so gruesome that I actually cringed while reading it. I can't wait to read more from Clare Whitfield. I am not normally a historical fiction fan but after reading this book I will be checking out some other historical novels.

I give this book a 4 stars! A great book to get comfortable in front of the fire.

People of Abandoned Character by Clare Whitfield
This is the author’s debut novel and it is a very accomplished and well researched novel. She conveys in vivid the horrors of London which lurk beneath its civilised mask. In Whitechapel we see the prostitutes, those afflicted by syphilis and the dangers of life for a poor woman unable to pay for a roof over her head.
The story opens in Reading with the funeral of Susannah’s grandmother and gradually it emerges that she had been born a bastard and had only been taken in by her grandparents following her mother’s death. There are some touching moments as the author describes the relationship between Susannah and her grandfather; in particular the way they nurse a dunnock back to life after it has crashed into a window.
Following the death of her grandmother Susannah leaves Reading to train as a nurse and whilst she finds it difficult to build relationships with other she develops a firm friendship with Aisling, another trainee. We find discover about her life in flashback and we then find that, for a woman of 30years of age, Susannah has made a very advantageous marriage to Thomas Lancaster. They go on a very passionate honeymoon but it is when they return to the house in Chelsea that Thomas’ true nature is revealed. He introduces her to the housekeeper who rules the house with an iron will and Susannah can tell that she believes Thomas has chosen someone beneath his status. He becomes violent and aggressive and leaves the house for days at a time.
It is at about this time that Susannah, bored and with nothing to occupy her time, becomes obsessed with the murders which are occurring in Whitechapel at this time; murders attributed initially to Leather Apron and later to Jack the Ripper. The links between the murders and her husband’s disappearances become increasingly linked and the last half of the book draws you I as you attempt to discover what is going on. This is a fascinating book and one which I would happily recommend.
I offer my thanks to the author, Head of Zeus and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This book will appeal to lovers of historical fiction and crime fiction readers alike. Dark, twisty and entertaining, it's a page-turner.

The premise for this book sounded interesting - a woman marries a surgeon after a whirlwind romance in 19th century London, then it all begins to unravel as he becomes more abusive and reclusive, disappearing over several days which appear to coincide with the Ripper murders.

Somehow it just doesn't ring true. It is cleverly written, but somehow I just don't believe that Susannah, with the fortitude and strength of character formed by a desperate upbringing in Whitechapel, who then becomes a nurse and is doing so well in her chosen career that she is heading to be ward sister, is suddenly overcome by this male surgeon, swept off her feet and unable to make a decision for herself ever again, other than which drug to stultify her system with next.

It is a clever idea, but the author does not bring it off in a convincing manner. She does paint a good picture of the lot of women at this time, and how they were chattels belonging to their husbands. But somehow Susannah is just too wet to be convincing.

I wanted to enjoy it more than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Head of Zeus and Clare Whitfield for my arc of People of Abandoned Character in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Its 1888 and London's streets are haunted by the man they call Jack the Ripper. Susannah a 30 year old nurse trying her best to escape her Whitechapel past has found herself back there working at 'the London'. But Susannah doesn't plan to go back to her roots. Instead, desperate for security she rushes into marriage with young surgeon Thomas Lancaster. But once the honeymoon period is over, Susannah becomes trapped in her own home as Thomas becomes increasingly violent and volatile, assisted by his mean old housekeeper Mrs Wiggs. As Susannah follows the newspaper reports of the murdered women, her mind begins to take her down a twisted path, a path that leads right to the door of her own husband....

This book was fantastic! I really enjoyed it and found it difficult to put down. Susannah made for a fantastic narrator and it was interesting to see her character development unfold. The mystery and intrigue kept me turning the pages and I loved the villains. There were some fantastic and unexpected twists that were delivered in such a way as to make you think you'd cracked it only to find yourself tripping over your own feet. I will be recommending this at my next book club and would highly recommend for any fans of the works of Oscar De Muriel, Kerri Maniscalco, Stuart Turton and Ambrose Parry.

A dark and delicious historical crime thriller with a feisty and inspiring heroine


In 1888 London, nurse Susannah rushes into marriage with a wealthy young surgeon, believing in his passion for her and hope that he will be her ticket out of the life of poverty she grew up in. At first, their marriage is bliss, but shortly after their honeymoon, Thomas’s behaviour drastically changes. He becomes moody, volatile and aggressive, violent towards his wife and disappears late at night, returning covered in blood. Their housekeeper, the hostile and cold Mrs Wiggs, hushes up Susannah’s concerns and seems determined to protect Thomas and his reputation whatever the cost. Meanwhile, young women are being found brutally murdered around Whitechapel. Susannah begins to read as much as she can about the murders and the hunt for the killer. A terrifying conclusion becomes apparent to her about the possible identity of the infamous Jack the Ripper.


This was a brilliant crime thriller packed with suspense and mystery, with plenty of shocks and twists scattered throughout. It is written from the POV of Susannah, a brave and spirited young woman who has tried to make the most of her life despite a miserable background but winds up trapped in an abusive marriage. I felt empathy for her throughout her story, as she progresses from being a poor orphan to a hard-working nurse, then on to a lady of the upper classes through her marriage, and loved the way that she gradually develops her courage and independence as she goes. Thomas, Mrs Wiggs and the other supporting characters were also three-dimensional and well-portrayed, and the author manages to make you suspect, trust and fear all the people Susannah encounters in turn. The prose also perfectly captures the atmosphere of the dark slums of London, filled with filth, booze and despair, and addresses some contentious issues such as sexism, domestic violence, homophobia, alcoholism, homelessness and prostitution, all of which are sadly ongoing problems today.


In this novel, the author has done an incredible job of capturing the macabre fascination that the general public often has with serial killers and explores how this was already apparent over a hundred years ago. The fact that Jack the Ripper is still a household name in 2020 demonstrates just how strongly violent killings capture the public’s interest (a telling and slightly concerning aspect of human nature). It makes this fictionalised potential version of events even more enjoyable to read when you are always thinking in the back of your mind that they may be not too far from the truth. However, in this story, the author doesn’t just focus on the murders – she tells the story of the victims too, and she certainly doesn’t shy away from describing in detail the appalling lives of the poor in the underbelly of London. I absolutely loved the ending of the story, and found it exciting and satisfying, with all the loose ends tied up neatly but not unrealistically. My only criticisms of this book would be that some scenes were quite violent and gory, which may not be to every reader’s taste, and also that the brutal depiction of poverty may be upsetting for some.


In conclusion, this was a fantastic novel, and I am shocked and delighted that it is a debut, as I would definitely be very keen to read more by this excellent author. The combination of a great crime thriller, historical fiction and some contentious socio-economic issues makes this a 5-star winner for me.


Daenerys


Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

What a feast of a murder mystery!

In late 19th century London, Susannah, a young nurse from a poverty stricken background is on her way up = recently married to an upcoming and charming surgeon.

Of course things can't stay like this - before long the relationship is not what it seemed, and there is physical and psychological trauma. At the same time young women are being murdered in the local area = and Susannah begins to suspect her husband.

A story full of winding turns and intriguing characters. Kept me riveted the whole way through.