First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and author, Emily Organ for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading The Whitechapel Widow, because, for the first instalment of a new series, this (not so) little book read like a 200 page cozy.

To be completely honest, when I saw the words 'Jack the Ripper' my interest was immediately piqued. This unidentified serial killer preyed on women in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The Metropolitan Police, City of London Police, and private organisations such as the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee were actively involved in the search for the perpetrator or perpetrators. Despite extensive enquiries the murders were never solved. Ever curious, I had questions floating in my mind: Was the author going to incorporate this infamous serial killer into the story? Maybe, there was going to be some sort of parallel thread going on? Was Jack going to be a main focal point?

Whitechapel YAYS:

🔎 The timeline: London 1888. Many people faced harsh working conditions and low wages. Driven by poverty and a lack of opportunity, prostitution was a common reality for many women. There was social and economic unrest, but women found strength in unity, fighting back against poor working conditions. The author has done a noteworthy job with her attention to detail with this timeline.

🔎 The characters: Disclaimer – this is my first read by this author. Even though this is the first book in the 'Emma Langley' series, I didn't click that the character of Penny Green (who plays a secondary role to Emma throughout the mid to second half of the book) has her own mystery series. And indeed, in one of those stories, had helped solve the murder of Emma Langley's own brother. Although I don't think it marred my reading experience, I now find myself wanting to go back and source out that story and indeed, read Ms Green's series in its entirety. Our FMCs, Emma and Penny are sensible, inquisitive, intelligent, compassionate women, who are very likeable and very relatable.

🔎 The pace: At some 400+ pages, I flew through this one very quickly. My initial thoughts about a Jack the Ripper story were quickly replaced by a totally different historical-mystery that was well-written and deeply engrossing.

🔎 The story: Newly married, Emma Langley is on a train bound for a life in the country with her husband, William. Just before the train is set to depart, William rushes out of the carriage telling Emma that he just wants to buy a paper from the seller for the trip. The train whistle is blowing and the guard is yelling for last minute passengers to board and Emma is watching her husband run towards the paper seller. In the throng of the crowd, with passengers trying to board and loved ones waving to send off, Emma loses sight of her husband and in the next moment the train starts to pull away from the platform. That was the last time Emma sees her husband alive.

🔎 The page count is indicative of the slow release of suspects and motives but for this reader, did nothing to dampen the story's pacing – it moved well.

Whitechapel Hmms:

🔪 At the conclusion of this instalment, this reader thought that the mention of anything 'Jack the Ripper' was unnecessary. I don't think it hurt the story any, yet it didn't enhance it either. But I will acknowledge that it did draw me to pick the book up in the first place, so there is that.

It will be interesting to see how this series continues, but in the meantime, this reader is joyful in the knowledge that there is now a back catalogue of Emily Organ books to entertain me.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Storm Publishing for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Whitechapel Widow by Emily Organ
Emma Langley Victorian Mystery #1

Intriguing, intricately plotted, ingenious murder mystery ~ Great introduction to a new series

What I Liked:
* Emma Holland Langley: piano teacher, recently married, parents & brother deceased, husband disappears then is found murdered, curious, invested in finding her husband’s killer
* Penny Green Blakely: happily married with two young children, retired investigative reporter, puzzle solver, strong, works well with Emma on the case
* James Blakely: Penny’s husband, Scotland Yard Detective Inspector, loving father & husband, supportive, intelligent, protective, good man
* The Solomons: Landlords, took Emma in when her husband disappeared, good people
* The murder mystery of who killed William Langley and why he was murdered
* The way Emma and Penny went about their investigation
* The twists and turns along with some red herrings
* The plot, pacing, setting and writing
* The glimpse into life in this time period
* Being able to dislike the baddies and want them brought to justice
* Reading a new-to-me author and enjoying her work
* Wanting to say more but not wanting to give the plot away
* Wanting to know what happens next…

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about the criminals and the crimes they committed along with how many people were harmed

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was a fun mystery novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Having read all of the Penny Green series I was exited to see a new series in which she featured. I was not disappointed. I felt quite nostalgic in the part where Penny went into the newspaper office where she used to work, and caught up with old friends.

This series is every bit as good as the Penny Green series, I can't wait for the next one.

Although I received a free copy of this book I am leaving a review voluntarily, with my genuine opinion.

A perfect mystery novel to read on a rainy weekend!

This is the first book in the Emma Langley Mysteries series. It seems it runs in parallel with another series by Emily Organ, with some characters appearing in both, although I haven't (yet) read the Penny Green Mysteries.
The plot is well thought out with some good twists and turns. I loved following Emma and Penny - two respectable 19th century ladies - down the dingy backstreets of Whitechapel.
The language used is easy which makes it a fun and enjoyable read.
I also loved the added bonus of the historical notes at the end of the book. I'll definitely be going round some of the historic places mentioned in the book next time I'm in London.
And I'll be keeping my eyes open for the sequel, The Poison Puzzle!

Thank you very much to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest opinion of the book. This review is now available on Goodreads.

In London 1888 during the reign of Jack the Ripper, Emma Langley and William not been married for any length of time decided to move to the countryside as William insisted it would be beneficial to Emma's health as London is full of smog.
While all set and seated on the train ready to embark on their new adventure William decides he has got time to get off the train and buy a paper leaving Emma on the train waiting.
Emma carry's on to his aunts place in the country where they will be staying for a while only to find nobody has heard of her and a fictious address so Emma returns to London the next day to find her husband only to find he has been murdered.
London not being safe for a single woman to roam around on her own looks to track down Penny Green a once journalist but now married herself, and ask for her help as she has helped her before.
Emma and Penny are hoping they can solve the puzzle for the police as to who killed Emma's husband and more to the point who was he?, as everywhere they turn they discover a different side to William.
This is different to the normal police procedures even this Victorian style thriller as the police never seem very good at their job so this is the start for womanhood in a man's world.
An enjoyable read very cleverly put together, it was clean well written and intriguing.

This book had me torn - at times it was a white-knuckle thriller full of twists and turns, but at other times it felt like a high school writing project. I really liked the premise - a woman's husband goes missing during the reign of Jack the Ripper - and felt it delivered, but it was kind of a slog to get there.

This is a 'spin off' of sorts from the Penny Green series, and introduces us to possible lady detective in training Emma Langley. Her husband, William, goes missing and with the Police kept busy with Jack the Ripper, it falls to Emma - and eventually Penny, now married with children - to figure out William's double life. Along the way there are shady characters aplenty, frustrating gender norms from the time period, and plucky heroines who will stop at nothing to find the truth.

My biggest issues with the book have to do with Emma's character development. She goes back and forth between naive Victorian housewife and strong, independent female in a way that makes her seem wishy-washy. The moments when she finds her backbone and stands up for what she feels is right are very good.

Overall, I did enjoy the book, and as it's the first in a new series, I have hopes Emma's character will continue to grow.

3.5 rounded to 4 stars

A murder mystery set in late Victorian London at the time of Jack The Ripper. The beginning of the novel had me gripped. I felt Emma’s plight at being abandoned by her husband and the terrible secrets she uncovered. There was a lot of entanglement in the plot, and I was fully submerged in all the lines of enquiry.

I also thought the novel had a good feel of what Victorian London and the Whitechapel area must have looked like and felt at this time. I didn’t see that ending coming, and the way the story is set for the next book was interesting.

Emma Langley has questions. Why is her husband’s case missing? Why was her husband mixed up with a creepy picture framer? Did he really quit his job at a law firm? Why do some people call him by a different name? Who killed her husband?

In the first book of the Emma Langley series, “Whitechapel Widow,” the reader learns that Emma Langley thought she married the man of her dreams. However, when the couple decides to move to the countryside, she suddenly finds herself abandoned and, worse, after making her way back to London discovers that her husband has been murdered! She is determined to get to the bottom of her husband’s death and his betrayal. Emma calls upon Penny Blakely (formerly Green) for help. Penny, the star of her own series by Emily Organ, had previously helped Emma solve the murder of Emma’s brother. Together, the two uncover clues to get to the bottom of the mystery, but put themselves in danger in the process.

The story is action-packed and focused on uncovering the reasons for Emma’s husband’s death. Emma’s can-do spirit is delightful. I am looking forward to the second book in the series!

This story is great for readers who enjoy historical mysteries, Victorian mysteries, or are fans of the Penny Green series.

I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley and Storm Publishing, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This novel begins with Emily and her husband William leaving London, in the grips of Jack the Ripper murders, for a new life in Suffolk. At the last moment, William steps off the train, obstensively to get a newspaper, and disappears.

Emily moves from hope in finding her husband, to despair as she learns he was not the person she thought him to be, to desperation that he might actually BE Jack the Ripper, and then to sheer determination to uncover his killer. Along the way Emily acquires the help of Penny Green (who is the heroine of Organ's 12 book series "A Penny Green Victorian Mystery").

The book has good bones, but at 414 pages on Kindle, the plot is bloated and the pace very slow. I found myself moving ahead to see if the action picked up, but kept on snagging on dialog that filled pages but did not move the story forward. For example, Emily introduces Penny to her landlord (who does not figure in the plot in any way):

You have a delightful cat, said Penny.
Well, he's a bit of a nuisance really, but I love him all the same. I have to brush him every day otherwise his fur becomes all tangled up.
What's his name?
Laurence.
I have a cat, too, she's called Tiger. When I lived in a garret room in Cripplegate, she used to wander about the rooftops.
Goodness me, that sounds quite dangerous!
Fortunately, she was fine, and she has a little garden now.
How lovely. Now go and have you chat together, I'm quite sure you didn't come here to talk about cats with me!

We are given a lot of suspects, much intrigue and subterfuge, and for me, the conclusion felt anticlimatic. But, your results may vary. Personally, the story was too unfocused and didn't hold my attention. 3 stars.

3.5 stars rounded up

The synopsis intrigued me and I was excited to read about Jack the Ripper. However I just didn't connect with the fmc I felt bad that she was duped but I just didn't connect with her. This book was long but had 100 short chapters. This book just wasn't my cup of tea or I was in the wrong head space for this book.

I have read all the Penny Green books so it was nice to see her in this new series and catch up with where she is now. This was certainly a strange one with a husband just disappearing off the train like that and then turning up dead and the wife having to try and solve things as its the time of Jack The Ripper and the police are too caught up in trying to catch him. All in all its a good start to a new series that I look forward to following. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I am a sucker for Victorian style murder mysteries. Give me the dingy, foggy streets of London any time, and I will be fairly quickly hooked. With the Whitechapel Widow, it was no different and I feel like I zoomed through this book in about 2 sittings. It's a good murder mystery with intriguing characters though I do feel there were more characters thrown in than I needed. It's not perfect but it's engaging and entertaining.

Emma and her husband are setting off on a move to Suffolk when right before the train departs the station, her husband hops off in order to get a newspaper or cup of coffee. Though he says he will be right back, he does not make it in time and the train departs without him. Emma, who is distraught by the occurrence, turns around at the next station and returns to London, only to discover her husband has utterly disappeared.

Emma now has to figure out what to do and where to go, once she starts to learn her husband was not the man she thought he was, the aunt he said they were going to stay with does not exist, and the house he said they would live in also does not exist. She also quickly learns that in her short time of knowing him and being married to him, he spent all of her money, was fired from his job, and perhaps had dalliances with other women.

When his body turns up, she is determined to find the truth abut William aka Billy, and figure out who she married, Hopefully whoever killed her husband doesn't target her next.

This was an interesting Victorian mystery series. While all of London is focused on finding Jack the ripper Emma Langley wants to find a killer as well. Only this killer that she's trying to find is her husband. I enjoyed reading this one and finding a strong female heroine in a Victorian novel. And no I don't find it out of place as I don't believe all Victorian lad's were fainting damsels in distress.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. This was an easy to read crime fiction story. The main character was Emma Langley, who is a newly married young women, whose husband disappears as they are moving to a new life. He is found dead shortly after. Set in Victorian London, Emma feels the police are not sufficiently interested in discovering what happened. The police are stretched searching for Jack the Ripper. Emma seeks help from Penny to help her find out what happened to her husband.
The female characters are shown as quite strong in a time when men were in control and believed women were unable to make decisions, and kept as the property of their husband.
This book is the first in a new series, so I'm sure that Emma will develop more as a character. I look forward to reading more.

I enjoyed the slow teasing out of suspects and motives. Emma and Penny are sensible protagonists who sift through the clues using logic and reason. Set against a backdrop of Victorian London, they manage to skirt around society’s restrictions on women. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful new mystery series by Emily Organ. Don't miss it.
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2025
This book pulled me in from the beginning. It's a spinoff of the Penny Green Series by Emily Organ which is my Favorite Cozy Mystery Series.

Emma Langley seems to have married in haste without knowing her attractive husband very well at all. Obviously he wasn't the man she thought he was and now she fears he's made her life a living nightmare. He deserted her on a train when she believed they were going to start a new life together and then inexplicably and horribly turned up dead.

Emma turns to former investigative reporter Penny Green for help. Penny is now married and a mother of two young children but her interest in solving crimes is still very active. She has been making notes on Jack the Ripper which may or may not help in this investigation. London is on high alert and anxious to catch this brutal killer.

Emma is staying with her landlady because she now has no home and no money. She's decided to investigate her husband's murder and it leads her to more dastardly deeds to discover.

It's heartening to see the friendship develop between these two beloved characters, Penny Green Blakely and Emma Langley. Penny's husband, Inspector James Blakely, comes around and becomes supportive and gives approval to their detective skills. It was a totally satisfying ending which also leaves open the promise of more mysteries to solve. I cannot wait for the next installment of the Emma Langley Victorian Mystery Series.

Emily married just four months did not expect to find herself a widow so soon. Neither did she expect to find out that her husband was a no good philanderer who had scammed a gullible young woman for all she had. 1888 London was tense with the unsolved crimes of Jack the Ripper and unexplained killings were rife. William was just one of them.

Emily was not going to sit back and watch, when she realised that her case was low priority for the local police. Getting together with a former reporter of the local paper, she painstakingly uncovered William’s last few hours and his nefarious activities which led to his death.

The story depicts also the helplessness of women in general, where men controlled their entire lives from behavior to finances and unscrupulous men got away literally with murder. The workings of slums in London are meticulously documented and gives one an insight into how this city operated.

A mystery murder genre with a lot to attract history fans as well.

The title and the description drew me in. William sure was a piece of work. Emma still has a right to know what happened to her husband. I loved Penny. She was a great addition. Emma and Penny made a great team. Halfway through I had a few ideas of how it was going to go, but then something else happens. There was another twist I did not expect. I will be reading more in this series.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-copy in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed this book. The author did a superb job of detailing the various neighborhoods of London during the time of Jack the Ripper. The development of the main character made it totally believable that she could develop from a widow into a very capable amateur detective. I also liked how the author was able to develop her other female detective character, Penny Green, in this story. I am looking forward to reading the next Emmy Langley book, The Poison Puzzle.