A Wigwam for a Goose's Bridle

Despite my love of forensics and crime novels, this is actually the first piece of Ripper fic I’ve ever bothered to read. At the ripe old age of 27, Susannah moves to London to become a nurse, which was going well enough until her colleague dies and she marries a surgeon. Surely that’s her ticket out of poverty and drudgery? She and her husband both have their secrets, and the honeymoon period is soon over, giving way to triggering domestic violence (gaslighting, emotional, physical, sexual). The Ripper murders start up, and Susannah develops an unhealthy interest in them, suddenly realising they occur on nights her husband is out, and he often comes back scratched and bloodied. The supercilious housekeeper seems to be in on whatever secrets Thomas is keeping, and on gaslighting Susannah.

The early part of the book felt like a train wreck I couldn’t stop watching, and for a while the story seemed predictable. There were, however, a few twists I didn’t see coming, and it ended up being a very interesting read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review.