A review by sanne_vds
Death at Whitechapel by Robin Paige

adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

 I’m not going to lie. This book took me ages to finish, and I had to restart at least once because I could not – for the life of me – remember who everyone was. By the time the story picked up, though, I got into it very fast. The intrigue, the theories, the murders, the side-plots, … everything drew me in. This has much to do with Helen Johns narration. If not for her and her many ways of portraying each character I probably would have given up on the book for good. But I’m glad I didn’t because while it was historically inaccurate, the authors used one of the more credible and plausible theories as a backbone which made for an entertaining listen/read. 

Something I thoroughly enjoyed was the way the authors (I only learned after finishing that the pen name Robin Paige is used by a 2 people; a husband and wife) included actual historical figures in the story. It also shows how people at that time might’ve experienced the scandals in real time and a bit later. It was also interesting to see and learn about the political and social climate of that time. 

To people interested in this book: I recommend it very much if you like historical murder mysteries, Jack the Ripper, female protagonists, etc. but I do warn you about the very slow start of the story. So don’t give up because it does get better after a while and is totally worth the read. Especially the audiobook i recommend, because Helen Johns does an incredible job narrating. 

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an audiobook arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.