Jackaby | Book review

Title: Jackaby (Jackaby #1)

Author: William Ritter

Published: September 16th 2014 by Algonquin Young Readers

Goodreads summary: “Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”

Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.

Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.

REVIEW

I was interested in this book because it's 19th century, mystery, and paranormal. To sum up, everything that could please me. I didn't know if the book would live up to its pitch, Sherlock Holmes meets Doctor Who, but it did. I had a few issues with the pacing, because it was a rather short book, but some times I was a little bored and didn't know where I was exactly.

First, the writing was very evocative, I felt I was with Abigail on the docks when she arrived in New Fiddleham, so I was hooked in this story from the beginning. The research on the 19th century was satisfying, for example some women disapproved that Abigail was Jackaby's assistant, when she should be married. This book confronted some of the issues of that time period, I was happy about that.

Jackaby was really a mix between Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes, I often pictured the Doctor and Clara in Victorian London in this book because Jackaby was similar to the Doctor. He was so socially awkward and dry, he made me laugh multiple times because of the way he interacted with people, like when he said at Mona "Um, you're just a woman, not interesting", and then she yells at him. I'm looking forward to more backstory about him.

Abigail was an interesting character, because she was raised to be a proper lady but dreamt of adventure her whole life and then ran away from England. I liked that she was freshly arrived in town, because there was no better way for us to discover this town and its mysteries, like Jackaby. She was trying to be strong and independant, when everyone didn't believe she could do it, which is a reality of that time period, even if it goes slowly to women's independency.

There were interesting secondary characters, but I don't want to mention their names because spoilers. I really enjoyed that the beginning of a romance was with a secondary character, it changed a little.

The paranormal was well added to the plot, because it was the reason for crimes, even if the rest of the world turned a blind eye to that truth, it made it so much more realistic! This book has all type of paranormal creatures, from ghost to shape-shifters, it was just "all the stories are true" (virtual cookie for you if you know what that came from ;) ). The fact that there wasn't a chapter thirteen was funny, because of the number. Everything was made for the paranormal to make sense.

The ending was so Doctor Who, with the Doctor and his companion going on a new adventure, it was nice to read, because the book could end like that and be a standalone, but at the same time, there is room for so many things (I can't wait to read the second book!).

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?