I’m not much of a reviewer but I get pretty vocal about books I enjoy, especially if it puts a spin on something I’m use to. There are many books in any given genre that follow a certain formula. Same outline, different characters. That’s fine. It just means I’ll always have something to look into. That’s why we read them. But sometimes I need a small break from routine. That’s how I felt about Jackaby by William Ritter.
“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.“
Although the mystery was easy to figure out, in my opinion, the unseen magic throughout the story leading up to that moment was perhaps my favorite thing about the book. It was strange being in the same position as Abigail Rook as she encountered the very odd Jackaby and later, helping in his investigation. We watched the magic happened without actually “seeing” any magic happen. Being on the less magical end was weird at first. At no point do you experience that magic unless it wanted you to. Jackaby sees the world differently than Abigail and I. We can either dismiss whatever he says as madness or follow along in the adventure. It was a refreshing viewpoint.
And the creatures weren’t your usual list of common mythologies. There are other stories to explore outside of Greek, Egyptian or other well-known myths and Jackaby shows us that there are things we don’t know. Even when I had it figured out there was still the magical part of the mystery I couldn’t solve. Finding out what type of creature the culprit was kept me reading until the end. So yes, I’ll stick with Miss Rook and the bizarre adventures she’ll have in the future.
Reading Rites 