Loved the tv series so just had to get the book. As usual the tv series made some slight changes to certain events in the story but nothing too crazy. Laszlo and Sara's roles are alot less prominent in the book as the story is told from John Moores perspective which I loved. Definitley a book worth holding onto.

I’m a big fan of the Netflix series and was not disappointed by the book! Really enjoyable to read

I really loved this book, I found it refreshing and different from anything else I’d read in the last couple of years. There isn’t usually such a strong focus on psychology and the mind in stories like this but ultimately it was psychology and other types of criminal science that are the true hero of this book. I only found out this book existed after stumbling across the Netflix series and seeing it was linked to a book, usually I’ve read the book and then notice any TV and Film adaptations. I was thrown into the setting of this book, 1896 New York, life is not a simple, rife with racism, poverty and corruption (especially in the Police Force) New York is not a safe place to be. This is bought to life in the writing, I loved the historical facts and references made on this great city throughout the book. Transporting us straight into the streets, during journeys’ in cabs the author directs us street by street pointing out monuments and important features of the New York culture at the time. The same hustle and bustle of the New York we know now but in an earlier time. We find out about the segregation within the city as the immigrant population increases and more cultures arrive. Throughout the book you understand the socio-economic status of New York. The Plot of this book is complex and full of mystery, for every question we get an answer to even more questions arise. The whole story was tense, with possible dangers around each corner and I really enjoyed the sense of discovery that the characters had with each step closer they got to identifying the murder. Not only was there the mystery of the murders but also the cloak and dagger behaviour of our band of crime fighters to keep the investigation away from the corrupt police department. I loved how accurately the mistrust and disgust of psychology, criminal profiling and forensics was portrayed and created the basis for this stories development, portraying how other mavericks of science may have paved the way for newer, more modern detective processes. Having such a strong sense of setting really helped the flow of this plot. I don’t want to give too much away on how the plot unfolds as I feel you really need to read it to get its true effect. The thing I enjoyed the most was simply how anonymous the killer was throughout a large chunk of the book allowing for the focus to be on the investigation. We literally go from knowing nothing about them to slowly building a picture through each contribution the team offer, seeing the early forensic techniques like handwriting analysis and fingerprint analysis being bought to life with a small bit of background on where these stemmed from is just so interesting. This will really suit some readers, people like me who really enjoy the how’s. If you aren’t driven by detail and/or interested in the scientific detail this book likely won’t be for you, the author hasn’t dumbed the process. The characters were well developed, and you could feel the rapport and camaraderie of their efforts, each relying on each other throughout this dangerous investigation. I was drawn to Dr Laszlo Kreizler (our MC), his single mindedness, determination and belief in his craft is inspiring. He’s presented as almost unlikeable due to his peculiar nature and high intellect. He is the driving force of his team and selecting what is arguably his best friend, crime reporter, John Moore as his right-hand man. Moore, who due to the nature of his job can easily get into crime scenes and find out information. Sarah, the Secretary to the Police Commission who uses her position to locate information from Police sources, as well as, being the go between for the group and Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt, and finally, the Isaacson brothers, two Jewish Detectives who are shunned not only for their religious beliefs but their forward-thinking ideas on detective work. Moore was probably the character out of the whole group that I struggled at times to get on with, sometimes finding him frustrating or a little to moany. I loved that the author put a pioneering female character into this book. Sarah is fierce and dreams of being a detective, she is the first of two women to be hired by the Police and sees the work Kreizler and the others are doing as a way to show a woman is more than capable too. Summary This book is dark, with danger and a hella lot of mystery. It has a lot to offer people interested in Historical Mystery Fiction, however, I’ll be the first to admit the way this book is written can be hard going, if you don’t have a keen interest in psychology, criminal psychology and/or historical mysteries this could be a hard read for you. The action is also spread out with a lot of effort going into taking you through the investigation. The murders are also excessively gruesome and gory, so you need to be prepared to read for awful things, if you can’t cope with children under 15 being murdered this isn’t the book for you. For me the writing style although tough at times added to the authenticity and I ended this book feeling like I’d been with the characters every step of the way. My degree is in Psychology too which is another reason I enjoyed this book so much because I knew the theory they were talking about. Overall, this book just fit me as a person and I’d recommend you try it.

I’m a big lover of psychological thriller in general, but this book really took my breath away. It is set in late 19th century New York and follows a group of unlikely acquaintances throughout their investigation into a serial killer that has targeted the poorer districts of the city and managed to create havoc amongst the wealthy and powerful also. The story was gruesome and gripping and incorporated all the significant concepts that dominated psychological debates at the time.

Having seen the new Netflix version of the book, I was intrigued to read this and so I did. I still haven’t seen the whole series but the clips I have seen really interested me so I was excited to start read this! This was a brilliant read if not a bit grim to say the least! The nature of the crimes and the fact they are directed at children are heartbreaking to read about it’s the psychology around the crimes and the growing awareness of the mind of a killer that I found to be the most fascinating. The discussion the three main characters have about this case, about their awareness of finger printing, mind games, mental health etc are utterly enthralling and although I read a lot with a hanky over my mouth as the stench and gore was very strong at times, I found that I couldn’t take my eyes of this and wanted to be with John, Sarah and Laslo right until they solved this. The characters are all very very well developed and as their past stories come to light, the entire book takes on a cinematic quality and historical intrigue as they come to life from the page. I loved the narration of John and felt him to be a brilliant way to see all of this through the eyes of someone who was a police reporter at the time and not at the centre of the police force. Or course I read the book with Luke Evans who played him in mind (as I did the other characters) and I think the casting particularly inspired. The banter, hostility and friendship between the three made me feel part of the team – but the fact Sarah must fight harder for her rightful position in the investigation just because she’s a woman made me realise how little somethings have changed Luckily the setting has, as although New York in the 1800s is evoked with the five senses in all its gritty, gory glory, you would not want to walk down any of these streets for real! New York of course now is noting like this, but many of the locations, in fact most of them, are real – the nature and number of the brothels was an eye -opener as the most notorious of these was real. Interestingly, the Netflix drama was filmed in Budapest, but you can still very much walk in the footsteps of the characters in the big apple today. Ghoulishly gory but a fascinating and highly immersive read.