I’ve always had a morbid fascination with Jack the Ripper – ever since I was a little kid – after visiting Madame Tussauds with my parents on a rare trip to London. I can’t tell you much about the exhibition because I was far too young to remember but I seem to recall a letter sent by Jack (in red blood!) on view, but it was more than enough to lure me into learning more about the brutal murders in Victorian London.

Now You See Me by SJ Bolton

Although we still don’t know the identity of this mass murderer (and we never will despite copious investigations in recent years) there’s something quintessentially British about the whole saga and Jack joins, for me, a short and illustrious list of characters I will forever associate with London, fog and death – Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper – two very different people – one good, one evil – but both geniuses!

Despite her fascination with Jack the Ripper, Detective Constable Lacey Flint has never worked a big case or seen a dead body up close. Until now…

As she leaves a south London estate one night, she is horrified to find a woman has been viciously stabbed, right next to Lacey’s car.

Thrown headlong into her first murder hunt, Lacey’s quiet life changes overnight. Then Lacey receives a familiar hand-delivered letter, written in red blood, and it is clear the police have a Ripper copycat on their hands.

Lacey must be the bait if they are to prevent a second, brutal murder. But can this inexperienced DC outwit a killer whose infamous role model has never been found?…

One thing is clear from the very first chapters, SJ Bolton – author of Now You See Me is as fascinated with Jack the Ripper as I am – probably more – and this passion and enthusiasm comes across in droves with a fluid fictional narrative combined with an educative prose on events in 1888 – you’ll struggle to put this book down if you have an interest in ripper lore or good old crime fiction.

The murders are gruesome and leave very little to the imagination – to be honest anyone picking up a book with an underlying connection to Jack the Ripper would be naïve to expect anything less! Bolton goes for the jugular, literally, some of the murder scenes had me flinching a few times – how on earth someone could do this to another human being is beyond me – the Ripper not SJ Bolton!

I thoroughly enjoyed the police procedural, the office politics, relationships and the chain of command. I did find Tulloch a little soft on occasion and felt she could have been a little tougher but this was a very small gripe in an otherwise strong performance.

Published by Transworld Now You Seem Me is available in Hardcover and Kindle

It’s evident SJ Bolton has spent a great deal of time researching not only Jack the Ripper but the various departments within the Met, without it, the police procedural wouldn’t have been as strong or as accurate. It gives a great insight into how a murder task force operate and how they work together as individuals and team members with one goal in mind – to catch a killer.

As I’ve already mentioned the narrative is incredibly powerful and flows unhindered throughout, the book itself is multi layered and has something for everyone whether fans of crime thrillers, police procedurals or Jack the Ripper. Going back to the basics with ripper history the author dispenses with the unacknowledged murders of that time and is on sure footing from beginning to end re-telling Jack’s tale through Lacey Flint – her protagonist – whose part is assured, complex and well developed.

Apart from the obvious regaling of Jack the Ripper in Now You See Me I thought the characterisation was just as important. Working alongside Lacey Flint is Mark Joesbury – an assured and confident officer fresh from a serious injury – and together they have an uneasy relationship. They bicker, they fight and they don’t get on – you never quite know where it will lead.

The biggest surprise for me however was the location of part of the story – SJ Bolton moving outside the capital and down the M4 to Cardiff! Imagine my surprise when, sitting less than two minutes away from Llandaff rowing club this afternoon, I turn the page only to spot Llandaff, Bute Park, Splott and Cardiff Central!

“Then we are going to meet a woman called Muffin Thomas, Joesbury went on, in between mouthfuls. Lives somewhere near Splatt or Splott or some such.

“Muffin being a very common Welsh name, I said.

Joesbury reached into his pocket and pulled out a notebook. He opened it and turned it to face me.

“Myfanwy I said, deciphering his scrawl. Say again?

‘Muff-an-wee’ I repeated.

Classic!

Another strong performance from SJ Bolton, Now You See Me is a gripping tale of murder, intrigue and detection. Just when you settle back, take a breath and think you have all the clues sorted, Bolton changes the rules and you are back to square one – or so it seems! Full of intelligent twists, Now You See Me is a rip roaring crime thriller that teases and cajoles – but most certainly delivers. Excellent.

Published by Transworld Now You Seem Me is available in Hardcover and Kindle