Eadie B. (eadieburke) -
Book Description
The world's most famous reporter, the intrepid Nellie Bly, teams up with science fiction genius Jules Verne, the notorious wit and outrageous rogue Oscar Wilde, and the greatest microbe-hunter in history, Louis Pasteur. Together, they must solve the crime of the century.
They are all in Parisâthe capital of Europe and center of world cultureâfor the 1889 World's Fair. A spectacular extravaganza dedicated to new industries, scientific discoveries, and global exploration, its gateway is the soaring Eiffel Tower. But an enigmatic killer stalks the streets and a virulent plague is striking down Parisians by the thousands. Convinced that the killings are connected to the pandemic, Nellie is determined to stop them both... no matter what the risks.
My Review
This was an interesting historical fiction account of Nellie Bly, feminist newspaper reporter, who was in search of a killer similar to Jack the Ripper who killed prostitutes. I enjoyed reading about the historical characters that Nellie met in Paris, such as; Louis Pasteur, Oscar Wilde and Jules Verne. Louis Pasteur was hunting microbes in order to help with a cure for the Black Plague. Oscar Wilde became of friend of Nellie and helped her in the search of the killer of the prostitutes. In the book, she had a relationship with Jules Verne which was rather interesting. She decided to prove to Jules Verne that woman can do whatever men can do and took up the challenge to do a record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days and beat Phileas Fogg's time from the infamous book by Verne, Around the World in 80 days. She was a pioneer in her field, and launched a new kind of investigative journalism and wrote an exposé in which she faked insanity to study a mental institution from within. I look forward to reading the next book in the Nellie Bly series in order to see what Nellie is up to as I really enjoyed her adventures in the first book. I would highly recommend this book to those who like historical fiction about famous people.
The world's most famous reporter, the intrepid Nellie Bly, teams up with science fiction genius Jules Verne, the notorious wit and outrageous rogue Oscar Wilde, and the greatest microbe-hunter in history, Louis Pasteur. Together, they must solve the crime of the century.
They are all in Parisâthe capital of Europe and center of world cultureâfor the 1889 World's Fair. A spectacular extravaganza dedicated to new industries, scientific discoveries, and global exploration, its gateway is the soaring Eiffel Tower. But an enigmatic killer stalks the streets and a virulent plague is striking down Parisians by the thousands. Convinced that the killings are connected to the pandemic, Nellie is determined to stop them both... no matter what the risks.
My Review
This was an interesting historical fiction account of Nellie Bly, feminist newspaper reporter, who was in search of a killer similar to Jack the Ripper who killed prostitutes. I enjoyed reading about the historical characters that Nellie met in Paris, such as; Louis Pasteur, Oscar Wilde and Jules Verne. Louis Pasteur was hunting microbes in order to help with a cure for the Black Plague. Oscar Wilde became of friend of Nellie and helped her in the search of the killer of the prostitutes. In the book, she had a relationship with Jules Verne which was rather interesting. She decided to prove to Jules Verne that woman can do whatever men can do and took up the challenge to do a record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days and beat Phileas Fogg's time from the infamous book by Verne, Around the World in 80 days. She was a pioneer in her field, and launched a new kind of investigative journalism and wrote an exposé in which she faked insanity to study a mental institution from within. I look forward to reading the next book in the Nellie Bly series in order to see what Nellie is up to as I really enjoyed her adventures in the first book. I would highly recommend this book to those who like historical fiction about famous people.
This novel is the first in a series featuring Nellie Bly. Bly is a real person who in 1885 began her reporting career at the Pittsburgh Dispatch. Then she travels to New York seeking a journalist spot at the New York World and finally lands a job after selling the idea of going undercover as a woman committed to the notorious Blackwell's Island Asylum for ten days to the newspaper mogul, Pulitzer. When she is committed to the asylum, she find out that a Dr. Blum is murdering prostitutes that were committed there. She is almost murdered herself when she discovers him in the act. After her release from the asylum and writing an exposé about her experiences, she learns of a serial killer in Whitechapel London using the name Jack and connects him to Dr. Blum. She goes to London after the Ripper but fails to catch him which then leads her to Paris on the trail of a similar slasher. In Paris, she meets Jules Verne, Oscar Wilde, Louis Pasteur and Toulouse-Lautrec who end up assisting her in her search for the slasher. The World's Fair with the Eiffel Tower is in progress while a black influenza is killing many of the poor in Paris. Overall, I thought this was a good historical mystery novel told by Bly as she hunts for a psychopathic killer on two continents. The novel also involves anarchists who are willing to take any steps for their cause of injustice to the downtrodden. The descriptions of Paris at the time are very well done and the reader gets a real feel for the city including the Moulin Rouge and the horrific conditions of the poor. This is the first in a series and I will probably seek out the next books.
